Lea Salonga gained global acclaim for her portrayal of Kim, the Vietnamese protagonist in Miss Saigon on London’s West End. But there was another Filipino actor who was featured in the production. His name is Jojo dela Cerna, who took on the role of Thuy, Kim’s cousin and fiancé.
What most people don’t know is that Dela Cerna grew up in the remote town of Bansalan, Davao del Sur, where most people know him as Jojo Adlawan. He ventured to Manila to pursue a career in singing within the entertainment industry, a decision he regarded as a gamble. This occurred during the period from 1991 to 1994.
Now a British citizen and living in the Sussex countryside by the English Channel, South Coast England, Dela Cerna shared his story in an exclusive interview on how he got the role of Thuy. He joined the queue of numerous aspirants vying for a role in the casting of Miss Saigon in 1995.
“I was consistently recalled, yet I never had the fortune to advance to the finals for the opportunity to travel to either Germany or Australia,” he said. “It was incredibly frustrating. I suspected it was due to my accent or perhaps my perceived inadequacy.”
Initially, he only applied for an ensemble position. “I found out that the choreography was quite challenging at that time, but whenever I sang, I was continually advanced to the next group of recalled candidates.”
Dela Cerna decided to apply for the role of Thuy. He recalled, “I was auditioning for (the part) predominantly because of my age; at that time, I was matched to be Kim’s cousin for the casting. The part also suited my vocal range, singing high notes on the stage while harassing Kim with the knife protecting her son Tam.”
Thuy’s casting notes read: “Strong willed, aggressive, and militaristic. Intensely patriotic and anti-American. Strong vocal and dramatic ability required.”
The description fitted Dela Cerna perfectly.
“I was offered the contract to perform Thuy in London’s West End while in Manila, and by the end of the week my batch were on the flight to London,” he remembered. “(There was) no time for goodbyes with my family in Davao – that’s how urgent the new cast was needed in London at that time.”
The rest was history.
Rehearsal involved a demanding schedule, leaving no room for tardiness, regardless of any unforeseen circumstances that might arise in the London underground. “I was performing the role of Thuy for a year,” he said. “Due to restructuring, I also did the Ensemble for almost a year, then went back on performing Thuy for the next two years until it finally closed, which bought me time to be granted residency in the United Kingdom then into British Citizenship in the year 2000.”
Dela Cerna wasn’t able to perform with Lea Salonga at the West End because she was already doing the production on Broadway in New York. But he had an opportunity of working with her and other original cast at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in the Shonberg and Boublil Concert (the music and lyric creators of Miss Saigon, respectively).
“It was a nerve-wracking experience to be performing alongside the originals of Miss Saigon in that concert, an incredible experience,” he said, adding that he joined the second half of Miss Saigon until its final curtain in 1999 in the West End.
He encountered several moments during the run of the show. But one memorable event was during the final reprise of Miss Saigon in 1999. “I felt in my bones to be truly part of this historic musical event that changed the lives of so many Filipino artists around the world,” he said. “We reprised the music highlights of the show with the original Kim, Lea Salonga and original Engineer, Jonathan Pryce, while producer Cameron Mackintosh and music producers were in the levitating car during the American Dream as the culmination finale – a momentous event I will never forget as closing of an era.”
That closing, however, paved a way for a new opportunity for Dela Cerna to perform the role of Luntha, the tragic lover of Tuptim in The King and I, in subsequent years of touring around the United Kingdom.
“(Luntha) was memorable not just to sing the beautiful duets by Rodgers and Hammerstein classics but I remembered almost being naked on stage while wearing the traditional Thai half made style costume and the monks robe while sporting a clean shaved head for the duration of the contract,” he recalls.
There were several other unforgettable roles. He played Emperor Abe on Pacific Overtures, which was staged in Leicester Haymarket Theatre. “(The play was) one of the most difficult musical experiences I was part of, with emphasis on Japanese accuracy, and wearing of the white makeup on just like a geisha,” he says.
Dela Cerna had the opportunity of working with some of the famous stage thespians like Jason Scott Lee, Stefanie Powers, Elaine Paige, and Brian Conley. “I worked with European and American actors, mostly in the lead,” he says.
Doing stage plays while touring is no bed of roses. “Touring was fun at first but very taxing for a long time; (there was) no sense of settlement as you need to be ready yet again in the next two weeks to the next theatre of destination,” he said. “Regardless of what the British weather brings while travelling to the next town or city, you are expected to be on top of the form once on stage with no second take for consideration being a theatre performer.”
Being in a country where most people are white, he considered himself one of the lucky ones. “There were limited roles for Asians in the West End,” he admitted. “You are lucky to be chosen among the top of every agent already experienced and well-connected in the business to get the part. I’m also short in height to be partnered with a much taller counterpart, which was a hindrance in castings at times, but thanks to height increase shoes which proves to make the difference.”
But there were good times, too, in doing stage plays. “Playing the baddie (in Miss Saigon) was seriously intense while ending the scene with you being shot and dead every single show,” he guffawed.
But when he was in the chorus, it was another story. “The fun was just endless while creating some scene improvisations,” he said. “It starts in the opening scene Dreamland with all the GI Joe’s in the club harassing the bar girls, where you can hear the GI Joe’s talking in Filipino words and phrases to add some Asian affectation. Backstage, the GI Joe co-actors would ask for some tips or words in Tagalog they can use onstage but they retained mostly the sleazy bad words as easy to remember and seldom the good words.”
The fun side actually started at the rehearsals while learning lines and choreography, blockings and familiarizing the exits, to name a few. “You can also relax in between, get to know your co-actors who come from different countries and their cultures with some very unique artistic backgrounds like the acrobats or the martial artists,” he said.
In between those appearances on stage, Dela Cerna released his self-titled album, “Trust the Wind” by David Friedman with Nathan Martin as musical director. He also performed in cabaret acts in the West End cabaret circuits with appearances at the Mountbatten Hotel Lounge, the Jermyn Street Theatre and the Talk of London as well as corporate and private functions within the Filipino community in the United Kingdom.
“After I recorded my signature record and did some West End cabarets I felt I was fulfilled on a personal level,” he said. “Perhaps I was wondering about stability as I thought Asian roles were limited even though I had two very promising agents back then.”
When asked how he was able to survive for so long in another country, Dela Cerna replies, “Experience makes you even more confident despite the hurdles of finding a job in another country. I never wasted time to jump start for stability quite early when I started in 2005 to diversify and branch out into something different to prove my self-worth with survival instinct.
“Social integration is also very important in my experience particularly that the UK is a multi-cultural society with teeming diversity,” he concluded.
Dela Cerna, indeed, has gone a long, long way. To think, he started his career in several singing competitions including the First Zamboanga City Music Festival. He emerged as champion in the Belter of the Year in National Panasonic’s Quest for the Best (1993). He also represented the Philippines in the Third International Laser Competition in Bangkok, Thailand where he emerged the winner.
He graduated high school from Holy Cross College of Bansalan and then earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Ateneo de Davao University in 1991
