When Lea Salonga sang, the world stopped and listened. During her audition in 1988 for the mega-hit musical “Miss Saigon,” Salonga enchanted the creative masterminds behind the show, including theater tycoon Cameron Mackintosh and the musical geniuses who composed and wrote one of the longest-running musicals of all time, “Les Miserables,” Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil. Bagging the leading role as Kim, in which she played a bar girl and the love interest of an American GI named Chris, Lea catapulted to international acclaim.
She was lauded for her exceptional performance, notably winning the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award in 1990 and a Tony for Leading Actress in 1991 at only 20 years old. Twenty-four years later, “Miss Saigon” was announced to be showing in the Philippines once again, and it was no less than an exemplary performance. This Australian production of “Miss Saigon” brought the show back to Philippine shores, featuring some of the best talents, such as Filipino-Australian Abigail Adriano and Seann Miley Moore, playing the roles of Kim and the Engineer, respectively.
The role of Chris is played by Nigel Huckle, while Filipino-Kiwi Laurence Mossman plays Thuy, and homegrown talent Kiara Diaro plays Gigi. On March 26, 2024, the musical held its gala and, as always, was met with great reviews. Its spectacular return to the city that played a pivotal role in the original production made the highly anticipated return of “Miss Saigon�.