This was the second chance I had to see the person who introduced me to my love of musicals in concert.
I’ve told the story many times before and probably it’s in a few places on this very site.
I was sat in my living room watching the Wogan chat show on BBC1 and they gave a whole episode over to the ‘new’ musical opening in London ‘Miss Saigon’. I was captivated by the young lady who played the lead. An 18 year old relatively unknown (outside the Philippines) Lea Salonga and I decided I wanted to go to London to see this show, and primarily her live. So I did, and I’ve been going ever since.
This year it will be 33 years, and I think there may be one or two when I didn’t visit London, other than that it’s been an (at least annual pilgrimage).
Anyway I digress.
Lea announced she was doing another tour and I managed to get a front row seat.
It was brilliant, Lea is sublime, her voice is unmatchable. In this tour she sang a few more pop numbers but did feature some musical ones too, from shows she has performed in and also some she hasn’t ..yet.
Songs included ‘Here you come again’, ‘Not While I’m Around’ (from Sondheim’s ‘Sweeney Todd’), ‘That would be enough’ (‘Hamilton’) and my personal favourite ‘Maybe This Time’. If I was listing best songs I’d have to dig out the whole set list. As even the numbers I didn’t know, or like the original versions of ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears?? were performed wonderfully. Lea can interpret the phone book and I’d pay to see it.
She was on stage with a live band and had the audience in the palm of her hand.
I will definitely be booking for any future tours she does and (if we should be so lucky) and future shows she may do in the West End.
Maybe not as well known outside Musical circles I believe she is up there with Barbra Streisand as one of the greatest voices of our generation.
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