Kiara Dario and Laurence Mossman 

MANILA -- Bonding for “Miss Saigon” Australia cast members Kiara Dario and Laurence Mossman did not become a tall order, even if they got to work only for the first time onstage and had not met personally yet prior to performing together late in 2023.

Dario came is as a replacement for a cast in Adelaide, while Mossman was already in the musical as the antagonist Thuy. They quickly bonded over their shared Filipino roots and common Filipino friends.

“Laurence and I both started in Manila’s theater scene,” Dario told ABS-CBN News. “But it’s funny because we actually hadn’t crossed paths until ‘Miss Saigon’ [in Australia].

“I’d heard about him about his roles in the theater musical, ‘Kinky Boots’ and ‘Dolce Amore’ on TV (2016). Our mutual theater mom, Carla Guevarra-Laforteza, even joked during my auditions that we’d make a good match. I simply laughed it off.

“It became a running joke with my family that he was my ‘prod crush,’ although at that time, we were just close friends. I even shared with him about my boy troubles. It wasn’t until later in the tour that he shared his feelings for me.

“That friendship naturally grew into something more. I love that we started with such strong friendship. I think that was the heart of our relationship.”

They have been officially together for five months now. “Although with the intensity of touring, it honestly feels like we’ve known each other forever,” Dario admitted. “Our relationship is a wonderful blend of excitement.

“Having travelled so much -- from our tour stops to places like London and New Zealand during breaks -- the constant through all of it has been each other. It really feels like home wherever we are together.” 

What first endeared Dario to Mossman was how he made her feel comfortable and looked after her when she was still new to the “Miss Saigon” cast and a bit shy.

“He has this natural thoughtfulness that put me at ease right away,” Dario said. “Beyond his talent, I truly admire his hard work – he dreams big, but he always puts in the effort to make those dreams come true.

“I think one of the biggest things that drew me to him is how similar we are; we’re both a bit nerdy and socially awkward, so when we’re together, we can just let our quirks out freely. We really bring out each other’s playful side.”

Kiara Dario and Laurence Mossman 

'A dream fulfilled'

Dario auditioned for “Miss Saigon” in Melbourne in November 2023, but officially joined the “Miss Saigon” tour in January 2024 in Adelaide.

“I began performing as Gigi in February, with shows in Adelaide, Manila, four cities across Taiwan – Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan and Taipei – and then finally in Singapore. Altogether, I played the role for about nine months and returned to Manila just last month.”

Admittedly, playing Gigi was such a “whirlwind and honestly a lifelong dream fulfilled” for Dario.

“One of the most unforgettable moments happened at the Manila gala,” shared Dario. “During ‘The Heat Is On,’ when The Engineer introduced Gigi and I stepped out for her iconic ‘pin-up’ lap dance, the entire theater just exploded with cheers in the middle of the number.

“The actor playing John leaned over and whispered, ‘That has never happened before’ and it hit me how much support and pride my country had for me in that moment. It was incredibly moving.”

Another memorable moment was the final show in Singapore. When the curtain fell, the cast turned to each other and just burst into tears, as recalled by Dario.

“We stayed on that stage for what felt like forever, hugging, crying and kneeling to touch the floor in gratitude,” she said. “It was such a high-energy, deeply emotional moment -- a true testament to how much of ourselves we poured into ‘Miss Saigon.’

“It was exhausting and demanding, but I think that moment captured the love we had for each other and the whole experience. ‘Miss Saigon’ feels like the start of a new life for me. It opened doors in both my career and my life.”

 Kiara Dario and Laurence Mossman 

Feels like fate

Another fun coincidence that feels a bit like fate. “Both Laurence and I had separately planned to move to London even before joining ‘Miss Saigon’ or meeting each other,” revealed Dario.

“It’s amazing how our paths converged on this tour. ‘Miss Saigon’ not only opened so many doors to fulfill those dreams, but also serendipitously led us to find a partner along the way.

“It made the transition feel easier and left me feeling like the universe was guiding us to these moments and opportunities.”

Dario recently saw the Tony Award-winning musical, “Six,” in Manila last month and it inspired her a lot.

