By Ed Diokno
Philippa Soo and Lea Salonga, the stars of Broadway musicals Hamilton and Allegiance respectively, weigh in on the current breakthrough season for diversity onstage in an interesting interview in the Hollywood Reporter. The two leading ladies discuss what it means for Asian American actors and stories
LATEST STORIES
Broadway has always had limited offerings for Asian American performers. This year is unprecedented in its opportunities for singers, dancers and actors of Asian descent. 2015 has had revivals of The King and I, Flower Drum Song and a production of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures or David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly may be in the offering this year. Those productions coming in the wake of a year-long off-Broadway run at the Public Theater for the Imelda Marcos bio-musical Here Lies Love, the ongoing King and I revival and the Broadway premiere of Allegiance mean that more Asian actors have been consistently employed on prominent New York stages than at any time in history.
RELATED: Hollywood take note – Broadway musicals not afraid to feature Asian artists in leading roles
The big question now is whether that momentum will continue, with more non-traditional casting like that of Soo as Eliza, Alexander’s wife, in Hamilton.
Salonga, meanwhile, will finish up with Allegiance until it ends its Broadway run on Feb. 14. She will appear in the season finale of television’s groundbreaking musical sitcom Crazy Ex-Girlfriend during which she will sing. That episode will air in mid-April.
(Ed Diokno writes a blog :Views From The Edge: news and analysis from an Asian American perspective.)
(AsAmNews is an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. You can show your support by liking our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/asamnews, following us on Twitter and sharing our stories.)
