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LEA ‘MISS SAIGON’ ONLY FOR 3 MONTHS IN MANILA

Manila, April 27, 2000 - It is now official: Lea Salonga will reprise her role as Kim when ''Miss Saigon,'' comes to the Cultural Center of the Philippines for six months, beginning in October. But Lea can stay for only three months, and the role will be played by another actress.

The Manila staging of "Miss Saigon" is a joint production of Ang Bayang Makulay Foundation and Saigon Company Philippines. As the first project of Ang Bayang Makulay Foundation, headed by presidential son Jose Victor "JV" Ejercito, "Miss Saigon" is in line with the foundation's ecotourism objectives.

Although the musicale is about Vietnam, its London cast was composed mostly of young Filipino talents chosen by producer Cameron Mackintosh in a global search for "Kim."

His two-year quest ended in Manila with his discovery of Lea Salonga, along with Cocoy Laurel, Monique Wilson, Isay Alvarez, aand Pinky Amador, among others.

In 1989 and 1991, Lea Salonga swept two prestigious theatrical awards - the Lawrence Olivier Award in London and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical on Broadway.

Lea was unable to attend the press conference physically yesterday, but she joined in by phone from New York where she is finishing her degree in history at Fordham University.

Lea who was barely 18 when she started as Kim in 1989 believes "age is not a deterrent" and that at 29, she looks younger than her age and can still play the role credibly.

Many "Kims" have followed Lea since - among them, Leila Tolentino in New York, popular songbirds Jenine Desiderio, Jamie Rivera, Monique Wilson and Joanna Ampil , who is currently still in London, doing Eponine in the mega-musicale "Les Miserables."

Award-winning British actor Jonathan Pryce, who portrayed the original Engineer during Lea's time, has since been replaced by Filipino actors, including Junix Inocian, balladeer Leo Valdez, Cocoy Laurel, and Robert Sena.

"Miss Saigon" opened at the Theatre Royal on Sept. 20, 1989, with such tremendous success that tickets were sold out months in advance. This was repeated on Broadway, New York, where Lea and Pryce also opened the show.

Since then, "Miss Saigon" has been staged around the world, including Europe and Australia, always with a majority of Filipino actors, captivating the hearts of an estimated 27 million people. Since 1989, "Miss Saigon" has logged a total of 17,985 performances worldwide.

The cost of staging "Miss Saigon" in the Philippines is P450 million, but Angelito Banayo, foundation director and Philippine Tourism Authority general manager, assured that it was President Estrada's condition for tickets to be available at affordable prices for the general public.

Banayo said that ticket prices will range from P4,000 to P250 (in upper balcony).

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