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Éponine Thénardier (, ; c. 1815-1832) is a fictional character in the 1862 novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

Éponine in the novel

As children, Éponine and her younger sister Azelma are described as pretty, well-dressed, charming and a delight to see. They are pampered and spoiled by their parents the Thénardiers. They also tease and mistreat Cosette.

As an adolescent, Éponine and her family descend into poverty due to the bankruptcy of her parents' inn. Éponine becomes a "pale, puny, meagre creature," with a hoarse voice like "a drunken galley slave’s" due to it being "roughened by brandy and by liquors." She now wears dirty and tattered clothing that consists of a chemise and a skirt. She also has missing teeth, mangled hair, bony shoulders, heavy brooding drooping eyes, and a premature-aging face with only a trace of beauty lingering.

Éponine brings Marius and Cosette together, even though she is in love with him herself.

Early life

Éponine is the elder daughter of M. and Mme. Thénardier, who run an inn in the town of Montfermeil. A woman named Fantine and her illegitimate daughter Cosette arrive. Upon seeing Éponine and Azelma, Fantine asks the Thénardiers to take care of Cosette while she goes to look for work. The Thénardiers agree on the condition that she send them money to pay for the child. However, the Thénardiers abuse Cosette and use her as forced labor while pampering Éponine and Azelma. This occurs for five years.

On Christmas Eve 1823, Jean Valjean arrives at the inn with Cosette after finding her retrieving water at night in the woods alone. During the short time he stays, it becomes apparent that Éponine and Azelma are unkind to Cosette as well, telling on her to their mother when she tries to play with their discarded doll. After seeing this, Valjean briefly leaves the inn and returns with a beautiful new doll to give to Cosette, which she happily accepts. Éponine and Azelma become jealous of Cosette for the first time.

The next morning, Christmas Day, Valjean pays off all of Fantine's debts to the Thénardiers and takes Cosette away.

Life in Paris

Éponine is not seen again for nine years. In Paris, she and her family have lost their inn and now live under the name "Jondrette" in an apartment at Gorbeau House, nextdoor to that of Marius Pontmercy. They live in utter squalor. Éponine and Azelma, reduced to being ragged, emaciated and barefoot, are running away from the police. They run past Marius, unaware that they dropped their package of begging letters. Marius picks up the package and takes it back to his apartment.

The next day, Éponine visits Marius at his apartment and gives him a letter, begging for money. As Marius reads the letter, he discovers the handwriting and the stationery are identical to the four letters from the package. Éponine suddenly spots Marius’ mirror and goes to it to look at it while singing to herself. To impress him further, she proves that she is literate by reading aloud from one of his books and writing "The cognes (police) are here" on a piece of paper. Éponine then compliments Marius, telling him that he is handsome, and also mentions that she has previously noticed him a number of times before. Changing the subject, Marius hands her back the other letters. She gleefully takes them. Éponine then reveals to Marius about her current life, telling him how she and her family once lived under the arches of bridges the previous winter, her contemplating about drowning herself in the water and having hallucinations. Pitying her, Marius gives her five francs. Seeing the coin, she takes it from him and thanks him in a chain of argot.

Éponine leaves and some time later Marius observes her and her family in their apartment nextdoor. She had claimed that she had arranged for a philanthropist from the local church to come to their home and give them money to help pay the rent. In an effort to make his family look poorer, M. Jondrette orders Azelma to punch out the window, which she does, cutting her hand open. It turns out that the "philanthropist" is in reality Jean Valjean. Cosette is with him, with whom Marius has fallen in love. Valjean promises to return later with money for them.

As soon as Valjean and Cosette leave, Marius attempts to follow them but is unable to pay for a cab due to giving Éponine his remaining five francs. While returning morosely to his room, Éponine follows him. She notices Marius unhappy and offers to assist him on what is troubling him. Marius decides to ask her to find the address of the father and daughter that just visited her family earlier. Éponine reacts bitterly upon hearing Marius’ request, realizing that he has an interest in the philanthropist’s daughter, but agrees to do so after he promises to give her anything she wishes in return.

After Éponine leaves, Marius overhears M. Jondrette and his wife begin to plot to rob and murder Valjean, as they recognize him as the man who adopted Cosette, and want their revenge. To help in this they enlist the aid of the Patron-Minette street gang.

