Kudos to The Town Hall for presenting Lea Salonga, one of today’s vocal miracles. And, for anyone who has not experienced her, please heed my advice to grab the next opportunity you can get.

Located in Midtown, Manhattan, The Town Hall has a long history of presenting world-class performers. Salonga is the most seasoned professional, with an instrument of power, range and lovely quality. The sound of her soft voice is literally like a blast of fresh air with an even, feathery quality, and her belt is just a burst of sunshine.

She started off with a relaxed and jazzy medley of “How About You?”/“Orange Colored Sky”/“The More I See You”). She providing some beautiful Filipino songs, aimed at her largely Asian audience, which were pleasant enough for us to hear, if not understand.

Promising not to overdo the Broadway or Disney (for once I might have been quite receptive to more of the latter being represented), she did pull out “On My Own” (Les Misérables) followed by a stunning version of the evergreen pop hit, “The Greatest Love of All.”

The beauty of her vocal instrument aside, this is a profoundly musical woman with a sense of rhythm, clever phrasing and the ability to sing with a great variety of dynamics, producing stunningly on-pitch diminuendos  (“Nice Work If You Could Get It”) to burning down the house with her ballads.

Her connection with the audience is complete. She works with her musicians as equals, yet is always in control of the outcome—a truly benign Diva.

Melody Breyer-Grell
Cabaret Scenes
May 4, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org