“As part of a girl group myself [Daydream], I think doing a show like that would be so much fun and right up my alley,” she said. “It’s amazing to see such a diverse group of women leading a huge show.

“I’d love to be any one of those queens, but right now I think I’m a Katherine Howard kind of girl. The growing demand for diversity in London’s theater scene is incredible and such a powerful shift.

“For so long, West End and Broadway offered limited spaces for Asian performers outside roles like ‘Miss Saigon.’ I grew up with those narrow casting opportunities, but now, it feels like there’s room to dream freely and aim for roles that go beyond any cultural box.

“It’s empowering to see this change and I’m excited to contribute to that vision of inclusivity once I’m there.”

Kiara Dario and Laurence Mossman 

London-based 

Both Dario and Mossman are excited to be based in London early next year. “We hope to immerse ourselves in the London musical theater scene and aim to work on the West End and around the globe now that we both have London-based agents,” Mossman said.

“Kiara recently signed with Lowy Hamilton Artists (LHA) and I signed with Creative Artists Management (CAM) after meetings earlier this year in London. CAM has some of the biggest actors in the UK including fellow ‘Miss Saigon’ alumni Joanna Ampil and Ramin Karimloo.

“’Miss Saigon’ really created opportunities for us to connect with some key people in the international theater world and opened doors for us to continue to grow our careers.”

Mossman loves how fun and silly they are when they are together. “Other than being incredibly talented and having the same interests, we just get each other,” said Mossman. “Kiara is smart, funny and weird.”

'Stars of Tomorrow'

On December 1, Dario and Mossman will stage their first musical concert together, “Stars of Tomorrow,” at Pardon My French along Jupiter St. in Makati. Musical direction is by Rony Fortich.

“After hundreds of ‘Miss Saigon’ shows, we wanted to create a fun cabaret-type show together to sing other fun theater repertoire, especially as ‘Miss Saigon’ is a very heavy and emotional show," Mossman said.

“We created the ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ to fulfill this artistic vision, but to also serve as a fundraiser to get us to London and as a bridging point between the end of our tour and the start of our new life in London.

“We wanted one show in each of our home countries and after a successful Auckland show we’re excited to bring it to Manila and share with our supportive audience. It’s just one special night for everyone to gather and support us as we pursue our dreams to get onto the biggest stages in the world.”

Kiara Dario and Laurence Mossman 

The forthcoming concert is a great way to support the couple’s transition to the London theater scene.

"I’m actively auditioning again," Dario said. “Between performances in Manila, concert preparations and sending in audition tapes, I’ve been keeping busy. It’s an exciting time to dive back into the theater grind.” 

Concert king Martin Nievera is the special guest in “Stars of Tomorrow.” He readily gave his nod after Dario and Mossman invited him.

“During the Manila run of ‘Miss Saigon,’ we were lucky to have Martin Nievera come to our gala night,” Mossman shared. “I am a huge fan of Martin and was so excited to meet him at the after-function.

“We both were praising each other's vocals and I was so grateful for the chance to meet him. When Kiara and I were talking about guest artists to join, I immediately thought of Martin, so I reached out to him and he graciously agreed to join in on our show.

“He is such a supportive and generous man and we’re grateful to have him as our guest, as well as the talented Gab Pangilinan, one of the leading ladies of Philippine theater.”

 Rony Fortich, who is no stranger to Mossman, agreed to become the musical director of the concert.

“I’ve worked with Rony a few times over the last decade and I always trust him to help bring the best music for our shows,” Mossman offered. “He is a fantastic musical director and pianist.

“Rony will be arranging some of our songs for a full band of keys, guitar, bass and drums so the audience are definitely going to have a feast for their ears as well as a literal feast thanks to the chefs at Pardon My French.

“Kiara and I chose songs that best represent our strong vocals and where we are right now in our careers. Kiara will be belting out some hits from contemporary musicals and I will be taking us back to some classic musicals.

“Together, we’ll sing some ‘Miss Saigon’ songs and we’ll add a dash of OPM in there for good measure. There’ll definitely be a variety of music for our audience to enjoy.”