Lea Salonga to star in 'Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba'
Calling all theater fans! Are you ready for another play starring Lea Salonga?
The Tony Award-winning actress is set to take the stage in the upcoming production of Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba as the titular character.
The local staging will bring Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca's last major work to Filipinos, with director-playwright Chay Yew adapting the play. It will also be Theatre Group Asia's first production in full Filipino, with Guelan Valera Luarca translating the drama.
In the play, Salonga's Bernarda is a headstrong matriarch determined to protect her family. Following the death of her second husband, she imposes a strict eight-year mourning period for her five daughters, with silence, discipline, tradition, and appearances reigning supreme.
Things take a turn as her daughters' desires, frustrations, jealousies, and dreams refuse to remain contained. The arrival of a potential suitor also puts things over the edge.
Salonga is set to undergo a dramatic transformation in the upcoming play as the fiercely protective matriarch.
"To be perfectly honest, I hadn't encountered this play before, which may work in my favor as I have no preconceived notions or strong opinions," Salonga said. "After reading Chay's English translation and then Guelan's translation into Filipino, despite the literal terror I feel in my soul, this is an absolutely important work to tackle. It fits our culture and is timely given the state of current events in the world."
The actress noted she's "excited and scared" about the fact that the play will be entirely in Filipino.
"My Tagalog, strangely enough, tends to lean towards the 'matatas' side," she said. "I once wrote a post on Threads in Pilipino from start to finish, trying not to incorporate either English or Spanish. A few folks might’ve been surprised.
"As for preparations, I’ve enlisted Guelan’s help in navigating the script, and am ready to ask questions about why he chose certain words over others in his translation. His use of the language isn’t just beautiful but adds so many layers of subtext and meaning."
Earlier in September, Salonga received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which she described as "surreal."
She also recently starred in DreamWorks' Forgotten Island as the dreaded Manananggal. The film also featured several Filipino and Filipino American stars in its voice cast, including Liza Soberano, H.E.R., Dolly de Leon, and Manny Jacinto.
Salonga was last on the theater stage for the Manila staging of Les Misérables as Madame Thénardier in January and in Into the Woods as the witch alongside her son, Nic Chien, as Jack in August 2025.
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