'Miss Saigon' co-creator praises musical's Philippine connections
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine return of beloved award-winning musical "Miss Saigon" after over two decades also marks the return of its co-creator Claude-Michel Schönberg to the country after eight years.
Schönberg was last in the Philippines in 2016 when another of his musicals with lyricist Alain Boublil, "Les Miserables," was staged in The Theatre at Solaire, where coincidentally "Miss Saigon" will have its 2024 run.
The 79-year-old is back to witness the comeback of "Miss Saigon," which has close ties to the Philippines because of all the Filipino actors who took part in its numerous stagings, beginning with theater legend Lea Salonga.
In a press conference held outside The Theatre at Solaire earlier today, March 21, Schönberg recalled how he eventually settled on adapting Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly" into a musical set at the tail-end of the Vietnam War.
The inspiration was a photograph many years ago of a young girl parting with her Vietnamese mother at the airport to go with her father, a former American soldier.
Related: 'Miss Saigon' Manila run extends by another week, announces Tam actors
After struggling to find Asian actors to take part in the musical, the search took Schönberg and his team to the Philippines where many original cast members were found, including Salonga, Isay Alvarez, Cocoy Laurel, Pinky Amador, Jon Jon Briones, Jenine Desiderio, Robert Seña and Monique Wilson.
Schönberg expressed his praise for Filipino singers, even calling the Philippines "a soup of talent."
Schönberg also pointed out the musical's timelessness as he drew comparisons to the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, where innocent lives continue to be affected by war.
"If you feel different after seeing this musical, then we will have succeeded," Schönberg said of the new staging. "We don't just want to entertain, we want to tug at sentimental strings."
Leading the 2024 Philippine run of "Miss Saigon" are Filipino-Australians Abigail Adriano and Seann Miley Moore as Kim and the Engineer, respectively, with Nigel Huckle as Chris, Filipino-Kiwi Laurence Mossman as Thuy and homegrown actress Kiara Dario as Gigi.
Ten other cast members are Filipino or of Filipino descent, including the five children playing Tam.
"Miss Saigon" will run at The Theatre at Solaire from March 23 to May 12.
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