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MANILA, Philippines – Producer GMG Productions has announced that Filipino-Australian theater actress Abigail Adriano will be headlining the upcoming Miss Saigon musical in Manila.
“Introducing our incredible Kim for the [Miss Saigon Philippines] season, Abigail Adriano,” the production company announced through their social media platforms on January 15.
Following the announcement, the 19-year-old star expressed her excitement by sharing photos of herself dressed as Kim. To note, she has previously played the lead role in the musical’s Sydney Opera House production.
“It’s official, Manila. I’m coming soon, family! Who’s ready for the heat in the Philippines,” she wrote.
According to her artist bio in the Opera Australia website, Adriano began her performance training when she was just six years old. She also studied both classical and contemporary music under renowned voice teacher Peter Bodnar.
Her first role in theater was playing Alice in the Tim Minchin production Matilda the Musical. Portraying Kim in Miss Saigon was her first professional lead role.
Aside from theater, Adriano has also appeared in the Netflix/ABC television series The Unlisted and competed in The Voice Kids Australia.
Additionally, Filipino Broadway diva Lea Salonga, who first played Kim in the musical’s 1989 iteration, also sent a message for Adriano.
Reminding that the role is a “mammoth undertaking,” Salonga told Adriano that the young star should be “fully aware of what is required of [her] in portraying her role.
The Tony Award winner also left a piece of advice: “Enjoy every moment of the process of creating this character. Create something that you can call that is absolutely yours.”
Salonga added that she hopes Adriano’s run would be one of the most successful.
Aside from Adriano, GMG Productions has also announced that Seann Miley Moore will portray the Engineer, Nigel Huckle will play Chris, and Kiara Dario will play Gigi.
Meanwhile, the production recently held auditions for the child character Tam.
Inspired by the 1904 opera Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s Miss Saigon centers on the romance between American sergeant Chris and a Vietnamese bar girl named Kim amidst the 1970s Vietnam War.
The latest production of Miss Saigon will be available to Filipino audiences starting March 23, 2024 at the Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City. It will run until May 5.
Laurence Connor will direct, with musical staging by Bob Avian and additional choreography by Geoffrey Garratt. – Rappler.com
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