Latest news with #MissSaigon
GMA Network
a day ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Lea Salonga returns to the Tony Awards as a presenter
Lea Salonga is back at the prestigious Tony Awards as part of the star-studded lineup of presenters for the 78th edition of the award-giving body. On Instagram, the Filipina theater legend shared a photo of herself posing beside her seat, where it was indicated that she was a presenter. "Me and me," she captioned the photo tagging the official account of the Tony Awards. This isn't the first time Lea has become a presenter at the Tony Awards. In 2021, she served the same role and notably took selfies with celebrities. Lea won a Tony Award in 1991 for her "Miss Saigon" performance as Kim, making her the first Filipino and Asian to receive such recognition. In April, Lea was named an honoree at the Drama League Awards 2025, where she received the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater. She was also nominated for the Distinguished Performance Award for "Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends." Lea 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. — Hermes Joy Tunac/LA, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Japanese actress moved to KC for coffee but stayed to build community
Editor's Note: This interview is part of an ongoing Star series highlighting Kansas Citians from historically underrepresented communities and their impact on our region. The series builds on The Star's efforts to improve coverage of local communities. Do you know someone we should interview? Share ideas with our reporter J.M. Banks. As a teenager growing up in Tokyo, Japan, Madoka Koguchi attended a Japanese production of the musical Cats. The performance left such a lasting impression on her that she decided to pursue a life on stage. Her dream became reality in 2016, when she moved to New York and landed a role in the Broadway revival of Miss Saigon. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought Broadway to a halt, Koguchi found herself in a foreign country, unable to perform. During that time, a fellow cast member, Jackie Nguyen, invited her to help open a new coffee shop in Kansas City. Since relocating Kansas City in 2020, Koguchi, 32, has made Kansas City her home. She has served as manager of Café Cà Phê. Located at 916 E 5th St, popular Vietnamese owned coffee shop in the Columbus Park a neighborhood known for the historic Italian and Vietnamese immigrant populations. She also works in public relations for KC Craft Ramen, and co-founded Yakuri KC, the metro area's first nonprofit dedicated to building community among Japanese residents. Banks: Can you begin by telling me what it was like growing up in Japan and how did you find your way into acting? Koguchi: So I was born in Tokyo, Japan. I was born in kind of an entertainment family. Both my mom and dad were in the music industry. My dad is a professional drummer, but I was introduced to classic ballet when I was watching a comedy show on TV when I was six and I started dancing ballet when I was seven. I wanted to be a professional ballet dancer until middle school. Then I went to see a musical called Cats. It was a Japanese production of Cats and I switched my goal to musical theater after. I immediately thought I want to be on that stage I was fortunate to see a lot of international touring productions of musicals, mostly from the United States. So I watched West Side Story, Hairspray and The Heights. A lot of major, major shows coming from the United States. My parents were pretty supportive because of the entertainment industry background, but it was more my grandparents or my aunt. They didn't really have much understanding of pursuing a career as an artist. I was able to go to Toronto, Canada to study abroad to learn English for a year and a half from 2014 to 2015 and I was also able to audition for Performing Arts School in New York in 2016. I was able to graduate and then shortly after, I was able to book the National Revival tour of Miss Saigon as one of the main roles. What brought you to Kansas City? I moved to Kansas City in 2020 because COVID hit and our tour got shut down for good in the middle of the tour. Like so many other industries, the Broadway industry just got shut down and disappeared. Our industry felt like it was the first to be gone and the last to come back. I didn't want to wait for the Broadway industry to come back. I felt defeated at that time. I moved to the United States for Broadway but my profession just did not exist during COVID. But one of the cast members, Jackie