Another Filipina is joining the cast of the much-awaited New Asian Tour of Miss Saigon!
Meet Kiara Miren Dario who set to portray Gigi, a top role in the hit musical.
The Filipina musical actress happily announced the news on her Instagram account. Honored and extremely thrilled with the news, she also shared some snaps of how her casting went. Kiara had candid screenshots of her conversations with her family and friends upon hearing the happy news about her theater career.
It wasn't the first time that she auditioned to star in Miss Saigon. Although she didn't make it at the time, she still sees the show as the "musical that changed her life."
"It got me out of my theatre hiatus and made me realize that theatre is truly my life's passion," she wrote. The theatre star highlighted how the musical has been championing Asian talent throughout the years, not forgetting to mention how her mentors mostly had the chance to star in the show. "It's truly a full circle moment," she said.
Kiara even expressed her delight over opening the tour in Manila! ICYDK, she is only one of the four Pinoys who is joining the stage for Miss Saigon. In fact, the lead star for the show is a Filipino-Australian named, Abigail Adriano. Abigail will be playing the role of Kim, who is the Vietnamese woman who finds love during the last days of the Vietnam War. Lea Salonga once reprised the iconic role.
Another Filipino-Australian, Seann Miley Moore, will be playing the role of the Engineer, a French-Vietnamese owner of a nightclub called Dreamland—where Kiara's role, Gigi, works as a bar girl. Adding to the roster of talented Filipinos for the show is Laurence Mossman, a Filipino-Kiwi star who will be giving life to the character Thuy, who is Kim's cousin.
While we were waiting for Miss Saigon's return to Manila, on March 23, 2024, we got a little too curious about Kiara, so, of course, we did some research about the up-and-coming Miss Saigon star!
Here Are 6 Things To Know About Kiara Dario:
1. She made her theatre debut at the age of 14.
Kiara got her theatre training from the distinguished Repertory Philippines and got to star in several musicals since she was 14. Her first show was called Camp Rock.
2. Kiara is an Iska.
Kiara is a proud alumna of the University of the Philippines Diliman and also got training from its Theatre Arts Department.
3. She is a member of a P-Pop girl group!
Kiara's talent shines even beyond the theatre stage. She's one of the vocalists of the Daydream. They made their debut in 2021. They released a single last November 2023.
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4. Kiara is a K-Pop fan!
She is a Carat! ICYDK, Carat is the fandom name for fans of the K-Pop boy group SEVENTEEN. We were stoked to see that she even attended the group's 2022 concert, "Be The Sun." Also, she attended TWICE's recent concert in the Philippines. She was such a cute Jihyo stan!
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5. Her first lead role in a musical was a Disney Princess!
It was only in 2023 when Kiara bagged her first-ever lead role in a musical, and it's not just any role. She starred as the famous Disney princess, Snow White in the musical Snow White and the Prince. In an Instagram video, she talked about her experience having to perform live for her first lead role. "The best thing about live performance is hearing the impact you had on the audience," she noted.
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6. She is a Scorpio.
Kiara is a Scorpio and she's turning 27 years old this year! Kiara's birthday is on November 18, 1997.
We're so excited for what's to come for you, Kiara!
