Nursery rhyme lands Gerald Santos plum role in Danish Miss Saigon

September 15 ------ The first thing he packed, on his way to London in 2017, was a service rice cooker.

“Being a regular rice eater, I was afraid I’d miss our staple food abroad,” says singer-actor Gerald Santos. Now, he adds, he has learned his lesson. No more rice cooker in his luggage as he prepares for another challenge, another stint as Vietnamese character Thuy in the Danish edition of Miss Saigon. Gerald gladly revealed in a media conference recently that he’s leaving for Copenhagen, Denmark in December to start rehearsals for the internationally renowned stage musical. Miss Saigon is produced by DetNy Theater, the biggest theater company in Denmark. The show will run from February 9, 2023 until June 3, 2023 in Copenhagen. “I’ve been learning my songs in Danish, which is said to be one of the most difficult languages to learn,” he said. On his final audition, Gerald was asked to sing, of all things, a Danish nursery rhyme.

After two years of playing anti-hero Thuy as part of a touring company to various parts of England, doesn’t he get tired of it? “The fact that I’m doing it in a different language this time opens a new dimension to the role,” he says. Gerald logged in 553 performances (8 shows per week) as Thuy in the Miss Saigon UK/International Tour 2017-2019. Before leaving, Gerald will reprise his role as Doc Willie Ong in Mediabiz’s restaging of I Will: The Musical at the Metropolitan Theater on Oct. 14. The original Filipino musical with libretto, music and direction by Rommel Ramilo was staged, filmed and streamed online in 2021 at the Music Museum. The musical, which tells the heroism of social media influencers, doctors Willie and Liza Ong, features Ima Castro, Jon Joven Uy, Krizza Neri, and Roeder Camañag. I Will: The Musical aims to raise funds for Good Samaritan Foundation, the charity arm of Mary Mediatrix Medical Center in Lipa City. The singer-actor, recently named brand ambassador of Contura Medica, is also in two movies: Mamasapano, about the massacre of SAF 44 in 2015, and Al Coda, a romantic comedy opposite Marion Aunor.

Source: mb.com.ph