Nguyen ask me if I can move to Kansas City to help her open a coffee shop called Cafe Cà Phê . So I said yes, of course, and that's how I ended up in Kansas City. What do you enjoy about your work with Cafe Cà Phê? At Café Cá Phe we do a lot of community work for marginalized communities like the Asian American communities, LGBTQ+ communities. I experienced a lot of difficulties as an immigrant, as a foreigner, as a non-citizen of the United States, but also as a person of color. So I'm able to contribute my own experience to the Cafe Cà Phê community work. When you moved here were there any cultural shocks for you? Yes, very many culture shocks. People take their time and there is this thing called personal boundaries. Because there's no word for boundaries in Japanese. So it's a very American or Western idea to me. In Japanese culture, people text about work 24/7 and you're expected to respond to the text 24/7. The sizes of everything was a shock when I went to McDonald's for the first time in New York. I was surprised by how big a small cup of soda was. Then one portion of pasta at a diner, that was so big. But also to find a happy culture shock that it is OK to take it home, like pack the food up and take it home. In Japan that is not a thing. You're supposed to finish the meal and you're supposed to not have to take the food that you couldn't finish home. So a lot of restaurants still don't carry take out. Also the grocery store, people walking around eating grapes before checking out. How do you tackle portraying roles that are traditionally occupied by non Asian actresses? I got to experience that through being in the musical Little Woman at the Music Theater Heritage earlier this year. I was able to play Meg March, that was one of the sisters in Little Women. I got to portray a character that was traditionally not Asian and it is such an honor to do it. But, also understanding that there's a controversy because it's such a iconic piece and iconic sisters. Theater is supposed to be a safe place for anybody and also imaginary as well. So I was able to focus on what's true to the character. The challenging thing for me personally was I am speaking English as my second language, and technically I'm the only person in the whole cast with an non-American accent. So I spent so much time to just pronounce each word for so many times and I recorded it myself so that I can correct my pronunciation. There are so many words that I didn't know and people don't speak in the daily life because that piece is from the 1800s. But it was such an honor and I am so grateful. What inspired you to start the nonprofit Yakuri KC? Our nonprofit organization, Yukari KC, is heavily inspired by Cafe Cà Phê and Hella Good Deeds, their sister nonprofit. I started the organization to create spaces for the Japanese community in greater areas of Kansas City. There are a lot of opportunities for us to educate our culture to non Japanese people or non-Asian people in general. We do that in our daily life, either consciously or subconsciously, but what's missing is the spaces just for us, where we don't have to educate anybody. Where we can just communicate in our own languages and save space for us. I learned that taking up space is a wonderful thing by moving to Kansas City and working for Cafe Cà Phê. When I moved to Kansas City in 2020 there was just no Japanese community that I could find. Then it took three full months for me to accidentally bump into a Japanese person in Independence. I was like, Oh my God, there's a Japanese person here. And then she happened to know a lot of people in the Japanese community in Kansas City. So she took me everywhere to bring me to people that she wanted me to meet. If I hadn't bumped into her, that wouldn't have happened, obviously. By meeting her, by being able to speak Japanese for the first time in months, I just realized how much I needed that. So one of my personal missions for the organization is to be kind of the lighthouse for the Japanese community by hosting cultural events and community events on a regular basis. With Yakuri KC hosting its first vendor popup recently how did it feel to be at the helm? It was so weird but in a good way. Because I was always at the Cafe Cà Phê events as a part of Cafe Cà Phê and it was for the first time for me to be there as a part of my own organization. It was incredible to see other people, from loyal customers to other vendors, get to learn about our organization. What do you think is the most difficult aspect of the work you do? So there are many different Japanese people in Kansas