Lea Salonga is stepping into a very different kind of “motherhood” as she takes on the title role in Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba.
Presented by Theatre Group Asia (TGA), the production is scheduled to open in February 2027. It is adapted by celebrated director-playwright Chay Yew from Federico García Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba. It is translated into Filipino by Guelan Valera Luarca.
The play follows the story of Bernarda, a strict mother who imposes eight years of mourning on her five daughters after the death of her second husband. She expects them to follow her rules and maintain the family’s reputation.
But as the daughters struggle with their own desires, frustrations, and dreams, tensions begin to grow inside the household. The arrival of a potential suitor further disrupts the family, forcing the women to confront their feelings and the sacrifices they are willing to make.
At the center of the story is Bernarda, who believes that controlling her family is necessary to protect them. Her strict ways, however, create a home transformed into a prison.
For Lea, who has taken on some of musical theater’s most demanding characters throughout her career, playing Bernarda is both a challenge and opportunity to present a significant story.
“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. After reading both Chay's English translation and then Guelan's translation into Pilipino, 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," she said, as cited by BroadwayWorld.
“Bernarda is a mother who rules the roost and raises her children not with love but fear. This kind of parenting still exists, whether for cultural or familial reasons, and getting under the skin of such a mother may give me some empathy for her as well as plenty of sympathy for her children,” she said.
As a mother herself, Lea is also interested in understanding what may have shaped Bernarda and led her to impose such rigid rules on her family.
“Figuring out what her backstory is will be fascinating, and what her motivations are for ruling her home with an iron fist. Her rule is law for every person living under her roof, and that house is not a happy place. How does anyone reach that point? It's definitely going to be, dare I say, fun playing detective and piecing all that out.”
Lea previously took on the role of The Witch in Into the Woods, presented by TGA in 2025. Drawing from her experience with the previous production, she said she is also "excited and scared" in this new role.
“To borrow a line from Into the Woods, I'm 'excited and scared'. My Tagalog, strangely enough, tends to lean towards the 'matatas' side. 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.”
She continued: “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.”
Ang Tahanan ni Bernarda Alba will open in February 2027 as the second production of TGA’s 2026-2027 season. It follows the company’s successful staging of the Philippine adaptation of The Notebook: The Musical last September.
Further details about the production, including the rest of the cast, performance schedule, venue, and ticketing, have yet to be announced.