Lea Salonga and Rachelle Ann Go Perform Together at Miss Saigon Anniversary
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Lea Salonga cemented her status as a legendary singer when she landed the lead role of Kim in Miss Saigon. Of course, she went on to play both Eponine and Fantine in Les Miserables for Broadway, voiced two Disney Princesses (Fa Mulan and Princess Jasmine), and won multiple awards and recognition. For Lea, it’s all in a day’s work. So when news broke out that fellow singer Rachelle Ann Go landed a role in the West End revival of Miss Saigon as the hardened stripper Gigi Van Tranh (originally portrayed by the equally talented Filipina Isay Alvarez), we imagined what it would be like to hear the two of them sing. And they did, for the show’s 25th anniversary, and it was glorious.
To celebrate the 25th birthday of Miss Saigon, the Prince Edward Theater in London invited the original cast members of Miss Saigon to perform with the cast of the West End revival. In the finale video spreading on social media, the video opens with the shadow of a person with only the Vietnamese conical hat visible (nón lá if you want to be accurate). The crowd loses it completely—this writer included—when the figure removes the hat to reveal that it is… Lea Salonga.
She opens the show with a powerful rendition of This Is the Hour, proving that nothing can beat the original Kim. She is then joined by Rachelle Ann, and they sing a duet of The Movie in My Mind. Of course, Rachelle Anne is also talented and was able to match Lea’s vocal prowess. To foreigners, it was an excellent performance, but for Filipinos, it’s proof that Filipino talent is world-class! After the number, Lea praised Rachelle’s singing, saying “That woman is so good,” then joking, “Okay, now back to me.”
Lea Salonga with Simon Bowman singing The Last Night of the World
Eva Nobledeza and Alistair as Kim and Chris in the West End revival, and Lea Salonga and Simon Bowman as the original
Lea is then joined by Simon Bowman, who played Chris. According to Lea, “you never forget the first.” They sang the emotional The Last Night of the World, and were joined by the current Kim and Chris, Eva Nobledeza (a Fil-Am) and Alistair Brammer.
Jonathan Pryce and Jonjon Briones as the Engineer in The American Dream
Another highlight was the extravagant performance of The American Dream by Jonathan Pryce and Jonjon Briones (also a Filipino). At 67 years old, Pryce can still sing and dance along to the energetic number, and was able to keep up with the younger Briones.
Miss Saigon‘s 25th anniversary was the perfect throwback to a time when Lea was still an unknown. Today, she is a global superstar. We wonder, can the same happen to Eva Nobledeza and Rachelle Ann Go? We bet.
Watch the full video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvluIY5Yn4
What do you think of this video? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Lea Salonga and Rachelle Ann Go Perform Together at Miss Saigon Anniversary
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