Determined to prevent this crime against his beloved and her father, Marius informs Javert of the planned crime, and Javert gives him two pistols with the order to fire one when the crime is going to happen. Marius returns to his house and waits. Éponine and Azelma are sent outside the building to watch for the police, but the police sneak in the back door and prepare to spring their trap once Marius fires his pistol. Valjean returns to the Jondrettes' home; they capture him and M. Thénardier reveals his true identity to him. Marius, recognizing the name as that of the man who "saved" his father at Waterloo, is torn. He does not want to let Valjean die, but he does not want to betray his father’s "savior." Seeing the scrap of paper Éponine wrote on earlier, he tosses it frantically into the room via the crack in the wall. M. Thénardier reads the note and, recognizing Éponine's writing, thinks that she threw it inside. They try to escape, but nonetheless Javert enters and arrests the Thénardiers and the street gang, while Valjean escapes unnoticed.

Éponine and Montparnasse avoid being arrested due to abandoning the scene earlier. However, Éponine is caught at a later time and joins Azelma in prison. Both sisters are released two weeks later due to lack of evidence.

Marius, Cosette, and Éponine

While in jail, Babet sends Éponine a letter through Magnon to investigate a house at the Rue Plumet, and she does so. Discovering that Valjean and Cosette live there and knowing that Marius is trying to find "that girl" (Cosette), Éponine sends back a biscuit to Babet (which is code for "nothing to do"). After she learns of Marius' whereabouts from the churchwarden Mabeuf, she finds Marius in a park called "The Field of the Lark." She tells him that she knows where Cosette lives, hoping to impress him and make him happy. Marius makes Éponine swear not to tell the address to her father, which she promises not to. She then reminds him that he promised to give her something in return for finding Cosette, and he offers her his last five-franc coin. She sadly lets the coin fall to the ground, saying she does not want his money.

Marius visits Cosette several times, and each time Éponine secretly watches him walking to the Rue Plumet. On one occasion, Éponine follows him to the house and sits down by the gates, lost in thought. At that moment, M. Thénardier, Patron-Minette and Brujon arrive to rob the house after breaking out of jail. Out of love for Marius, Éponine threatens to scream and alert the police if they try to carry out their plans. They retire, and Éponine has saved both the house from being robbed and Marius and Cosette from being discovered. Meanwhile, Cosette informs Marius that she and Valjean will be leaving for England soon, which causes them much concern about what will happen to their relationship.

The next day, Éponine swaps clothing with a man, disguising herself as a boy. She finds Valjean sitting in an embankment in the Champ de Mars and secretly throws to him a written message, which reads "remove." After reading it, he returns to the Rue Plumet and reconfirms with Cosette that they will relocate to their other house and leave for England in a week. Cosette quickly writes a letter to Marius with this information. She finds Éponine outside the gates and, thinking her to be a workman, gives her five francs and asks her to deliver the letter to Marius. Éponine takes the letter, but does not deliver it.

On the night of the insurrection, Éponine visits Courfeyrac (one of the revolutionary students from the Friends of the ABC) and asks for Marius, but he informs her that he does not know where Marius is. Éponine discovers Courfeyrac is going to the barricades and decides to accompany him. After learning the barricade's location, she goes to the Rue Plumet, expecting Marius to visit Cosette at his usual time. When he arrives, he discovers that Cosette is no longer at the house. Keeping herself hidden, Éponine tells Marius that his friends are waiting for him at the barricade at the Rue de la Chanvrerie. She goes back there.

Death

Distraught over the loss of Cosette, Marius goes to the barricade. He is armed with the two pistols Javert gave him months ago, and uses them both during the fighting. While he is unarmed and searching for a weapon, a soldier makes it inside the barricade and aims at Marius. Éponine puts her hand, and her body, in front of the musket, and the musket ball enters her, saving Marius’ life. Marius does not think much of it, and it is not until later that he recognizes her, when she is lying at his feet. She tells him that she had taken the bullet for him, piercing through her hand and then through her back. She requests to him that he lay her on his knees, and he complies. After he does so, Éponine reveals to Marius that it was she who led him to the barricades, hoping that the two of them would die and be united in heaven together. Yet, when the musket was aimed at him, she still blocked the bullet despite her hopes. She, herself, states that she does not understand her actions: "And still when I saw him aiming at you, I put up my hand upon the muzzle of the musket. How droll it is!" Éponine tells Marius that her reason for doing so is that she wanted to die first, but does not provide an explanation to this afterwards. She then reminisces on her and Marius’ previous encounters together, and says she is happy that everyone will die. She reveals that Gavroche is her brother when they hear him singing nearby, and she asks Marius that Gavroche not see her in fear that he will "scold" her. Éponine then says to Marius that she cannot lie to him, and confesses she has a letter for him (which is the letter that Cosette gave to her a day earlier). She tells him she kept it and did not want it to reach him, but decides to give it to him in hopes that he will not be angry with her in the afterlife. After Marius takes the letter, Éponine asks him to promise that he kiss her on the forehead after she dies, which he agrees to do. With her dying breath, Éponine confesses her love for him, saying, "And then, do you know, Monsieur Marius, I believe I was a little in love with you." Éponine dies and Marius kisses her on the forehead as he had promised as "a thoughtful and gentle farewell to an unhappy soul."

