Show People with Paul Wontorek: "Miss Saigon" Broadway Legend Lea Salonga

Broadway fans everywhere know Lea Salonga as the preternaturally gifted original star of Miss Saigon, and films fans know her best as the voice that brought not one but two Disney princesses (Jasmine and Mulan) to life. Salonga is again sharing that legendary voice with New York audiences, in a return cabaret engagement at landmark New York venue Café Carlyle through June 25. In this week's episode of Show People, the Tony winner sits down with Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek to chat about her very un-Disney Princess-like love of splicer-slaying video games, fist-pumping the Tony Awards 20 years after her emotional win and why she would love to guest on Glee playing mom to her talented fellow Filipina, Charice Pempengco.

[@paulbaltazar5542]

AM I THE ONLY 18 YR/OLD THAT HAS A HUGE CRUSH ON HER? GOD, SHE'S SO SIMPLE AND ELEGANT AND BEAUTIFUL WOMAN. *cries an atlantic ocean*

[@jannjohn9700]

Paul Baltazar I’m 17 and I am absolutely in awe of her.

[@miguelguzman1495]

Paul Baltazar Pacific is the biggest. Why be an Atlantic when you can be a Pacific?

[@claire-mj5kr]

I'm a girl... And i am addicted to her😊

[@ALLshALLfALL06]

Over here! And a girl at that 😂

[@gevabi]

And I'm also a girl

[@merceditajarabejo1327]

She maintain her star and respectable status through the years.Everytime she had a concert here in the Philippines it's sold out.

[@ligayalacdao4333]

She did. She's been brought up that way.

[@keatondj]

She's got one of the best voices on Earth, she's incredibly beautiful, she's the nicest person I've ever seen, AND she plays video games. She's perfect. No doubt about it.

[@kayper54]

Oh, for goodness' sake! She's even MORE beautiful than she was 20 years ago!

[@bradleyelsken1886]

I would totally go straight for her

[@love-le4pw]

Beauty talent intelligence all in one awesome package, Leas got it all, u are a pride of the Filipino People

[@LiaOlmu]

I'm just so in love with this woman. She's the most talented, beautiful and lovely woman I have ever known about. She really is an inspiration for me, hope I have the chance to attend one of her concerts and maybe even greet her personally. Omg, she's so amazing ♥

[@francismarasiganiii4549]

Rob Chien hit the jackpot right there.

[@teresitapagsolingan157]

Lea salonga one of the best singer when comes to musica theater,and the best singer in the philippines.

[@rosieclarke7462]

Miss saigon was the first musical I saw. It was the best musical ever. I have seen it x,4. Lea Salonga was wonderful as Kim.xx

[@dianebenitez9430]

Amazing person! beauty, intelligence, has a great sense of humour all in one! and very grounded! What a girl!! Love her

[@shaunna1217]

Even at 40, she still looks ABSOLUTELY amazing!!

[@Weekendinspirations]

Lea Salonga as Mary Poppins, that would be great!

[@jonalynpimentel4437]

Ma'am Lea Salonga, is great, she's is great and talented Nice interview."you know what! I gotta kill something that's our ma'am Lea Salonga. I love you miss you so much Always,.... Lea

[@jobaytube]

This is how the history was written: Lea Salonga with Claude-Michel Schönberg on piano. Charice with David Foster on piano.

[@SpaceAudio]

Beauty, brains.. wait there's more: an angelic voice, perfect pitch, super clear lyrics everytime she sings. 😱

[@markopoDX]

Lea speaks in English very well. I so love her accent.

[@user-pr3ip5gv4m]

"You cut people up and it's bloody and it's awesome!" Wow! Girl crush 😍

[@TheHarmony09]

Lea is amazing smart and witty but her voice is fantastic

[@fulladoubt]

Boy, that was over twenty years ago...And she still looks sooooooo young! She hasn't aged a bit!!

[@IceCeeTV]

Yeah, as she says, Asians don't raisin

[@pinoyidol2006]

It's crazy amazing how well versed the interviewer is on different aspects of his interviewees.

[@ligayalacdao4333]

I agree. I have seen some Filipino interviewers interviewing her and Kuh Ledesma (Filipina singer) and they suck at it.

[@PettCAbello]

She speaks English flawlessly, deym! I wish I could speak like her I'm so proud of her as a Filipino fan. So Talented (sigh)

[@AllisonWonderland]

I wanna go all Bioshock on that ONE person who disliked this!! Lea is SUCH a sweetheart!!! I love her so much! The fact that she loves Glee and Klaine makes me love her even more, on top of her other-worldly, insane talent!! She's magnificent, such an exquisite person!!! I hope she sees Darren in How To Succeed! Ah, I can't say enough things about her, this comment would be PAGES long!! I just LOVE Lea Salong, she's amazing... 'nuff said!!!

