Lea Salonga: Tomorrow

Lea Salonga
Tomorrow: A Concert for the Future
Oct. 20-21, 2006, CCP Main Theater
Gerard Salonga / Chris Millado

Tomorrow: A Concert for the Future was somewhat the best of Ms. Lea's past performances plus more. They were put together and arranged differently to fit the theme of the event - a celebration of a world "where all children develop to the fullest and realize the dreams of a nurturing family, culture and society". The result was nothing short of magnificent especially that it was her first team-up with the Philippine Madrigal Singers! She performed with great ease and perfection. It is so amazing that her voice sounds exactly the same on recording and on stage - no tweaking and no added effects. It is as breezy and enchanting as a lullaby.

Ms. Lea opened the show with "True Colors" singing with the Philippine Madrigal Singers as back-up and on stage with the Hail Mary the Queen Children’s Choir and Kilyawan Boys’ Choir. The rest of her repertoire included "Everybody Says Don't", "If I Could", "Ugoy ng Duyan", "Anak", "You'll Never Get Away From me" (with Julia Abueva), and "Chiquitta" amongst others. She also sang "Galagaw/Waray-Waray" from Songs from Home. However, this time, she had the children's choir as back-up dancers and they were so adorable in their 60s outfit. Of course, Ms. Lea tried her best to dance her way to the tune along with kids.

One of the memorable performances that night was her jazzy rendition of "Sing". It was like a scene from a movie where the characters are in a jazz bar listening to the singer. Very impressive! Not to mention her version of "Stand Up For Love" which, I believe, is better than Beyonce's version! Her voice was in control all throughout the high and low notes - extremely pleasant to the ears.

The highlight of the event was "Tomorrow". Her heart-felt song execution almost made me cry especially with the sunrise effect on the background! T'was indeed marvelous. What truly helped was the fantastic lighting of Mr. Dennis Marasigan! The lights told a story along with the songs.

Her finale was "Pagdating ng Panahon". In hindsight, it seemed off to the whole repertoire. But it was a perfect ending to the whole show. A song about hope and unselfish love. Because in a world that seemed dark and sad, hope and selflessness are what we need for a better tomorrow.

Congratulations, Ms. Lea, for a job well done! Cheers to the children who would inherit the earth from us!