BANGKOK, Thailand?Of course, there?s more!

I had fun writing ?Murphy?s Law,? so I recalled a few more ?mistakes.? We laugh about them now but, at the time, they caused quite a bit of distress plus some measure of embarrassment.

When a stage mishap takes place, I tell myself it?s okay, it happens, and it doesn?t take away from the effort we?re all putting forth to give a good show.

Something I learned before previews for ?Miss Saigon?: That audiences would usually buy preview tickets, aware that the show is still a ?work in progress? and the chances of anyone making a booboo are really good.

Excuse me, my fly is open

When I was 16 or 17, I was invited to an event. I dressed up black trousers and a custom barong. I was a little heavy then, which meant that my pants fit a snugly. Taking a bow after singing, I felt the pants zipper split open. Thank goodness for the barong; I was covered up just enough, though I may have walked off stage much more slowly.

During the ?Miss Saigon? previews in London, an unforgettable gaffe took place in the second act. Before ?Sun and Moon Reprise,? the two sides of Kim?s Bangkok bedroom were supposed to come together. I would be sleeping on the stage right piece. I had situated myself on the set piece, and could hear the intro music. But neither side of the set moved. And because ?the show must go on,? I headed on to the stage in my stockinged feet and sang my song.

In the New York previews, I had a case of déja vu. The intro music started and... the sets didn?t move. Again, in my stockinged feet, I went on stage and sang my song. Richard Maltby Jr. (?Miss Saigon? co-lyricist) pointed out the transatlantic gaffe. Oh yeah, it was pretty funny at the time.

Speaking of ?Sun and Moon Reprise?? In the Broadway production, something new was added to this scene. In London, I sang the song then did a quick change in the wings; in New York, choreographer Bob Avian and Jodi Moccia, one of two associate choreographers (the other was Maggie Goodwin), staged a costume change to the music of the reprise. Under the bed on the stage right set piece was a box that held my costume: shoes, silk trousers, silk ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress).

The sequence was fairly simple: Set the box on the bare stage, set my shoes by the bed, put my trousers on, one leg at a time. Kneel upstage of the box facing the audience, remove my robe. Put on the ao dai, left sleeve then right, close the neck, run my left hand down the front to my right side, close the rest of the dress. It?s easier done than explained.

One fine night, I set the box on the stage, put my shoes by the bed, reached inside the box? no trousers! Where were my pants? I skipped the pants part, put on my shoes, and carried on with the next couple of scenes wearing only my ao dai.

The cast and crew of ?Cinderella? got a unique gift from Broadway Asia after our Guangzhou stop: a black T-shirt that said, ?Impossible Things Happened Everyday? on the front, and ?Guangzhou 2008? on the back.

An extensive re-block was needed because of the limitations the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Centre imposed on the set design. Parts of the stage couldn?t be installed because of pre-existing architecture.

Entrances and exits were made a little more precarious by holes in our blue floor. We had to be mindful that we could step into a hole and fall. For the most part we were successful; then came final performance night, when Peter Saide took a nasty spill.

After the Prince spots the glass slipper that Cinderella has left behind, he runs offstage. As Peter exited, his right foot found a gaping hole? he lost his balance and fell.

Down to his briefs

Jett Pangan, one of my co-stars in ?Baby,? very kindly gave me permission to share this last one.

He had a few quick changes that he should map out during rehearsal period. One of these required him to wear two layers of costumes (sporting clothes, nothing complicated). Onstage, in the dark, he was to strip off the top layer? another actor would help him, then take the clothes away.

This particular rehearsal would be the first time he?d try the change in real time. Chari Arespacochaga was to help him.

As the music played, suddenly there was this loud choral howl. Jett stood there in nothing but his underwear and a confused look on his face: he had removed all his clothing? everything had come off. And as she came face-to-face with his briefs, Chari could only shake her head.

Today, four years later, I still laugh when I tell this story.