BROADWAY superstar and Disney legend Lea Salonga felt like she was in a fairy tale when she visited the White House to perform during the state dinner for South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol on Wednesday.
Salonga was one of the guests who glammed up the event, and she came in a Rajo Laurel dress. Also present were Hollywood A-lister Angelina Jolie and Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim.
Salonga, as seen in The Washington Post’s video of the guests’ arrival at the event, expressed her delight at being invited to the gathering. It was her first White House state dinner and it felt “wonderful,” she said.
“It feels like being in the middle of a fairy tale,” she said in the video.
She also said the White House was “very fancy” and relished the fact that she was able to wander along its halls during her rehearsal.
Performing along with Salonga before the two Heads of State were Broadway’s Norm Lewis and Jessica Vosk. Media reports said the ladies performed the song Somewhere from West Side Story.
Meanwhile, Jolie was accompanied by her 21-year-old son Maddox Jolie-Pitt. The Oscar-winning actress’s son studied in Seoul’s Yonsei University.
Maddox, as seen in the Washington Post video, said Seoul was great and that the people are his favorite thing about it.
Kim said she was excited to be at the event and was looking forward to the food, which was said to be really good.
Other Hollywood greats who previously performed at the White House were Usher, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy, Ricky Martin, Regina Belle and B.B. King.
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The state dinner address
Biden, who is gunning for re-election, highlighted that the visit was a reaffirmation of the two nation’s 70-year alliance.
“It’s about a commitment to bear one another’s concerns and listen to each other’s dreams. It allows us to overcome every difficulty with great determination. That allows us to move further and faster in space, cyber, technology, and all areas that matter most to our future,” Biden said in his speech that the White House broadcast on Twitter.
Biden wrapped up his speech with a toast and said, “To our partnership, to our people, to possibilities, and to the future of the republic of Korea and the United States will create together. May we do it together for another 170 years.”
