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Lea Salonga Returns To Manila Theatres With Into The Woods!

Many of us grew up with her as Kim in Miss Saigon, and Eponine and Fantine from Les Miserables. Lea Salonga now adds a new character to her ever-growing sheet as she joins the cast of Into The Woods.

Fairytales have always been a source of joy in our childhoods. Whether in the form of books, animated shows, or even musicals, these have always helped kids believe in their own “magic.” While most of these tales have a happy ending, Into the Woods is more faithful to the original literature, adopting the Brothers Grimm’s tales of Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Cinderella and going beyond “happily ever after.” As it gains a musical adaption, Tony Awardee Lea Salonga returns after a six-year hiatus as the musical’s main antagonist: the witch!

Photo from theatregroupasia

The Witch: Lea Salonga’s Grand Comeback & Visit to the Past

According to the highly celebrated musical star, this isn’t Lea Salonga’s first time playing the witch. ” I was about 23 years old when I previously played The Witch. Playing her again 30 years later is going to be illuminating. So much life has happened in the intervening years. I’m hoping to bring as much of that as I can to this production,” she shares in an interview with 8List.ph.

For Lea, it offers a valuable lesson for both parents and children. “Especially the song, “Children Will Listen,” she remarks. “It reminds us [adults] that children have very impressionable minds.”

As a complex piece, Lea adds that there’s an intention to be more “considerate” of the Filipino condition. After all, Stephen Sondheim was no joke, she laughs. “It’s very exciting, as well as, exhausting. Sondheim is no joke! Learning the material before day one of rehearsals takes a few weeks because his patterns can be puzzling and challenging but so rewarding once it all comes together.”

“Nice is different from good.”

Fairytales are often very black and white, quickly telling children who’s the villain and protagonist in the story. However, that’s the charm for the Into the Woods. It shows not all contexts are as linear and as simple as they seem — something we want our children to learn especially to encourage critical and complex moral thinking.

For those who want to catch the grand performance, the musical is currently being produced by Theatre Group Asia. Currently, the chosen venue is Samsung Performing Arts Theatre and some castings have been finalized such as Lea Salonga as the Witch and Arielle Jacobs as Cinderella. The musical is also scheduled to come out on August 2025.

More musicals and performances?

5 Reasons Teens Should Watch the Hamilton Musical
Jepoy and the Magic Circle Debuts in Repertory Philippines’ New Home at Eastwood Theatre
Repertory Philippines’ “Going Home to Christmas” is a Heartwarming Tribute to Musical Legend Jose Mari Chan

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