Lea Salonga has already started rehearsing for the upcoming Broadway musical “Here Lies Love.”
Salonga shared on Instagram a photo from her first day of rehearsals where she can be seen all smiles along with the musical’s cast.
“First day of @herelieslovebwav rehearsals! The first ALL-FILIPINO company on Broadway! What a way to kick off #AAPIHeritageMonth2023!!!” the Tony winner captioned her post.
“Here Lies Love,” the first musical on Broadway about the Philippines -- with entirely Filipino principal roles -- will premiere in the summer of 2023 at the Broadway Theatre.
Performances will begin on June 17, ahead of an official opening night on July 20.
In a previous post, Salonga said joining the musical is very special to her for a couple of reasons.
“Number one, as a Filipino artist, I am incredible excited that audiences will finally get to see on Broadway this beautiful, impactful and important musical,” she said.
“Two, I get to go back to the Broadway Theatre which is where I made my own Broadway debut over 30 years ago, which is wild for me to think about. So, it’s a really sweet, full-circle moment,” she added.
Lastly, she gets to be reunited on stage with Filipino actors Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora.
The 23-member company of "Here Lies Love" includes Melody Butiu, Moses Villarama, Jasmine Forsberg, Reanne Acasio, Jaygee Macapugay, Julia Abueva, Renée Albulario, Aaron Alcaraz, Carol Angeli, Nathan Angelo, Kristina Doucette, Roy Flores, Timothy Matthew Flores, Sarah Kay, Jeigh Madjus, Aaron "AJ" Mercado, Geena Quintos, Shea Renne, and Angelo Soriano.
“Our international casting search took us literally around the globe. We received submissions from actors in the US to the Philippines and more than a dozen countries in between. Overall, more than 1,200 talented actors were considered for Here Lies Love’s Broadway cast, and I can’t wait for you to meet this incredible company of actors,” said director Alex Timbers.
“Here Lies Love" is produced on Broadway by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna for Plate Spinner Productions, and Clint Ramos and Jose Antonio Vargas –– the first-ever Filipino lead producers on Broadway.
From its world premiere at The Public Theater in 2013, the musical has enjoyed popular and critical acclaim. The show returned to The Public in 2014-2015, debuted at London’s Royal National Theatre in 2014, and most recently opened at Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2017.