Latest news with #TonyAward-winning
Filipino Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Filipino Times
Lea Salonga sings US National Anthem at New York Yankees game
Tony Award-winning actress and Broadway star Lea Salonga sang the United States National Anthem at the New York Yankees game. The Yankees posted the video of her performance on social media, showing Salonga singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' earning 7.7 million views on Facebook as of writing. 'Thank you to Tony-Award Winning Actress Lea Salonga for tonight's beautiful rendition of our National Anthem,' the baseball team wrote in a caption. Salonga is currently starring in 'Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends' on Broadway, a popular theater show in New York City. On her Instagram story, Salonga shared the Yankees' post and expressed her gratitude. 'Thanks for having me! Go NY!!!,' she wrote. A week earlier, Salonga attended the 78th Tony Awards as a presenter. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lea Salonga (@msleasalonga) Related Articles
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
There's always a good season to visit the US's most under-rated city
HOW: It's cold outside, so stay indoors. There are more than 80 museums - try one of the largest science museums in the US, the Museum of Science & Industry, or the Chicago History Museum. Art aficionados will love winter. Check out one of America's oldest and largest art museums, the Art Institute of Chicago, or the Museum of Contemporary Art. Though there's art all over: entire neighbourhoods, like River North, are full of it in former warehouses. And there's a diverse theatre scene with many Tony Award-winning theatre companies, not to mention the options for comedy fans who'll already know the Second City spawned America's greatest comedians, like John Belushi and Bill Murray. Winter's the perfect time to spend entire afternoons at the city's steakhouses. The best of them is Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, a Chicago institution - take a seat at the bar and enjoy the human traffic. And try another icon, Tavern On Rush, just across the road in Chicago's most fun neighbourhood, the Gold Coast. The bonus here is it's in Thompson Chicago, an underpriced, over-delivering hotel right at the heart of the best action in the city.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Park Chun-hue writes across borders — and touches hearts
Tony-award winner on 'Maybe Happy Ending' 'I wanted to present a world that feels familiar yet strangely unfamiliar to Korean audiences, and one that feels foreign yet oddly relatable to international audiences,' said Park Chun-hue, also known as Hue Park, reflecting on the origins of "Maybe Happy Ending," the 2025 Tony Award-winning musical he co-created with Will Aronson. That creative vision has defined Park's approach as a writer and it has resonated widely. Developed with longtime collaborator Aronson, "Maybe Happy Ending" has become one of Korea's most beloved original musicals, recently making history on Broadway with six Tony Awards, including best musical. For Park, "Maybe Happy Ending" represents more than accolades: It marks a deeply personal artistic milestone. 'It was the first time Will and I built a story entirely from scratch. Creating a world and characters without a pre-existing source was both exhilarating and terrifying," he said in a recent email interview. "I don't particularly know why it is loved. From when we first began writing in 2014 to the Broadway opening last fall, we kept refining it, trying to improve its quality even a little. I'd like to believe that's the reason," Park said. Set in a near-future Seoul, 'Maybe Happy Ending' follows the story of Oliver and Claire — two outdated HelperBot androids discarded by their human owners — who find each other and form a bond neither expected. On June 8, "Maybe Happy Ending," the Broadway hit adapted from a Korean musical released 10 years ago, won six Tony Awards, including best musical, best book of a musical and best original score. Park became the first Korean citizen to win a Tony. Central to that process is Park's extraordinary creative partnership with Aronson. Though often introduced in Korea as the composer, Aronson has co-authored every narrative layer of the show. 'In the US, we're simply called writers -- whether working with notes or words,' Park explained. Their collaboration of 17 years has grown from professional partnership to a kind of artistic kinship, sustained by daily conversations, shared sensibilities and deep mutual respect. 'We've never divided the work between us. Every challenge, every joy, every step forward — we've gone through it together.' Bringing the show to Broadway involved more than translation; it required a full-scale reimagining. The production was expanded to include dynamic set changes, a larger orchestra and new scenes that were previously left implied in the Korean staging. Some dialogues and songs were also trimmed to streamline the narrative. These changes weren't made for spectacle, Park noted, but as part of a careful process to elevate the story's emotional precision and accessibility. Still, the essence of the original "Maybe Happy Ending" remained intact — and its emotional resonance transcended language. One audience member's story stayed with Park. During a solo trip to New York, the man had purchased tickets to 10 different shows. "Maybe Happy Ending" was the fifth. Moved beyond expectation, he sold the remaining tickets, changed his flight, and returned home early to be with his wife. Later, as a Valentine's Day gift, he brought her back to New York so they could see the show together. 'He didn't even send that story to me directly,' Park said. 'But I took it as one of the greatest compliments I've ever received.' As Park reflects on what lies ahead, his goal remains simple yet resolute: to keep creating, with sincerity and purpose. 'As long as I continue to feel the impulse and desire to tell stories and share music, I want to remain a steady and sincere creator,' he said. 'I've now spent nearly half my life between Seoul and New York, and as someone who works between two cultures and languages, I hope to tell stories that offer a slightly different perspective -- stories that resonate with many people and carry meaning.'
