PUHI — Filipina singer, actress and Disney Legend Lea Salonga concludes a three-date Hawaiian tour with a performance Tuesday, Feb. 26 on the Garden Isle. Presented by the Kaua‘i Concert Association, the show begins at 7 p.m. at the Kaua‘i
PUHI — Filipina singer, actress and Disney Legend Lea Salonga concludes a three-date Hawaiian tour with a performance Tuesday, Feb. 26 on the Garden Isle.
Presented by the Kaua‘i Concert Association, the show begins at 7 p.m. at the Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center in Puhi.
Salonga is well known for her lead role as Kim in the musical “Miss Saigon,” which won her the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards.
She also garnered fame by becoming the first Asian to play the roles of Eponine and Fantine in the musical “Les Miserables” on Broadway, and provided the singing voice of Disney princesses Jasmine in “Aladdin” and Fa Mulan in “Mulan.”
Her performance Tuesday will include Broadway classics, Filipino music and pop standards, according to Jason Blake of the KCA.
And before you ask, Blake assured fans that “she’ll definitely sing the songs she did in the Disney movies.”
“She basically sings a good mix of everything,” said Marynel Valenzuela, president of the Kaua‘i Filipino Chamber of Commerce. “She has a very powerful vocal singing ability.”
Salonga — who has been referred to as the “pride of the Philippines” — began her singing career at the age of ten, when she recorded her first album, “Small Voice.” During her 30-year career, she has performed for five Philippine presidents, three American presidents (George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush), Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II, according to her biography. In 2011, Disneyland honored her with the title of Disney Legend.
Most recently, Salonga appeared in “Allegiance,” a production which tells the story of a Japanese-American family forced into an internment camp during World War II.
Valenzuela said she is proud to see Salonga return to Kaua‘i once again and that Tuesday’s audience is in for a truly special performance.
“It’s definitely going to be a good show,” she said. “She’s not just a singer, she’s a performer.”
Salonga’s Feb. 26 performance begins at 7 p.m. at the KCC Performing Arts Center. Tickets cost $40 for adults, $20 for students and can be purchased in advance at www.kauai-concert.org or by calling 245-7464.
For more information about Les Salonga visit www.leasalonga.com.
• Chris D’Angelo, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 241) or lifestyle@thegardenisland.com.