Éponine in the musical

Éponine is also featured in the stage musical based on the novel of the same name. She is played by two actors, a young girl for Young Éponine in the Montfermeil scenes, and by a young woman for the adolescent Éponine in the later Parisian scenes. Actors playing Young Éponine and Young Cosette interchange roles in different performances to equalize performance opportunities and vocal strain.

Differences in the musical

There are a few notable plot differences in the musical adaptation. (For other similarities and differences to the novel, see the "Songs" category below.)

Although still ragged, Éponine’s appearance and voice is more appealing and her personality is moderately more approachable.

Éponine and Marius are portrayed as friends.

Éponine's younger sister Azelma and their two youngest brothers are completely cut from the musical.

In the novel, Gavroche is Éponine’s other younger brother and the Thénardiers’ eldest son. Although he is featured in the musical, he is portrayed as if he is not related to the Thénardiers at all. This could imply that Éponine is the Thénardiers’ only child.

In the novel, it is mentioned that Éponine drinks. In the musical, no reference of this is made.

In the musical, Éponine is sent by Marius to deliver a letter to Cosette. In the novel, Gavroche is sent to deliver it.

In the novel, it is mentioned and demonstrated that Éponine does a great deal of distributing letters, such as hand-delivering begging letters from her father to wealthy people, anonymously throwing a note to Valjean, and handing Marius a letter from Cosette. In the musical, Éponine, her parents and Patron-Minette pass on their messages verbally to each other, and the only note-passing that she does is during her interaction with Valjean when he intercepts Marius' letter to Cosette.

In the musical, Éponine wears pants and a long overcoat as her disguise as a boy (she keeps her chemise). In the novel, the disguise is more simple, consisting of a grey blouse and cotton-velvet trousers.

At the time of her death, it isn't speculated where Éponine got shot at first. After she collapses, Marius notices she is hurt as there is blood on her hair. He opens her coat and remarks "Oh God, it's everywhere!" indicating she has been shot in the chest, instead of through her hand then through her back, like in the novel.

In the novel, Éponine asks Marius to kiss her forehead after she dies, and he does so. In the musical, she pulls herself up and kisses him with the last of her strength, then falls back and dies. In the revival, she pulls herself up to attempt to kiss him but dies before she can.

The musical gives a pointedly sympathetic depiction of Éponine, which has made her one of the show's most popular characters. Throughout the musical, the ragged, headstrong and independent Éponine serves as a clear foil for Cosette, who is soft, demure, pretty and innocent.

Songs

Éponine is featured in the following songs in the musical:

