#1
Posted: 7/24/05 at 12:37pm
Last night, Lea did a one-night only concert at the Warner Theatre in DC. I have been a fan of Lea since 1991 when I bought the Saigon OCR. I never had the opportunity to see her live, but at 13, she was my favorite Broadway singer. I wore out my Saigon cassette tape, so was excited to see her in person.
Did anyone else attend? I was one of the token non-Filipino girls there...haha. I got a laugh out of when a girl nearby asked me how I heard of Lea and I replied I heard her sing in Miss Saigon. I think I stuck out. She turned to others nearby, said something in Tagalog (to include "Miss Saigon"), and they all looked at me oddly...
The theater was 3/4 filled in the center orchestra section, but there was maybe a maximum of 10 people in the side sections. I am not sure about the balcony, but perhaps the attendance had something to do with the fact that the best seats were $150 (though this price included a meet-and-greet thing after the show). Apart from a crying baby and someone chewing on ice nearby, and camera flashes (even after she requested it to stop) it was a great experience, musically-speaking.
Her song list was pretty varied- everything from "Reflection" in Mulan (an extended version), to Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes, to Gershwin, to Sondheim, to a song from "Baby" that she did in the Manila, to "Tomorrow" from Annie. Of course she included "On my Own" also. She also performed "Too Much for One Heart" which was cut from Miss Saigon during technical rehearsals, but was morphed into the Kim/John duet "Please" in the frozen version of the show to move the plot along better. She also sang "Love Look Away" from FDS and claimed it was the most beautiful song she has ever sung.
Favorites of mine included "Someone Elses's Story" (Chess), "On My Own" and "Being Alive." She did not disappoint me- I still find her voice to be one of the most clear and controlled on Broadway, and liked her song choices, but some of the other people around me mentioned they were disappointed she did not sing any Tagalog songs and that she had become "too Americanized." In her defense, the show was billed as Lea singing Disney tunes and showtunes.
She seemed quite comfortable on stage and told stories between numbers to segway into the next song. I would have preferred she cut down on this a bit, but I understand her intent. Of note, she claimed that musical theater is number one in her life and that 3 of the roles she would most like to play include Elphaba, Sara Ramirez's role in "Spamalot", and Eva. I don't quite see her as an Elphaba..., but hey, what do I know?
Overall, it was a fun night and I hope to see Lea on the boards again soon.
Did anyone else attend? I was one of the token non-Filipino girls there...haha. I got a laugh out of when a girl nearby asked me how I heard of Lea and I replied I heard her sing in Miss Saigon. I think I stuck out. She turned to others nearby, said something in Tagalog (to include "Miss Saigon"), and they all looked at me oddly...
The theater was 3/4 filled in the center orchestra section, but there was maybe a maximum of 10 people in the side sections. I am not sure about the balcony, but perhaps the attendance had something to do with the fact that the best seats were $150 (though this price included a meet-and-greet thing after the show). Apart from a crying baby and someone chewing on ice nearby, and camera flashes (even after she requested it to stop) it was a great experience, musically-speaking.
Her song list was pretty varied- everything from "Reflection" in Mulan (an extended version), to Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes, to Gershwin, to Sondheim, to a song from "Baby" that she did in the Manila, to "Tomorrow" from Annie. Of course she included "On my Own" also. She also performed "Too Much for One Heart" which was cut from Miss Saigon during technical rehearsals, but was morphed into the Kim/John duet "Please" in the frozen version of the show to move the plot along better. She also sang "Love Look Away" from FDS and claimed it was the most beautiful song she has ever sung.
Favorites of mine included "Someone Elses's Story" (Chess), "On My Own" and "Being Alive." She did not disappoint me- I still find her voice to be one of the most clear and controlled on Broadway, and liked her song choices, but some of the other people around me mentioned they were disappointed she did not sing any Tagalog songs and that she had become "too Americanized." In her defense, the show was billed as Lea singing Disney tunes and showtunes.
She seemed quite comfortable on stage and told stories between numbers to segway into the next song. I would have preferred she cut down on this a bit, but I understand her intent. Of note, she claimed that musical theater is number one in her life and that 3 of the roles she would most like to play include Elphaba, Sara Ramirez's role in "Spamalot", and Eva. I don't quite see her as an Elphaba..., but hey, what do I know?
Overall, it was a fun night and I hope to see Lea on the boards again soon.
"Why do you care what people might say? Why try to fit into their design?" (Side Show)
Updated On: 7/24/05 at 12:37 PM