City because Panasonic is building the power plant in DeSoto, Kansas. A lot of people from Panasonic are very new to Kansas City in general and for them they thought Yukari KC is not really something brand new. They all thought that Yukari KC was a thing for years in Kansas City and then we're like, no, we just founded our organization in January and this is a very new thing that we are trying to do. They're pretty new. They don't really have the idea of how hard it can be to live in a place where there is no community. So I am encouraging them to come to our events so that they can meet the Japanese people who have been living in Kansas City who can help them if they need any help; like which hair salon do they do they go to, what grocery store they should get certain food at. Where should they take their kids to on the weekends. It's a new concept so we're just trying to put our names out there and put what we're doing out there so that it's more noticeable. What's the most fulfilling aspect of the work you do? Just people getting connected meeting for the first time. Seeing them exchanging their numbers and I see pictures posted on their Instagram that they hung out for the first time. That just generally makes my day. What are your organization's goals for the future? Our goal is to be able to reach the Japanese people so we become a better, stronger community with connections within the community. I also would like to host workshops or cooking classes. Japanese people, and Japanese Americans too, miss the connection with Japanese food. I obviously missed my mom's cooking, my grandma's cooking and I'm fortunate enough that I can get the recipe from them. So connecting ourselves with food is important. For more stories about culture and identity, sign up for our free On The Vine newsletter at
The Star
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Daniel Dae Kim breaks barriers at the Tony Awards
The first monologue Daniel Dae Kim ever performed was by David Henry Hwang. He had to do one for his college summer program at the National Theater Institute in Connecticut. Kim chose a scene from FOB, Hwang's play about the assimilation struggles of a Chinese American. So, it's fitting that 35 years later Hwang – the first Asian American to win the Tony Award for best play – would be the one to bring Kim into the Tony spotlight. Known for TV series such as Lost and Hawaii Five-0, Kim, 56, is the first Asian nominee in the category of best leading actor in a play in the Tonys' 78-year history for his work in a Broadway revival of Hwang's Yellow Face. "I can imagine a lot of things, but I did not imagine this scenario with David,' said Kim. "That I would be in a play with him, that we would both be nominated for Tony Awards and we would be able to call each other friends.' In the semi-autobiographical show, which ran last fall at the Roundabout Theatre Company, Kim played a satirical version of Hwang. The show also scored nods for best play revival and best performance by a featured actor in a play for first-time nominee Francis Jue, an original 2007 cast member. You could not have scripted a better ending for a play that was written in response to the musical Miss Saigon casting white actors as Asian characters. Kim's performance was filmed in November and PBS will broadcast Yellow Face this Friday. The Tonys, airing on CBS on June 8, also will put a spotlight on the play. This groundbreaking nomination seems like the perfect karmic reward for Kim, who has spent years advocating for greater Asian representation. At the pandemic's height, the Korean American actor was a constant media presence speaking out against anti-Asian hate. Daniel Dae Kim, left, and Ryan Eggold, and Shannon Tyo during a performance of 'Yellow Face' on Broadway, a semi-autobiographical play by David Henry AP He also jump-started a campaign for veteran actor James Hong, then 91, to get a Hollywood star. He woke up to the news of his nomination after people were able to get around his phone's "do not disturb' mode. His competition includes George Clooney and Cole Escola. "It'd be a huge surprise if I won, but I will say that even getting the nomination is a win especially when you put it in the context of our community and what this means for Asian Americans,' said Kim, whose previous Broadway credits include The King And I. He admits it's surprising and "a little sad' that no other Asian actor has been in this category. There's still never been an Asian nominee for best lead actress in a play. "Of course, the barrier we really want to break is to actually have someone win, and