Rachelle Ann destined to be in Miss Saigon

LONDON — When Rachelle Ann Go first watched a touring production of Miss Saigon in 2010 on a visit to Canada, she hardly had any idea of what it was about and wasn’t even interested in musical theater. But it blew her away.

“I was so touched. I saw myself on stage. I really told myself, I will do that someday.” 

Four years later, the 27-year-old pop singer is now part of the revival of the Cameron Mackintosh mega-musical, one of the hottest tickets on West End, about the doomed love story between an American soldier and a Vietnamese bar girl that is back dropped by the Vietnam war in the ’70s. Rachelle Ann plays Gigi who introduces one of the first big moments in the show with the song Movie in My Mind.

To say that it was not an easy decision to leave the comforts of home and her singing career behind in the Philippines is an understatement. 

“Yes, it is (difficult) because I don’t know what will happen,” Rachelle Ann told The STAR and other Manila reporters in an interview last Wednesday at the Prince Edward Theatre where Miss Saigon is running.

“When they told me to come here for the final casting (late last year) feeling ko nag-lalaro lang, feeling ko nag-babakasyon lang ako dito. I came here for a week. I was interviewed by Cameron Mackintosh and he asked me what roles I wanna do, and I was shy to tell him every role I wanted to do. I told him, ‘What do you mean, Sir?’ And he said, ‘Do you want to work here?’ I said, ‘Of course!’ And then the day after that, they offered me the role of Gigi and at the time, it still didn’t sink in that it was being offered to me. 

“I just told my parents that they wanted me for this role. I could not decide even up until I returned to Manila. I asked around — my (then) management Viva, Bobby Garcia (the director of her first stage project, My Little Mermaid) and my parents kung ano talaga ang decision because it’s going to be one year which is no joke and I’m not used to being alone. I don’t know anything about life! I was so scared at the thought! It took me months before I was able to decide.”

What ultimately made her to take the leap was the fresh challenge and novel experience it presented. â€œMaybe because for the past 10 years, I’ve been doing the same thing in Manila — album, shows, same genre (yes, pop). Maybe, I was looking for something that would challenge me and this is West End. This is one big opportunity which I will regret not doing when I get older. So I said, ‘I wanna take the risk. I wanna grow as an artist.’”

Rachelle Ann is under a one-year contract with Miss Saigon. When asked if she’s open to the idea of staying longer in London and taking on other theater roles after Miss Saigon, Rachelle Ann, whose other dream project is also the Mackintosh production Les Miserables, said, “(Claude-Michel) Schönberg (who composed the Saigon music) also asked me that, ‘Are you loving London? Even Mr. Cameron,” whom she said makes surprise visits to their dressing rooms, “I’m enjoying this but for now I can’t tell yet. Nag-e-enjoy po ako dito but I still need to come back to the Philippines.” 

Rachelle Ann remembers very well the initial trepidation of fleshing out Gigi. The feisty and daring character is a marked departure from anything that she has done on TV to even theater, where she once played a Disney princess. They had one month of rehearsals whole day, every day as part of the preparation. She thanked her co-stars and her director Laurence Connor for drawing her out of her shell. â€œI was holding back. Nahihiya talaga ako. Yung mga Pinoy, they’ve been encouraging me, you can do it, kaya mo yan, meron ka pang mas maibibigay kasi before nangingibaw yung takot ko.”

“Then, once I tried the bikini on, dun ko pa lang na feel na, eto pala talaga yung character,” added Rachelle Ann, who laughingly revealed that prior to Miss Saigon she only wore a bikini at night and when nobody is looking.

“But now, I’m used to (my character). Nakaya ko. Kaya naman pala.”

Her Movie In My Mind delivery is pained, forceful and gritty, something refreshing from the sweet, pop voice that Filipinos have been used to hearing from Rachelle Ann.

“Every day, I feel that I’m growing the character. The song as well is hard. At first, parang ako yung biktima when I sing it and they didn’t want that. They want it very strong pa rin kahit umiiyak, galit ka pa rin, yun yung gusto nila and it took a while I guess (to adjust).” 

It’s been three months now since she moved to London for Miss Saigon, and Rachelle Ann said it has been very worth it — living independently, learning more about herself and improving her craft on a stage like no other. She’s getting good reviews as Gigi, with Mackintosh himself telling her after the opening night that “thankful siya at tinanggap ko itong role. He was happy I accepted the offer.”

Rachelle Ann said, â€œI won’t be able to experience this in Manila. Hindi lang yung sa acting and sa singing but as a person. I’ve discovered so much about myself and sabi ko nga, sa isang taon mag-ma-mature na ako.” Photos by Nathalie Tomada