Cinderella’s glass slipper perfectly fits Lea Salonga
July 18, 2008
World–renowned Filipina artist Lea Salonga will topbill the biggest musical production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” in the Philippines which will open on July 29, 2008, at the CCP Main Theater.
Producer Marc Routh of Broadway Asia Entertainment (BAE) says that the musical will cost about US $ 2 million for its Manika production.
“Cinderella” will be staged for four weeks in the Philippines before it moves to Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Korea.
Lea Salonga won the Laurence Olivier Award in London and the Tony, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk Awards in Broadway for her outstanding performance as the Vietnamese bar girl Kim in “Miss Saigon.”
She is the first Asian to play Eponine in “Les Misérables” on Broadway and is currently portraying Fantine in the musical since March.
She also played the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in “Aladdin” and Fa Mulan in “Mulan” and “Mulan 2.”
“Cinderella” will be directed by Bobby Garcia, a two-time Aliw Awards winner. He has worked in film, television, stage, and live concert entertainment.
Bobby was Hong Kong Disneyland’s first show director when the park opened in 2005.
Italian couturier Renato Belestra will design the lavish costumes.
He has dressed some of the world’s most famous celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and Lauren Bacall, Iran’s Empress Farah Diba, the Queen of Thailand, the first ladies of the Philippines and Egypt, and Saudi Arabian princesses.
The timeless, magical tale of “Cinderella” dates back to the early 9th century China.
There are many versions of “Cinderella” but the most popular version was written by French author Charles Perrault that appeared in his fairy tales collection, “The Tales of Mother Goose.”
BAE’s “Cinderella” is adapted from the original musical written by American songwriters Richard Rodgers (composer) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyricist) for television.
The pair was famous for creating 11 immensely popular musicals including “South Pacific,” “The King and I,” “Flower Drum Song,” and “The Sound of Music” which earned Tony Awards, Academy Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, Grammy Awards, and an Emmy Award.
– Manila Bulletin, January 7, 2008, P. E-1
Previous Comments
Hi J! 
Yes, it is expensive; the cheapest is Php515 and that’s the balcony side. I’ll save for it still, even for the cheapest, just to watch Lea live for the first time. Nice to know you also like her! I’ve called ticketworld and they said tickets are still available. The musical will be shown Tue-Sun; Tue-Fri, it’s at 8pm and Sat-Sun, at 3pm and 8pm.
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Would love to watch this at CCP. But I bet it would be expensive.
Posted by J at July 19, 2008, 8:37 pm