Lea Salonga took to Twitter on Jan. 7, Thursday, to express her support for "The King and I" star Hoon Lee. The Filipino singer and actress referred to her fellow Broadway star as her friend.
Was incredibly proud to watch my friend #HoonLee in @KingandIBway last night. Go see him before he leaves! pic.twitter.com/qFewjMJFRQ
— Lea Salonga (@MsLeaSalonga) January 7, 2016
Like Lee, Salonga is also busy on Broadway. She stars in the musical "Allegiance" opposite "Star Trek" star George Takei.
On the big screen, Salonga is set to play Bloody Mary in the upcoming musical film "Broadway 4D," which Gary Goddard directed and co-wrote with "X-Men: Apocalypse" director Bryan Singer. The film also stars Matthew Morrison, Hugh Jackman and Christina Aguilera, who is set to return as a judge in "The Voice" Season 10.
In the Philippines, Salonga will also return as a judge in "The Voice of the Philippines" Season 3. In 2013, her protégé Mitoy Yonting won the first season of the Philippine version of "The Voice" franchise.
On the other hand, Lee is set to reprise his role as Job in "Banshee" Season 4. He plays the King with Kelli O'Hara as Anna Leonowens and Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang star in "The King and I," which runs through June.
Many of the cast members of "The King and I" are of Japanese, Korean and Chinese descent. Also included in the principal company are Edward Baker-Duly as Sir Edward Ramsey, Conrad Ricamora as Lun Tha, Ashley Park as Tuptim, Jon Viktor Corpuz as Prince Chulalongkorn, Murphy Guyer as Captain Orton, Paul Nakauchi as Kralahome, Jake Lucas as Louis and Marc Oka as Phra Alack.
Staged on Dec. 31, 2015 at the Lincoln Center Theater, "The King and I" was the only Broadway production that performed on New Year's Eve. Before the performance, patrons were offered complimentary glasses of champagne to in honor of the holiday, according to Theater Mania.
Directed by Bartlett Sher, "The King and I" features 2015 Tony Awards nominees Michael Yeargan, who did the sets, Catherine Zuber, who did the costumes, and Donald Holder, who did the lights. Also, 2015 Drama Desk Award nominee Scott Lehrer did the sound.
"The King and I" is set in Southeast Asia. Sher's direction was quite good but the pidgin English of the Siamese characters was a little racist, according to A Younger Theatre.
