Lea Salonga on Returning to Broadway in Once On This Island, Fan Interaction Etiquette & More

Lea Salonga is back on Broadway as Erzulie, the goddess of love, in director Michael Arden's stunning revival of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Once On This Island. Watch as the Tony winner finds out the production is Broadway.com's choice for the number one show of the year, discusses being back on the boards, reveals some pointers for how to approach her at the airport and more on this week's Show People with Paul Wontorek.

Here are some must-read highlights:

ON AUDIENCE INTERACTIONS DURING THE ONCE ON THIS ISLAND PRE-SHOW
“It is amazing. If we see our actor friends, they totally understand what’s going on, so they don’t give away the pre-show and that we’re in character and that we’re in dialect. They ride along with it. For my nurse character, I have a stethoscope that actually works, and I’ve checked the heartbeats of members of the cast when they’ve asked for it. The interactions change on a daily basis. What happened a night ago or two nights ago is not going to happen again on another day.”

ON DIVERSITY IN ONCE ON THIS ISLAND
“I’m the only full Asian in the company. My number one concern was this: what will the African-American community think about this Asian girl? Is there going to be cultural appropriation? How is this Asian woman getting on this island? Those were my three concerns, and then Michael Arden immediately blew them out of the water."

ON HER DAUGHTER’S MUSICAL THEATER DEBUT IN MATILDA IN MANILA
“She played Alice, and she had a major breakdown on the very last day. It was a massive meltdown. I was waiting outside of the stagedoor with all of the other parents and their kids. The company manager calls me and she’s like, ‘Lea, you need to go in.’ I’m like, ‘Why?’ And she says, ‘Nicole’s having a meltdown.’ So, I’m escorted to her dressing room where she’s like, ‘MOMMY!’ I calm her down, and she asked the question, ‘Is it always like this?’ Meaning, is it always like this when you close a show? I said, ‘Yes.’ I know when it’s coming, so I’m able to manage my own meltdowns a little better, but this was her first one. It’s huge. She made so many good friends. It was such a supportive company. All of the parents really treated the other children as if they were their own. The director encouraged an environment where everybody supported everybody. I’ve heard nightmare stories about other theater companies, where they would pit one kid against another kid. My child is not going to be in a theater company like that. There’s enough pressure already in performance to have to go through any other backstage B.S. She was in a very nurturing environment, one that developed her not only as a performer, but as a human being. I’m all for that. It turned out to be a perfect experience for her.”
 

ON HOW FANS SHOULD APPROACH HER
“I’m able to walk around shopping malls, and of course, there will be people whose heads will turn. But for the most part, people will leave me alone. Especially if I’m with my husband and my daughter. They’re like, ‘Oh, she’s with her family.’ But sometimes, people get a little excited. My brother and I were in Dubai, and we had just landed at the airport. We were waiting for our car, and the car was taking awhile. There were compatriots that were coming, who looked like they wanted to take a picture. My brother is very protective, and he knew how to lay the ground rules really, really nicely. They said, ‘Sir, can we take a picture with her?’ They pointed at me, like I’m not there. Gerard said, ‘You ask her nicely. She will say yes.’ He said it in Filipino, ‘Kailangan nyo lang itanong ng maayos,’ meaning ‘You just have to be nice about asking.’ Be nice about it. Don't be rude. Don't grab. Don't be all in my face. People at the Once On This Island stage door have all been really gracious. Everybody's been effusive in their praise of the show, without losing their manners. Everyone that's been to the stage door, without exception, have all just been incredibly gracious and incredibly nice. No grabbies!”

ON SINGING “THE HUMAN HEART”
“That song, first of all, that is such a beautiful Ahrens and Flaherty's song. I love it, and then everybody else and the company is also singing. Quentin Earl Darrington is in his water feature. I am able to lock eyes with him, even though he's in the dark. I have either Emerson Davis or Mia Williamson, one of our little girls, just beaming up at me. It's always fun to sing to a child. It's just such a fun song to to sing. It's a really gentle moment in the show. It's like a balm, you know? It's like something that heals. It's like a salve for a wound. It's a beautiful moment, and I’m honored that moment was given to me.”

ON NOT BEING THE LEADING LADY
“I really am loving this part of the experience. It's nice to not have that pressure of being the titular character of a show. I mean with Les Miserables, the experience was very similar. It was like, you do your thing, you die, and then you're in the ensemble for an hour."

ON HER GEEKY SIDE
“My family and I are definitely planning to see The Last Jedi over the holidays. My husband told me that this is apparently like the best Star Wars movie since Empire. That is a lot to live up to! We’ve got to go! I have a whole bunch of friends that are huge Star Wars cosplay freaks and fanfiction, name it. They are deep into it. They have like the custom-made lightsabers. I'm not the hugest Star Wars geek, by any means, but I do have the gaming consoles. I know my way around an iPad and an iPhone. I'm not afraid to take something apart and put it back together. I've put together radio remote-control cars for my brother. It's another part of my brain.”

ON THE DECISION TO RETURN TO BROADWAY
“My husband asked, ‘Would the show be eligible for Tonys? Would you be eligible?’ I said, ‘Yeah, because it’s a Broadway revival.’ He said, ‘All right. Then you can go.’ If the hubby gives me a thumbs up, then it’s a good thing. He’s thoughtful. He’s not impulsive. It’s a decision that all of us as a family needs to make.”

Watch the full episode of Show People with Paul Wontorek below!



Interview is edited and condensed for clarity