‘Miss Saigon’ an emotional homecoming for Abigail Adriano

Miss Saigon has changed the life of Filipino-Australian Abigail Adriano.

“It is a timeless piece of art that we have all fallen in love with. Thanks to Miss Saigon, the Philippines is on the map. It really did change my life for the better. It really is an emotional homecoming for me,” Adriano said during the musical’s press conference held yesterday afternoon at the lobby of The Theater at Solaire.

The musical will run from 23 March to 12 May at The Theater at Solaire, which is found in Solaire Resort and Casino in Parañaque City.

The 19-year-old plays Kim, an orphaned Vietnamese girl forced to work at a bar to make ends meet. There she meets and falls in love with American soldier Chris Scott but are torn apart by the fall of the country’s capital Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh). Chris leaves behind Kim, who turns out to be pregnant with his child.

“Everyone has a personal connection to it [Miss Saigon],” Adriano added. “I feel a sense of duty to bring justice to my character Kim.”

Adriano first portrayed the coveted lead role in Miss Saigon’s Australian staging at Sydney Opera House in 2023.

Adriano is a former child actress who previously starred in the musical Matilda and The Voice Kids Australia. She also appeared as Rose Aquino in Netflix’s The Unlisted.

The role of Kim was originated by Lea Salonga, with Monique Wilson as alternate, at the London’s West End in 1989. Salonga and Wilson got the coveted part after impressing producer Cameron Mackintosh (Cats, Les Miserables) and composer Claude-Michel Schonberg, who went on a global search for the perfect actress to play Kim in the late 1980s. When the show moved to New York’s Broadway in 1991, Salonga once again headlined the musical. She went on winning Best Actress both at UK’s Olivier Awards and US’ Tony Awards.

Miss Saigon was first staged in the Philippines in 2000 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, with Salonga reprising the role of Kim.

It is a retelling of Giacomo Puccini’s classic opera Madame Butterfly that has been seen by 38 million people in its various stagings in 32 countries, in over 350 cities and in 15 different languages for the past 34 years.

Miss Saigon has also seen numerous Filipino artists taking part in its worldwide productions, among them are Leo Valdez, Cocoy Laurel, Junix Inocian, Jon Jon Briones and Red Concepcion as the Engineer, and Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi. Joanna Ampil, a former Kim herself, has likewise essayed the Engineer — the first woman to play the traditional male role — in the Sheffield Theatres’ revamped version of the musical in the UK.

Other notable actresses to take on Kim include Filipino singer Ima Castro and Filipino-American Eva Noblezada, who first played the role at the West End before reprising it on Broadway.

Joining Adriano in the Manila staging of Miss Saigon are Seann Miley Moore as the Engineer, Nigel Huckle as Chris, Sarah Morrison as Ellen, Laurence Mossman as Thuy, Lewis Francis as John and Kiara Dario as Gigi.

The Asian Tour of Miss Saigon is produced by GWB Entertainment, with the Manila season presented at The Theatre at Solaire by GMG Productions. Tickets are on sale exclusively through TicketWorld.