What ‘Miss Saigon’ means to Pinoys
No offense meant to Australian actors, but for a ‘Miss Saigon’ run in Manila, as in 1999, the country expects Filipino artists to perform the major roles
Daily TribuneNo offense meant to Australian actors, but for a ‘Miss Saigon’ run in Manila, as in 1999, the country expects Filipino artists to perform the major roles
‘Miss Saigon’ boosted our national pride and showed the world the bounty of exceptional artists from the Philippines.
Before Miss Saigon in 1991, the Philippines was not yet a beauty pageant powerhouse. Manny Pacquiao was all of 11 years old. The Philippines was then best known for its biggest export, the overseas Filipino workers labeled as "mga bagong bayani" because their hard-earned dollar remittances kept the economy afloat.
In the international entertainment scene, you were either part of a cultural dance troupe or a showband bringing the Filipino brand of musical pizzazz to foreigners in pubs, halls and shipping cruises.
Local showbiz had concert artists, balladeers, chanteuses and one-hit wonders. American top 40 was the predominant music on radio, and actors and actresses built their careers on TV and movies.
The arrival of Miss Saigon in the Filipino consciousness bolstered and cemented the legacy of the power couple that then headed Repertory Philippines, Zeneida Amador and Baby Barredo. Many of the original cast members of the Miss Saigon that premiered in London came from the Manila company that produced American musicals and contemporary plays as season staples.
Amador, Barredo, Joy Virata and the rest of the ladies and gentlemen of Rep made sure their unrelenting discipline and professionalism not only rubbed off but were ingrained in the hearts and minds of their talents, which included the likes of Lea Salonga, Monique Wilson, Michael Williams, Jon Jon Briones and others.
Prior to becoming Kim in Miss Saigon, Salonga was all set to enter medical school and leave showbiz behind. After all, she was just one of the many talents that populated That's Entertainment. The mother film company where she started as an actress tried miserably to make her as "masa" as possible, in movies such as Ninja Kids, Pik Pak Boom and Dear Diary. Movies that Salonga likely does not want to talk about now.
How Salonga nailed the part with her voice — so pure and filled with innocence and longing – is captured for posterity in a YouTube video where one can see the faces of creators Alain Boubil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, producer Cameron Mcintosh and director Nicolas Hytner all lighting up when they first hear her sing Sun and Moon.
Salonga, and all those who came after her in Miss Saigon productions worldwide, are a testament to the world-class caliber of Filipino talents. It was Salonga in Miss Saigon that kicked the door open for generations of other Filipino performers to appear and be recognized on the stages of the West End, Broadway and beyond.
First Manila run
In 1999, the first time Miss Saigon was staged in Manila, with Salonga reprising her signature role, the shows at the Cultural Center of the Philippines were packed night after night, with majority of the corporate sponsors showering the show with support.
Fire Water Woman, a local production produced by Celeste Legaspi based on a Nick Joaquin novel, was in a collision course with it. There was so much media noise then about how the company of Legaspi and her little production, staged at the 800-seater CCP Little Theater, was the valiant David against the Goliath musical that was Miss Saigon.
Fast forward to the present: Since the announcement on social media that a new Miss Saigon production will be staged at The Theatre at Solaire next year, those who had been privileged to watch its first Manila run have been flooding social media with reminiscences of the musical: the ear-gasm brought about by Salonga's pitch-perfect voice, how marvelous Isay Alvarez was as Gigi, the nights of disappointment for ticket-holders when it was Salonga's alternate who performed in the show – and even the fact that some members of the dance group Street Boys joined the Manila production as well.
Per reports, it's the Australian production that will make its way to Manila, cast and crew included. But many are curious and wondering, given the many Pinoy performers who have earned acclaim from the show abroad: Will Red Concepcion play the Engineer? Will Manila see Gerald Santos as Thuy, Aicelle Santos-Sembrano as Gigi and Joreen Bautista as Kim?
Miss Saigon boosted our national pride and showed the world the bounty of exceptional artists from the Philippines. No offense meant to the Australian actors, but for a Miss Saigon run in Manila, as in 1999, the country expects Filipino artists to perform the major roles. That tradition must be honored, respected and upheld, since Filipino talent has been an inextricable part of the show's history and continuing success.
