Theatre actress Nathania Ong comes home to Singapore with lead role in Legally Blonde – The Musical

After navigating the tragic poverty and ambitious idealism of the musicals Les Miserables and Hamilton respectively, Nathania Ong’s next project is a lot more light-hearted.

The local theatre actress will play ditzy, fashion-forward Elle Woods in Singapore Repertory Theatre’s (SRT) staging of the Broadway and West End comedy Legally Blonde – The Musical, running from July 29 to Aug 16 at the Esplanade Theatre.

Audiences will see a lot more of the The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2024 finalist on home ground in 2026, as she will also front a solo concert series and two performances with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO).

Over lunch with ST on June 6, the 27-year-old was beaming with excitement about her packed year ahead, most of which she will spend in Singapore with her family.

Since 2018, she has been based in London, where she graduated from the Mountview Academy Of Theatre Arts with a degree in musical theatre.

She then became the first Singaporean to play Eponine in Les Miserables and Eliza in Hamilton in the West End, two coveted supporting parts which made her a rising star.

In March 2026, she returned home to reprise her role of Eponine in Les Miserables: The Arena Spectacular at the Sands Theatre, which ran until May, and for SRT’s upcoming staging of Legally Blonde – The Musical, which premiered in the US in 2007.

Based on the 2001 comic novel Legally Blonde by American author Amanda Brown and the 2001 film adaptation of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon, it follows a stylish but sheltered sorority queen who enrols in Harvard Law School to pursue a man (played by Singaporean singer-actor Nathan Hartono), but ends up being a future courtroom powerhouse, defying expectations at every corner while staying true to herself.

Ong is receiving top billing in a production for the first time, and considers this a blessing. SRT offered her the lead in late 2025, and she readily accepted.

She said: “It will be challenging, both in terms of acting and singing, as the songs are very ‘belty’ and the role is so high-energy. It feels like a stamina battle more than anything, so I am really excited.”

No stranger to comedy, Ong made her West End debut as gossipy schoolgirl Jenna Rowland in the musical Be More Chill in 2021.

In 2023, she also played the earnest, warm-hearted Cinderella in local theatre company Pangdemonium’s production of Into The Woods.

“Comedy is the hardest style of acting you can take on, because you truly have to have nerves of steel. If you are on stage and a joke does not land, it can feel so awkward and debilitating. One of those wish-the-ground-would-swallow-you-whole kind of moments.

“Fortunately, Legally Blonde’s script is wonderful. The comedy is already there. My job is to get the delivery and timing right to find those little gems of laughs.”

This is Legally Blonde’s second staging in Singapore, after live entertainment company Base Entertainment Asia’s run at the Sands Theatre in 2018.

Ong has never seen a live performance of the musical before, but has watched videos of it on YouTube.

While she admires American actress Laura Bell Bundy, who portrayed Elle on Broadway in 2007 and was nominated for a Best Actress Tony Award, and finds Hollywood actress Witherspoon’s original version “absolutely delightful”, Ong will present her own interpretation.

“Like every other character I have taken on, I will not be a carbon copy,” she said.

“What is lovely is that I have not had the opportunity to play a character quite like Elle. She is larger than life, a living Barbie doll – constantly animated and wearing this prissy, preppy pink. When she enters a room, all eyes will be on her.”

Elle is very different from Ong, a self-professed tomboy. Yet, there are similarities.

The singer-actress admitted she can be exceptionally high-energy, especially among her friends. And having done eight years of competitive cheerleading in school – she attended Methodist Girls’ School and Anglo-Chinese Junior College – Ong can also break out into a spirited cheer whenever an occasion calls for it.

And, like Elle, Ong believes in the transformative power of a makeover.

The youngest of four girls said: “As a child, I was not cute. I wore hand-me-downs, geeky glasses and carried a multi-coloured fluorescent backpack. My PE (physical education) shorts ended below my knee.”

It was only after she moved to London eight years ago, and received styling advice from those around her, that she discovered the power of clothes in shaping one’s self-perception.

Nowadays, whenever she lands a role, Ong will “dress to the nines” and treat herself to a nice dinner.

“It lets me feel the world is my oyster. Changing into something nice can give one an innate sense of confidence, and nobody knows this better than Elle.

“She has moments of weakness, but always picks herself up. Reclaiming this sense of confidence is what allows her to do all these incredible things in the end.”

