Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (born 2 July 1963) is a Filipina musical theatre actress widely considered the "first lady" of Philippine musical theatre. She is well known for her roles as Diana Goodman in '' Next to Normal'' and Mrs. Lovett alongside Audie Gemora as Sweeney Todd in '' Sweeney Todd''. She is the artistic director for Resorts World Manila and a founding member of Actor's Actor Inc. Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo is the sister of balladeer Raymond Lauchengco.

Career

Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo first entered theatre at 15 years old, auditioning for Repertory Philippines in a production of '' The King and I'' with her brother, Raymond Lauchengco. Being too old to be child but too young to be a wife, she did not get in. Her next audition was in 1978 for ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

'', where she was part of the chorus. In 1980, she auditioned for the role of Luisa, the 2nd daughter of Captain Von Trapp in '' The Sound of Music''. However, the directors had a different part for her in mind and gave her the role of Liesl. This role gave Menchu her first solo performance. After this production, she landed a string of roles as part of the chorus. It was after being given the role of Maria in '' West Side Story'' that her star started shining again. The ''West Side Story'' production was a success, but once again returned to doing chorus. She starred as Maria in the Repertory Philippines ''The Sound of Music'', where she received critical acclaim. Her other theatre credits under Repertory Philippines include lead roles in ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay ''I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes ...

'', ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels and ...

'', '' Kiss of the Spiderwoman'', ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...

'', '' The Baker's Wife'', ''

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

'', '' Passion'', ''

Evita Evita may refer to: Arts * Evita (1996 film), ''Evita'' (1996 film), a 1996 American musical drama film based on the 1976 concept album of the same name * Evita (2008 film), ''Evita'' (2008 film), a documentary about Eva Péron * Evita (album), ''E ...

'', '' Camelot'', '' Les Miserables'', '' Into the Woods'', '' Scrooge'', '' A Chorus Line'', ''Once A Catholic'', ''

Present Laughter ''Present Laughter'' is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1939 but not produced until 1942 because the Second World War began while it was in rehearsal, and the British theatres closed. The title is drawn from a song in Shakespeare's ''T ...

'', '' The Little Foxes'', '' Amadeus'', '' Arsenic and Old Lace'', and '' The Rose Tattoo''. She starred in the productions of '' Once On This Island'', '' The Last Five Years'' and '' Love Letters'' for Actor's Actor Inc. Her role in '' The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe'' for Trumpets Inc. earned her an Aliw Award nomination. Her roles for Atlantis Productions include ''Proof'' (where she earned another Aliw Award nomination), '' Dreamgirls'', ''Baby'', and ''Nine''. Menchu played the role of Ellen in the 2000 Manila production of '' Miss Saigon'', also to critical acclaim. ''Into the Woods'' marks her New Voice Company theatre debut. Menchu is the associate artistic director for Repertory Philippines, filling the shoes of Joy Virata. Her directorial debut was ''West Side Story'' in 2008, and other works include ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Alcott wrote the book, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives ...

'', '' Peter Pan'' and ''

Jekyll & Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

''. She has done numerous concerts, TV shows and live performances. Aside from starring in theatre productions, Menchu also gives workshops for acting and musical theatre.

Achievements

* Aliw Awards Nominee for Best Actress for ''Proof'' * Aliw Awards Nominee for Best Actress for ''

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Among all the ...

'' * Aliw Awards Best Actress for ''Next to Normal''

Recording

Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo released her first album entitled ''Light'' with Atlantis Productions & Sony Music.
Menchu goes Light in first CD
'' Philippine Star. Retrieved 2012-10-07

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauchengco-Yulo, Menchu Filipino musical theatre actresses 1963 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Filipino actresses 21st-century Filipino actresses