Songs from Lea’s Baby CD

I was surprised to get a copy of the Baby the Musical CD. Wow, this must be the first-ever Filipino recording of a true-blue Broadway musical and it has Lea Salonga in the lead. But it is not. Which is only understandable. Given the difficult times that the music industry is now going through, well, that the whole country is going through, an expensive soundtrack of the local production of a foreign musical would have been the height of profligate spending.

Still, I’m glad, they took the trouble to make this recording if only because it creates awareness about Baby, which is not as popular hereabouts as My Fair Lady or Miss Saigon. Baby, by David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jr., is a sweet romantic comedy about three couples and how they cope with funny, painful and in the end truly rewarding experience of having a baby. One of the young wives is Lea, whose flair for Broadway tunes just gets better and better. Can’t help but think how great she will be if she ever decides to do Wicked.

Cast as Lea’s leading man in the show is David Shannon who has also racked up several successes on the stage. He starred in the West End productions of Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Beautiful Game, a new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical which got him his Laurence Olivier Award nomination. He is married to Filipino singer Ima Castro who followed in Lea’s footsteps by also playing Kim in the later editions of Miss Saigon.

Billed as a "limited collector’s edition" the CD actually contains only three songs from Baby. These are the lovely pop ballads, Chose Right by David, Two People in Love by Lea and David with the chorus and The Story Goes On, a solo by Lea. Next time perhaps we can have more. It would have also been nice to have the other members of the cast like Jet Pangan, Miguel Faustman, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Agot Isidro singing their songs from the show.

The local production of Baby ran at the Meralco Theater until Sept. 5. The show was directed by Bobby Garcia with Gerard Salonga as musical director.

Now also in the stores is the live-recording of highlights from Lea’s Songs from Home concert. The show was her first with an all-Filipino repertoire and was presented at the PICC Plenary Hall in September of 2003. It was her last major appearance before her December wedding and featured guests Ariel Rivera and Ogie Alcasid and musical arrangements by, once again, her brother Gerard Salonga.

There is no question that Lea’s forte is musical theater but she also puts on a good show with other types of songs like the local originals included in this album. These are Salamat, Salamat Musika, Hahanapin Ko, a Basil Valdez Medley with songs composed by George Canseco, Isang Linggong Pag-ibig, Ako ang Nagwagi, a medley of Waray Waray and Galawgaw, a Regine Velasquez Medley of songs written by Ogie Alcasid who joins Lea in Hanggang Ngayon, a duet with Ariel Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin, a Sharon Cuneta Medley, Anak and the rocking Laki Sa Layaw. The package also has a bonus AVDC that contains the video of the Cream Silk song Feeling Free.

Speaking of concerts, you might want to check out Jaya as she performs in a show for the first time with her also famous mother Elizabeth Ramsey. Titled Best of Both, the show happens on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 17 and 18 at the Music Museum in Greenhills. The wacky Elizabeth, who is now a proud and still rocking 72-year-old has been performing for over 50 years while Jaya, our very own soul diva, is one of the few Filipinos who made it to the US hit charts and has since returned to more successes in the Philippines.

Jaya will do her hit songs like Dahil Tanging Ikaw, Wala Na Bang Pag-ibig and Laging Naro’n Ka. Elizabeth will sing her trademark rock and roll tunes from her stage show days. Together they promise to sing up a storm. Musical director is once again Gerard Salonga who must be in such great demand these days, while show direction is by the ever reliable Al Quinn. For tickets, call Artist House at 817-4660, 815-1953, Artistation Inc. at 884-2183, 884-2220 and the Music Museum at 721-0635 and 721-6726.