One of the musicals closest to our hearts is Miss Saigon. After all, that’s where our Lea Salonga was first discovered, along with other Filipino performers like Isay Alvarez, Monique Wilson, Naths Everett, and Robert Sena. Later on, it would cast other Filipinos like Eva Noblezada (West End and Broadway revivals), Jon Jon Briones (West End and Broadway revivals), Rachelle Ann Go (West End and Broadway revivals), Tanya Manalang (West End revival), and Lianah Sta. Ana (Broadway revival).
Miss Saigon is currently playing on Broadway, but it will soon embark on a UK and Ireland tour. The production released a clip of the cast rehearsing, and it’s making us excited to see familiar scenes and hear well-loved songs.
Watch the clip below:
Sooha Kim plays the role of Kim, Ashley Gilmour plays Chris, while Zoe Doano plays Ellen. The only Filipino in the cast is Red Concepcion, who plays the Engineer, the owner of the bar Kim and the girls work in.
Miss Saigon is created by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil (who also wrote the songs of Les Misérables), and is based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly. The story follows an American GI soldier who falls in love with a bargirl when he is briefly stationed in Saigon during the Vietnam War. It was nominated for four awards at the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1989, winning both Best Actor and Actress for Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer, and Salonga. In 1991, it was nominated for 11 awards at the Tony Awards, winning best actor for both Pryce and Salonga, and best featured actor for Hinton Battle as John.
To date, the musical is the 13th longest-running show on Broadway. There are talks about adapting it to a movie, with Danny Boyle attached as the director.
Do you think they should visit Manila, too? Share your thoughts below!
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