hopefully that happens sooner rather than later, whether it's me or not.' Kim is one of seven Asian acting nominees this year. Only three acting trophy winners have been Asian. One was Lea Salonga for Miss Saigon and another was Ruthie Ann Miles for The King And I. Coincidentally, the first was BD Wong for best featured actor in Hwang's Tony-winning play, M. Butterfly. Hwang takes special pride in helping actors break glass ceilings. "I get to feel like, 'Oh, maybe I'm actually able to make a difference' and change the culture in the way that my little-kid-self would have loved but would not have thought possible," said Hwang, who now has his fourth career Tony nomination. He was last nominated 22 years ago. For a long time, Hwang felt the only way to get a play with Asian characters made was to set it outside America because "Broadway audiences are not interested in Asian Americans.' Historically, productions with Asian ensembles have been musicals set in "the exotic lands of Asia,' such as The King And I, said Esther Kim Lee, a theatre studies professor at Duke University and author of The Theatre Of David Henry Hwang. Flower Drum Song, set in San Francisco, was an exception but the songs and book were by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Hwang actually revised the book in 2002. "It's 2025. We finally see an actual Asian American play with an Asian American lead,' said Lee. "You can have The King And I and have great actors and they may get Tony Awards, but it's really not about Asian Americans. That this has happened with Yellow Face is just incredible.' Kim from 'Yellow Face' attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event in New York on May 8. Photo: AP The show's two-month run brought the Roundabout a 50% increase in first-time audience members – "a powerful statement," said Kim. "One of the nicest compliments I would hear after the show when I would go to the stage door is, 'This is the first Broadway show I've ever seen,'" said Kim. "That meant a lot to me because bringing Asian Americans into the theatre is important and bringing younger people into the theater is important just for the health of theater in general.' Besides discussing whitewash casting, Yellow Face examines the pain of the main character's immigrant father. The role is based on Hwang's father's experience being wrongly accused of laundering money for China. With the current anti-immigrant and anti-DEI climate, the show's airing on PBS feels especially vital to Hwang. "Whenever there's a conflict between America and any Asian country, Asian Americans are the first to get targeted,' said Hwang. PBS is also where in 2020 the five-episode history docuseries Asian Americans aired for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Kim was a narrator and remains "unequivocally proud" of the project. Five years after the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, Kim sees Yellow Face simply making it to Broadway as a victory. "I don't want to get preachy, but I will say that the goal with spotlighting and elevating people of colour is not to threaten the establishment,' said Kim. "The goal was really to say everyone can contribute to our society. Everyone can be a positive force for change.' – AP
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Daniel Dae Kim making history at the Tony Awards and pushing for Asian representation on Broadway
The first monologue Daniel Dae Kim ever performed was by David Henry Hwang. He had to do one for his college summer program at the National Theater Institute in Connecticut. Kim chose a scene from 'FOB," Hwang's play about the assimilation struggles of a Chinese American. So, it's fitting that 35 years later Hwang — the first Asian American to win the Tony Award for best play — would be the one to bring Kim into the Tony spotlight. Known for TV series such as 'Lost' and 'Hawaii Five-0,' Kim, 56, is the first Asian nominee in the category of best leading actor in a play in the Tonys' 78-year history for his work in a Broadway revival of Hwang's 'Yellow Face.' 'I can imagine a lot of things, but I did not imagine this scenario with David,' Kim said. 