Lea Salonga returns to Broadway for a musical about Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos
Lea Salonga is returning to Broadway for a musical about Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos's rise to power and their downfall following the EDSA People Power Revolution.
In Here Lies Love, Salonga, who also serves as producer, will portray Aurora Aquino, the mother of assassinated opposition senator Ninoy Aquino.
Salonga's character will sing Just Ask the Flowers, in which she laments Ninoy's death and encourages Filipinos to come together.
On Instagram, she also shared a video announcing her upcoming show.
"So excited to be part of Here Lies Love. See you on the dance floor this summer!!!" wrote Salonga, who also starred in Les Misérables, Allegiance, and Once On This Island.
In the video, the 52-year-old singer and actress said the show is "very special" to her because audiences will "finally get to see on Broadway this beautiful, impactful, and important musical." It's also a "full circle moment" for her to return to where she made her debut over 30 years ago. Salonga in 1991 starred as Kim in Miss Saigon.
She also expressed joy in reuniting with Broadway co-stars Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora, who will respectively reprise their roles as Ferdinand and Ninoy from the 2013 show.
Salonga will perform for five weeks, from July 11 to Aug. 13, after which Filipino guest stars will assume the role.
Here Lies Love is created by '80s greats David Byrne of Talking Heads and Fatboy Slim.
The musical will be directed by the award-winning Alex Timbers, whose Broadway credits include Moulin Rouge! The Musical Beetlejuice, and American Utopia.