For a lot of people, two names are synonymous with Miss Saigon: Lea Salonga and Monique Wilson. After all, the two auditioned for the role of Kim back when they were younger, with Lea bagging the lead role of Kim, and Monique being a Kim understudy and a Saigon bar girl (and also replacing her on the London stage after Lea move on to Broadway).
Now that the production is once again heading to Manila to look for talents, a lot of people want to try their luck. Lea has already shared some tips for the hopefuls. Monique, on the other hand also just recently shared hers in an interview featured on interaksyon.com.
“You have to be yourself,” she said. “Because we Filipinos, we’re really talented, and we have emotional availability. So we don’t have to be OA pa. Just stick to that lang. That’s our basic truth, and we really have musical talent. Let’s not overdo that.
She added that it’s very important to listen to the audition masters, led by producer Cameron Mackintosh and Dong Alegre, his longtime Philippine representative.
“And once in the audition, just understand the story and let it flow out of you and the rest will eventually follow,” said Monique.
