Balladeer and The Clash Season 1 finalist Garrett Bolden makes his theater debut in the musical stage production of Miss Saigon in Guam.
He is set to play the role of John Thomas, an American GI deployed in Saigon at the time of the Vietnam War, and the best friend of Chris Scott.
Garrett admitted that his journey in joining Miss Saigon was unexpected and a brand new experience for him, “I didn’t plan on auditioning. It so happened that a friend of mine told me that there’s an audition for a theater. Although I did theater before, that was high school days, for my experience as a professional, this is going to be my first.”
He revealed that his personal connection with his audition piece helped him get the role, “Hearing ‘Bui Doi’ for the first time actually hit me. The song is very relatable sa akin kasi I had this time before na I was looking for my real dad. So siguro ‘yung nabigay kong feelings doon sa audition song, ‘yun po ‘yung naging way para ma-consider nila ako for the next stages of auditions.”
The Sparkle star also took dance lessons to prepare for his stint in Miss Saigon, “Kinondisyon ko po ang sarili ko na kapag teatro, hindi lang po ito kantahan. It’s actually your whole body going to portray the character and the message, and it’s something that I am excited po. For sure po maninibago ako pero I’m willing to learn po lahat ng dapat kong matutunan to portray this role.”
Lastly, he feels that Miss Saigon’s story is still relevant up to this day, “For me, the interpretation of Miss Saigon is it’s not actually about the love story, but it’s about abandonment. I myself experienced it, there was a long time when I was looking for my father. In this Miss Saigon, ang dami palang mga batang naabandona and you know it’s important for a child to know who his father is, who their parents are. And napakalaki ng impact no’n sa bata.”
Garrett will debut on Miss Saigon Guam stage in September. For tickets, visit www.misssaigonguam.com.
