American teenager Eva Noblezada will make her professional theatre debut on the world’s biggest stage, the West End, when she plays the role of Kim in the new production of Miss Saigon.
The 17-year-old from North Carolina, who was discovered performing at a high school concert in New York, will star alongside West End regulars Alistair Brammer (Chris) and Tamsin Carroll (Ellen), Miss Saigon veterans Jon Jon Briones (The Engineer) and Hugh Maynard (John), and double-platinum Philippines recording artist Rachelle Ann Go (Gigi), when Cameron Mackintosh’s new production opens at the Prince Edward theatre in May 2014.
Reportedly Noblezada, who is studying at Charlotte’s Northwest School of the Arts, will perform four shows a week to enable her to continue her studies in London.
Noblezada’s story of stunning school performances bears resemblance to that of her co-star Brammer, who so impressed in a school production of Les Misérables that he appeared in a special finale for the long-running show’s 20th anniversary. He went on to play Marius in the West End, and appeared both in the 25th anniversary show at the O2 and the hit big screen adaptation.
Carroll has previously appeared in London productions of Oliver!, The Magistrate and Ragtime, while Briones and Maynard have both played their Miss Saigon roles in tours of the much-loved Boublil and Schönberg musical.
Miss Saigon, which has been staged in 300 cities and 15 languages around the world, tells the story of Kim who, orphaned by the Vietnam War and forced to work at sleazy club Dreamland, falls in love with American GI Chris. When Saigon falls, their lives fall apart with it.
The show, which was first staged at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane 25 years ago, caused a ticket-buying storm when it went on sale in September, reportedly breaking the record for the biggest single day of ticket sales in either the West End or Broadway.
See Cameron Mackintosh introducing the new cast at the top of the page.