The timeless musical Miss Saigon is set to return to the Philippines. Coming from its successful run in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, Australia, Cameron Mackintosh’s critically acclaimed musical will finally be showing in Manila this March 2024.
ICYDK, various Pinay artists like Lea Salonga, Rachelle Ann Go, Eva Noblezada, Aicelle Santos, and more have landed a role in the hit musical, deepening its connection with the Filipino nation. The connection continues at present as a Filipino-Australian leads the musical from its Australia leg until its upcoming Manila stint.
19-year-old theater star Abigail Adriano bagged the role of Kim, the protagonist of the story. Her character is a Vietnamese lady who falls in love with an American soldier as the Vietnam War comes to an end in the 1970s.
Ahead of their Manila show, let's get to know Abigail, who will for sure leave us all in awe with her performance!
6 Things To Know About 'Miss Saigon' 2024 Lead Star Abigail Adriano
1. She began her performance arts training at the age of six.
As early as six years old, Abigail already felt her intense passion for singing. She studied both classical and contemporary music at an early age. Thanks to six-year-old Abigail's early efforts and hard work training in performance arts, she successfully fulfilled her dream of becoming a theater actress.
2. She competed in The Voice Kids Australia.
In 2014, Abigail took a shot at the popular singing talent show, The Voice Kids Australia. She performed Alicia Keys and Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind," and impressed the three judges with her vocals—she even got a three-chair turn! Although she did not win the competition, it became one of her early steps into stardom.
Watch Abigail's 2014 blind auditions here:
3. She's an Aries from Australia.
Abigail was born on April 18, 2005. Although she spent most of her life in Western Sydney, Australia, Abigail was surrounded by her Filipino family while growing up. According to the Australian Catholic University (ACU), she grew up with her extended Filipino family.
4. She grew up singing Sarah Geronimo's songs.
Here's a fun fact about Abigail: she was fond of listening to Sarah Geronimo's songs because of her father. She recalled mornings during the weekends when all she could hear at home were Original Pilipino Music (OPM) hits.
"Early Saturday morning my Dad would be playing all the OPM hits from 2010. I grew up singing Sarah Geronimo, my favorite is her version of Handog," Abigail shared.
5. She has been a fan of musical theater performances ever since she was a kid.
Before she trained to be the theater star she is today, Abigail had always loved watching different musicals with her sister. Interestingly, it was Lea Salonga who inspired her to try her luck and enter the world of musical theater.
In an interview, she opened up about how she saw herself in Lea after watching a video of the latter auditioning for a theater role.
"My sister and I would listen to so many different musicals... One day, she popped on a video and it was Lea Salonga in her audition room, and I just saw her singing and I saw myself in her."
6. Getting cast in Miss Saigon was a dream come true for Abigail.
Abigail beat hundreds of auditionees for the role of Kim in Miss Saigon. And it was absolutely a dream come true for the young thespian.
"As soon as I got the call from my agent I was in tears. I was crying so much, my sister was the first person I shared the news with. She was standing in front of me as I was on the phone and I was trying to tell her to be quiet, be quiet. She was already crying," she recounted.
Wishing you all the best, Abigail!