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Park Chun-hue writes across borders -- and touches hearts
Tony-award winner on 'Maybe Happy Ending' 'I wanted to present a world that feels familiar yet strangely unfamiliar to Korean audiences, and one that feels foreign yet oddly relatable to international audiences,' said Park Chun-hue, also known as Hue Park, reflecting on the origins of "Maybe Happy Ending," the 2025 Tony Award-winning musical he co-created with Will Aronson. That creative vision has defined Park's approach as a writer and it has resonated widely. Developed with longtime collaborator Aronson, "Maybe Happy Ending" has become one of Korea's most beloved original musicals, recently making history on Broadway with six Tony Awards, including best musical. For Park, "Maybe Happy Ending" represents more than accolades: It marks a deeply personal artistic milestone. 'It was the first time Will and I built a story entirely from scratch. Creating a world and characters without a pre-existing source was both exhilarating and terrifying," he said in a recent email interview. "I don't particularly know why it is loved. From when we first began writing in 2014 to the Broadway opening last fall, we kept refining it, trying to improve its quality even a little. I'd like to believe that's the reason," Park said. Set in a near-future Seoul, 'Maybe Happy Ending' follows the story of Oliver and Claire — two outdated HelperBot androids discarded by their human owners — who find each other and form a bond neither expected. On June 8, "Maybe Happy Ending," the Broadway hit adapted from a Korean musical released 10 years ago, won six Tony Awards, including best musical, best book of a musical and best original score. Park became the first Korean citizen to win a Tony. Central to that process is Park's extraordinary creative partnership with Aronson. Though often introduced in Korea as the composer, Aronson has co-authored every narrative layer of the show. 'In the US, we're simply called writers -- whether working with notes or words,' Park explained. Their collaboration of 17 years has grown from professional partnership to a kind of artistic kinship, sustained by daily conversations, shared sensibilities and deep mutual respect. 'We've never divided the work between us. Every challenge, every joy, every step forward — we've gone through it together.' Bringing the show to Broadway involved more than translation; it required a full-scale reimagining. The production was expanded to include dynamic set changes, a larger orchestra and new scenes that were previously left implied in the Korean staging. Some dialogues and songs were also trimmed to streamline the narrative. These changes weren't made for spectacle, Park noted, but as part of a careful process to elevate the story's emotional precision and accessibility. Still, the essence of the original "Maybe Happy Ending" remained intact — and its emotional resonance transcended language. One audience member's story stayed with Park. During a solo trip to New York, the man had purchased tickets to 10 different shows. "Maybe Happy Ending" was the fifth. Moved beyond expectation, he sold the remaining tickets, changed his flight, and returned home early to be with his wife. Later, as a Valentine's Day gift, he brought her back to New York so they could see the show together. 'He didn't even send that story to me directly,' Park said. 'But I took it as one of the greatest compliments I've ever received.' As Park reflects on what lies ahead, his goal remains simple yet resolute: to keep creating, with sincerity and purpose. 'As long as I continue to feel the impulse and desire to tell stories and share music, I want to remain a steady and sincere creator,' he said. 'I've now spent nearly half my life between Seoul and New York, and as someone who works between two cultures and languages, I hope to tell stories that offer a slightly different perspective -- stories that resonate with many people and carry meaning.' gypark@
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Lea Salonga performs US national anthem at New York Yankees game
Lea Salonga performed 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' the national anthem of the United States, at a New York Yankees baseball game. The Yankees shared a video of the Tony Award-winning actress singing the anthem via X (formerly Twitter). 'Thank you to Tony-Award Winning Actress Lea Salonga for tonight's beautiful rendition of our National Anthem,' the caption read. On Instagram Stories, Lea shared the video of her performance and thanked the Yankees for having her. 'Thanks for having me! Go NYY!' she wrote. Lea currently stars in 'Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends' on Broadway, for which she has also received a nomination for the Distinguished Performance Award at the 2025 Drama League Awards. She is set to star in the Philippine staging of "Into the Woods" in August. She will play The Witch, while her child, Nic Chien, will portray the role of Jack. Thank you to Tony-Award Winning Actress Lea Salonga for tonight's beautiful rendition of our National Anthem ???? Lea is currently starring in @SondheimFriends on Broadway! — New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 16, 2025 —Jade Veronique Yap/CDC, GMA Integrated News
