Lea Salonga is returning to Broadway next year for the US debut of “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends,” as she and fellow Tony winner Bernadette Peters will reprise their performances in the theater hit after a successful 16-week run in London’s West End in January.
“Old Friends” pays tribute to composer and lyricist Sondheim, an icon of 20th century musical theater. It was devised by Cameron Mackintosh who also produced “Les Miserables,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Cats,” “Hamilton,” and “Miss Saigon”—which Salonga starred in as Kim decades ago.
“Old Friends” will begin previews on March 25, 2025 at the Manhattan Theater Club and will also get a pre-Broadway run at the Ahmanson Theater via the Center Theater Group in Los Angeles.
The revue was dubbed as a joyous and unforgettable big Broadway show with some of the greatest songs ever written for musical theater, just as Sondheim wanted.
Salonga last performed on Broadway when she portrayed Aurora Aquino in “Here Lies Love” in a special guest capacity — the show mostly involving Filipino actors and creatives was also her first time as a producer.
She debuted on Broadway in 1991 with her iconic role of Kim in “Miss Saigon,” having first performed on the West End, winning her a Tony Award at 20 years old.
Prior to “Here Lies Love,” Salonga’s last Broadway appearances were for “Allegiance” from 2015 to 2016 and the 2017 revival of “Once on this Island.”