The Wharton Center will welcome one of the most legendary musicals of the last thirty years this month with the arrival of “Miss Saigon.” Performances are scheduled from March 12-17th. From the creators of “Les Misérables” and based on Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly,” “Miss Saigon” tells the tragic story of a romance between a 17-year-old Vietnamese woman named Kim and American G.I. Chris.
Emily Bautista made her Broadway debut in the lead role of Kim as an understudy and performer. I spoke with her about her influences, why representation in theatre has made an impact on her career, and the role she’d love to pursue next (paging Lin-Manuel Miranda).
Stefanie Pohl: You star as Kim in “Miss Saigon,” and have also performed the role of Éponine in “Les Misérables.” What has drawn you to these deeply emotional characters, which coincidentally come from musicals of the same composers?
Emily Bautista: “Miss Saigon” and “Les Mis” were two of my favorite shows growing up. There’s something about playing both Kim and Éponine that is very empowering. With Éponine, what’s hard is that people see her as just in love and young. But she’s so much more than that; she’s creative and unique. She makes a world around her out of nothing. And Kim is the same way. I think people might feel like she was in love, but at the same time, she took care of her child. She was a single mother. She fled a war-torn country. There are so many empowering things about these women, and getting to experiment with all of the different traits that they have has been a very interesting journey.
Pohl: What are the ways that you are able to decompress or gear up for the emotional journey that happens in the show?
Bautista: One of the big things that Eva Noblezada, who played Kim in New York, told me was to take care of myself. You have to do the show six or eight times a week, and you can’t do that unless you take care of yourself. For me, that’s why I always love getting massages and treating myself to face masks after the show. Maybe a pint of ice cream here or there. Whatever I need that night, without spoiling myself, I like to do that. On top of that, it’s truly just staying healthy, especially on tour. It’s hard traveling every Monday, so taking care of my physical and emotional being is a crucial part of this job.
Pohl: Are there things that you tap into emotionally to convey the despair you experience on stage?
Bautista: It depends on the day, and it depends on what I’m feeling. Some days, I will say, it’s easier to get there than others. Other days, I feel a little bit closed off. I learned this in a yoga retreat: the instructor told me that whenever I feel like I’m getting lost or starting to drift, just remember where my feet are. So if I’m on stage and starting to drift, I actually feel the stage. I spend much of the show kneeling on the floor, or laying on the floor. I go back to my breathe and center my body. That normally helps to relax me and let my guard down so I can reach those places emotionally.
Pohl: What is the reaction you’ve gotten about the show from audiences?
Bautista: It’s always very positive; I’ve been very fortunate. We as a cast have been very fortunate to get very positive feedback from fans and at the stage door. This little girl the other day wrote me a letter that explained how much she loved musical theatre and that this inspired her. That really warmed my heart. That’s why we do our jobs. We do this to meet these people and hopefully inspire them.
Pohl: What do you think it is that makes “Miss Saigon” timeless?
Bautista: I think that is the perfect word. The show is very timeless. It comes down to the message behind it. Unfortunately this world is not perfect and it never will be. “Miss Saigon” shows a broken world, but it also shows how love persists, and it survives. That’s one of the most hopeful messages, that even in the most broken places, love survives.
Pohl: You’ve spoken about how Lea Salonga inspired you growing up and the importance of representation. How did that representation in theatre impact you, and how do you see yourself continuing that legacy in the role of Kim?
Bautista: It was so important. Growing up, Lea was one of the only actors that I could look up to and see that she looked like me on stage. It was really cool seeing that. It was important to me that if or when I started working professionally, hopefully I could do the same for someone else. I’ve had a couple of kids come up to me at the stage door expressing their gratitude and how excited they were to see an Asian American on stage. The first time I got that feedback was actually in “Les Mis,” and that was so heartwarming. We’re moving in that direction slowly but surely. It warmed my heart to know that I can make a little bit of a difference and move toward that movement.
Pohl: Who were some of your heroes as you began pursuing this career?
Bautista: Lea Salonga for sure is one of them. For all of my childhood memories, her voice is the one on the soundtrack in the background. And Eva Noblezada, covering her in New York, I learned so much from her. She’s been such a great friend of mine. Watching her journey is very inspiring, and she’s so supportive of me. She started in this business at a young age, and that was very comforting to know someone else around my age starting in this business. I really look up to her as one of my role models for sure.
Pohl: What advice would you have for young people wanting to pursue this career?
Bautista: I think one of the big things is to keep your head down and focus on your path. One of the things I would have told myself when I was auditioning for colleges is that not everyone’s path is the same. You can’t compare yourself to others. You might reach success earlier or very late, and that’s all okay. You’re going to be where you need to be in order to do what you want to do. I struggled with comparing myself to people around me, but at the end of the day, we’re not all the same. Our path isn’t going to be the same.
Pohl: After playing two iconic musical theatre characters, are there any other dream roles you’d like to pursue in the future?
Bautista: I would love to play Eliza in “Hamilton.” I think she’s another one of those strong female roles that are just very inspiring. I love the story of it and the music she gets to sing. She’s definitely one of those roles I’d love to sink my teeth into.
Don’t miss Emily Bautista and the cast of “Miss Saigon.” The show arrives at the Wharton Center March 12-17th. Click here for show and ticket information.