; Castle On A Cloud (silent): Young Éponine makes her first appearance as an eight-year-old child. As soon as she comes in, her mother Mme. Thénardier praises her for looking well "in that little blue hat." Éponine is shown to be unkind to Cosette (who actually vocalizes the entitled song), including pointing to Cosette to reveal to her mother that she did not leave to retrieve water and making faces at her while pushing her towards the door. ; Look Down: Éponine re-enters as a ragged young woman and a member of her father's gang. She is introduced to the audience by Gavroche, who says that she "knows her way about" and is "only a kid, but hard to scare." ; The Robbery/Javert's Intervention: Éponine meets with Marius and it becomes apparent that she loves him (although he only sees her as a friend). M. and Mme. Thénardier send her off to watch for the police when M. Thénardier and his gang try to con and then rob Valjean (who comes to the street with Cosette to give money to the poor). Before the gang can rob Valjean, Éponine returns, screaming that everyone must run as Javert is coming. She avoids arrest herself. ; Éponine's Errand: Éponine recognizes Cosette from her childhood. When Marius returns, she sees that he has fallen in love with Cosette. He asks Éponine to find where Cosette lives which she agrees to, despite her jealousy (as she wants to please Marius). ; In My Life: Éponine brings Marius to Rue Plumet, where Valjean and Cosette live. While Cosette is in the garden and Marius anticipates meeting her, Éponine sings to herself how she loves him and "would be his" if he wished it. ; A Heart Full Of Love: After hearing Cosette and Marius meet and declare their love for each other, Éponine knows that Marius never loved her. ; The Attack On Rue Plumet: Éponine notices her father and his gang attempting to break into the house to rob Valjean. She first tries to dissuade them by insisting that there is nothing in the house worth stealing and then threatens to scream and awaken everyone inside if they do not leave. When they refuse, she carries out her threat, forcing them to retreat and warning Marius and Cosette. Marius introduces Éponine to Cosette as the one who brought them together and who once more saved them. It was Éponine's scream however, which frightened Valjean into deciding to move to England (Cosette told her father that she saw shadows on the wall and screamed, which Valjean took to mean that Javert had found him once more). ; One Day More: The main characters sing their own viewpoints about the next day. In Éponine’s part, she laments her loss of Marius and how she is alone ("One more day all on my own, one more day with him not caring, what a life I might have known, but he never saw me there.") Marius is contemplating whether to follow Cosette to England, or fight with the other students. Éponine then grabs Marius by the arm and they both run off. They are next seen a moment later among Enjolras and the students, with Marius telling Enjolras "My place is here, I fight with you." ; At The Barricade (Upon These Stones): Éponine appears dressed as a boy. Marius finds her and she tells him that she wants to stay with him. He asks her to take a letter to Cosette, as a means to bid Cosette goodbye and to get Éponine to safety. She is caught in the garden by Valjean, who takes the letter and tells her to be careful on her way home. ; On My Own: Éponine's solo song. Éponine walks the streets of Paris and reflects on her solitary life and her love for Marius, ultimately knowing that he can live without her and that there is no hope of them ever being together. ; A Little Fall Of Rain: Éponine returns to the barricade but is shot as she re-enters. Marius holds and comforts her while she expresses happiness that they are together for that little time at least. She leans up and kisses him, and then dies in his arms. ; Night Of Anguish (silent): Enjolras announces that Éponine is "the first to fall" at the barricade. Marius, still holding Éponine's body, tells him that "her life was cold and dark, yet she was unafraid." The other students resolve to fight in her name, and carry her body away. ; Epilogue: Éponine makes one final appearance as a ghost with Fantine to meet the newly-deceased Valjean.

Adaptations

Musical

Marie, 1980 Original French Concept Album

Marianne Mille, 1980 Original French Musical

Frances Ruffelle, 1985 London Musical, 1987 Broadway Musical

Loretta Bailey, 1989 Original Canadian Cast

Stéphanie Martin, 1991 Paris Revival

Lea Salonga, 1995 Concert, 10th Anniversary - The Dream Cast in Concert

Allyson Brown, 2003-2004 Danish Tour Cast

Celia Keenan-Bolger, 2006 Broadway Revival

Lucy Scherer, 2007 St. Gallen Production

Sophie Tremblay, 2008 Québec City Production

Lea Michele, 2008 Hollywood Bowl Concert

Nancy Sullivan, 2008-2010 West End Production

Ashley Spencer, 2009 Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Production

Samantha Barks, 2010 West End Production, 25th Anniversary Concert

Rosalind James, 2010 25th Anniversary Tour

Film and television

Mistinguett, 1913 Adaptation

Dorothy Bernard, 1917 Adaptation

Suzanne Nivette (as Nivette Saillard), 1925 Adaptation

Orane Demazis, 1934 Adaptation

Frances Drake, 1935 Adaptation

Delia Orman, 1948 Adaptation

Silvia Monfort, 1958 Adaptation

Angela Cardile, 1964 Adaptation

Hermine Karagheuz, 1972 Adaptation

María Rojo, 1973 Adaptation

Candice Patou, 1982 Adaptation

Asia Argento, 2000 Adaptation

References

"Story Web." 26 March 2005 Les Misérables.

(23 January 2006). "Les Misérables."

External links

Éponine at the Internet Movie Database

Search for Éponine at the Internet Broadway Database

Category:Characters of Les Misérables Category:Fictional French people Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1862

Name	Samantha Barks
Caption	Sam and her Nancy dress
Birthname	Samantha Jane Barks
Birthdate	October 02, 1990
Birthplace	Laxey, Isle of Man
Occupation	Actress, singer, West End Star,
Yearsactive	2008–present

Samantha Barks (born 2 October 1990, Laxey) is a professional singer and actress who came third in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008.

Background

Samantha was born and brought up on the Isle of Man. She attended Laxey Primary School in Laxey and Saint Ninian's High School in Douglas before moving to London to study A levels at The Arts Educational Schools (ArtsEd) in Chiswick. She also has a older sister who is a teacher.

Training/experience

Samantha has been dancing since the age of 3, training in Ballet, Modern and Tap with Dancers Barre, then Stagecoach Isle of Man, Theatrix and the Manx Ballet Company. She was also a member of the Manx Operatic Society, which provided her with a lot of performing experience.

