Jackie Belo

Feeling close with Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga
Photo by John Reiner Antiquerra

I finally get to see Lea Salonga in the flesh. I watched her performance in  the God of Carnage. It was refreshing to see her just act. It was a fun light play. The story only had four characters.  It’s a straight play — no music, no choreography, no real plot, no spectacular stage design. And for a show to be entertaining enough, hats off to Adrian Pang, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Lea Salonga and Art Acuña for their acting prowess.

Though I was not able to hear her sing, I was overjoyed to sit three rows away from her. As I sang a line in my head from Ms. Saigon, “We might breathe the same air tonight”

I just realized how old I am because I finally met my childhood dream. Her voice was the voice I wanted to hear and wanted to have when I was a kid. After making international success, a lot of young girls tried to copy Lea’s voice. Who would not? She showed  to Filipino audience that an appealing voice does not necessarily come from belting. A sweet and clear voice can win the world.

She was the first singer I learned to like. Through Disney animated films, I learned to like singers who sing to tell a story. And so “What a journey it has been.”

I learned to like Broadway and everything else in theater because of her.

That’s what I like about theater. It’s intimate and ephemeral– like the night I saw Lea Salonga, as we breathed the same air 🙂

Special shout out to my friend, John Reiner Antiquerra whose love for Lea and theater is expensive and whose love for me is unimaginable. hehe  Thank you for always being there when I needed you most. haha!