[@kg35tt]

Lea is so smart, she talks so professional yet so joyful at the same time.

[@yeng2579]

i like her color skin she's very beautiful pilipina woman.

[@jeannealvarez2804]

She's pretty smart! Love watching her interviews!

[@gerlielu]

You could't feel boring on this talk show.. Lea was pretty awesome and full of life..i love the way she talk!

[@norifying]

she is very chatty... in a good way!

[@jonalynpimentel4437]

She's just so graceful beautiful and funny,.... You know what? I gotta something right now?

[@jonalynpimentel4437]

I appreciate her honestly ma'am Lea Salonga, I really love Lea and agree with her.

[@icywithlove]

I love Lea Salonga, I grew up w/ her and her brother. they use to have a TV show in the Philippines, it's a kid show and they use to sing "tomorrow"...

[@JonelleKaye]

She has GREAT taste in games and in shows. Love her! She's the true package and a woman I hope to be more like when I'm older.

[@aarongabrielcornejo]

She's so perfect.

[@GlobetrottingLyn]

Lea Salonga is a star in every way!

[@jessicah6597]

Her speaking voice wouldn't lead me to believe that she can sing so amazingly.. They're so different.. If that makes sense

[@drark82]

WOW she is everything.. CLASSY!!!

[@oliviaedralin1436]

What a superb interview… well versed in theatre, very engaging, articulate and entertaining. Thank you for posting.

[@perfectionisherdefinition4636]

A lengthy and high quality interview in all aspects!!!!!! Very well put up!!!!!!!!!

[@strangersinlondon_]

I

[@katielawrence5420]

I love Lea Salonga.

[@lilsis]

One of the best memories in my life, seeing Lea at the Carlyle 2011. That was indeed magical. The intimacy of that show.. oh.. nothing compares. What a treat!

[@jonalynpimentel4437]

I love you so much Ma'am Lea Salonga,.. I like her color skin she's very beautiful pilipina woman

[@wallflower7000]

She's amazing. So talented and classy, I don't understand how she's not on Broadway more consistently.

[@ligayalacdao4333]

That's because she's given up Broadway at age 29.

[@mamapingful]

Im smiling for the whole interview.

[@beniciabuchanan3970]

Never tired watching this woman .. I’m hook up to her really performance or appearance is blastly amazed me whoaaaa

[@musicaltheatergeek79]

She started out speaking English with a British accent (watch the making of Miss Saigon documentary), but somehow it changed into an American accent, which is what she uses now and has been for 20 years.

[@kathamparado]

SHE'S PINAY! proud to be one!!

[@florencejoie1763]

My love, respect and admiration of Lea Salonga lead me to discover and to love a new talent who Lea herself claimed to be "golden".

[@lunember95]

Same here. It appears her reflection has shown who she is inside, and it shows that she's a freaking goddess. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@PinkSwifty22]

I would SO GO SEE her in Marry Poppins!!!

[@jazevox]

Lea Salonga is great, she is great and talented! Nice interview.

[@Genkuro]

Beauty, Talent, Humor, ridiculously articulate... I can't put any more positive adjectives to describe this incredible woman.

[@bedtimewonders2024]

This guy's absolutely a Lea salonga fan😍😍😍💖

[@MusicInYeshua]

That's called expressing oneself. ;) I found her exaggeration very interesting because she somehow gives off a very positive vibe to the viewers. I see no wrong with that. And I guess that's what makes her a great icon. She expresses herself freely and responsibly, with or without exaggeration. She makes herself, the viewers, and the host (I believe) so comfortable in their talk, that they could make a great time in their show.

[@SulyapSaKasaysayan]

I loved Lea's voice since she sung "I am but a small voice in 1979" when she won in international singing competition!

[@LANTV2473]

Yeah that song i remember in the early 80's listening to the radio fr lea and im amazed of her until now, i think she is two years older than me

[@christineli6376]

i am a die hard fan of her..............i love how she interpret the songs,,,,and love even better when she sang.......

[@MrDomerome]

The amazing Lea Salonga is a, and I quote "A huge Klaine fan"!! XD oh how happy this makes me feel1!!!

[@musicheals091]

everytime shes interviewed, she always mentioned charice, because she can relate, the pressure, the excitement as international artists.

[@lathspell87]

I mean... she's intelligent, witty, talented, beautiful, and is a gamer. It's not fair that a woman like her actually exists. Where do I find my Lea Salonga?

[@Sproutsprout2263]

"You know what? I gotta kill something." That's our Lea Salonga... :)

[@tinyd0ts]

you wouldn't know how great she really is if you won't watch her sing... ♥ lea

[@Rav3r916]

Ok so I really want to see her as Charice's mom in Glee! That would be soooo #EPIC

[@rocknroll20024]

i saw her in Flowe Durm Song and she was amzing

[@PaNdeM0niuM]

she is so articulate ! very intelligent person

[@rialo5563]

I love lea in ms saigon the best!.

