Julia Christine Botin

Lea Salonga's costumes in 'Into the Woods' inspired by anahaw, bahay kubo

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1754980891790Composite 2 Slanted (6).jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Lea Salonga&#x27;s costumes as The Witch in &quot;Into the Woods&quot; are designed by Rajo Laurel and Raven Ong. Laurel/Instagram"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Lea Salonga&#x27;s costumes as The Witch in &quot;Into the Woods&quot; are designed by Rajo Laurel and Raven Ong. <em>Laurel/Instagram </em></span></span></span></div><p>Theatre Group Asia (TGA) promises to deliver a uniquely Filipino experience to audiences with its staging of &quot;Into the Woods,&quot; which kicked off its 24-show run last August 7 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati.  </p><p>And this could be seen even in the details, such as the costumes of lead star <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/7/31/lea-salonga-3-other-kims-from-miss-saigon-come-together-for-into-the-woods-musical-2037">Lea Salonga</a>, who plays the role of The Witch in the Stephen Sondheim musical.</p><p>Her outfits were designed by her friend and top Filipino designer <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/video/life/10/19/18/scion-of-political-families-rajo-laurel-opens-up-why-he-turned-his-back-on-politics">Rajo Laurel</a>, who recently gave the public a glimpse of his creative process. </p><p>In an Instagram post, he said he was asked by &quot;Into the Woods&quot; artistic director Clint Ramos to create looks for Salonga.</p><p>&quot;I immediately said yes,&quot; Laurel recalled. &quot;You see, I grew up in the theater. I was once a child actor and my very first play was actually with my friend [Salonga] in the Repertory Philippines production of &#x27;King and I.&#x27;&quot;</p><p>&quot;It is because of the theater that I fell in love with fashion and costume. So it was such an honor for me to be involved in the Theater Group Asia production of &#x27;Into the Woods,&#x27;&quot; he added.</p><p>Working closely with costume designer Raven Ong, Laurel crafted costumes with Filipino touches for Salonga, drawing inspiration from local foliage, among others. </p><p>&quot;We were inspired by Filipino foliage like the anahaw plant for the reveal in act one. I, for one, wanted a look that reminded me of the fabulous Santacruzan festivals of yore,&quot; he shared.</p><p>&quot;For the second act, we wanted a deeper shade of green enhanced by Philippine foliage embroidered all over the bodice. Imagine the &#x27;Bahay Kubo&#x27; song vegetables in embroidery. Every villain needs a dramatic cape, so we made two for Lea,&quot; Laurel added.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-1" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNEs7tuSnWT/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A16205336.4%2C%22ls%22%3A3579593.6%2C%22le%22%3A3579940.6%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="925" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>TGA&#x27;s &quot;Into the Woods&quot; marks Salonga&#x27;s return to the role of The Witch after 30 years, and her first time to share the stage with her child, Nic. </p><p>Also part of the all-Filipino cast are theater greats such as Arielle Jacobs, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/8/4/-blue-s-clues-you-host-josh-dela-cruz-is-back-in-ph-for-into-the-woods-1955">Josh Dela Cruz</a>, Nyoy Volante, and Mark Bautista, among others. </p><p>Tickets are already sold out for &quot;Into the Woods,&quot; which runs until August 31. </p>

<p>Her outfits were designed by her friend and top Filipino designer Rajo Laurel.</p>