How Singaporean Nathania Ong became Les Miserables’ Eponine at London’s West End: Passion, support, self-belief
Singaporean theatre actress Nathania Ong has been performing since she was a child and her biggest success to date is bagging the role of Eponine in the musical Les Miserables on London’s West End, a role previously played by Lea Salonga and Samantha Barks. She tells CNA Women about her journey to get to the global stage.
In February 2004, five-year-old Nathania Ong sang the National Day favourite Home, not in front of family at home, but on stage for a Total Defence Day event before a live audience that included late President SR Nathan.
When she was 12, at the Youth Olympic Games closing ceremony in Singapore in 2010, the same girl dazzled a 27,000-strong live audience and viewers around the world as she led the choir in singing Singapore’s national anthem.
If you were in London recently and managed to catch the 2022-2023 season of the musical Les Miserables there, you might not have suspected that the same little girl is now 25 years old and playing the role of Eponine.
Ong, who is based in London, is currently back in Singapore to prepare for her next role – she plays Cinderella in theatre company Pangdemonium’s production of Into The Woods, by American composer Stephen Sondheim.
Speaking to CNA Women in October, Ong told us about her climb to the global stage, which started simply – with a love for the arts.
A CHILDHOOD FILLED WITH MUSIC, ON STAGE AND OFF
Growing up in a household of six, Ong was surrounded by music.
“Singing was always a huge part of my family,” she told CNA Women. “All three of my sisters and I loved to sing, and that love came from our dad.”
Her father, Dr Kevin Ong, a dentist, would sing recreationally and in church, and he encouraged his daughters to perform at school or with him in church.
Even the car was a stage for the Ong family.
“There was one time the six of us were in a car and five different songs were playing at the same time,” Ong recalled. “All of us were belting our hearts out and somehow, it was chaotic but it just worked wonderfully.”
Ong calls her father her “number one fan” and the “biggest source of inspiration and most important mentor” in her life, while her mum is the “ultimate cheerleader”.
“My dad made me fall in love with music, singing and the arts, and he made me see its beauty,” she said. “And my mum was – and still is – the best adviser for any life situation. She just gave me her full support from day one.”
Although her parents were aware of how much she loved to sing, they didn’t start her on formal vocal lessons until she was 11. This, she said, allowed her to simply enjoy singing without the stress of attending classes and learning the technical aspects.
On the sidelines of her singing lessons, Ong’s father would share advice on how she could improve, from simple breathing techniques to how to maintain her voice throughout a performance.
Through the time they spent together, she learned discipline, a strong work ethic and how to strike a balance between working hard and enjoying herself.
“It wasn’t always easy to practise singing all the time, but it helped that my dad made sure that I loved singing,” Ong said. “And I really did.”
FORGING HER OWN UNCONVENTIONAL PATH IN THEATRE
For Ong, whether it be a painting, film, concert, piece of literature or musical, the arts have a special way of bringing people together and encouraging them to think and feel more deeply.
“When I’m with my friends, what gets us most excited is when we discuss a piece of art that we just saw, like a film we caught on Netflix or a song that we relate to,” she said. “Art connects our shared human experiences, and I find that to be so beautiful.”
But performing went beyond being a mere hobby for Ong.
“I didn’t want to just sing or perform for fun or because it was my co-curricular activity,” she said. “I wanted to excel in it, so I was driven to learn how to do it professionally and for others to appreciate what I do too.”
In 2017, after completing her A Levels at Anglo-Chinese Junior College, where she was part of the school’s Drama Elective Programme, Ong was determined to specialise in theatre.
Art connects our shared human experiences, and I find that to be so beautiful.
She applied to drama schools in the United Kingdom but was rejected by all of them.
“In hindsight, the rejections were important for me,” she said. “I learned a lot and I told myself there’ll always be a path, even if it’s uncommon and even if it’s difficult. I just had to go through this.”
Not giving up, she decided to pursue a degree in acting at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, where she could hone her drama skills.
In 2018, a year into her studies, Ong summoned the courage to apply to drama schools in the UK again.
This time, with an expanded portfolio from her time at LASALLE, she was accepted as a musical theatre undergraduate at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.
The course was exactly what Ong hoped for – a combination of her dual loves of singing and acting.
“I was so glad,” Ong said. “But to make it work, I had to juggle three part-time jobs – in retail and as a tutor – in Singapore so I could save up for the enrolment fees and living expenses in London.”
She told herself: “All will be worth it.” And ploughed on.
At Mountview, which is one of the top drama schools in the UK, Ong had the opportunity to work with actors, singers and producers in London theatre.
She was also exposed to auditioning for West End productions. The London cultural district is regarded as the pinnacle of commercial theatre. It’s also where stars like Benedict Cumberbatch and Hugh Jackman made their mark before launching their Hollywood careers.
GOING WHERE THE ROLES ARE
Auditions were initially a nerve-racking experience. “But I got used to it as part and parcel of my career in theatre,” she said. “Auditions move very fast so I must focus on making a lasting impression as my character.”
While still at Mountview in 2021, she clinched her debut role after two rounds of auditions. She played Jenna Roland, a teenage gossipmonger in Be More Chill, a high-school musical showing at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London.
During the musical’s five-week run, Ong successfully auditioned for the role of Eponine, the tragic character with an unrequited love interest, in the UK and Ireland tour of Les Miserables. She would be part of the musical’s run in 2021 and 2022.
While on tour, she also auditioned for the role of Cinderella in Singapore theatre company Pangdemonium’s production of Into the Woods, scheduled for an October 2023 premiere.
“I honestly don’t actively only go for big roles and I audition for whatever comes through the door,” she said. “I keep an open mind and I go wherever work takes me.”
Whether I’m performing on stage in front of one audience member or thousands, I want to give every performance my all and my best.
She added: “I always make sure that I audition the same way for any role, no matter how big or small. I do extensive research about the characters and the dynamics they have with other characters, and I tell myself to give it my all.”
In mid-2022, a year after she had graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and while playing Eponine on Les Miserables’ UK-Ireland tour, she received a call many theatre actresses dream of.
She was asked to move from the UK-Ireland tour to play Eponine in London's West End, where Les Miserables is the longest-running theatre production.
Ong was beyond elated. From 2022 to 2023, she poured herself into playing Eponine in London.
She even performed Eponine’s classic song, On My Own, on the BBC show Big Night of Musicals 2023. The live show celebrates prominent theatre productions at the AO Arena in Manchester, in front of a 12,000-strong audience.
Despite her success, Ong told CNA Women that she is determined not to let this big role be her last.
“The world is a Singaporean artist’s oyster,” she said. “I achieved something big with Les Mis, but from that moment, I want to keep going.
“I never want to believe that I made it and then stop working hard for the next big project.
“Whether I’m performing on stage in front of one audience member or thousands, I want to give every performance my all and my best.”
Into The Woods runs from Oct 27 to Nov 12. For more ticket details visit Pangdemonium's website.CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.