Kiwi actors Nick Afoa and Laurence Mossman cross the ditch to perform in Miss Saigon musical

(L-R) Kimberley Hodgson, Nick Afoa ,Abigail Adriano, Seann Miley Moore, Laurence Mossman. Photo / Supplied

It’s a beloved stage musical that tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving a young Vietnamese woman trying to find her American G.I lover who was torn away from her during the fall of Saigon. Now, Miss Saigon is leaning into its romance factor by making its debut in one of the world’s most romantic stages, the Sydney Opera House.

And Kiwis will be thrilled to hear that two New Zealand performers are taking centre stage.

Nick Afoa, best known for his brilliant portrayal of Simba in West End’s The Lion King, and Laurence Mossman – known from the likes of A Christmas Carol and Kinky Boots are crossing the ditch to experience the magic of performing on the Opera House stage.

Speaking to the Herald, Afoa reveals landing the co-lead in the show - which was won more than 70 major theatre awards and has been performed in more than 350 cities, has a special meaning to him because it’s exactly 10 years since the first time he performed in a Sydney theatre – that time, playing Simba.

“I’m trying to, you know, not use the word, the circle of life right now, but it kinda feels like that in a way,” he says laughing.

Miss Saigon is taking over the stage in the Sydney Opera House this year.

It’s not the only “surreal” overlap for the Kiwi-born star who admits landing the role of John in the upcoming production could have been written in the stars.

“I was actually introduced to John through a random singing lesson when I was rehearsing for the Lion King,” he laughs, recalling how his vocal coach wanted to shake things up by having him perform a song from Miss Saigon.

“At the time I’d never heard of it and he [his vocal coach] said, ‘look, I reckon you’d be a good John one day’.” Now, years later, he is going to get the chance to prove his former vocal coach right.

Meanwhile, Mossman tells the Herald his role of Thuy (pronounced Tui), wasn’t written in the stars like Afoa’s but that doesn’t mean he’s looking forward to playing him any less.

Thuy is more of a “villain” in the story and for Mossman, that means a challenge: “I usually play in a lot of musicals the romantic lead, so this [will] be a challenge for sure,” he laughs.

Mossman has had a vast career, performing all around the world so he knows more than anyone the impact the pandemic has had on the world of musical theatre. Restrictions even led the star to pivot his career to work in luxury retail for a little bit.

But now he’s back on the stage and looking forward to sharing that side of himself with audiences again. “Thankfully we’re now in a time where theatre’s starting to open up again and I think the passion is really just there and that fire is now really, really raging for a lot of people, including myself.”

Miss Saigon is taking over Sydney and two Kiwis have landed lead roles.

Miss Saigon, a musical featuring singers, dancers, acrobats and a cast of over 40 people, is set to be a captivating moment in Afoa and Mossman’s careers but it’s one that only came after hardships for the two.

For Afoa, it means saying goodbye to a character he spent 10 years embodying. Thankfully, he’s made peace with the decision after saying goodbye to Simba in the “best” way.

“I literally got to say goodbye to Simba in front of my people,” Afoa gushes.

“My family also got to come and watch and my nana who passed in December, she got to see me and I’m so happy cause she was in her last year or two of life. And she couldn’t make it to see me in Australia or, or London. But she got to see me there and yeah, it was pretty special.”

As for Mossman, he will perform knowing his late brother is looking down on him. The actor lost his brother, former Shortland Street star Frankie Mossman during the 2021 Sydney lockdown and says it’s been a tough time for the Mossman family but the actor admits he knows how his brother would have reacted to the exciting news that he landed a role in Miss Saigon.

“He would be very proud,” he says, adding, “and slightly jealous,” Mossman laughs.

Miss Saigon hits the Sydney Opera House stage in August, tickets are available now.