Her previous work includes playing the role of Snow White, aged 4, in a school production, and the following roles in amateur productions at the Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man and The Villa Marina, Isle of Man: Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, The Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, The Scarecrow in a ballet version of The Wizard of Oz, Dancing in Coppélia, La Boutique fantasque, La Sylphide, The Nutcracker, Dick Whittington, Cinderella, Robinson Crusoe, Rizzo in Grease, a Hot Box Girl in Guys and Dolls, Cyndi Gibson in Back to the 80's (a role which she reprised in August 2007 at the Gaiety Theatre), and she understudied Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde. She has performed the songs with her band (including her sister, Kim) to many thousands of people (details below) and also when she sang during a Strictly Dancing exhibition featuring Lilia Kopylova and Darren Bennett (from BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing), called Essentially Dancing.

In week eight she performed "Defying Gravity" from the musical Wicked and in the week leading up to the show she was given support from American actress, Idina Menzel, who achieved fame for her performances as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked.

In week nine, Samantha received the lowest number of public votes and so had to participate in the sing-off with Rachel Tucker. They sang "Memory" from the musical Cats. Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Samantha and eliminate Rachel saying, "Last night Cameron and I were both saying that we thought both of you would be fantastic Nancys and now here am I faced with this. But I've got to make a decision and I've got to think of where the show ultimately for Cameron is going to go and I think I have to go with you Samantha.

In the week leading up to the final shows on 31 May, the Nancy finalists posed for publicity pictures recreating some of Madonna's iconic images. Samantha was dressed in hotpants copying the pose from the cover of the 2008 album, Hard Candy. Each Nancy also had a "Master Class" with Liza Minnelli in London.

At the end of Show one of the final, Samantha was announced as finishing third with Andrew Lloyd Webber saying, "Do you know what, I did think this would happen. But you've done so well to have got this far Samantha." Samantha said, "'It's been the most amazing experience of my life. Thanks to everyone and the panel for making it so incredible."

Performances on I'd Do Anything

Professional career

In June 2008, she sang the Isle of Man National Anthem 'O Land Of Our Birth' on Senior Race day of the Isle of Man TT to begin the races.

Samantha played the lead role of Sally Bowles in the UK tour of Cabaret from 29 August 2008 to 11 July 2009.

She put on her own concert, 'An Audience with Sam Barks', at the Villa Marina, Isle of Man on 3rd Jan 2009 to thank everybody that supported her during her time on I'd Do Anything and to thank those that have continued to carry on their support for her.

Samantha performed alongside her I’d do anything buddies Sarah Lark and Jodie Prenger at the Theatregoers Choice Awards in Feb 2009.

She launched the new Manx Ship, the Caly Manx, in Shanghai, China on 30 September 2009.

Samantha, along with Wendy Craig and Jess Conrad (fellow cast members in Aladdin) switched on the Christmas Lights in Windsor's town centre on 21 November 2009.

She played the title role in Aladdin during the Christmas Pantomime Season 2009/10.

Samantha officially launched BreastHealth UK's new clinic at the Spire Thames Valley Hospital in Wexham on 27 November 2009.

She is currently starring as Éponine in the London production of Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre (since 21 June 2010) and she has a year contract with the show.

Samantha was chosen to play Éponine in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables at the O2 Arena on 3 October 2010 by Cameron Mackintosh after he saw her play the role in her opening night at the Queens Theatre in London's West End where she is currently playing the role.

She has just released a new song called 'Let Go' on, which she co-wrote with Garry Lake.

She is also in the middle of filming a new Disney TV series called 'Groove High' that will be aired on the Disney channel in 2011.

References

External links

Official site

Samantha Barks Fan Blog

Samantha Barks Appreciation Society on Facebook

Category:Living people Category:1990 births Category:Manx people Category:British female singers

Name	Lea Salonga
Caption	Lea Salonga at the 2009 Volvo Voice of Leadership Gala Night and Elocution Finals in Makati City.
Birth date	February 22, 1971
Birth place	Angeles City and Manila, Philippines
Birth name	Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga
Spouse	Robert Charles Chien (2004–present)
Years active	1978–present
Occupation	singer, actress
Voicetype	Mezzo soprano
Website	http://www.leasalonga.com/
Tonyawards	Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical1991 Miss Saigon
Laurenceolivierawards	Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical1990 Miss Saigon
Dramadeskaward	Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Musical1991 Miss Saigon
Outercriticssicrlceaward	Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress in a Musical1991 Miss Saigon
Theatreworldaward	Theatre World Award for Best Actress in a Musical1991 Miss Saigon

Lea Salonga-Chien for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World Awards.

