Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s award-winning musical Miss Saigon, featuring an extraordinary cast of performers from across the Asia-Pacific region, is set to sweep Adelaide audiences off their feet. Following stand-out seasons in Sydney and Melbourne, this theatrical masterpiece will open at the Festival Theatre on 2 January 2024 for an unforgettable summer season.
Showcasing the brightest stars of the Australian stage, the cast is led by the immensely talented Seann Miley Moore as the Engineer, Abigail Adriano as Kim, Nigel Huckle as Chris, Kerrie Anne Greenland as Ellen, Laurence Mossman as Thuy and Kimberley Hodgson as Gigi.
The producers are thrilled to announce the new cast joining the production for the Adelaide season, including Lewis Francis who will step into the role of John. Lewis graduated from the University of Auckland where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and Commercial Law. While studying business, he was awarded a full scholarship at The Auckland Opera Study, where he trained extensively with Frances Wilson Fitzgerald.
His impressive theatre credits include the role of Sky in Mamma Mia! the Musical Australian Tour (LWAA), Ensemble/Raoul understudy in The Phantom of the Opera (Cameron Mackintosh & Opera Australia), Ted in Bonnie & Clyde (Joshua Robson Productions) Ensemble/Raoul understudy in The Phantom of the Opera for Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (Opera Australia), Barry Belson in Jersey Boys (G&T productions), Mutombo/Mafala understudy in The Book of Mormon (Gordon Frost), Turandot (NZ Opera) and Carmen (NZ Opera).
“I am beyond excited to be joining the cast of Miss Saigon and to perform in Adelaide,” said Lewis Francis. “The last time I was here was in 2019 with The Book of Mormon. I’ve seen the show three times and it’s just such a compelling and tragic love story with an incredible score. The Australian cast handle it with such care and conviction. I’ve got some big shoes to fill, stepping into the role after the wonderful Nick Afoa, but I can’t wait to be a part of this show!”
With international experience that spans from Austria to the UK and China, three new ensemble members, Aday Velasco, Brad Veitch and Vi Lam, will also join the company for Adelaide. Furthermore, talented young Adelaide performers Isabelle Duong, Chloe Ho and Sophia Ho will share the child role of Tam.
Having already enraptured audiences in Sydney and Melbourne this year, this new production of Miss Saigon has garnered glowing reviews and accolades across the globe. Created by the same minds that brought the world Les Misérables, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, Miss Saigon is a heart-wrenching story of love and loss set in war-torn Vietnam.
The musical tells the story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim, who is orphaned by war and forced to work in a bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris, but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For three years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he’s fathered a son.
With an unforgettable score, featuring classic hits like The Heat is On, The Movie in My Mind, The Last Night of the World and The American Dream, this production promises to take audiences on an emotional journey like no other.
Cameron Mackintosh in association with GWB Entertainment presents Miss Saigon in Adelaide for a strictly limited season from 2 January 2024. For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.miss-saigon.com.au for details.
Image: The Australian production of Miss Saigon – photo by Daniel Boud