EDITORIAL - Miss Saigon melting pot wins praise

MISS Saigon received a standing ovation last night. On a cold Tuesday night, in a reasonably full theatre, the cast basked in the applause.
Sure, the leads are outstanding but for me, as one of the production assistants for the past six months, my heart burst for the ensemble.
I've watched this diverse group of people blossom into slick performers.
Many of the Asian people in the cast, who were actively recruited from around the region to fulfil the dream of director Gillian Davies to have a truly authentic show, had never been on stage before. Some play instruments but none had performed as singers and dancers.
They come from around the world - China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, England and Vietnam. Some are New Zealand born, others are immigrants and four are homestay students. They are joined by Pacific Island, Maori and European cast members.
I remember one Chinese student turning up at the rehearsal door five months ago after being dropped off by a teacher from his high school. He looked utterly bewildered and his English wasn't great.
But one of the more seasoned cast members took him under his wing and two weeks later that boy knew all the lyrics and had brought along two friends. And that has been the recurring theme throughout - support and caring.
With a cast of 82, sometimes it's been a logistical nightmare.
Three times a week we've transported to rehearsals young cast members whose families were working and couldn't get them there, or from homestay residences.
And the community has helped out. One primary school principal decided she didn't want two of her young Asian pupils to miss out on the opportunity of being in the show and brought them to Sunday rehearsals herself.
And the father of one of the smaller children in the show took over the responsibility of making sure all the children made rehearsals.
We've all benefited from this mixing of cultures both on and off stage.
We've shared home-made Chinese meals and singalongs, and some of the show's choreography was inspired by cast members.
Last night, as the curtain went down, the cast leaped into the air at the thrill of a standing ovation.
They deserved it and I feel privileged to have been a part of it.