A night to end all ‘Saigon’ nights

SPECIAL REPORT FROM LONDON

(Editor’s Note: Our columnist, the original Kim in the Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil musical “Miss Saigon,” performed in the 25th anniversary gala Monday night in London’s West End. This is part two of her journal on this recent trip, which she shares with Inquirer readers.)

CLOCKWISE from left: Gala night tickets; Lea with Hugh Maynard (John the GI in new production); two pairs of Chrises and Kims change partners for anniversary gala—Alistair Brammer and Lea (left), Eva Noblezada and Simon Bowman (right); Lea with the current company, including Rachelle Ann Go, foreground, and Jon Jon Briones, second row, left. FROM PINKY AMADOR’S TWITTER ACCOUNT

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LONDON—First, a correction: In Wednesday’s column, I mistakenly said it was Geoffrey Garratt who flew in from New York; it was actually John Rigby (music supervisor). He (Rigby) and Laurence Connor were there for “The Phantom of the Opera” auditions. Moving on…

Friday, Sept. 19

FROM HUGH MAYNARD’S TWITTER ACCOUNT

Today is more a reunion than a rehearsal day. The lower lobby of the Prince Edward Theatre, as I wrote yesterday, became the central hub for hugs, kisses and squeals of recognition once the alumni poured in.

Jonathan Pryce, Simon Bowman, Miguel Diaz, Junix Inocian, Pinky Amador, Cocoy Laurel, Chooi Kheng Beh, Claudia Cadette, Antoinette Lo and Shukubi Yo from the original company; plus various alums like Maya Barredo-Duffy, Gerard Leighton, Cez Campos-Bonner, Nick Bonner, Alex Gaumond, Scott Anson, Phil Cavill, Ian Venida, Edward Briones, Gina Respall, Cris Cabitac, Irene Alano, Imelda de los Reyes (from the original Broadway company, with me); and others with whom I never got the chance to share the boards in the West End.

Eva Noblezada (the new Kim) also came out to the lobby, microphone already pinned into her hair, to say hello to everyone. Once in the performance space, in the house, and on stage, we were milling around with a few members of the current West End Company, including Pinoys Rachelle Ann Go, Ariel Reonal, Christian Marbella, Julia Abueva, Tanya Manalang, Ela Lisondra, Natalie Chua and Romeo Salazar.

Thank goodness this wasn’t to be our final rehearsal before the Monday performance. So many technical elements needed sorting out! Microphones, costumes, blocking, lights and sound… it was going to be a lot of work. Everyone was a great sport and in great spirits, ready to give anything to make the gala performance work.

(Producer) Cameron Mackintosh was his usual bouncy self, never sitting for more than a few minutes at a time, looking over whatever needed his attention, whether it was a stage thing,

FROM RUSSELL ALAN WHITE’S TWITTER ACCOUNT

or a singing delivery thing, or a suggestion for staging. Everything in the show has his stamp on it, and it’s far different from what present-day producers do. He is the last of the true impresarios, in my opinion, and it’s wonderful that he’s still around.

After all rehearsals were completed and the goodbyes were said, I went back to the hotel with the feeling that Monday night would be a night that would end all nights in the history of this musical.

It would be the coming together of so many worlds, generations and people that this musical has touched. I can’t wait… I can’t wait… and I intend to enjoy and savor every single moment of it.
(To be concluded)