She came, she saw, she conquered

HONG KONG — We came, we saw, we were wowed. And so was the audience at the capacity-filled Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

The Salonga kids — better known to us as Lea and her “baby brother” Gerard — presented an impeccable musical package with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra at last month’s matinee that had tears constantly pricking at the corners of our eyes that such talent was indubitably, unmistakably Filipino. Lea’s two-day Hong Kong tour titled Lea Salonga — the Voice of Mulan took place on the weekend following the recent Lunar New Year celebrations.

In her blog (www.bigsis22.com), Lea wrote that she had been warned about Hong Kong audiences being “generally reserved,” but the adoring ahhhh that greeted her entrance showed this particular crowd was familiar with her work and was eager to be captivated. Our quick survey of the room earlier revealed a fair mix of locals, western expats and Filipinos, who were obviously the loudest in rooting for their famous kababayan. Lea acknowledged us in her opening spiel, saying she was so “tickled” to be singing for us in a foreign setting, which of course whipped up fan fervor even more.

But being the consummate performer, Lea quickly remembered she had a wider market to cater to, slipping into crisp English dialogue to introduce each song. Her repertoire, arranged by her favorite musical director Gerard, contained enough to please both Disney fans (the reason for a good number of mesmerized children present) and Broadway enthusiasts. Strangely missing, however, was an excerpt from Flower Drum Song, a reworked version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic that has been criticized for featuring several Asian stereotypes.

In what seems to have become a regular feature of her act, Lea called for a volunteer to help her through the always exhilarating A Whole New World from Aladdin. The previous night’s show had produced a gondolieri from The Venetian casino-resort in Macau; that afternoon it was TV personality Wong Cho Lam, who hollered his willingness to participate from the balcony section and lost no time in dashing downstairs and bounding up the stage. Like Lea, we didn’t know if the boyish Mr. Wong is as famous in his city as let’s say Paolo Bediones would be in Manila, but our Broadway babe was assured by someone from the audience who shouted: “He’s a star here!” and so those of us who were non-Cantonese had to believe it.

Fortunately, Mr. Wong acquitted himself handsomely despite a quivery start, displaying a pleasant tenor that complemented Lea’s polished tones. Both were given a thunderous applause and Mr. Wong skittered away with the experience of a lifetime — he said so while hugging his idol. We can only hope that one of his companions from their high perch recorded the moment somehow as the theater’s ushers had such eagle eyes and were quick to pounce on people holding anything remotely flashing.

With Everybody Says Don’t from Anyone Can Whistle — the anthem of Barbra Streisand — Lea ended her 18-song programme on a dynamic note. But of course, we clamored for more, which resulted in two Gershwin goldies, I’ve Got a Crush on You and Someone to Watch Over Me, as if Lea was saying to her fans that being older now she could — and would —  move on to increasingly mature selections.

After the show, we, including seven-year-old Bianca Rose and eight-year-old Crista, daughters of our friends, waited at the backstage entrance, hoping to catch a glimpse of the star, but for naught. Instead, it was Gerard, who — despite his baby face looks and Chinese-inspired outfit paired with black patent Converse rubber shoes conducted the Hong Kong Philharmonic with impressive gravitas — was gamely posing with his sister’s admirers and dispensing autographs.

Soon it was time to hie off for some filling hot pot before contemplating the return-to-work week ahead. But we didn’t leave exactly empty handed because of the memory of that amazing voice. 

And we can still hear it.

(The author is managing editor of Asia, Panacea Publishing Asia, publishers of Business Traveller Asia-Pacific, MIX for meetings and incentives and International Medical Travel Journal. She has seen Lea grow up, having been present at her press debut  when she was introduced by the late Bibot Amador as Repertory Philippines’ newest star and has caught her occasional performances overseas like Into the Woods in Singapore.)