Lea’s mother Ligaya told her she might one day have one. Four decades later, Lea got to stand side-by-side with it in front of a crowd.
With a career that spans over 25 awards, several sold-out concerts, and a myriad of performances and projects lined up in the future, theater icon Lea Salonga seems to have it all.
Lea started her professional career at seven years old in Repertory Philippines’ production of The King and I. Three years later, the then 10-year-old Lea recorded her first album, Small Voice, which earned her a gold record.
Although she had already made a name for herself at such a young age, the Broadway superstar knew she still had places to go and things to achieve. This included having her own wax figure at the world-famous wax museum, Madame Tussauds.
The idea was brought up by her mother Ligaya during a trip to London, where the chain of museums was founded back in 1835. Lea recalled the incident during the launch of her Madame Tussauds Singapore wax figure last Sept. 13 at Solaire Casino & Resort in Parañaque.
She began, “The first time I walked in Madame Tussauds, I was 12. I was with my mother and, at that time, there was a conservatory of many folks, many actors, actresses, artists, who were part of the museum.”
One of the notable personalities represented by a wax figure in Madame Tussauds London is American actress, singer, and dancer Liza Minnelli, whom Lea revealed to have met later on in her life. “She was posed in her tux and pixie haircut. My mother and I were both looking at it,” Lea said about the wax figure. Then her mom manifested an idea that would become one of the remarkable moments in Lea’s life today.
“My mother said, ‘Anak, you’ll never know, one day, that could be you,” she recalled on stage last Friday.
In the years that passed, Lea has grown to become a trailblazer in the world of theatrical production. The stage actress rose to international recognition in 1989 when she played the lead role of Kim in the West End (and later Broadway) production of Miss Saigon. Three years later, in 1992, she became the first Asian to play the role of Éponine in Les Misérables. She was also the first Asian actress to play Fantine in the musical’s revival in 2007.
Besides all these, Lea is the iconic voice behind Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and the titular character in Mulan. She was also cast in multiple roles in TV and film, including in the Max original series, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, where she played Elodie Honrada, as well as a coach in The Voice Philippine franchise.
Her singing and acting prowess endowed her with two Grammy nominations and over 25 awards, including those from the Tony Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, and Theater World Awards.
All these and what’s to come turned the manifestation of Lea’s mother four decades ago into a reality. Earlier this year, Madame Tussauds partnered with Lea for a wax figure to be exhibited in their museum in Singapore. It marked a full-circle moment for the 53-year-old global star.
“This moment today is a manifestation of what happened 40 years ago,” Lea said during the unveiling last Friday. “I’m excited that my mom is here, that she got to see this ‘cause she was the one who said, ‘You’ll never know, this might be you.’”
The making of Lea Salonga’s wax figure
In last Friday’s event, Madame Tussauds Singapore’s head of Sales and Marketing, Elaine Quek, said that they wanted Lea to be represented in their museum because she is “a legendary icon.” Quek noted, “We were looking at many successes in her career, undeniable talent, iconic roles, and most of all, we listen to her loyal fans.”
Quek said it took six months for Madame Tussauds’ team of expert sculptors in London to create Lea’s wax figure. The project was first announced in June, with the museum explaining that the process involves many steps, including taking “more than 500 exact measurements of the head and body” as well as taking “more than 150 photos” while the celebrity remains in his/her pose on a turntable.
The Madame Tussauds team in London did the same for Lea’s wax figure, paying “meticulous attention to detail to make sure that this wax figure captures her spirit and charisma,” Quek said.
For the pose, Madame Tussauds and Lea chose one that shows what she usually looks like performing in concerts. “Together with Lea, we have chosen a pose that exudes her magnetic presence on stage where her talent and personality shine through,” Quek said.
Just like the famous singer, Lea’s wax figure is standing upright with her head slightly tilted to the right. She’s smiling with a microphone in front of her. She’s seemingly ready to impress the world, yet again, with her polished voice with a warm honeyed tone.
Lea explained the concept further in her exclusive interview with The POST: “It was a major work in progress. There was a full day of sitting when I went to Madame Tussauds in London and we were talking about what the pose was gonna be, what the requirements are gonna be. Like the microphone, this has a lower height compared to how I would have it in concerts for example. So that when people pose, it won’t be obscuring the face of the figure or the faces of the people who might be posing with the figure.”
The Broadway star’s wax figure can easily catch the eyes of Madame Tussauds Singapore’s visitors, with her royal blue crepe gown by renowned fashion designer and Lea’s friend, Rajo Laurel. Lea calls it her “workhorse gown” that she wore to three of her shows.
She elaborated, “I chose this dress as I felt it best represented my personality and sensibilities when I’m deciding what to wear for performances. This gown served me so well for so many shows, so it felt right to be continued to be seen in Madame Tussauds’ likeness of me.”
Lea told everyone present during the launch that it took her and her manager Josh Pultz “major effort” to bring the dress to the artisans in Madame Tussauds London. “It was in my closet in New York. So one of my best friends fished it out of my closet and passed it on to my manager who brought it to London,” Lea recounted.
In order for Lea to track the development of the wax figure, Madame Tussauds would send her “work-in-progress photographs” every step of the way. And each time, Lea recalled feeling “floored” and “freaking out because of how exactly they got everything.”
During the launch, Lea made quips about how close the wax figure looked like her, from its dimples, lashes, makeup, down to its hands and the jewelry she was wearing.
“And now with the actual figure, I’m still in actual disbelief and how this likeness really looks like. It’s freaky but really close,” Lea told The POST. “I think that’s also part of what I love about. It’s very life-like, very vibrant, and alive. She seems very much like me.”
A symbolism of hard work and faith in fate
Lea’s wax figure in Madame Tussauds Singapore will be available for viewing starting Sept. 20. It comes right before her stage performance with fellow internationally renowned actress Dolly de Leon in Request sa Radyo as well as the launch of her new holiday album, “Sounding Joy,” in November. Lea is also set to make her Broadway comeback in Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends next year.
Amid all the projects that Lea is doing right now, the global icon still thinks fate — besides hard work — accounts for her successes. “I think there are a lot of stuff that is happening now that I didn’t even know was gonna happen,” she said to The POST. “I didn’t know the date the Christmas album was gonna drop, and we have completed the sitting for this wax figure before I even completed the album.”
“I think it’s just a happy coincidence of things, just happening at the right time and the way they were meant to,” Lea continued. “So I think there are a lot of happy accidents that were taking place as part of the work I’m doing and the timing of the release of the wax figure. Everything is just wonderfully happening in a really weird kismet type of fate.”
As someone who is considered a legend in her field, Lea reveals that having a monumental career is not only about trusting in fate but more so about staying devoted to her job.
“I can’t think of it as a hobby, I cannot think of it as one of the things I have to do from time to time, no, I have to think of it as this is my job. I mean, this is what I love to do but it’s also the way in which I financially take care of myself. I have to treat it with that type of seriousness,” Lea said. “I have to take care of my voice — that I’m fit and that I’m well and that I’m healthy. I have to put into consideration what I put into my body; I will have indulgences, but I still really have to take care of myself.”
Looking back on her 45-year career, the global Filipino icon advises all those wanting to reach far in life to simply trust the process of things. “In chasing one’s dreams, be patient. Nothing in the career I have ever came instantly. Everything takes time, so be prepared to take time,” Lea concluded.
