Lea Salonga stars as the thieving Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables musical in Manila

Filipino singer and Broadway star Lea Salonga is out to conquer her kababayans starring as the thieving Madame Thénardier in the  Les Misérables: World Tour Spectacular in Manila.

 Les Misérables will run from January 20 to March 1, 2026 at The Theatre at Solaire Resort in Parañaque. It is produced by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, Nick Grace Management and GMG Productions.

Lea and Mackintosh have long been working together from the time Lea auditioned for the lead role in Miss Saigon the musical in 1989 when she was only 17 years old.

Lea is best known for the Tony Award  she received for her lead actress role as Kim in Miss Saigon. The Tony Award is the highest award bestowed in American Broadway theater.

Aside from the Tony, Lea has won the Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards. 

She was previously a part of Les Misérables on Broadway and was the first Asian to play Eponine, the daughter of innkeepers Mr. and Mrs. Thenardier, the role that Lea is playing now in Manila.

In 2006, she returned to the musical as Fantine, a single mother, and now 20 years later, Lea is back in in Les Misérables as Mrs.  Thenardier, a character known to be greedy and conniving.

On her new role as Mrs. Thénardier , Lea is thrilled. On Instagram, she wrote, "I guess once you Miz in, you never Miz out! Such a thrill to get to play Mme. Thenardier! And such a relief that I won’t die by the end!!

During a media call for Les Misérables, Lea talked about her separation from her husband Robert Chien, an American businessman of Chinese and Japanese ancestry.

Lea said their separation is “not a secret” and that both she and Chien continue to focus on the happiness and well-being of their only child, Nic Chien.

In a report by Them, the LGBTQ+ news site, Nic  talked of his gender transition, sharing milestones such as hormone therapy and top surgery on social media.

He credited his parents’ unwavering support as essential in navigating both the medical and emotional aspects of his transition. 

“Wouldn’t have been able to do all of this without parents support, love you” he wrote in a post last November.

Nic,19, has been actively pursuing his own creative endeavors. He is set to perform on stage as Moritz Stiefel of Spring Awakening, scheduled from mid-February to March 2026. 

-With Veronica Pulumbarit/Paraluman News