MISS SAIGON AUDITIONS

[TimKoopman10]

She is great, did she become alternate or understudy or so? I dont know much about the original cast, sorry!

[SuperAzkals]

@TimKoopman10 london cast understudy and alternate kim

[sarahgfan24]

At the time of the auditions, Monique Wilson had the most acting exp, Salonga the most extensive singing experience. Talented girl that she was, however, Salonga stepped up to the plate acting-wise after being offered the role. Wilson was her alternate & got the chance to play Kim after several months (the formidable Salonga sang in ALL performances each week for months, until she developed nodules in her throat). Wilson's ability was NEVER in question; Salonga simply had the edge in singing.

[sarahgfan24]

(Cont.) -- an IMPORTANT edge at that given that this was musical theater. They were BOTH great Kims, however, so there should be no cause for arguments. While Salonga went on for more projects and awards afterwards, Wilson continued her studies at the prestigious Royal Academy for the Arts and eventually put up her own theater company in the Philippines. Both are giving back to the community and have made the Philippines proud!

[BettinaBalser]

I remember what the producers of the show said about Lea and Monique: Lea was a singer who could do some acting and Monique was an actor who could do some singing. It is my guess that Monique grew quite nicely into the role, as she went on to play Kim on the London stage for years after Lea left and was Lea's understudy during the show's first London run. There are many who swear the Monique is, in fact, the best Kim.

[sday813]

i cant tell the difference between there voices ! there both magnificint

[mobee1028]

but monique is a damn better actress than lea ...leajust sings better coz of her angelic voice which is suppose to be her role as a virgin bar girl at 17 so maybe tha;swhy...but monique sings good too...diff style and pitch but not bad...otherwisaeshe wouldn;t have landedt he job too....

[neil4668]

@mobee1028 nahhhhh! lea is miles better than monique, in terms of voice and acting. If monique is better, why didn't she win a tony award of olivier award? Lea did win those awards in 1990 and 1991 for the role of Kim in Miss Saigon.

Conclusion: Lea is miles better than Monique.

[ricstars95]

both lea and monique are great. no fight. its a win-win for two world-class theater artists.

[AliciaDancers]

Lea is the singer but Monique is an actress...

When Lea had to undergo rehab because she was loosing her voice because she wasn't use to performing everyday, monique toke over until lea got better...

They're both amazing!

[19yapi72]

kapuri-puri ang mga pilipinong kasama at bumuo ng ms saigon. sila ang nagbukas ng pintuan para sa iba pang mga pilipino sa larangan ng pagtatanghal.

you made us proud. hats off to all of you. i hope that this feat won't be forgotten.

[shuyeye2]

Leah has the better voice caliber..the notes are exact and the pronunciation is perfect! If you'll notice, Monique here is pitchy in most parts and I'm sure the producers noticed it.. Leah fits the part perfectly. ;p

[loveandberrybuddy]

lea is better!!! i'm sure

[RMlayug]

I like Monique better. She's much prettier and she looks more "real". No pretensions.

[AmaraEmme]

@RMlayug Sounds more 'real', less angelic (but still beautiful). Both Lea's and Monique's voices sound awesome!!! <3<3<3

[lenlop]

pls stop comparing any of them with each other. We should be glad to consider that the casts were mostly Pinoys. Making us as true world-class artists. Pinakyaw natin lahat di'ba?

[mrandmrsjwhitney]

lea won because she was the better singer. you can even tell it just by listening.

[OfficialWhyRock722]

Monique is Lea's friend right?

[casseinsan]

if u still need one, id gladly help out

[blackberri64]

They both are very talented but Lea's voice is more suited to Kim.

[SambaScramble]

Amen!

[sitzd]

lea has longer phrases; monique runs out of air easier

[nycgrl4ever]

lea looks younger and more innocent. had they already cast chris? because that would also influence who got the part. they both seem to be equally talented but one might look better with the chris they cast

[torerongpinoy]

I'd say, because Lea looks more asian than Monique. That's why Lea got the part

[Cdaae663]

While appearance has a factor in the audition process, it would be wrong to say that's solely why Lea received the part. Otherwise, why go through the workshop/audition process?

Both Lea and Monique are extremely talented, but I also know that Lea has this amazing stage presence, if you've ever seen her live. She puts soo much in her performances.

[rushingriver78]

Monique also got the part of Kim as understudy

[stitchgrl777]

I think Lea won because she was a more fluid/strong singer, not because she looked more "asian". What does that even mean?

[acuison1]

Monique I think has a very nice softer voice but they're equally good. Leah though has a better diction than Monique.

