Lea Salonga In Concert

Broadway’s favourite Asian leading-lady Lea Salonga gave a capacity audience at the Concert Hall exactly what they wanted, plenty of Broadway, plenty of movie, and a lot of pop. The Philippine performer who rose to stardom in 1989 as the original Kim in Miss Saigon has captivated audiences ever since, on Broadway in Flower Drum Song, Allegiance, and Once on This Island. Shewas the first Asian actress to play both Eponine and Fantine in Les Misérables on Broadway, and became the singing voice of two Disney princesses, Jasmine in Aladdin and Fa Mulan in Mulan, which won her the honour of “Disney Legend”.

Songs she’s sung and songs she hasn’t made up this concert of mainly power-ballads, and if it wasn’t a power-ballad, then she made it into one. Frequently touring with Il Divo, her concert performance was not unlike that powerhouse group, continually belting the money notes.

She opened with a swinging “Feeling Good”, followed with “Out There” (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and a She Loves Me medley of “Will he Like Me?” and “Ice Cream”, hitting the incredible upper register notes with accuracy and force, and then segued into The Music Man’s “Till There was You”. Once on This Island’s lovely and haunting “The Human Heart” gave her a tender moment, as did Anastasia’s “Journey To the Past”, before she finished the first act with a searing “Why God Why?” from Miss Saigon.

The second half was more of the same - “Meadowlark” (The Baker’s Wife), “Children Will Listen” (Into the Woods), and a fabulous version of “This Is Me” (The Greatest Showman), which closed the show. There was audience participation with Aladdin’s “A Whole New World”, where she brought a young guy up from the audience to sing the Aladdin vocal opposite her. Whether he was an audience plant or not, he was very good, their voices blended well and the audience loved it. She encored with “On My Own” (Les Misérables), and a pop-medley that sent her fans into a frenzy.

The Camarata Chamber Orchestra was in good hands with Salonga’s younger brother Gerard at the podium. Augmented with two keyboards and guitars, the group had a great electronic/acoustic sound which enhanced the star’s vocals every step of the way, helped by a trio of backing singers - Sophie Carter, Rebecca Selley and Mat Verevis. It was all encased in swathes of fabric looped above the auditorium and dramatic but clever lighting which added lustre to the performance.

Peter Pinne

Photographer: Robert Catto