Dream role

NOBODY can sing The American Dream from Miss Saigon with more satisfaction than Jon Jon Briones. The struggling Filipino actor now lives in New York having forged a reputation as one of the best leading men to play the Engineer, the wheeler-dealer Dreamland bar owner in Saigon who is determined to escape the Vietnam War and live in luxury in the US.

Briones talks with undisguised amazement about his own journey in showbusiness which saw him leave behind the chaos of the post-Marcos Philippines to become part of the West End's original Miss Saigon ensemble in 1989.

As he waits to bring the Schonberg-Boublil musical to Sunderland's Empire Theatre next month, he says: "I did start out auditioning for the role of Engineer but they said 'good audition but you look like you're 17 years old'," admits Briones, who was actually 22 at that time.

"I was doing theatre but very small work and I thought when I auditioned for Cameron (Mackintosh) in the Philippines I was worried that my resume wouldn't be good enough. I was lucky to be in the batch of people who left the Philippines. They were all big-time theatre and movie people, so it was very intimidating and I thought I wasn't going to get in."

When he returned to the Philippines after the West End run he found himself famous simply because he'd appeared in the show.

"People would call me and ask me if I'd like to do a project and one producer said 'I don't know you, I don't even know how you work, but because of your name I'd like to hire you'. After that, when people saw me, the offers came flooding in."

After three years in the West End, Briones linked up again with Miss Saigon in Germany and eventually moved from understudy as Engineer to take on the role. Life in New York followed meeting and marrying US singer Megan (she played GI Chris's wife Ellen) and being chosen to play Engineer for two US tours and the show's Asian tour.

Briones reveals he actually returned to New York at that time and went back to school as a massage therapist "but I didn't finish that because they called me back to the North American tour".

So what is the pull of Miss Saigon that would see him halt his education?

"When I'm not doing theatre I'm always itching to do it. It's like needing oxygen and I found I liked massage and making people feel better, but also I like making myself feel better. I have helped people in a way by being on stage so that's a big fire in you when you hear people reacting."

So is he a natural wheeler-dealer like The Engineer?

"No, I'm a wimp. Most of the time I don't know how to express myself that's why I love being on stage, because you're given a script and you make it work and understand it. You're given a long time to understand the script and you perform it on stage and people think that it's coming from you and it's great because you're a different person. My wife could do all that... she's the boss."

His last visit to his homeland was during the Asian tour in 2000 and he admits that the Philippines does have a reputation for 'craziness'.

"You know, I'm used to it and was born and raised there and was there during the first People Power revolution against the Marcos's. But when I was there in 2000 with my wife and child, people were trying to oust the current president and it was very troubled and as she was supporting our show so we were in fear of Miss Saigon being closed. Then there were bombings and it was scary, particularly for the Western guys who were there."

But surely hasn't the experiences of 2001 in New York been just as frightening?

"No, because life goes on and it's all over. Some people would feel safer and a lot of people would feel safer in New York than, say, here in Europe."

He does follow the political struggles in his homeland and calls the situation depressing, particularly when the current war against terrorism has left several countries with unstable governments. "I owe a lot to Miss Saigon. It's given me a lot and it's where I've met my wife. I met her in the German production where she was playing the American wife and we got married in Germany and our first child was born in London while I was doing the West End production and now my wife is expecting another during this tour."

So what is the next stage of The American Dream and will he tour Miss Saigon for a second year in the UK?

"I don't know. I'm so enjoying the show, I'm so enjoying the part... it's the best part especially for an Asian actor. It doesn't get any better than this, sometimes I think it's better than the King in The King And I. But at the same time, if I can't give any more I won't cheat the show. My aim, when we come back, is to go to LA and pursue a career in television."

And a Broadway excursion as Engineer is another ambition. "That would be a dream, the dream," he whispers.

* Miss Saigon runs at Sunderland's Empire, January 18-March 5. Box Office: 0870 602 1130

Published: 30/12/2004