Lea Salonga is returning to Broadway! The Tony award winner is set to join the cast of Here Lies Love by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim this summer, Deadline reports.
According to Playbill, Here Lies Love is a disco musical about the rise and fall of former Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos’ family. She was the wife of Ferdinand Marcos, the tenth president of the Philippines.
Salonga will play Aurora Aquino, the mother of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino. Ninoy’s assassination sparked a revolution in the Philippines that ousted the Marcos family. According to Deadline, Salonga will play Aurora from Tuesday, July 11 through Sunday, August 13. Previews for the show begin on June 17.
The musical was scored by Byrne and Fatboy Slim. Alex Timbers will serve as the musical’s director, Playbill reports.
“I’m so excited to be joining Here Lies Love as both a performer and producer,” Salonga said in a statement, according to Deadline. “As an audience member that stood on the dance floor at the National Theatre in London where Here Lies Love ran in 2014, I knew I wanted to be part of it if and when it ever came to Broadway. Now here we are, and at the theater in which I made my Broadway debut.”
Salonga was the first Asian actress to win a Tony Award and the first Filipino artist to sign with an international record label. She is excited to be a part of a musical that details Filipino history.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this show,” she added in her statement, “as well as part of a company comprised of an abundance of Filipino talent, a first in Broadway history. We’re showing the world what we’re capable of.”
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