Who was the original female lead in Miss Saigon?
Lea Salonga
Philippines-born Lea Salonga was just 17 when she was discovered by the producers of Miss Saigon, and cast in the lead role of Kim. She originated the role in London and New York, and won the Olivier and Tony Awards for best actress in a musical for her work in the show.
Why does Kim kill herself in Miss Saigon?
They fall in love, but soon after Chris departs, leaving Kim pregnant with his son. When Kim discovers Chris is married, she decides to kill herself so that Chris can take their son to the States where he will live a better life.
Is Miss Saigon historically accurate?
For those expecting a moving, historically accurate account of the Vietnam War, “Miss Saigon” did not deliver. The dancing, characterization and set design romanticized the Vietnam War to the fullest extent possible. According to “Miss Saigon,” Vietnamese women willingly populated bars and worked as prostitutes.
Why did they change the lyrics in Miss Saigon?
The revival of “Miss Saigon” has been updated a little. “They changed the lyrics in my song ‘The Movie in My Mind,’” said Bunuan. They’ve changed the lyrics in a lot of the songs to make the message clearer. And, they have a new song for Ellen called ‘Maybe.
Who is John in Miss Saigon?
Casts
| Character | Original West End Cast (1989) | Broadway Revival Cast (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Kim | Lea Salonga | Eva Noblezada |
| The Engineer | Jonathan Pryce | Jon Jon Briones |
| Chris | Simon Bowman | Alistair Brammer |
| John | Peter Polycarpou | Nicholas Christopher |
Who did Chris really love in Miss Saigon?
Humans have the capacity to love more than one human being at a time. You would never ask a mother which of her two kids does she love…. She loves both kids… and Chris loves both Kim AND Ellen.
Is Miss Saigon successful?
The musical represented Schönberg and Boublil’s second major success, following Les Misérables in 1985. As of July 2019, Miss Saigon remains Broadway’s thirteenth longest-running show.
Who are the actors in the movie Miss Saigon?
Cast. 1 Lea Salonga as Kim. 2 Jonathan Pryce as The Engineer. 3 Simon Bowman as Chris. 4 Peter Polycarpou as John. 5 Claire Moore as Ellen. 6 Keith Burns as Thuy. 7 Isay Alvarez as Gigi.
Who was the original Kim in Miss Saigon?
Lea Salonga originated Kim in the original 1989 West End run of Miss Saigon. Aside from Salonga, there have been other Filipinas who have played Kim in the numerous stagings of the musical. Let’s take a look at 8 of them as we await the 2014 staging. Leila Florentino was born in the Philippines but has been living in New York since 1984.
Who was the bar girl in Miss Saigon?
Celebrating its 25 th anniversary next year, the revival’s cast includes pop superstar Rachelle Ann Go, who will fly to London to play the hardened Saigon bar girl Gigi, and Jon Jon Briones, who was part of the original West End cast among several other productions of Miss Saigon, who will reprise his role the Engineer.
Why was Miss Saigon played on the West End?
The American scholar Angelica Pao noted that in the first production of Miss Saigon on the West End, Macintosh went out of his way to cast Asian actresses to play the Vietnamese women, arguing that this was necessary to provide authenticity, but he was content to cast white actors as Vietnamese men.