Filipino-American Actors in Lead Roles as Broadway’s “Miss Saigon” Hits Hollywood
Kim (Emily Bautista) with Chris (Anthony Festa) in “Miss Saigon.”(Photo by Matthew Murphy)
LOS ANGELES 15 August 2019 — The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles joined the Asian American community in Los Angeles in welcoming to Hollywood one of the longest-running Broadway shows in the musical theater history, “Miss Saigon.”
The 2017 national tour of the musical’s Broadway revival brings it to Los Angeles’ storied Pantages Theater, Hollywood with Filipino-American stage actors, Emily Bautista and Eymard Cabling, in the lead characters of “Kim” and “Engineer” respectively.
“Miss Saigon” resonates with Asian-Americans, including Filipino-Americans, as it tells a story of a young Vietnamese girl who fell in love with an American soldier during the Vietnam War. It is an epic adaptation of Giacomo Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly”, a story of a Japanese geisha, Madama Butterfly, who suffered the same fate as Kim’s. The play is the creation of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, who also created “Les Miserables.”
The legendary musical is close to the hearts of Filipinos due to Lea Salonga’s casting to originale the role of “Kim” in 1989, paving the way for her to eventually become the first Asian to win the Tony Award for best actress in 1991 for playing said role. Since then, many other Filipinos and actors of Filipino descent have headlined the play’s cast all over the world.
Internationally-acclaimed impresario Cameron Mackintosh produced the staging of “Miss Saigon” at the Pantages, which will run from 16 July 2019 to 11 August 2019. The musical has won over 30 major awards since its inception in 1989, including three Tony Awards. END.
Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles Consul Rea Oreta (second from left) is accompanied by (from left) Information Officer Mary Grace (Joss) Leaño, Executive Assistant Georgina Omaga-Diaz, Assistance-to-Nationals Officer Judelyn Cuaresma and Cultural Officer Dolor Sales. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
For more information, visit https://www.philippineconsulatela.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinLA/.