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25-year-old Nathania Ong knew from a young age that she wanted to be on stage performing, but she never envisioned standing on stage alone singing an iconic song eight times a week in London.
The Singaporean is the latest Eponine in the staged musical "Les Miserables", followed by other great performers like Lea Salonga, renowned for singing in the Disney films "Aladdin" and "Mulan".
Ong is also the first Singaporean to ever play the role of Eponine on the West End.
After making her debut in London, Ong shared her journey to the stage and her anticipated homecoming as she returns to Singapore in October 2023 to be part of Pangdemonium's production of "Into the Woods".
Prologue
Ong found her love for singing with her father when she was young. To her, he had the most beautiful voice.
Her earliest memory of her father singing was in a church choir, where he sang an old Christian hymn.
That was where she got her exposure, and it grew from there. In 2004, Ong performed at a Total Defence Day celebration, singing "Home" before then-president S R Nathan. It inspired her love for performance as she liked the adrenaline rush and thrill when she stepped onto the stage.
While Ong did not heavily influence theatre, she discovered her passion for acting while taking her A-Levels at Anglo-Chinese Junior College.
And it helped it is one of the few subjects she got an 'A' in for A-Levels.
Act 1
Studying in LASALLE before heading to the U.K.
While the ultimate goal was to pursue acting overseas, Ong could not get a spot in a drama school in the U.K. and decided to pursue a degree in Acting at LASALLE College of the Arts.
At that time, Ong had scraped any hopes of going to the U.K. to continue acting until one of the leading drama schools in the U.K. announced it was holding auditions in Singapore.
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts is home to numerous artists and, with Dame Judi Dench as the president of the school.
With a bit of persuasion from her best friend, Ong tried her luck and auditioned for Mountview after spending only a year at LASALLE.
"To be fair, I'm really lucky with LASELLE because it gave me an amazing foundation in terms of acting... to do that audition and to get through and into the school," Ong shared.
To not burden her parents, Ong took up three part-time jobs at one point to save up and pay for her move to London.
She was only 19 when she left Singapore to pursue a three-year course at Mountview, and she has since graduated with a B.A. (Hons) in Musical Theatre.
Her father was her first singing teacher
Ong's parents were nothing less than supportive of her decision to move to London to pursue acting.
In fact, Ong's father was her biggest singing inspiration, as he was her first singing teacher.
While Ong's father ruled over singing lessons with "an iron fist" with his meticulousness, when she told her parents that she got into Mountview and she wanted to go to the U.K., they were "thrilled" for her.
As for the end goal of ending up on the West End, it was not a dream at that time as Ong did not have an expectation for her life.
"I just want to create work that I'm proud of doing and have fun while doing it."
Being away from her family is a big thing for Ong, especially during Covid-19 where she did not see her family for almost two years.
"Sometimes, I just want a hug, and I can't get a hug from my dad because he's all the way over [in Singapore].
But it's okay because I still call him every week, and we have great conversations and catch up about our lives. I think that's kind of one of the sacrifices that any person moving internationally has to make."
Intermission
Some may wonder where or what the West End is, and Ong kindly broke it down.
It is an area in London where all the big commercial theatres are, and there is a criterion to be considered a West End theatre. However, it is where all the big commercial musicals and plays reside.
Popular shows like Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, and Mary Poppins are playing in the area.
Act 2
Making her West End debut
Ong made her professional debut on West End in a musical titled "Be More Chill", taking over the role of Jenna Rolan for a limited run of five weeks.
However, before she secured the role of Eponine on the U.K./Ireland tour of "Les Miserables", she had to go through numerous rounds of auditions.
She auditioned for the West End production of "Les Miserables", and after doing three rounds of auditions, she was cut as the role went to a close friend.
"I feel like in this industry, you just have to get so used to being rejected and just being 'okay, let's go again'."
Only after her run on "Be More Chill" did she try again for "Les Miserables", only this time for the U.K./Ireland tour.
After another three rounds of auditions, Ong got an offer an hour after her last audition for the role of Eponine, and she took it.
Ong appeared as Eponine during West End Live 2023, taking the stage with the rest of her Les Miserables cast to perform "One Day More".
Being compared to Lea Salonga
After her performance at BBC's Big Night of Musical in 2023, while many in the comments section praised Ong for her rendition of "On My Own", some began to compare her to Lea Salonga.
Screenshot via Youtube
"Honestly, sometimes it's a little bit of a downer when you catch that comparison comment, and one of the biggest comparisons I get is [to] Lea Salonga... It's not a bad thing, because I think she's amazing. So I feel really flattered, but also equally, it's quite difficult," Ong shared.
"I think Lea Salonga was amazing, but I also don't want to discredit myself. I feel like I've worked really hard on that role and I've tried to give it as much as I can give it as much as I can give in my version of Eponine."
However, Ong's rendition of "On My Own" at the Big Night of Musicals earned her praise and a standing ovation from the crowd.
Screenshot via YouTube
Screenshot via YouTube
Homecoming
After taking West End by storm with her portrayal of Eponine, Ong is scheduled to return to Singapore in October 2023 to perform in Pangdemonium's production of Sondheim's "Into the Woods".
As this would be her first professional performance on home soil, Ong shared that she feels really excited and nervous at the same time, but she cannot wait to perform in Singapore.
She is also excited to see her family and return to Singapore.
Missing food from home
Other than her family, Ong missed the food from Singapore. She shared that she particularly loves the carrot cake from Ghim Moh Market.
She also shared that she cannot wait to have soybean milk and xiao long bao from Beauty World.
An interesting aspect of Singapore she misses while in London is the supper culture, as everything closes early in London.
"I think the difference is there is definitely good food in the U.K. [but] you can't get the home taste that you get in Singapore," Ong mused.
She is also excited to shop at a Don Don Donki again.
Love to see more growth in the Singapore theatre scene
Ong shared her hopes and aspirations for the Singapore theatre scene, where productions run longer than the limited period they are usually on.
"I think for me, what I would love to see from the Singapore theatre scene is more growth to the point of international recognition."
Ong believes that the talent is there, as there are incredible actors on stage and great plays that have been put on.
She also wishes to see more visibility for the local theatre scene where Singaporeans can watch something at a theatre that is accessible to them.
Finale
Little advice for theatre folks
Ong shared that the theatre industry is tough, but aspiring actors must keep their faith and keep going.
"If it's something you are passionate about, never stop growing," said Ong.
Having played Eponine for nearly two years, Ong shared that she constantly finds new things about her role that keep her learning.
"The more you explore, the more that you challenge yourself, the more rewarding it's going to feel for you."
What the future has in store
When asked if she would come back to perform in Singapore beyond her stint in October, Ong replied without hesitation that she would love to come back to Singapore and perform as long as she has work to return to.
However, what Ong would love is a break.
With nothing lined up after "Into the Woods", Ong craves a break as working six days a week on stage can be tiring. Ong shared that she wants to take a break and travel around the world.
She might do a concert in Singapore in the future, but nothing is set in stone.