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MANILA, Philippines – ICYMI: a Broadway play that features Lea Salonga won at the 2018 Tony Awards!
Once on This Island, which was originally staged in 1990, won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 10 (Monday, June 11 in Manila).
The musical, set on an island in the Caribbean Sea, is about a young peasant girl who is in love with someone who belongs to the upper class. You can watch the cast perform a song from the play at the Tonys below!
Now that you’ve caught a glimpse of it, here’s what else you should know about the award-winning musical.
1. The set designer, Clint Ramos, is a Filipino, and he was nominated for Best Costume Design of a Musical for his work in the play. Clint was born and raised in Cebu and comes from a family of lawyers. He was set to study law as well but chose to pursue theater arts instead. (READ: Meet Clint Ramos, a Tony award-winning Pinoy designer)
2. Aside from Best Revival of a Musical and Best Costume Design of a Musical, Once on This Island was nominated for 6 other Tony awards this year. Below are the 8 awards they were nominated for:
- Best Revival of a Musical
- Best Actress in a Musical – Hailey Kilgore
- Best Direction of a Musical – Michael Arden
- Best Scenic Design in a Musical – Dane Laffrey
- Best Costume Design in a Musical – Clint Ramos
- Best Lighting Design in a Musical – Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer
- Best Sound Design – Peter Hylenski
- Best Orchestrations – AnnMarie Millazo and Michael Starobin
3. Lea plays Erzulie, the goddess of love. The role was played by Andrea Frierson-Toney in the 1990 original.
4. The revival of Once on This Island officially opened on December 3, 2017 at the Circle in the Square Theatre.
5. The original musical was also nominated for 8 Tony awards in 1990, including Best Musical, but did not win any.
6. Her performance with the cast of Once on This Island at the 2018 Tony Awards was Lea’s 4th time on the Tonys stage. On Twitter, she recounted: “I’ve been on the [Tony Awards] stage a total of 3 times: first, to receive my Tony, second to perform in the opening number, and 3rd to present. But, what makes this 4th time special is that this is the first time I’ll actually be on the Tony stage with my cast representing our Tony-nominated show!”
I’ve been on the @TheTonyAwards stage a total of 3 times: first, to receive my Tony, second to perform in the opening number, and third to present. At this fourth time, I will be performing with the rest of the @OnceIslandBway cast. 1/
— Lea Salonga (@MsLeaSalonga) June 9, 2018
But, what makes this fourth time special is that this is the first time I’ll actually be on the Tony stage with my cast representing our Tony-nominated show! 2/
— Lea Salonga (@MsLeaSalonga) June 9, 2018
I wasn’t on stage performing with the company of Miss Saigon in 1991, and the other shows I was in the original casts of weren’t nominated. And I was a replacement in Les Miz, twice. So tomorrow will be very, very special. #FirstTimeForEverything 3/
— Lea Salonga (@MsLeaSalonga) June 9, 2018
– Rappler.com
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