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FILIPINOS
CONTINUE TO DAZZLE
SYDNEY (26 September
2007)—Eighteen years on, Filipinos continue to participate and dazzle
international audiences with the latest Australian production of the 1989
Cameron Mackintosh musical Miss Saigon, which had its Sydney premiere on 22
September 2007 at the Lyric Theater at the famous Star City Hotel.
In a report to the Department
of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Consul General Maria Theresa Lazaro mentioned
that the new Australian production of Miss Saigon continues to receive rave
reviews and particularly with the new crop of FiIipino-Australian performers led
by the Sydney-based Jennifer Trijo, who is cast as an alternate to the lead role
of 'Kim'.
The original Miss Saigon
production made its premiere in
Directed by Laurence Connor
and designed by Adrian Vaux and Andreane Neofitou, the Australian production of
Miss Saigon features 34 talented Australian artists, plus two of the stars of
the Miss Saigon international companies, namely Filipinos Leo Valdez as The
‘Engineer' and Laurie Cadevida, who takes the lead role of 'Kim'. Also
featured is Filipino-Australian RJ Resales, who is playing the role of ‘Thuy'
and was part of the 1995 Miss Saigon production in Australia.
The new production of Miss
Saigon uses cutting-edge computer-generated 3D animation and a brand new set
design to fit varying sized auditoriums around the world. The company consists
of over 60 actors and musicians.
In his recent review written
for the newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald, Bryce Hallett describes the
Australian version as one that is "as strikingly theatrical as the original
yet more realistic and dynamic...The cinematic sound design and projections
combine to make the helicopter landing as thrilling as ever but this Miss Saigon
is a triumph for its humanity and passion."
According to the Miss Saigon
website, the musical has won 30 major theatre awards including three Tony
Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, three Outer Critics Circle Awards and one
Theatre World Award. END
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