'That I would be in a play with him, that we would both be nominated for Tony Awards and we would be able to call each other friends.' In the semi-autobiographical show, which ran last fall at the Roundabout Theatre Company, Kim played a satirical version of Hwang. The show also scored nods for best play revival and best performance by a featured actor in a play for first-time nominee Francis Jue, an original 2007 cast member. You could not have scripted a better ending for a play that was written in response to the musical 'Miss Saigon' casting white actors as Asian characters. Kim's performance was filmed in November and PBS will broadcast 'Yellow Face' on Friday. The Tonys, airing on CBS on June 8, also will put a spotlight on the play. Asian representation and the Tonys This groundbreaking nomination seems like the perfect karmic reward for Kim, who has spent years advocating for greater Asian representation. At the pandemic's height, the Korean American actor was a constant media presence speaking out against anti-Asian hate. He also jump-started a campaign for veteran actor James Hong, then 91, to get a Hollywood star. He woke up to the news of his nomination after people were able to get around his phone's 'do not disturb' mode. His competition includes George Clooney and Cole Escola. 'It'd be a huge surprise if I won, but I will say that even getting the nomination is a win especially when you put it in the context of our community and what this means for Asian Americans,' said Kim, whose previous Broadway credits include 'The King and I.' He admits it's surprising and 'a little sad' that no other Asian actor has been in this category. There's still never been an Asian nominee for best lead actress in a play. 'Of course, the barrier we really want to break is to actually have someone win, and hopefully that happens sooner rather than later, whether it's me or not.' Kim is one of seven Asian acting nominees this year. Only three acting trophy winners have been Asian. One was Lea Salonga for 'Miss Saigon' and another was Ruthie Ann Miles for 'The King and I.' Coincidentally, the first was BD Wong for best featured actor in Hwang's Tony-winning play, 'M. Butterfly.' Hwang takes special pride in helping actors break glass ceilings. 'I get to feel like, 'Oh, maybe I'm actually able to make a difference' and change the culture in the way that my little-kid-self would have loved but would not have thought possible," said Hwang, who now has his fourth career Tony nomination. He was last nominated 22 years ago. Bringing Asian Americans into the theater For a long time, Hwang felt the only way to get a play with Asian characters made was to set it outside America because "Broadway audiences are not interested in Asian Americans.' Historically, productions with Asian ensembles have been musicals set in 'the exotic lands of Asia,' such as 'The King and I," said Esther Kim Lee, a theater studies professor at Duke University and author of 'The Theatre of David Henry Hwang." 'Flower Drum Song,' set in San Francisco, was an exception but the songs and book were by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Hwang actually revised the book in 2002. 'It's 2025. We finally see an actual Asian American play with an Asian American lead,' Lee said. 'You can have 'The King and I' and have great actors and they may get Tony Awards, but it's really not about Asian Americans. That this has happened with 'Yellow Face' is just incredible.' The show's two-month run brought the Roundabout a 50% increase in first-time audience members — 'a powerful statement," Kim said. 'One of the nicest compliments I would hear after the show when I would go to the stage door is, 'This is the first Broadway show I've ever seen,'" Kim said. 'That meant a lot to me because bringing Asian Americans into the theater is important and bringing younger people into the theater is important just for the health of theater in general.' 'Yellow Face' has new relevance Besides discussing whitewash casting, 'Yellow Face' examines the pain of the main character's immigrant father. The role is based on Hwang's father's experience being wrongly accused of laundering money for China. With the current anti-immigrant and anti-DEI climate, the show's airing on PBS feels especially vital to Hwang. 'Whenever there's a conflict between America and any Asian country, Asian Americans are the first to get targeted,' Hwang said. PBS is also where in 2020 the five-episode history docuseries 'Asian Americans" aired for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Kim was a narrator and remains 'unequivocally proud" of the project. Five years after the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, Kim sees 'Yellow Face' simply making it to Broadway as a victory. 'I don't want to get preachy, but I will say that the goal with spotlighting and elevating people of color is not to threaten the establishment,' Kim said. 'The goal was really to say everyone can contribute to our society. Everyone can be a positive force for change.'