[broadwaylove52]

She has a beautiful voice!

But I personally prefer Lea Salonga :)

[fernandosmyng]

Both Monique & Lea are equally talented. That's why they are top choice for KIM's role. Monique played KIM's role too after sometime if i'm not mistaken.

[darkkshinobi]

As far as i know during their tour, they alternated playing the role of Kim... one day leah would be kim, and monique as mimi..and vice versa.

[chocofield]

They choose lea coz..a Kim ..must posses an asian beauty.. Monique..looks metiza..on my very own opinion (justme,nothing serious)

[sitzd]

Monique WILSON.... lol doesn't that mean she was a mestiza?

[broadwaymatty]

definately the better KIM!!! no questions.

[chonkae]

shiznit!!!,bkt wla na ung video?..wah!aq dn panuod!

[norrie1214]

videoke?

[broadwaybaby243]

Who would she give her life for?

[kangaro0o0]

her son in the musical.

[daffodill69]

her child..

[RMlayug]

I like Monique's voice better. I though it's solid even when the pitch gets higher. She speaks/sings very clearly as well. I can understand every bit of the word that comes out from her mouth. I really, really like her voice. She's got great personality too. I wonder where she is now and what she has been doing after her Broadway stints.

[samzabbel]

This took place many years ago, so it is not right at all to compare them. Lea became Kim, and Monique became the understudy. Both are equally talented in their own rights. The producers felt that Lea deserved the role so they gave it to her. I should agree that Lea has the pure voice, but it doesn't make Monique any less talented. I'm glad that Monique never sour graped about the decision and took it wholeheartedly.

[tonjjz]

monique and lea are both very talented artists. i understand that people can't help comparing them with each other but that shouldn't be. they are both great at what they do and they bring so much pride to the filipino people.

[westendnn]

I don't like monique as much as lea... lea's voice is pure and innocent and she seems perfect for the role of kim... Monique was good i won't disagree their but I think she lacked emotion in her voice

[chitobass]

Monique is also a good singer but as I have heard her voice on this video, I can say that she is not tat good like Lea Salonga. But I am glad to hear her voice again.

[blessedvthyname]

out of all honesty, lea is prettier today than she was back then when she was 18 but like... even back then she was still more attractive that this girl :-S anyone agree?

[vanessapastor]

don't care. i'm prettier! i'm getting married to a rich guy!

[rachellegerodias]

i'm also better! don't care

[ijec74]

for the information of everybody Monique was not just a "kim substitute" she was the Kim ALTERNATE...thank you

[PierreMarie]

wow how did you know?

[rachellegerodias]

i know

[bobjohnson513]

Can we just agree that Monique is Monique and Lea is Lea? One is not better than the other, they are good in different areas.

[icecoldrita]

I'm hardcore Lea fan through and through, but Monique seems really quite good in her own right. In the end, the producers picked whom they felt better represented the characters they created.

I wish the video, or at least the sound quality, was a bit better quality, though.

[utyub123]

Monique Wilson as Kim substitute, with a pretty face and a magnificent voice. I wonder why she did not pursue a career singing or acting in the movies like her father Johnny.

[Nathan411466]

Lea is a tiny bit better vocalist than Monique.

And as far as acting is concerned,just remember that

the Tony that Lea won was for best actress in a musical. It's true that she "sang her lines" but

she does play a role. I have seen her act in a non

singing role, a movie with John Lithgow, and she

wasn't terrific. Just okay. So as long as she sings

her lines she's great.

[cridecar]

I don't see the point here. Lea SINGS in MUSICALS (e.g. Miss Saigon, Les Mis) and this is her main job. She does not ACT in a movie or play to win an OSCAR or any acting award. She does her job fine in SINGING/ACTING ergo she got the TONY. To equate Lea to be a lesser performer when she does not sing is to say that any ACTOR should then sing for us to judge whether they're good actor or not. It does not make any sense. She's good at her niche and let's "judge" her in that aspect.

[kittenkpoodle1]

well, really in a musical acting is basicly showing emotion in your songs. because the lines ARE usally sang. the emotion has to be there.

[Warlen95]

lea still the best.great voice

[pampamcutieo9]

i'd love to hear Monique play the whole part of kim...

[neleh9helen]

What or who is MISS SAIGON? I know that it is one of the famous cities in VIETNAM, but they don't look VIETNAMESE. Please reply.

[Eidola]

Miss Saigon is the "top" girl at the night club/brothel where the maing character, Kim, works. She get's the title of Miss Saigon the night she meets Chris. Saigon was later renamed after the Vietnam war to Ho Chi Minh City.

