LOS ANGELES?It?s hard to believe that it?s been 20 years since ?Miss Saigon? opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London?s West End. The now classic musical premiered to royalty and gentry alike in the autumn of 1989. It was a source of great pride, as well as a personal triumph, for every single one of us 15 Filipinos in the cast of this beautiful show.

The road to and around ?Miss Saigon? was not an easy one to take. From the arduous audition process and rehearsals, to previews and regular performances, mounting a West End musical meant a lot of hard work for all involved, from the cast to the producers, from the orchestrators to the musicians, from designers to crew.

?Sthat a bikini?

The documentary, ?The Making of Miss Saigon,? tells a lot of the story (and quite thoroughly, too!), but there are a few things that the film doesn?t share.

This is a story I tell often in my concerts; it just never gets old for me.

During rehearsals, our costume designer Andreane Neofitou (she also designed the costumes for ?Les Misérables?) brought sketches to show our director. Being incredibly curious, I checked them out, and had one major internal freak-out. I saw a lot of costumes that could only be described with one word: skimpy. When I got home, I immediately told my mother, and she reacted just as strongly.

My worry was that everyone at home would start calling me a ?bold star? for wearing those revealing outfits. What about my reputation? What about my clean-cut image? What am I going to do?

(Still freaking out) I called my father, who calmly said, ?Honey, they?re not going to remember you for the bikini ? they?ll remember you for when you shoot yourself at the end of the show.? He was right.

No air!

At the end of the day, because of my weight, the costumes became a little less revealing. Thank you, baby fat. I will always be grateful. And yes, I am being facetious.

Rehearsing love scenes was very awkward for me, since I had never been in a romantic relationship before. My leading man, Simon Bowman, was incredibly patient throughout the entire process, even speaking to my mother to say, ?You can trust me, I will not ever take advantage of her.? He was true to his word, and I?m only too grateful that he was my ?first.? It got to the point that my mom would occasionally remind him to shave, because when he allowed some stubble to grow on his face, I would get friction burns on mine.

During our tech week, which was close to our first preview (and, therefore, crunch time), Nicholas Hytner, our director, got so frustrated that he resorted to demonstrating scenes himself (he played the Kim part ? it?s hilarious thinking about it now) or moving things himself. In the balcony scene where a passionate kiss should be taking place, I would keep my lower half far, far away from Simon. Nicholas came up on stage and said, ?There should be no air between your bodies.? At that point, he pushed our bodies together in one swift motion. Thwack! That helped me get a clue, thank God.

Sundays off

Sunday was our day off from the run, and we Pinoys used quite a few Sundays as an opportunity to get together. Sure, we were exhausted, but it was something we all looked forward to. Sometimes, local Filipino families would host a nice meal of Pinoy food, something we all surely missed.

A lot of my Sundays, though, were spent at home, in silence. My voice was run ragged after a few months of playing Kim eight times a week. Thankfully, after medical treatment, voice coaching and an adjusted schedule, I actually enjoyed the run.

A show that contains massive set pieces like ?Miss Saigon? can cause quite a few injuries. Set design included a steep incline?the highest for any show running at the time?that hurt the cast?s lower back and hips. I?ve sprained my ankle umpteen times running on that stage with high heels on. I?m awkward in sky-high heels to start with, so adding all those other elements wasn?t too helpful. There were also potholes onstage at the Drury Lane. I have no idea how many fell into them. They were eventually covered up.

Prayer circle

Quite a few of us got together every night before the show to pray for safety on stage, focus and concentration, and for a quick mind in case anything untoward happens. It was one part of our pre-show routine that got us centered and calm, something we always made time for. According to Leo Valdez, this prayer circle was carried into the other productions of the show that he was a part of, and I do recall it being part of our routine in New York, too. Not everyone joined, since one actor?s pre-show ritual might be different from someone else?s.

Three finales

I have the unique distinction for being the only Kim who has sung the finale of the show in each and every way it?s been written. Titled, they are ?The Sacred Bird? (in my opinion the prettiest one), ?Little God of My Heart,? and what in the end was just simply ?The Finale,? which contained a little of this and that. It got pretty confusing when I?d be singing one version of the finale at a rehearsal, then another during that evening?s performance. My brain went batty for a while there.

20 years on ?

?Miss Saigon? was a huge part of my life as an actor. In the cumulative three years spent playing Kim in three productions (London, New York and Manila), the experience was happy, sad, glorious, lonely, informative, frustrating. As tough as it was, I would not ever trade it for anything.

I still sing ?I?d Give My Life for You? in concert performances.

Twenty years on, singing it never gets old.