From Bogo to Broadway: The story of Vina Morales’ Here Lies Love journey

Vina Morales — she with that distinct and powerful voice — celebrates her birthday on Oct. 17, like she has never celebrated her birthday before: on Broadway playing Aurora Aquino in the celebrated musical Here Lies Love (HLL).

The “Ultimate Performer,” as Vina is dubbed, follows in the footsteps of Lea Salonga who played the said role first. For the native of Bogo City in Cebu, this latest feat is more than a dream come true.

“I fell in love with theater when I did Rock of Ages (in 2012),” she said. “It is an honor to play Aurora Aquino since Ninoy Aquino is a hero to a lot of Filipinos, being his mother in this Broadway show is a privilege and I know a lot of mothers, especially Filipina mothers, admired her for raising a son like Ninoy.”

Tony Award-winning production designer Clint Ramos, one of the Here Lies Love producers, revealed that Vina was on the list of actors they presented to the HLL director Alex Timbers and playwright David Byrne.

He said, “As producers, we came up with a recommended list. Lea Salonga, Bobby Garcia, and myself. But the decision was ultimately up to the director and the author.”

Vina’s sterling career in the recording industry, and in film, TV and stage gave her an edge. “She has a great body of work. She has theater experience and is an excellent actress,” Clint said of Vina. “We wanted to introduce her talent to Broadway. We wanted to have her already incredible career in the Philippines find new life on Broadway.”

Vina got a rousing and heartfelt welcome from not just the HLL team. On her Instagram, she posted a video of her with Clint wherein the singer was visibly touched and almost teary-eyed. “It was a very special night because we had guests like Spike Lee and Maria Ressa welcome her,” Clint recalled.

As fate would have it, Clint and Vina are both from Bogo City and the former knew of Vina from her days as a singing competition contestant. “I’m from the same island that Vina comes from,” he said. “I related how my dad, when I was little, had come home after hearing Vina sing at a local music festival and was ecstatic! I think I was still a child then. I told this story before I welcomed Vina to Broadway.”

Such a wonderful, beautiful anecdote! In a few sentences, Clint told not only how far Vina had journeyed from being a very young, small-town singer to starring in a renowned Broadway musical, but also gave hope to many other actors who are also dreaming of making it big on Broadway someday.

The great news is that this is just the beginning. After Vina, another actress from the Philippines will play the role of Aurora Aquino. Others will follow.

This is all part of the HLL producers’ advocacy to open doors for more Filipino talents, especially those who are based in the Philippines.

Bobby Garcia spoke on behalf of his fellow HLL producers when he said, “It’s a tremendous sense of accomplishment every time I can help a Filipino artist gain notice on a global platform, It’s a mission I’ve had since I started working in the industry.”

“I have always tried to shine a light on the abundance of talent that we have in the Philippines.  The Filipino artist is second to none. I hope more opportunities come about to continue doing this,” he added.