She was the first Asian to play Éponine as well as the first Asian to play Fantine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway and was the singing voice of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin (1992) and Mulan for Mulan (1998) and Mulan II (2004).

Career

1978–1988

Salonga made her professional debut in 1978 at the age of seven in the musical The King and I by Repertory Philippines.

She began her recording career at the age of ten with her first album, Small Voice, which received a gold certification. A song on the album, the duet "Happiness", marked her first recording collaboration with her younger brother Gerard Salonga, who would, years later, work with her as musical director or creative director in her concerts and recordings. Her second album, "Lea", was released in 1988.

In addition to performing in musical theater and recordings, Salonga hosted her own musical television show, Love, Lea, Like Father, Like Son, Ninja Kids, Captain Barbell, and Pik Pak Boom. She also opened for international acts such as Menudo and Stevie Wonder in their concerts in Manila in 1985 and in 1988, respectively. and three wins from the Aliw (literally, "entertainment") Awards as Best Child Performer. For her audition, the 17-year-old Salonga chose to sing Boublil and Schönberg's "On My Own" from Les Misérables and was later asked to sing "Sun and Moon" to test the compatibility of her voice quality with the songs in the musical. The members of the panel were impressed with Salonga's rendition of the songs, noting that from Salonga’s very first note, they already knew they had a potential Kim. Salonga was offered the lead role, with Wilson as the alternate (who was also assigned the role of bar girl Mimi).

For her performance as Kim, Salonga won the Olivier for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical for the 1989–1990 season. From its original London home, Miss Saigon moved to Broadway in April 1991. Salonga subsequently won the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and the Theatre World Awards for the same role. In 1999, she was invited back to London to close the musical, and in 2001, at the age of 29 and after doing the Manila run of the musical, Salonga returned to Broadway to close the Broadway production.

In 1990, Salonga performed in a homecoming concert in Manila entitled A Miss Called Lea. She also received a Presidential Award of Merit from Philippine president Corazon Aquino. and later flew to Los Angeles to perform the song "A Whole New World" of Disney's Aladdin with Brad Kane at the 65th Annual Academy Awards, where the song won an Oscar. That same year, she released her self-titled international debut album with Atlantic Records, which has modest sales in the USA but went platinum in the Philippines and sold 3 million copies worldwide.

In 1994, Salonga played in various musical theater productions in the Philippines and Singapore. as Sonia Walks in They're Playing Our Song, and as The Witch in Into The Woods.

Back in the U.S. in 1995, Salonga played the role of Geri Riordan, an 18-year-old adopted Vietnamese American child in the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie Redwood Curtain, which starred John Lithgow and Jeff Daniels. She then flew back to the Philippines to star with Filipino matinee idol Aga Muhlach in the critically-acclaimed film Sana Maulit Muli, which gave her a second Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) award nomination, this time for Best Actress. She accepted an invitation from Sir Cameron Mackintosh to play the role of Éponine in his 10th anniversary production called Les Miserables in Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall. Salonga performed along with Colm Wilkinson, Michael Ball, Judy Kuhn, and Philip Quast.

In 1996, Salonga was in Les Misérables once again. She played Éponine in the London production of the musical, then continued on to do the role in the musical's U.S. national tour in Hawaii. That recording was followed by "Lea...In Love" in 1998 and "By Heart" in 2000, with both albums reaching multiple platinum status in the Philippines. She also performed in four concerts: The Homecoming Concert, The Millennium Concert, The Best of Manila and Songs from the Screen – the last two being benefit shows.

After Miss Saigon's closing on Broadway in 2001, Salonga recreated the role of Lien Hughes originally played by Ming-Na Wen in the soap opera As The World Turns. After completing her contract that year, she was asked to return to the role in 2003. She guested on Russell Watson's The Voice concert, narrated for the television special My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States, and appeared on the Christmas episode of the TV medical drama E.R., playing the role of a patient with lymphoma.

