Lea Salonga Discusses Her Musical Theater Career on BUILD Series 

YES It's true! I am a true Lea fangirl!! :-) - Laura

WAAAAH! Never thought you'd see this! You did an amazing job doing the interview Laura!

Yep, I was just going to comment exactly that, an interviewer who actually knows what's up

Wow thank you -- this means so much! - Laura

BroadwayGirlNYC Great job Laura! I enjoyed watching this interview. You're natural i must say.

It's not only flawless without any card, she also has a wonderful attitude, professional and respectful, really shows she is listening to her guest and knows what she is talking about when asking the questions. Very nice to watch and listen to.

BroadwayGirlNYC This is the best Lea interview I’ve watched in more than 30 years, and this is not just because Lea is super smart and talented. The host is so prepared, eloquent and nice. She obviously likes Lea and knows a lot about her.

She's a fan, I can feel.

I am a GenXer several years older than Lea and I know her family history and showbiz history since my sis was and still is a big fan of hers. My generation as a whole did not like Lea although no one would dispute her great talent, poise, and English fluency then. Many of my generation preferred Sharon Cuneta and Pops Fernandez, although my sis and I couldn't care less for these two. Lea does not need any introduction in the international scene. She is widely known. The Voice helped bring her back to the consciousness of the Filipino masses who generally prefer Sarah Geronimo and Regine Velasquez (not that Regine is bad...Regine is actually a great singer as well). Lea, though respected, is not for the usual pinoy crowd, unfortunately. That is why I was glad she finally got what she deserved when Miss Saigon opened doors for her worldwide. She is not for the Philippines. She is for the world with her caliber. I remember how she was booed during the opening act of the Menudo concert in the Folk Arts Theater because the Filipino Menudo fans did not appreciate her talent. She was always seen as too upper class and Americanized by a lot of Filipinos. Sad but true, so many would rather buy tickets for Anne Curtis's concert than Lea's. I keep asking myself why she would want to return to a country where she is not appreciated that much despite her success worldwide. My sis said Lea returned because she wants to raise her daughter in the Philippines. Btw, my sister became a journalist and was able to interview Lea after her Miss Saigon stint.

@@whatevergoesforme5129 because most filipinos doesnt like theatre and operatic music. The genre is not a "thing" in the phil. Just look at the other artists that works in theatre

@@jisookruzat I am very well aware of that the common pinoy cannot appreciate theater and opera but many upper class and middle class pinoys have always appreciated broadway and opera music. You should know that Lea Salonga was also a pop singer in her childhood and teen years. Yes, she was involved in theater but she could sing pop music and was involved in That's Entertainment created by German Moreno. The problem was the common pinoy (usually from the lower class), then and now, do not like artists they think are too Westernized. Lea has always come off as too Westernized with the way she talks. Hence, they thought she was snobbish. The masa crowd prefer the down to earth aura, real or fake, of entertainers. In the past, Lea indeed came off as very snobbish because she did not pander to the masses. Plus, she joined Repertory Philippines, another upper class group so she was seen more as snobbish. In other words, Lea was never pang-masa. Even now, people think Lea wa just a theater singer. She was a pop singer as well in the past. She was never operatic like that girl Gerphil.

yes, I am a fan ever since,,, she is one of a kind...oh how I love to go to her concert if time permits...

@@whatevergoesforme5129 I agree, here in the US I can see people like to watch theater, few times I watched when we visited other states where tourist area.

Thank you so much - Laura

Fritz Dacquigan yeah you took the words out of my mouth. I like Lea too. The interviewer is smart

Watch this mash up by Gerald Santos and Ms Lea Salonga. Please subscribe to Gerald Santos RU-vid channel. Thank you!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pYW42DGqLsE.html

@@nichidogirl Hh

This means so much! xxo - Laura

BroadwayGirlNYC OMG 😍😍😍 Miss Laura! Miss Laura Heywood replied to my comment🙊🙊🙊 WOOOOW! you made my day! God bless you, Miss Laura.❤❤❤❤ I am so happy. Thank you. Much love from Philippines!

novz bocsquared Yeah I agree...though Lea seems too focus on giving info than having fun with the interview not even recognizing the administration of the host

keiko73 apparently! but I am sure Leah did off cam 😊

novz bocsquared I just she would let the interviewer finish her sentences

Ms Lim, she's been a fan of Lea ♥️

Aja Antiga you mean Laura?

Thank you, Aja! - Laura

Lea doesn't even want the interviewer finish her sentence

this means the world to me! Thank you! - Laura

But she doesn't look it but she is not like those artists who are in denial. Lea is aging like fine wine.

Correct! Mga utak illegal na droga kasi yung mga Filipino yun. Alam mo na may tama na ang mga utak dahil sa maling pamamaraan ng pamumuhay nila. Nagagalit ang mga inggetera na walang magandang dahilan at ang idolo nila ang mga nakakahiyang klase ng tao dito sa Pilipinas. Alam mo na yung pala concert sa bilibid isa yun dun eh hahah

I love you lea you are the greatest thanks to GOD for giving you such a beautiful voice . GOD Bless you always ....

It's easy to be a critic- anyone can be but not anybody can be a top caliber performer like Ms. Lea S. I must say that for her to love the theater she must be so hard working and conscious of taking care of herself. They do those demanding shows every night. This is a very nice interview that gave us more details on how the theater works.

Its Me M the host also has that warm smile that makes you feel happy and accepted😂

probably, she must be a fan of LEA.

Laura Heywood is a huge Broadway fan and all of the interviews I've seen her conduct have been very smart and very welcoming, as this one was. It's such a joy to watch

@@minsunkang7264 9

💖💖💖 - laura

Anthony Brandes me too

Me too until now I still watch the miss Saigon she was so innocent i also like to watch her and the first leading man Simon Bowman love you both GOD bless miss lea mr. Simon.

claudine uanan not like rappler interview... try to check their latest interview with ms. pia...mas energetic pa si pia...

Tonz Lang exactly!! sana may mga ganyan din dito sa atin...

You are so right

-sigh- I wish Allegiance had a much longer run. It deserved so much more recognition than what it got. I saw the theatrical release a couple months ago, such a beautiful piece of art!

So eloquent

And she's really beautiful! ❤️

thank you so much!!! - Laura

Every one of her US tour concerts so far have sold out!