[@PROJECTFORDAVIS]

shes awesome and so talented. makes me proud to be Filipino.

[@lolalee5118]

I can't be the only one who really, really, really wants to watch the Tony's with Leah Salonga right now

[@thebrideinthemirror2030]

God I love her

[@heeyxjaade]

AHH, i love her. she's so down-to-earth & fun.

[@davebianca]

im a big fan, head and hands down... she is amazing...

[@augustine73]

a class act... cant wait for her new cd "the journey so far"

[@eastcoastwood]

She is a lovely woman with a gorgeous voice...and I love Darren too Lea S.!

[@augustine73]

Her new cd The Journey So Far is coming out soon! Cant wait.

[@laurapostsstuff]

Man, I want to watch the Tony´s with her!

[@japayukime6999]

I am a JAPAYUKI, also a singer & entertainer like LEA SALONGA. Former Japayukis like me performed in night clubs in Japan. As ENTERTAINERS, we all know that whenever we perform WE ALWAYS GIVE OUR BEST & TRY SO HARD TO PLEASE & ENTERTAIN PEOPLE WITH OUR SINGING, ACTING & DANCING always hoping they will like our performances. But it's okay na rin coz we earned big "lapads" in Japan that really helped our families financially back home. I hope showbiz Lea Salonga (whom many people find her hypocritical) will have SINCERE concern & support to her fellow entertainers like us Japayuki singers to ask the government to BRING BACK AGAIN EMPLOYMENTS IN JAPAN for us ENTERTAINERS (SINGERS & DANCERS) coz we can earn big "lapads" in Japan that would really help improve the lives of our families...

[@lorenzo2442]

im crazy now!!i watch all lea interview concerts and all about lea for 3days straight

[@jonalynpimentel4437]

Ma'am Lea is the best performance,... Very talented Singer.

[@jfhc4274]

Great interview, thank you!! "New York In June", her cabaret show at the Carlyle is amazing. Go see it!! Allegiance, the Musical will premiere in The Old Globe in San Diego prior to a Broadway bow. There's a workshop in NYC next month. More info available from their facebook site.

[@debz12321]

Love her! Great interview :)

[@LE0P0GS]

Lea Salonga is Awesome... from australia!

[@johnayala2540]

I can't help but be amazed by Lea's articulateness in English considering that wan't her native tongue, being born and grew up in the Philippines, but she sounded like an American.

[@meredithchandler73]

Lea has said in the past that English is her first language and she didn’t really learn Tagalog until she was a little older. (I think most Filipino schools teach in English. All official documents in the Philippines are written in English.) Filipinos get a lot of American entertainment (music, tv, films). Lea has also talked about how she tends to adopt accents of people speaking around her. You can find early interviews she did in London as a teenager and she speaks with a British accent. You can find videos over the years - if the interviewer speaks in Tagalog and/or English with a Filipino accent, Lea will often speak with a bit of a Filipino accent. But obviously she can speak without it!

[@KilimanGuru]

Oh my glob....She is so COOOOOL man.

[@juliuscorrales2194]

She is doc.

[@lmconn31]

she is awesome!

[@candycaneify]

Love her!

[@mspatrisia92]

wow. she has been famous even before i was born. LOVE HER!!!

[@sgtjoe2008]

i wish i could play video games with Lea

[@ovitatirac]

She's very lovely and very smart.... no wonder Darren loves her.

[@Santoslovesglee]

I can totaly relate 2 everything u say I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BROADWAY MUSICALS

[@positivevibestoccomahealth3000]

Wow!! I love her.. #1FanHere

[@sharisufan]

good interview. my yt name would be salongafan if yt was already existing back then.

[@alizzabalingue6020]

she's beautiful..she's perfect

[@2aiz]

i love charice thats why im here....thanks lea..

[@lisafs0902]

Mrs.Lea Salonga is so awesome!!! I must look up Miss Saigon vidoes, get caught by my mom, and get in trouble. :)

[@forums]

Lea...your the best!

[@charicesunshine]

Love Lea!

[@richmariahemancipate]

Lea Salonga is my girl crush. She’s just AWESOME 😍😍😍

[@daleilo2city]

go pinoys!!!! it's so sweet that even lea adores d-criss...i would be sooooo happy if they actually do mary poppins on broadway in the future...^^

[@eilidhw]

had an "ahhhh" moment when she said that Telly Leung was on Glee! of course he was!!

[@hostkevincq]

basically, Lea Salonga is THE MULTIMEDIA AND ARTS.

[@mgclef]

Cool! I should make video games as one of my hobbies if I wanna unload all the stress and all the negative vibes. Better yet, Tekken again at Timezone. Nice tip! We still love Ms. Lea for her amazing talent!

[@luvs2laf94]

i met her in person and she is one of the shortest people i have ever met. but also one of the nicest :)