Ong herself is not short on achievements. Her latest accolade came in May, when she made the 30 Under 30 – Asia – Entertainment & Sports list by Forbes magazine, alongside Singapore singer-songwriters Regina Song and Iman Fandi.

“I have done a lot of stuff, but never expected to make a list like that,” she said. “I felt really grateful and blessed, like I got a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime privilege.”

Yet, Ong is trying to define her success not by metrics such as how famous or profitable a show is, but by making others happy, and giving to them through her actions and art.

To that end, she will perform four sessions of a solo concert, titled Honest, at KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT in September.

These intimate, self-produced shows will feature songs from the musicals Cabaret, Wicked and Company – as well as the numbers Burn and Helpless from Hamilton, God Help The Outcasts from The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and When He Sees Me from Waitress – interspersed with personal stories.

The setlist will also feature the debut performance of her original song, Honest. Ong wrote it in 2024 after a break-up, inspired by the things left unsaid to her former boyfriend.

She said: “I think of the concert as a secret. It will show the real me. The most vulnerable parts, the parts that used to hurt. But the show is also about recovering and reclaiming my power. It is about healing and finding joy again.”

Ong will also headline two concerts with the SSO at the Esplanade Concert Hall in December.

The setlist is still in the works, but audiences can expect to hear music from Les Miserables, Frozen and Wicked.

Ong will be joined onstage by fellow Singaporean vocalists Preston Lim and Vanessa Kee. The orchestra, estimated to comprise around 80 musicians, will be conducted by Singaporean conductor Joshua Tan.

It will be the largest outfit Ong has performed with, as most musical theatre shows have an orchestra size of 13 to 26.

“The quality and volume of sound is going to be stunning,” she said.

“Imagine 80 different layers of sound – how beautiful that will be. Will people be able to hear me? Will my voice be drowned out by the music?”

Christopher Cheong, SSO’s head of artistic planning, said the orchestra has a series called SSO Pops that explores the many ways in which orchestral music can connect with audiences through popular and accessible repertoires. These include film music, musical theatre and jazz performances.

Cheong, 37, added: “This collaboration was developed as part of that programming approach. These concerts add variety to our concert season from July to May for our musicians and audiences, as we cater for a wide range of tastes and preferences.

“There is so much great music that has been written for musical theatre which fits squarely within the realms of orchestral music, and is frequently performed by orchestras worldwide.”

Looking ahead, Ong hopes to dedicate more time and effort to writing original songs. A musical theatre album, or the release of some original music, might be on the cards.

But she has no plans to return to Hamilton or Les Miserables for now, and has vowed not to reprise her star-making role of Eponine, so she can close that chapter and move on to other pursuits.

She said: “I grew up with R&B and pop music, yet they are not what I am known for. Right now, I just hope to create. I have so much in my mind that is dying to get out of me.”

In the short term, she will hold court at KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT on June 21 at From The Little Red Dot To The West End: In Conversation With Nathania Ong, a free 60-minute talk about the realities of a career in musical theatre. She will offer practical advice on matters from auditioning to performing to those considering pursuing a similar path.

This session is part of SRT’s Theatre360, a theatre industry experience for young people aged 13 to 21 that is designed to inspire, train and connect the next generation of theatremakers.

Ong said: “I have been very fortunate in my career, so I thought it would be really lovely to share a little bit about my experience. This is something I wish I had when I was starting out.

“Musical theatre is not easy to get into or thrive in, but it has brought so much to my life.”

Where: Esplanade Theatre, 1 Esplanade Drive
When: July 29 to Aug 16, 8pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays), 2pm (Saturdays and Sundays)
Admission: $30 to $238 via Sistic (go to sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555) and SRT (str.sg/5QV2); SG Culture Pass-eligible

Where: KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT, 20 Merbau Road
When: June 21, 10am
Admission: Free with registration via BookMyShow (go to bookmyshow.sg or call 6591-8871)

Where: KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT, 20 Merbau Road
When: Sept 11 to 13, 8pm, with an extra 3pm show on Sept 13
Admission: $78 to $98 via BookMyShow

Where: Esplanade Concert Hall, 1 Esplanade Drive
When: Dec 17 and 18, 7.30pm
Admission: $28 to $148 via Sistic and SSO (str.sg/CHD8); SG Culture Pass-eligible