In 2002, Salonga returned to Broadway to play the role of a Chinese immigrant in a reinterpretation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song opposite Jose Llana. and with the show garnering multiple wins and nominations, including Lead Actress in a Musical for Salonga, from the Theatre Los Angeles Ovation Awards. The show, given a brand new libretto and considered one of the 10 best plays on Broadway in 2002 by Time Magazine, garnered Tony Award nominations for Best Book, Best Costume Designer, and Best Choreographer, and earned nominations from the Outer Critics Circle, the Drama League, the Astaire Awards, and Broadway.com's Audience Awards and Broadwayworld.com's Fans' Choice Awards as well. The Salonga-led Broadway revival cast album was also a top contender at the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Musical Show Album. While Ms. Salonga's performance was received positively by theater critics such as Matthew Murray, Heather Cross, Patrick Purdon, and John Simon, among others, she was not nominated at the Tony Awards for her brief stint on Broadway that season, although she did get nominations for Distinguished Performance from the Drama League, for Favorite Lead Actress in a Broadway Musical from Broadway.com's Audience Awards, and for Best Lead Actress in a Musical from Broadwayworld.com's Fans' Choice Awards. at the Philippine International Convention Center. She also sang with Harry Connick, Peter Gallagher, and Michelle Lee in a tribute number for Richard Rodgers at the 56th Tony Awards.

In 2003, Salonga did her first "all-Filipino" concert in Manila called Songs from Home, which later won a second Aliw Award as Entertainer of the Year; she also won the previous year. Upon her return to the U.S., she performed in several shows at the Mohegan Sun in Montville, Connecticut. This was followed by a Christmas concert in the Philippines called Home for Christmas at the end of the year, which was nominated for the 18th Aliw Awards, and performances at the Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center in Marlton, New Jersey the following year, in 2004. Later that year, she played Lizzie in the Manila production of the musical Baby, which earned her another nomination from the Aliw Awards.

2004–2007

In 2005, Salonga played her first US concert tour in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, and Chicago. Concert dates in Washington, D.C. and Norfolk, Virginia followed. Later that year, Salonga performed with a 26-piece ensemble to a sold-out crowd at the Isaac Stern Hall in Carnegie Hall for the benefit of Diverse City Theater Company. Between her concerts, the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) bestowed her with the Golden Artist Award at the 53rd FAMAS Awards in honor of her international achievements. She performed during the grand opening of Hong Kong's Disneyland and recorded two songs on tenor Daniel Rodriguez's In the Presence CD. That same year, too, Salonga did voice work for Disney's English dub of Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro as Mrs. Kusakabe (Salonga's other Disney film credits include the singing voice of Princess Jasmine for Aladdin in 1992 and Fa Mulan for Mulan and Mulan II in 1998 and in 2004, respectively).

In 2007, Salonga released her first studio album in seven years called "Inspired", which has been certified platinum, and finished another stint in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway, this time as Fantine. She was scheduled to appear in a number of musical events scheduled in different countries until 2008.

Salonga received the Order of Lakandula Award from Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in recognition of her excellence in her craft and for using her talents to benefit Philippine society. It was also announced that she would return to Broadway in the musical Les Misérables, replacing Daphne Rubin-Vega as Fantine on March 6. Her tenure started, however, on March 2, four days earlier than planned. Her casting on the show has been credited with boosting the musical's ticket sales on Broadway. On September 27, 2007, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was in New York, watched Salonga in her new role in the musical, whose cast that night included Filipino Americans Adam Jacobs as Marius and Ali Ewoldt as Cosette. Her contract with the musical ended on October 21, 2007 and she was succeeded by Broadway's original Cosette Judy Kuhn. For her performances in this revival, Salonga received rave reviews and made it again to the short list of Broadway.com's Audience Award favorites—this time for Best Replacement for her new role as Fantine. During her stint on Broadway this season, she appeared on Broadway on Broadway 2007 and Stars in the Alley 2007, spoke at the Broadway Artists Alliance Summer Intensives, guested on the Broadway musical 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and participated in Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS' 12th Annual Nothing Like A Dame event to benefit the women's health initiative of The Actors Fund. Right after doing Les Misérables, she performed in two events: at the US Military Academy Band's concert in West Point where she sang four songs and an encore and in her own concert at the Tarrytown Music Hall in New York.

As of November 2007, a number of performances were scheduled for the rest of the year and for 2008, including a Christmas presentation in Manila, concerts in other parts of the Philippines and in California, Hawaii, Hong Kong, and Guam and Broadway Asia Entertainment's international tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, where she plays the lead.

2008–present

On July 3, 2008 Salonga became a columnist in the Philippine Daily Inquirer with her column "Backstory" (Entertainment section), "Introducing: Lea Salonga, writer". She performed in "Global Pop" at the Music Center on July 11, 2008. It was presented by The Blue Ribbon a group founded by Dorothy Chandler in 1968. Backed by an orchestra of 19 musicians, Lea Salonga received a standing ovation for her solo concert at Frank Gehry’s masterpiece on July 11 at Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall. Salonga also performed part of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “There’s Music in You,” as preview of her coming show “Cinderella,” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on July 29.

