Due to large presale demand, Miss Saigon’s Manila run, which will start in March 2024, has extended by two weeks.
Just last month, GMG Productions and GWB Entertainment announced that a new production of the hit musical, Miss Saigon, will be coming to the Philippines in March 2024. Tickets went on pre-sale from October 23 to November 3 through TicketWorld, while regular ticket sales started on November 6. Though GMG Productions announced that it would run until April 21, 2024, the company has extended the production until May 5, 2024 due to “overwhelming demand” during the presale.
Now that theater is making its grand return after the pandemic, Filipino audiences are looking forward to enjoying inimitable performances in person. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton has experienced great success in the country, so the equally-enthusiastic reception of Miss Saigon comes as no surprise.
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Indeed, Filipino audiences have much to look forward to; producer Cameron Mackintosh announced that this spectacular new production is the best one they’ve ever produced, due in part to its exceptional cast.
The Heat is On in Saigon
Miss Saigon premiered in London’s West End in 1989. The musical is based on Giacomo Puccini’s tragic opera, Madam Butterfly, and tells the story of a 17-year-old Vietnamese girl named Kim, and her doomed romance with American G.I. Chris Scott.
Claude-Michel Schönberg composed the production’s music, with lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. and Alain Boublil and additional lyrics by Michael Mahler. Laurence Connor is directing the new production, with musical staging by Bob Avian and additional choreography by Geoffrey Garratt.
Meanwhile, Totie Driver and Matt Kinley helm the production’s design based on an original concept by Adrian Vaux. Costume designs are by Andreane Neofitou, lighting design by Bruno Poet, projections by Luke Halls, and sound design by Mick Potter. William David Brohn will be handling the orchestrations, with music supervision by Alfonso Casado Trigo and Guy Simpson.
Back and Better Than Ever
Besides its roster of spectacular songs and beautiful set designs, audiences know the musical as one that gave rise to the careers of Filipino talents like Lea Salonga, Rachelle Anne Go, Jon Jon Briones, and Joanna Ampil.
The last time Miss Saigon hit Manila was in a 2000 production at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, with Lea Salonga reprising her role as Kim, as per Manila Bulletin. Salonga was the very first Miss Saigon, and rose to international fame at only 18 years old. Her unforgettable performances earned her a Tony award for Best Leading Actress in a musical, making her the very first Asian talent to have ever received the accolade.
Though GMG Productions has yet to announce the official cast of the new Miss Saigon production, one can expect only the best as the show unfolds at the Theatre at Solaire.
“I can’t envisage another show of this scale being done in Manila for the foreseeable future,” Mackintosh affirms in his own words.
New Miss Saigon show dates have been added and are now available exclusively through TicketWorld. The Manila season is presented at The Theatre at Solaire by GMG Productions. For updates and exclusive announcements, visit www.gmg-productions.com or follow @gmg.productions on Instagram.
Banner photo via Instagram @misssaigonus.
