Should Regine replace Lea in Miss Saigon? - DIRECT LINE by Boy Abunda

Just a wild idea. Now that Lea Salonga is moving out of Saigon Manila wouldn’t it be a great idea to get somebody like Regine Velasquez to take her place? Let’s clarify things. I think Lea’s contract with Miss Saigon expires by the end of 2000 and I heard that she’s closing Miss Saigon in Broadway with the original Chris – Will Chase. Regine, if you remember,was strongly considered for the role of Kim in the Broadway version. Some say she was offered the role. There was just snags that could not be settled. If my memory serves me right, Mckintosh’s group flew Regine to New York for an audience with the Saigon top brass. I think Regine’s career during that time was on an upswing – she was an inch away from music superstardom. But whatever it was, things fell into the right place – Lea did both the London and New York productions of Miss Saigon and went on to win the prestigious Olivier and Tony Awards. Regine on the other hand, became a music superstar.

Recently, Regine and Lea’s younger brother Gerard have been collaborating on musical projects – a live concert at the Glorietta and an album. Isn’t this exciting? Some chronic wags insist that the two are playing sweet music together. Indeed, they are, but the two say that it stops in the music and the friendship. After all, Gerard, I hear has a girlfriend while Regine isn’t complaining about her love life – if she has any. I think the attitude of Regine is that, if he comes – fine, if he doesn’t, fine – I have a life to live. And she’s blessed with a wonderful career.

Going back to Miss Saigon, I hear from many people that Ces Campos, the other girl who plays Kim in the Manila production is awesome. According to a friend, she paid good money to see Miss Saigon. But she forgot to check who was playing Kim on that particular night she was watching. Of course, she wanted to see Lea Salonga. She went berserk when she found out it was this "other girl" doing Kim that night. Having no choice anymore, after of course ranting and verbally abusing the box-office people, she decided to see Saigon ready to throw kamatis onstage.

Even before Act 1 ended, my friend had been reduced to tears. She barely remembered that she desperately wanted to see Lea. "Boy, this Ces Campos is great. She is so good, I was so ashamed of myself. She is brilliant. Go, go, go. See her," she sounded possessed on the phone. I have yet to see Ces Campos but I believe my friend. For her to rave about Ces Campos is short of being miraculous.

You see this friend of mine doesn’t even like herself!

Blue Nights latest LP

Blue Night is the latest album of Michael Learns to Rock (MLTRC). Each of the 12 songs in the CD might have taken place beneath the deep blue night sky with someone who has a heart overflowing with love, loss or longing. All these emotions are written all over the album.

Blue Night is the fifth album from MLTR. Their four previous albums have sold 8 million copies worldwide and the band has long since proven that they have durable pop songs which reach far beyond the blue night.

Included in the album are ballads You Took My Heart Away (first single in Asia), Whatever it May Take and Blue Night to the sparkling and fiery pop songs Angel Eyes, Watch Your back, One Way Street and Digging Your Love. Like all classic pop songs, the singles in the album primarily focus on the great and consuming love – happy or unhappy.

Blue Night is in many ways like a new beginning for MLTR since it is both their debut as a trio (their bass player, Soren Madsen left the band to pursue a solo career) and it is also the first time that MLTR guitarist and keyboards Mikkel Lentz contributes as a songwriter.

Blue Night was first released in Denmark last November and is now available in Asia this month. Here in the Philippines, Blue Night is distributed by Octo Arts EMI. Other European countries and the rest of the world would have to wait until next year to get hold of a copy of Blue Night. The release of this album also marks a promotional tour for the Danish band who will do concerts in Asia and South Africa.

Oblivious going up

Kaya’s Oblivious is steadily climbing the charts in major radio stations around the country. Oblivious (which also sports a hip music video to be released soon and which is directed by Bobby Garcia) is included in the foursome’s self-titled debut album under BMG Records.

Other songs included in Kaya, the album are I Know, Gotta Get Next To That, We Can Start By Falling In Love, Be Mine, Ano Pang Hinihintay Mo, Told You, Just an Old Boyfriend, Call Me Call Me, Don’t Want To Live My Life (Without You), Something Beautiful There and Kung Ako’y Pagbibigyan.

Produced by musical genius Ryan "Mr. C" Cayabyab, Kaya the album boasts of songs written by Mr. C himself as well as compositions written by international songwriters Charlotte Caffey (original member of the Go-Go’s), Howard Dorough (of the Backstreet Boys), Jennifer Day, Gary Barker, Frank Myers, Andrew Fromm, Kim Moller, Amy Powers, Brian Nash, Josh Schwartz and Brian Kietulf. Noted director Jose Javier Reyes also co-writes a song with Ryan Cayabyab called Kung Ako’y Pagbibigyan. Other noted musicians who lent a hand in completing the album are Mike Villegas, Brian Cua, Noel Mendez, Albert Tamayo, Mon Espia and Rommel dela Cruz.

Kaya’s wide vocal range is showcased in this album which is an infectious mix of R&B, ballad and pop. This is indeed a remarkable debut album making Kaya one of the most suspicious singing groups in the country today.