[jessiminica]

Kim never wins Miss Saigon. Gigi wins the night Chris met Kim.

[lolalerraine]

- but afterwards, when kim and chris get together

the girls all sing 'so now who's REALLY miss saigon' -

she never 'wins' miss saigon but the girls at the club consider her to be the real miss saigon anyway

[clarencetuvera]

Part 3- Monique was also selected to perform as the understudy Kim. After months of vocal coaching and acting rehearsals, both Monique and Lea developed into even better performers, strengthening their respective weaknesses along the way. In the end, both gave Kim justice. But Lea will always be remembered as Kim, and monique as the "other Kim."

[clarencetuvera]

Part 2 - But the greatest comparison between them was the voice. Monique has a good, and strong voice that most people describe as "warm." It is enough for her to perform the musical part, but not to perform it exceptionally well. Lea is blessed with a "cool" voice that is soothing and melodious. After the final audition, Lea was chosen to open the role of Kim and to be the principal.

[clarencetuvera]

Part1 - Monique and Lea grew up together in Repertory Philippines. They were together in a host of musicals. Lea, however, enjoyed relative popularity compared to Monique because she was also a recording artist at a very young age (10, If I remember it right) and was also dabbling in television and movies. Monique and Lea were often compared. It was always that Monique seem fat while Lea was lithe, or that Lea is like a space cadet while Monique is a true actress in the making.

[YesSirPlease]

Monique Wilson is a weak singer but a good character actress. She's perfect for Les Miz's Madam Thenardier.

[dynamic27ph]

I also like monique better than Lea. I know monique is a better actress.

[mmcaliwanagan]

monique did kim when lea lost her voice i think... lea had to rest for like 3 weeks... i don't know if its trye but i've heard that it was lea's clean low notes that made her got the part... and who is linzi hately??? and even if she almost got the part.... she still didn't got it... lea is still the best kim!!!

[noachan]

Linzi Hately almost got the part? But isn't Kim supposed to be Asian?

[zeph23]

exactly.,

[jeromemoose]

thats what i've read abt (from the old official miss saigon site)in an article. sorry if i got you confused. i got surprised too! my friend told me abt it and i cked it out.

[khristalota]

whatever. monique and lea are both people we should be proud of. =D

[kimokao]

hey does anyonehave anything from monique's Kim?

[jeromemoose]

For me, Monique is better Kim than Lea. She realy is an antress. You should see the part when they sang Too Much for One Heart. Lea sang it well but Monique put justice to it. Lea only got the part bec it's a Musical. FYI: they almost lost the part of Original-Kim to Linzi Hateley! Cam, Alain, and Claude had second thoughts when they brought them to Casting Auditions at the Drury Lane.

[ouueee]

what happened to this linzi hateley? did she get any miss saigon part, too?

[jeromemoose]

linzi hateley was the current eponine in Les Miz that time. i think she replaced francess ruffelle. she was never on miss saigon.

[ouueee]

she sings 'on my own' very well -- i saw a clip.

[misscinta]

She's very good. Of course, I'm a rabid Lea fan always, but Monique is excellent too and I can tell she would have been a wonderful Kim.

[ed10908]

So you mean Monique did really perform as Kim in London?

[Fyuvish]

No, Monique was an understudy for Kim. :)

[cord3]

Yes, she was an understudy but she the principal after Lea went over to Broadway. Monique was so great!

[Fyuvish]

Really? Thank you for pointing that out. :)

[YesSirPlease]

yes, she did perform in London twice a week.

[isnukwin]

@ed10908

She was the second Kim for three years after Lea left the production.

[YesSirPlease]

I strongly disagree. Monique couldn't hit the high notes without sounding so restrained. It was not a tough choice who gets the lead and the understudy. Monique is so rough looking and rough sounding.

[witchygrrl]

Not necessarily. I've heard lots of good things about Monique's Kim. No need to bash her in favor of Lea. Lea's always going to be Kim in many people's hearts, but Monique sure does a hella good job too!

[ed10908]

So you mean Monique did really perform as Kim in London?

[dynamic27ph]

Yes, you don't have to bash monique. you're begining to sound as nasty as she is. Moniques is an equally good performer, even better I believe. Lea only has a nice voice but couldn't act so well. Monique can do both.

[witchygrrl]

Wow, it's SO weird hearing her sing for the part of Kim!! Her voice sounds so much more innocent and sweet, really like Lea in many ways...Such a difference from the London recording...Wow. :)