From late July 2008 to mid 2009, Salonga played the title role in a 30-week Asian tour of Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella, opening in Manila and continuing to China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. According to Billboard.com, Salonga was scheduled to perform in Nevada, Washington, California, Indiana, New York, Hawaii and more in 2009 and was also asked to dance novelty Filipino dances "Ocho-ocho" and "Spaghetti".

In July 2009 Salonga agreed to advertise the Avon Products line of anti-aging skin care products Anew Rejuvenate in the Philippines.

Also in the same month, Lea was invited to sing at the 95th Anniversary Special of Iglesia Ni Cristo. She was given a standing ovation after her first song, which was an original Iglesia Ni Cristo composition and arranged by Ryan Cayabyab.

On August 5, 2009, at the final requiem mass for President Corazon Aquino, Lea Salonga sang "Bayan Ko" as the final song right before Aquino's cortege was brought out from the Manila Cathedral.

Lea celebrated 20 years of Miss Saigon by performing in a concert called "Lea Salonga...Your Songs", at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Plenary Hall on December 11 and 12, 2009. Lea conducted an online poll via www.LEAyoursongs.com where fans could request songs they wanted to hear. The concert had crooner Richard Poon, the award-winning dance group Philippine All Stars and Concert Comedy Queen Ai-Ai de las Alas as special guests. "Lea Salonga...Your Songs" was under the musical direction of her brother, Gerard Salonga along with the FILharmoniKA.

From July 23 - August 22, 2010, Lea played the role of Grizabella in the Manila run of the Asia-Pacific tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She returned to Les Misérables on 3 October in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables as Fantine, fifteen years after appearing in the 10th Anniversary as Eponine.

Education and personal life

Lea Salonga is the daughter of Feliciano Genuino Salonga and Ligaya Alcantara Imutan and spent the first six years of her childhood in Angeles City before moving to Manila. where she was a Bergamo 1 Student and an active participant in school productions. She also attended the University of the Philippines College of Music's extension program aimed at training musically talented children in music and stage movement. A college freshman at the Ateneo de Manila University when she auditioned for Miss Saigon, she later took two courses at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus while in between jobs in New York.

On January 10, 2004, Salonga married Robert Charles Chien, a Chinese-Japanese managing director of an entertainment software company in Los Angeles, California, whom she met while doing Flower Drum Song. They have a daughter, Nicole Beverly, who was born on May 16, 2006, named after Salonga's late mother-in-law, Beverly. She is also an avid video game enthusiast, and has mentioned her love for the hobby in several of her print articles.

On 15 October 2010, Lea Salonga was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Discography

Small Voice (1981)

Lea (1988)

Miss Saigon (Original London Cast) (1990)

The King And I (Hollywood Studio Cast) (1992)

Little Tramp – The Musical (1992)

Aladdin (soundtrack) (1992)

Lea Salonga (1993)

Les Miserables - The Dream Cast in Concert (1995)

(1997)

I'd Like to Teach The World to Sing (1997)

Mulan (soundtrack) (1998)

By Heart (1999)

Lea...In Love (1999)

Lea Salonga Live Vol. 1 (2000)

Lea Salonga Live Vol. 2 (2000)

Lea Salonga: The Christmas Album (2000)

Making Tracks (2001)

Songs from The Screen (2001)

The Broadway Concert (2002)

100% Lea Gives Her Best (2003)

(2004)

Mulan II (soundtrack) (2005)

The Ultimate OPM Collection (2007)

Inspired (2007)

Shelldon (soundtrack) (2008)

Filmography

(2007) – singing voice of Princess Jasmine

Mulan II (2004) – singing voice of Fa Mulan

My Neighbor Totoro (2004) – voice of Mrs. Kusakabe in the Disney English language version

As the World Turns (2001) - Lien Hughes (reprised role in 2003)

Mulan (1998) – singing voice of Fa Mulan

Redwood Curtain (1995 film) – Geri Riorden

Sana Maulit Muli (1995)- Agnes

Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal (1992) - Sandy

Aladdin (1992) – singing voice of Princess Jasmine

Dear Diary (1989)

Pik Pak Boom (1989)

Ninja Kids (1986)

Like Father, Like Son (1985)

Tropang Bulilit (1981)

Captain Barbel (1986)

References

External links

FAO Goodwill Ambassador website

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Category:Filipino musical theatre actors Category:Filipino child actors Category:Filipino female singers Category:Filipino Roman Catholics Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:Olivier Award winners Category:Tony Award winners Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:People from Manila Category:People from Pampanga Category:Kapampangan people Category:1971 births Category:Living people