Pinoys in 'Lion King' wow Australia.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Jocelyn Valle, Contributor

THE PEOPLE behind the Australian production of the Tony Award best musical, "The Lion King," are impressed not only with the acting talents of the Filipino cast members but also with their proficiency in learning new languages.

"We found it easy to learn the mixed African languages like Zulu and Swahili because they closely resemble our own," said stage actress Yael Pineda of the Philippines. "Particularly the sound of our vowels A, E, I, O, U. There's even a phrase in the musical that sounds like 'Bongga ka 'day'!"

Yael talked to Inquirer Entertainment one afternoon last week, a few hours before her 8 p.m. flight back to Sydney, where the musical is playing eight times a week at the Capitol Theater.

The stage adaptation of the popular Disney animated film has been hailed for its breathtaking images and sounds. It won the Tony Award for best musical in 1998.

The other Pinoys

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