Lea Salonga lectures about boundaries after backstage fiasco with Filipino fans in Broadway

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 17) — Broadway actress Lea Salonga on Monday responded to the viral video showing her dismayed yet professional after some Filipino fans approached her in her dressing room after a staging of “Here Lies Love.”

In the now-viral video, some fans asked her for a photo from outside her dressing room, claiming they are friends of the co-producer of the show, former actress G Tongi.
Salonga said they aren’t allowed backstage unless they are on the guest list for \”security purposes.\” She said the fans can wait outside where she will accept their request.
The fan taking the video left the dressing room area. When Salonga showed up in the hallway, he began showering her with compliments, but she was not having it.
\”Thank you, but then again I have to be strict about this,\” the exasperated actress said.

She ended up granting their request for a photo. 

Hours after the incident went viral on social media, Salonga broke her silence. She noted the importance of respecting the boundaries of artists.

“The money you pay for a theater/concert ticket does not mean all-access. You pay for that performer’s art, and that’s where it stops,” she wrote in a series of tweets on Twitter. “I’m not the type to cuss people out, but I will protect my territory and my boundaries. If I lose fans as a result, so be it.”

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When one of our lead producers and our dance captain saw the video and learned about what happened, they said, “You were still very nice, if that were me I would’ve cussed at them and kicked them out.” I’m not the type to cuss people out, but I will protect my territory and my…

— Lea Salonga (@MsLeaSalonga) July 17, 2023