Lea Salonga Joins Broadway Revival of “Once on this Island”
Tony winner Lea Salonga has just joined the cast of the ‘Once on This Island’ revival, Playbill reports.
Lea Salonga
Salonga also shared the news on her Twitter account:
I have been keeping this for months! So excited to be returning to Broadway this fall in one of my favorite shows! https://t.co/bIsxRS0aC9
— Lea Salonga (@MsLeaSalonga) August 8, 2017
Wooooot!!! So excited!!! @OnceIslandBway https://t.co/TTOG5vCaJ9
— Lea Salonga (@MsLeaSalonga) August 8, 2017
She will play the island god Erzulie, the Goddess of Love. Joining her are Alex Newell, who rose to fame with his role as a transgender student on ‘Glee’; Merle Dandridge, star of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) television show ‘Greenleaf’, and Cats’ Quentin Earl Darrington. They will play the other gods Asaka, Papa Ge, and Agwe, who help the heroine Ti Moune on her journey.
According to the creative team, the casting of these four actors is meant to be unconventional: “It felt important that young people watching our production see themselves reflected back from the stage at them,” as director MichaelArden put it.
Previously announced cast members include Phillip Boykin and Hamilton alum Alysha Deslorieux. Casting for the lead role of Ti Moune has not yet been announced.
Excitement is high for this piece of news, as Salonga, who originated the role of Kim in ‘Miss Saigon’, was last seen on Broadway in 2015 when she starred alongside George Takei in the play ‘Allegiance’. The new production of ‘Once on This Island’ begins previews on November 9, with opening night at the Circle in the Square Theater scheduled for December 3.
