A spokesperson for the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization confirmed to Playbill.com that Salonga will play the title role in a summer 2008 tour that will commence in her homeland of the Philippines. Broadway Asia Entertainment will produce the tour, which will also play mainland China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. No other details about the tour have been announced.
Lea Salonga burst onto the London and New York theatre scene as Kim in the international hit musical Miss Saigon. For her performance, she was awarded the Laurence Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World awards. On Broadway she was also seen in another Boublil Schönberg musical, Les Misérables, as the ill-fated Eponine, a role she would later repeat in the concert video of the musical. Her most recent Broadway appearance was in the revival of R & H's Flower Drum Song.
Featuring music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics and a book by Oscar Hammerstein II, Cinderella is based on the 1957 television special starring Julie Andrews. Directed by Ralph Nelson, the "Cinderella" TV broadcast originally aired on CBS March 31, 1957. The program drew more than 107 million viewers. The cast featured Andrews as Cinderella, Howard Lindsay as the King, Dorothy Stickney as the Queen, Ilka Chase as the Stepmother, Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley as the Stepsisters, Edie Adams as the Fairy Godmother, Jon Cypher as Prince Christopher, Robert Penn as Town Crier, Alexander Clark as the Captain of the Guard, Iggie Wolfington as the Chef and David F. Perkins as the Court Tailor. Lesley Ann Warren (1965) and pop singer Brandy (1997) starred as Cinderella in the subsequent TV versions.
Song titles from "Cinderella" include "The Prince Is Giving a Ball," "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "It's Possible," "Gavotte," "Ten Minutes Ago I Saw You," "Stepsisters' Lament," "Waltz for a Ball," "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?," "When You're Driving Through the Moonlight," "A Lovely Night" and "The Search."
For more information about Broadway Asia Entertainment, visit www.broadwayasiaentertainment.com.
