Lea Salonga to Star in TGA’s ‘Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba’ in February 2027

Lea Salonga to Star in TGA’s ‘Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba’ in February 2027

Lea Salonga is set to star as Bernarda Alba in Theatre Group Asia’s (TGA) upcoming production of Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba, opening in February 2027.

The production is the Philippine premiere of Chay Yew’s adaptation of Federico García Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, translated into Filipino by Guelan Varela-Luarca. The show is the second production in TGA’s 2026–27 season.

The play follows Bernarda Alba, who declares eight years of mourning following the death of her second husband and imposes strict obedience upon her five daughters. Behind the closed doors of the Alba household, silence, discipline, tradition, and appearances reign supreme. But beneath the carefully maintained order, her daughters’ desires, jealousies, frustrations, and dreams refuse to remain contained. When the arrival of a potential suitor disturbs the household’s fragile equilibrium, tensions begin to mount, forcing each woman to confront what she wants and what she is willing to sacrifice to have it.

At the center of it all stands Bernarda: fiercely protective, uncompromising, and obsessed with respectability. She is both mother and ruler, protector and oppressor, determined to hold her family together even as her methods transform their home into a prison.

Salonga, who can currently be heard as the voice of the manananggal in the DreamWorks animated feature Forgotten Island, says of taking on the role:

“To be perfectly honest, I hadn’t encountered this play before, which may work in my favor as I have no preconceived notions or strong opinions. After reading both Chay’s English translation and then Guelan’s translation into Pilipino, despite the literal terror I feel in my soul, this is an absolutely important work to tackle. It fits our culture and is timely given the state of current events in the world.”

On playing Bernarda, Salonga says, “Bernarda is a mother who rules the roost and raises her children not with love but fear. This kind of parenting still exists, whether for cultural or familial reasons, and getting under the skin of such a mother may give me some empathy for her as well as plenty of sympathy for her children.”

The production will also see Salonga performing entirely in Filipino. She says she has enlisted Varela-Luarca’s help in navigating the script and understanding his choices in translating the work.

“As for preparations, I’ve enlisted Guelan’s help in navigating the script, and am ready to ask questions about why he chose certain words over others in his translation. His use of the language isn’t just beautiful but adds so many layers of subtext and meaning.”

Salonga was most recently seen on the TGA stage as The Witch in Into the Woods. She also previously starred in the company’s staging of Request sa Radyo, alternating with Dolly de Leon.

Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba opens in February 2027. Additional casting, performance dates, venue, and ticketing details have yet to be announced.