26 June 5, 2022The Sunday TimesTravel
I was born in the
Philippines and lived in
Angeles City, Pampanga,
until I was six years old,
when we moved to Quezon City, north of
Manila, then later San Juan. I’ve been
working on the stage professionally since
I was seven, so there usually wasn’t time
for holidays. There was one memorable
family trip when I was ten to the black
sand beach of La Union in the north of the
Philippines. I was stung by a jellyfish on
my right thigh — I had been enjoying the
water so much that I didn’t see it
happening, but I felt it.
Aged 18 and in my first year at
university studying biology I thought
I was heading for a life working in
medicine. Then the auditions for the
stage musical of Miss Saigon came
along; I was cast as Kim and my
whole world was uprooted. The
show opened in London in 1989
and my mum came with me, which
I’m grateful for as she made sure I
had a childhood and didn’t grow up
too quickly.
I wasn’t able to explore much
of the UK because we performed
six days a week, but I visited
Cliveden, which I’d only seen in
the movies. Arriving in low fog, I felt
like I was in a Sherlock Holmes novel;it was fascinating and mysterious.
Typically on Sundays we would head
over to the home of a friend in the Filipino
community to eat traditional food. My
Tagalog skills improved while I was in the
UK, because I made the effort to speak the
language, trying to stay tethered to home.
After the West End run I went to
Broadway with Miss Saigon. I only
knew about Broadway because they
showed the Tony awards on TV in
Manila. I remembered watching the
American actress Chita Rivera
wearing a red dress, dancing with
a troupe of men and the
choreography was amazing. On
the opening night of Miss Saigon
she came to my dressing room and
I was shocked to meet the lady that
I had seen on television.
Almost immediately I fell in love
with New York. As soon as my feet
touched the pavement outside the
Mayflower Hotel I knew this was
going to be my home. I bought an
apartment in the city in 2000,
which felt like the first adult
decision I ever made.
Playing venues such as CarnegieLea Salonga visited the “fascinating and mysterious” Cliveden while performing in Miss Saigon in LondonHall is still a big thrill for me. I walked past
there with my daughter a few nights ago
and she asked if I had ever sung there.
I laughed and told her we both had, as
I was three months pregnant with her
when I performed my show there.
I love going to Australia because
everyone is so fun and laid-back. One of
my favourite places to perform is the
Sydney Opera House. The cafeteria there
is great because you see ballet dancers and
musicians milling around and it makes me
feel so lucky to be in a job where I can
watch all these talented artists.
One of the scariest things I’ve done was
performing in 2006 at the closing
ceremony of the Asian Games in Doha.
I was on a platform, wearing a big gown,
concealing the trainers under my dress.
I prerecorded my vocals in Singapore
because I was terrified — my voice would
have been quivering and fighting against
the wind. It was incredible to see the
athletes and to be in that celebratory
atmosphere, representing my country.
Because I’ve played two Disney
princesses, Jasmine and Mulan, I’ve been
bestowed with the title of “Disney
Legend”. That means I get free entry toDisneyland for the rest of my life, which is
a beautiful perk and a lovely thing for my
daughter to experience.
I still don’t get much time off, but we
have gone skiing in Niseko, Japan, a couple
of times. Well, I don’t actually ski: I tried
and broke my leg, then my manager made
me promise that I will never do that again
because I had to postpone concerts. Now I
go for the food and snow tubing.
A holiday for me is when I get to eat,
sleep, rest my mind and body and
rejuvenate my spirits. I like to eat my
weight in fantastic food, drink good
wine and hang out with friends. It’s
more the company than
the location — if the
company is good then
the holiday is made.Lea Salonga, 51, will be touring the UK
with Dream Again from June 18 to July 1.
The tour celebrates the 30th anniversary
of her recording A Whole New World
from Aladdin (cuffeandtaylor.com).
She is also starring in the upcoming
HBO Max reboot of Pretty Little LiarsInterview by Shelley RubensteinThe Broadway singer and
actress loves winter sports in
Japan and is a Disneyland VIP
MY HOLS
LEA
SALONGA MOHAMED HAYKAL/ALAMY; SLAVEN VLASIC/GETTY IMAGES
summer terrace, Flora, which
features a menu Demetre
designed in collaboration with
the hotel. For details see
sofitelstjames.com.
The prize includes one
dinner for two at Wild Honey
St James, with aperitif but
excluding other drinks, and
must be taken between
August 1 and November 30,
2022, subject to availability
and excluding the period from
September 30 to October 2,
as well as public holidays.The winner and guest will
stay for two nights, B&B, at
the five-star Sofitel London
St James. Set on the corner
of Pall Mall and Waterloo
Place, not far from Horse
Guards Parade, the hotel
offers modern French
hospitality in one of London’s
grandest locations, having
undergone a multimillion-pound renovation in 2019.
This year it is celebrating
its 20th anniversary, as well
as a first Michelin star for its
new restaurant, Wild Honey
St James, where the chef-
patron Anthony Demetre
makes use of the best British
ingredients in dishes such as
Denbighshire Welsh lamb
with romana courgette and
tempura flower. His inventive
cuisine is also available at theOnly one entry per person,
at thesundaytimes.co.uk/
wherewasi by Wednesday.
Normal Times Newspapers
rules apply. No correspondence
will be entered into.The answers are Lonnie
Donegan and Cooks Ferry
Roundabout. Jackie Relph of
York wins a break for two in a
luxurious lodge at Bovey
Castle in Devon.
.you to hobnob with the great
and the good,” he said, as he
pulled a packet of snacks
from his rucksack. “I’m going
for a cup of tea.”
Finally I gave up and asked
him what he wanted to see.
So he took me to a long,
narrow street a block behind
this city’s most famous row of
shops. About three quarters
of the way down (heading
west-southwest) he stopped.
“It all started here, over 180
years ago,” he said, pointing
to a building. “A father, a
son and a shop selling
provisions.” And with that, he
popped another chocolate-
covered snack in his mouth.
He also pulled out a bottle
and poured a wee measure of
strong alcohol.
“Is that for a toast?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “A digestif.”
Sean NewsomCOMPETITION
WHERE WAS I?
THE QUESTIONS
THE PRIZE
HOW TO ENTER
LAST WEEK’S PRIZE
WIN A
MICHELIN-
STARRED
DINNER
AND LONDON
BREAK
AT SOFITEL
LONDON
ST JAMES
Neoclassical architecture,
world-class art, views of an
estuary to the north: it would,
I hoped, be an elevating day.
But my friend was thinking
only of his stomach.
“Hmm. Maybe a couple of
eggs is what I need,” he
mused, as we stood before
a painting of an old lady
cooking — the work of an
artist born in Seville. “Or
maybe something sweeter?”
he wondered, by a picture
of a man at breakfast. Then
he disappeared.
Eventually I found him in
one of the museum’s cafés
and dragged him to a
second gallery, a third of a
mile north-northeast of the
first. Its Iberian-flavoured
gothic style stands in striking
contrast with the buildings
around it.
“Another taste of Spain
in the middle of Athens,” I
quipped. But Friend was
oblivious to its architecture,
the paintings and its
decorative frieze. “I’ll leave1 What’s the name of the
second gallery?
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