From: afalla@binah.cc.brandeis.edu
Subject: Re: Lea Salonga
Reply-To: afalla@binah.cc.brandeis.edu
Organization: Brandeis University
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 13:57:07 GMT

In article <1992Oct7.184403.27753@pbhye.PacBell.COM>, rgdelav@pbhye.PacBell.COM (Butch DeLaVega) writes:
>My wife and I went to see the concert at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium
>last Saturday.  We arrived at about 7:25 pm ( the concert was supposed to
>start at 7:45).  There was a line outside and it took us about 15 - 20 mins
>to get inside.  The first thing I noticed was that there were about 3 
>food stalls at the lobby serving siopao, halo-halo, pansit, b-b-q, etc.

Were they allowed to bring the food into the auditorium?
I guess that's why people were complaining about not being able to
concentrate on the concert.  One patron complained that the sound system
was bad enough and was exacerbated by noise coming from people eating
food in the auditorium. There were also complaints (minor) from noisy
kids. 
(read from rec.arts.theatre)  

>
>Tickets were :  balcony - $25, lodge - $35, main floor - $45, $65 and $80.
>Before the show started, the organizers announced that part of the proceeds 
>are for the Mt. Pinatubo relief fund. The hall was about 3/4 full and I
>would say there were probably between 2000 - 5000 that attended.
>
>She opened the show with "Simple lang ako" - I wasn't familiar with this song
>and I left the Phils in 1979.  Then she sang songs that she recorded when she
>was I think 9 years old (such as "Tomorrow").  The rest of the show featured:
>1) East meets West  - songs from "south Pacific", etc.
>2) Filipino classics - such as bahay kubo, leron leron sinta, etc.
>3) Tribute to Cameron Mackintosh - songs from broadway plays Phantom of the
>   Opera, Les Miserables and Cats
>4) Miss Saigon - about four or five songs.
>
>She performed with Christopher Pecaro ( the one who played the marine in Miss
>Saigon).

I saw Christopher Pecaro take over the role of Chris last March.  I think he
has a good voice but not that great.  I don't know if that was the only time
he played the role of Chris but I could sense he wasn't prepared for it.
It was like he just memorized the lines and blocking and performed
accordingly.   Perhaps it's because he was just the understudy   for the role.




  Overall, I think the concert was great.  I would say she ranks
>up there with the best singers of today. One interesting comment she made was
>that her first language was english and then later learned tagalog.
>
>She did say that she will be the voice (singing I guess) in an upcoming Walt 
>Disney movie "Alladin".  She is in the process of recording an album.  She 
>will start on January 5 as "Antoine" in Les Miserables in New York. And she
>did say that she hopes to win a  grammy or an oscar someday.

Antoine????  There are only three major female roles in Les Miserables,
Fantine,  Cosette and Eponine.  She would be too young perhaps to be 
believable as Fantine. Although, having read the book, I would say Fantine's 
age would be  somewhere between late teens to mid-20's.  On stage however, the 
role has  been played by "relatively mature" women.   Most likely, the role
she'd play, given her status, is that of Eponine (the girl who sings 
"On My  Own").    She could also play
Cosette, but why?  Her character, although the story revolves around it,
is a boring one.

>
>There was also a nice review of her concert in the San Francisco Chronicle
>the next day.
>
>Butch DelaVega 


Joval Afalla