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Lea Salonga shares what's unique about staging 'Into the Woods' in the Philippines

Article (news)

E. Kristhoff Cagape

Push Team

Lea Salonga opened up about her experience performing in the Philippines for her latest theater musical project.Lea is currently headlining the Manila production of Into the Woods at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater which started on August 7.In an interview with MJ Marfori on her YouTube vlog, Lea was asked what she thinks is unique about performing the theater production in the Philippines. &quot;The sensibility perhaps is much more familiar to me. And I think I was texting Clint Ramos who is our artistic director and telling him, &#x27;Naku hindi ko naalala na ganito pala ka-tearjerker &#x27;yung show na &#x27;to. Hindi ko naman akalain na ganito pala,&quot; she shared.The Filipina Broadway star also relayed how Filipino elements were incorporated to the musical.&quot;There are elements that are Filipino, but the music is not changed, the orchestrations are unchanged but all of it is placed on our bodies as Filipinos. The design elements, people will recognize so much of it,&quot; she shared. &quot;A lot of our legends, a lot of our folklore, a lot of our systems of writing, you will see it.&quot;<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17554809266111755480905325.jpeg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Image Credit: theatregroupasia IG</div>The singer remarked that seeing these Filipino elements in the production provides her great connection. &quot;They won&#x27;t necessarily change the story per se, but seeing something that you know belongs to you, it does something to you. It doesn&#x27;t feel foreign. It doesn&#x27;t feel na napakalayo so ang feeling mo bigla na I can relate to this before any of the music even starts. It brings into the forefront our storytelling traditions. It brings in our myths and folklore,&quot; she stated.Lea portrays the role of The Witch in the Manila production of Into The Woods.The actress previously portrayed the same role in the Singapore Repertory Theatre’s 1990s production of Into the Woods.&quot;What I love about this piece is the whole &#x27;what if&#x27; premise of fairy tales. Continuing past &#x27;happily ever after&#x27; is very interesting. Through the material, we realize that a witch isn&#x27;t always bad, and good people aren&#x27;t always entirely good. The famous line from the musical, &#x27;nice is different than good&#x27; is one that hits home every time. The message is so poignant. The final song, &#x27;Children Will Listen&#x27; is a reminder that what we do as adults impacts impressionable minds. Act One is about fairy tales, but Act Two explores darker, less defined territory. That&#x27;s when things get interesting,” she said in a previous interview.

Lea Salonga is currently headlining the Manila production of 'Into the Woods,' portraying the role of The Witch.

Lea Salonga is currently headlining the Manila production of ' Into the Woods,' portraying the role of The Witch.