Sa unang pagkakataon, itatanghal sa Pilipinas ang isa sa longest-running hit Broadway musical na Cats ni Andrew Lloyd Webber. Magaganap ito simula July 24 sa CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo. At isang karangalan para sa international Filipino star na si Lea Salonga ang gumanap bilang isa sa mga bida.
PLAYING GRIZABELLA. Gagampanan ni Lea ang papel na Grizabella sa Cats. Ang mga kilalang theater actresses na gumanap na sa role na ito noong 1982 ay sina Elaine Paige sa London's West End at Betty Buckley sa Broadway.
Kaya nang makapanayam ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) si Lea sa press junket para sa Cats sa Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati City, noong February 8, sinabi niyang natutuwa siya dahil makakasama na siya sa listahan ng mga mahuhusay na stage actresses na naging bahagi ng naturang musical.
"Playing Grizabella for the first time is like a dream!" sambit ni Lea. "It's the first time that Cats will be staged in Manila and I am so privileged to be in its cast. I have a few months to prepare for the musical. The role of Grizabella requires not much on the dancing part but it is still physically demanding.
"Grizabella is a former Glamour Cat who wants to be accepted again by her tribe. At a very young age, Grizabella left her tribe to find her place in the outside world. Because of her ambition, she experienced the harshness of the outside world. She wants to be be accepted again by her own kind.
"It's really mostly acting but there will also be a few dancing and running around the stage with these heavy costumes. But most of all, it's all about music and I'm preparing my vocal chords as well," saad pa ng international star.
"In every role that's given to me, I make sure that I give it my all. It's first and foremost a job and these producers are paying us actors to do a good job. For me, it's not just a job but it's also something that I am passionate about. That's why I do not just put in what I've learned from acting and singing on stage for so many years, I also put in my heart and soul. And if I believe that I gave a good performance, then the people watching will believe it as well."
Nakilala si Lea sa buong mundo dahil sa kanyang natatanging pagganap bilang Kim sa Miss Saigon (1989). Nasundan ito ng pagganap niya ng iba't ibang characters tulad nina Eponine at Fantine sa Les Miserables; Sandy sa Grease; Sonia Walks, They're Playing Our Song; The Witch, Into The Woods; Mei Li, The Flower Drum Song; Lizzie, Baby; at Cinderella sa musical Cinderella.
ALL ABOUT CATS. Cats is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Una itong nagbukas sa London's West End (1981) at sumunod sa Broadway (1982). Mula noon ay naitanghal na ang Cats sa iba't ibang bansa in more than 20 languages. In 1998 ay nagkaroon pa ito ng sariling television video.
Cats is the second longest-running show in Broadway history, surpassed only by The Phantom of the Opera in January 2006. Nag-final curtain call ito sa Broadway noong September 10, 2000 with a total of 6,138 performances.
Since its 1981 debut, this musical won numerous theater awards. Kabilang na rito ang Best Musical at Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Musicals from the Laurence Olivier Award. And in 1983, it won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actress (Betty Buckley), and Best Direction.
Ang isa sa pinakasikat na kanta mula sa Cats ay ang "Memory," na inawit na rin ng mga sikat na singers gaya nina Barry Manilow, Liberace, Johnny Mathis, at Barbra Streisand. This time, si Lea naman ang kakanta nito on stage bilang Grizabella.
"I've been singing 'Memory' in all of my shows here and abroad. But I've never had a chance to make it a part of any of my albums. It's a beautiful song and I am just so happy to be singing it for the the first time in the staging of Cats here in the Philippines," nakangiting sabi ni Lea.
MOVIE WITH AGA. Tinanong din ng PEP si Lea kung tuloy ba ang gagawin niyang movie with Aga Muhlach sa ilalim ng Star Cinema. Kung sakali, ito ang magiging reunion movie nila after nilang magtambal sa mga pelikulang Sana Maulit Muli (1995) at Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal? (1992).
"I really don't know what's going to happen because there's no formal offer yet," sabi niya. "I haven't received any script with regards to that project. But definitely, it will not be this year since I'll be starting with Cats by mid-2010 and I have other jobs booked until 2011. So we'll just see what happens."
Inamin ni Lea na nami-miss na rin niya ang umarte sa pelikula at TV. Nasubukan na rin kasi niyang gumawa noon ng TV movie sa U.S., ang Redwood Curtain (1995), at nagkaroon na rin siya ng stint sa mga TV series na As The World Turns and E.R. (both in 2001). Tinuturing din niyang acting ang pagbibigay ng singing voice sa mga Disney characters na sina Princess Jasmine (Aladdin, 1992) at Fa Mulan (Mulan in 1998 and Mulan II in 2003).
"Singing and acting have been a part of who I am since I started at the age of 10," ani Lea. "Those are two things that I have passion for. I do miss making movies and when the right project comes along, why wouldn't I take part of it?
"It's nice to experiment once in a while and I do like to take that plunge, not just in theater but on TV and movies as well. I'm very open to that and someday, who knows, I might be acting again on the big screen. We can never tell."
MOTHER & WIFE. Tungkol naman sa kanyang personal life, happy si Lea sa kanyang pamilya. Gusto na ngang sundan ni Lea at ng mister niyang si Robert Chien ang anak nilang si Nicole Beverly, who will be turning four sa May. Pero mukhang mauudlot ang plano na magbuntis si Lea this year dahil sisimulan na nga niya ang Cats at naka-book na rin siya ng maraming trabaho hanggang early part ng 2011.
"I wish I could get pregnant before I turn 40. But it's really so impossible because I already have work until 2011. We've been talking about it and we feel that it's already time that Nicole have a brother or a sister. But then things came in and we don't want to lose the opportunity. So the next baby has to wait for a while," ngiti pa ni Lea, who will turn 39 on February 22..
Very hands-on nga raw si Lea pati na ang mister nito sa pag-aalaga sa kanilang anak. Kaya naman nababantayan nila ang paglaki ni Nicole at ang mga bagong nagagawa nito.
"Nicole is a very nice and happy child. She loves to sing, dance, and do what other kids her age do. Robert and I see to it that we don't miss a thing that Nicole does. It's in those moments that you appreciate being a parent. You don't want to miss anything and you always want to be there for your kids.
"That's why I always pray for strength. Right now, things are okay. We're all healthy and I know when the time comes that a new baby comes along, I'm still up and going. Just like the way I was when my first baby was born," sabi ni Lea.