Broadway star Lea Salonga and son Nic Chien at the media event for 'Into the Woods.' ABS-CBN NewsMANILA -- Multi-awarded theater actor Lea Salonga is back in Manila to play the Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s "Into the Woods," reprising a role she first portrayed three decades ago with Singapore Repertory Theatre.
But this time, Salonga is sharing the stage with her son Nic Chen.
“I can’t wait for the audience in Manila to see this incredibly talented young man can do. Very touching, very human portrayal of his character,” the proud mom said, adding, “That's my child, it’s mine. There’s a scene that’s really, really touching towards the end of the show, and I’m just usually an emotional wreck by then... I end up crying.”
To which Chien replied, “At the end of the day, that’s my goal make her cry.”
This is Chien’s follow-up Manila musical project after debuting in "Matilda" back in 2023. In "Into the Woods," he will be playing the role of Jack with Eugene Domingo his mother.
“We don’t have a lot of scenes together. We shared one scene together and that’s it for the entire show,” said Chien.
When asked what he got from his mom, “I do know what I got from her is the way that I speak, it’s very similar, other than enjoying a good sarcasm.”
More exciting things are happening for Salonga as she is about to receive her Hollywood Walk of Fame star in Los Angeles, California. She was completely surprised when she got the news.
“I first lerarned about it the day after I arrived in Manila. I still don’t believe it happened. I thought, ‘Is somebody pranking me?' It’s just one of those things that you think you’re not gonna get. Wala lang, and also given that my work is mostly in New York and in Manila, it’s not something that I expect. Kung merong equivalent noon sa Broadway, 'yun doon pa. ‘Coz I’m not actually a Hollywood person,” she said.
“Hindi ko talaga inasahan but I’m really happy that it will happen.”
Salonga is the first full-blooded Filipino actress who will receive a star in the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Manila staging of "Into the Woods" will kick off on August 7 and will run until August 24, 2025.