Pinoy talents continue to make waves in US

Manila, Philippines -  Tony and Olivier Award-winning performer Lea Salonga was met with hearty applause, loud cheers and multiple ovations from the crowd of the sold-out, one-night-only engagement titled The Journey Continues held at New York’s Town Hall recently.

Lea regaled her US East Coast fans with an interesting selection of standards (On The Street Where You Live, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Orange Colored Sky), pop hits (Nearsighted, How Do You Keep The Music Playing, Making Love Out Of Nothing At All) and her signature Broadway anthems (On My Own, I’d Give My Life For You) including a cut song from Disney’s Mulan, Written In Stone (which was eventually replaced by Reflection) — cleverly weaved together by anecdotes and personal stories of her life’s journey for the past four decades.

The crowd (a mix of American and Filipino fans) roared in approval when, after telling how she felt like a rock star in a show in Seoul, Korea, she sang the first lines of Mike Hanopol’s Laki Sa Layaw and they didn’t see the need to translate the lyrics nor explain what “jeproks” meant as her gestures, body movement and clear enunciation said it all.

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle holds concert with guests Sam Milby and Corbin Bleu

Her heartfelt rendition of Ikaw made a lot of ladies in the audience weep as Lea lovingly dedicated the song to her mom’s jovial best friend Aurora (she commissioned Louie Ocampo and the late George Canseco to write the song) who suffered a stroke a few years back.

Lea will return to the US this September to star with TV and film icon George Takei in the world premiere of the new musical Allegiance at San Diego’s The Old Globe Theater.

On that same week, Lea also came to support Hollywood and Broadway Filipina star Anna Maria Perez de Tagle when she staged her debut concert aboard the innovative and eco-friendly Hornblower Hybrid, a new yacht and on-the-water venue in the New York Harbor.

Anna Maria was visibly thrilled to have her idol and role model watching her on front row and she gratefully reciprocated her presence by dedicating a medley of songs from Les Miserables and Miss Saigon.

Jason and Julius Sermonia in the Broadway revival of Jesus Christ Superstar

The concert also marked Sam Milby’s first guest appearance in a mainstream New York concert event where he sang Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours and a duet with Anna Maria (Need You Now).

The other major guest was Anna’s fellow ex-Disney star (he was Chad Danforth in High School Musical) and fellow Godspell cast member Corbin Bleu. Another surprise treat for everyone came when she did an impromptu duet with her manager and second dad Kevin Jonas, who is also father to the members of the famous boy band Jonas Brothers.

In spite of making it big in the US showbiz scene, Anna Maria remains connected with her Filipino roots. She continues to be an ardent viewer of TFC (The Filipino Channel) and someday dreams of guesting in ASAP and meeting other Filipino stars.

Meanwhile, Pinoys continue to sparkle on Broadway’s 2012 season.

Aside from Anna Maria and Godspell co-star George Salazar (who worked as a service crew in Bubba Gump, Times Square prior to his Broadway stint), Filipinos continue to make a mark on The Great White Way.

Albert Guerzon in Ghost The Musical on Broadway

Real-life brothers Jason and Julius Sermonia sit alongside other apostles at the table of the Last Supper as they play the part of biblical brothers James and John in the highly-acclaimed, digital-age version of the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar at the Neil Simon Theater.

Both are based in Mississauga, Canada and are extremely grateful to be working together in a show that began in Startford and moved to La Jolla, California in 2011 and is now playing to rave reviews on Broadway. They get a kick out of being asked, “Pilipino ka ba?” at the stage door after each show and by learning and cooking a Filipino dish once every week.

Professional dancer Laurin Padolina is also part of the chorus of Jesus Christ Superstar and dreams of being a back-up singer/dancer for Charice someday.

Laurin Padolina in Jesus Christ Superstar

The sentimental favorite movie Ghost is now a hit Broadway musical and one of its principal dancers is pure Ilocano Albert Guerzon. A professional choreographer and proud graduate of the American Musical & Dramatic Academy (AMDA), he says that he would typically be “typed-out” of auditions because of his looks but since Ghost takes place in eclectic Manhattan, he fit the bill perfectly and the movements required were styles that were comfortable with his body. He comes home nightly to his Filipina wife who makes sure he regularly partakes in Pinoy comfort food.

Filipino-Indian Aaron Albano is living out a childhood dream role in Disney’s 1992 film Newsies, which has been tweaked for stage and is now a sell-out and top contender in this year’s Tony Awards. He plays the full-throttled urban urchin Finch in Newsies.

At 29, Aaron’s youthful looks and charm hardly give a clue that he is relatively a Broadway veteran already, having already done prime roles in Wicked, A Chorus Line, Mary Poppins and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Aaron Albano as Finch in Disney’s Newsies on Broadway