The luminous Ces Campos - DIRECT LINE by Boy Abunda

Yes, there is still magic, brilliance and bravura in Miss Saigon after Lea Salonga. Pundits unabashedly declared that after Lea Salonga, Miss Saigon will play to the dead corals and floating garbage behind Folk Arts Theater. They were wrong. I was wrong. Last Tuesday, I saw Miss Saigon playing to a full house, even after Lea Salonga has gone to New York to close Miss Saigon in Broadway. It must have been terribly scary for the producers considering that Miss Saigon has been identified with Lea Salonga in a country where star system is almost sacred. What a pleasant surprise it was for me and my friends that Ces Campos, the new Kim is formidably impressive.

To perform a role like Kim after Lea Salonga is self-destructive in insane magnitude. A hara-kiri to the background music of the PPO in front of a sneering, well-coifed crowd who paid big money to see someone die!

But Ces turned the nightmare into a sweet dream.

No idea who Ces is. But I have heard stories that she rose from the ranks, another Cinderella story except that her transformation into a lovely princess took a lot of painstaking hardwork. I look forward to meeting Ces and listening to her story which I will share with you in this space.

In the meantime, go watch Miss Saigon. In these "interesting times," it’s a breather from the ongoing impeachment trial.

Is it worth P5,000? Yes! It’s worth more than just the money you pay. The bonus is the pride you feel in your chest watching brilliant Filipino actors onstage breathing life into one of the most physically taxing musicales in the world. It’s worth it because Ces is very good. Jon-Jon Bri-nes is brilliant and devious, Menchu Lauchengco as Ellen is excellent, the chorus is sublime.

Do you miss Lea? In the beginning, yes because you condition your mind that this is Lea’s material. Don’t fight that feeling. Go ahead with it. In my case, after a few minutes into the musicale, I completely dropped my biases.

Ces is particularly moving in the dramatic scenes like when she meets Ellen, the wife of Chris. You could almost feel Ces’ anguish and defiance. When she says goodbye to her son, you feel your heart breaking. Andy (my companion), during these scenes was weeping like a rejected gay suitor. By the time the show ended, while I thought I saw people standing, Andy was kneeling in sacred adoration.

Why do I think about Lea even if she’s not part of Saigon anymore? Because Lea has become the benchmark of all Kims! And because I had to deal with the fact that Miss Saigon can be as magical and as riveting even without her. This was hard for me because first of all, I do not consider Miss Saigon as a favorite musicale and secondly, Lea was a great factor why I kept on watching Miss Saigon here and abroad.

How is Ces Campos compared to Lea Salonga? I refuse to answer this question, afraid to say words that would desecrate a national treasure like Lea – whose talent and discipline and drive can turn me into a piece of wood. Andy nonchalantly declared, "Lea is a better singer, but Ces is a better actress." I almost fainted but I could not disagree passionately I told Andy, I respected his honest opinion.

I think Jon-Jon Briones should be given a lifetime pension of P200,000 a month for his tremendous talent which remains unrecognized, unappreciated by majority of Filipinos. Briones is an amazing actor. His timing is orgasmic. He sings from the guts and his acting is truthful. He brings the role of the Engineer to a level that’s so Pinoy – you laugh at yourself and you have real fun. Shame on Jonathan Pryce!

Andy was in a trance during the helicopter scene.

Production was smooth and seamless. The only thing you’ll hate about Miss Saigon is it has come to near perfection.

My favorite song in Miss Saigon is Bui-doi; dust of Life – the song that opens the second act and a song that talks about the children, the innocent victims of war and a reminder of all the good we failed to do. How real! How relevant! How material and evidentiary to our own lives!

Go! Go! Go! – see Miss Saigon!