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
Daniel Dae Kim making history at the Tony Awards and pushing for Asian representation on Broadway
The first monologue Daniel Dae Kim ever performed was by David Henry Hwang. He had to do one for his college summer program at the National Theater Institute in Connecticut. Kim chose a scene from 'FOB," Hwang's play about the assimilation struggles of a Chinese American. So, it's fitting that 35 years later Hwang — the first Asian American to win the Tony Award for best play — would be the one to bring Kim into the Tony spotlight. Known for TV series such as 'Lost' and 'Hawaii Five-0,' Kim, 56, is the first Asian nominee in the category of best leading actor in a play in the Tonys' 78-year history for his work in a Broadway revival of Hwang's 'Yellow Face.' 'I can imagine a lot of things, but I did not imagine this scenario with David,' Kim said. 'That I would be in a play with him, that we would both be nominated for Tony Awards and we would be able to call each other friends.' In the semi-autobiographical show, which ran last fall at the Roundabout Theatre Company, Kim played a satirical version of Hwang. The show also scored nods for best play revival and best performance by a featured actor in a play for first-time nominee Francis Jue, an original 2007 cast member. You could not have scripted a better ending for a play that was written in response to the musical 'Miss Saigon' casting white actors as Asian characters. Kim's performance was filmed in November and PBS will broadcast 'Yellow Face' on Friday. The Tonys, airing on CBS on June 8, also will put a spotlight on the play. This groundbreaking nomination seems like the perfect karmic reward for Kim, who has spent years advocating for greater Asian representation. At the pandemic's height, the Korean American actor was a constant media presence speaking out against anti-Asian hate. He also jump-started a campaign for veteran actor James Hong, then 91, to get a Hollywood star. He woke up to the news of his nomination after people were able to get around his phone's 'do not disturb' mode. His competition includes George Clooney and Cole Escola. 'It'd be a huge surprise if I won, but I will say that even getting the nomination is a win especially when you put it in the context of our community and what this means for Asian Americans,' said Kim, whose previous Broadway credits include 'The King and I.' He admits it's surprising and 'a little sad' that no other Asian actor has been in this category. There's still never been an Asian nominee for best lead actress in a play. 'Of course, the barrier we really want to break is to actually have someone win, and hopefully that happens sooner rather than later, whether it's me or not.' Kim is one of seven Asian acting nominees this year. Only three acting trophy winners have been Asian. One was Lea Salonga for 'Miss Saigon' and another was Ruthie Ann Miles for 'The King and I.' Coincidentally, the first was BD Wong for best featured actor in Hwang's Tony-winning play, 'M. Butterfly.' Hwang takes special pride in helping actors break glass ceilings. 'I get to feel like, 'Oh, maybe I'm actually able to make a difference' and change the culture in the way that my little-kid-self would have loved but would not have thought possible," said Hwang, who now has his fourth career Tony nomination. He was last nominated 22 years ago. For a long time, Hwang felt the only way to get a play with Asian characters made was to set it outside America because "Broadway audiences are not interested in Asian Americans.' Historically, productions with Asian ensembles have been musicals set in 'the exotic lands of Asia,' such as 'The King and I," said Esther Kim Lee, a theater studies professor at Duke University and author of 'The Theatre of David Henry Hwang." 'Flower Drum Song,' set in San Francisco, was an exception but the songs and book were by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Hwang actually revised the book in 2002. 'It's 2025. We finally see an actual Asian American play with an Asian American lead,' Lee said. 'You can have 'The King and I' and have great actors and they may get Tony Awards, but it's really not about Asian Americans. That this has happened with 'Yellow Face' is just incredible.' The show's two-month run brought the Roundabout a 50% increase in first-time audience members — 'a powerful statement," Kim said. 'One of the nicest compliments I would hear after the show when I would go to the stage door is, 'This is the first Broadway show I've ever seen,'" Kim said. 'That meant a lot to me because bringing Asian Americans into the theater is important and bringing younger people into the theater is important just for the health of theater in general.' Besides discussing whitewash casting, 'Yellow Face' examines the pain of the main character's immigrant father. The role is based on Hwang's father's experience being wrongly accused of laundering money for China. With the current anti-immigrant and anti-DEI climate, the show's airing on PBS feels especially vital to Hwang. 'Whenever there's a conflict between America and any Asian country, Asian Americans are the first to get targeted,' Hwang said. PBS is also where in 2020 the five-episode history docuseries 'Asian Americans" aired for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Kim was a narrator and remains 'unequivocally proud" of the project. , Kim sees 'Yellow Face' simply making it to Broadway as a victory. 'I don't want to get preachy, but I will say that the goal with spotlighting and elevating people of color is not to threaten the establishment,' Kim said. 'The goal was really to say everyone can contribute to our society. Everyone can be a positive force for change.'
