Armed with a sweet singing voice and an innocent face, then 18 yr. old Ma-Anne Dionisio had no clue what the future held for her in Canada after she audition for the role of Kim in the Toronto production of Miss Saigon. Barely a year after the phenomenal worldwide success of the London staging of the musical Miss Saigon in which Filipino singer and TV host Lea Salonga rose to international fame when she was made to play Kim in 1989.
Ma-Anne’s outstanding success in Miss Saigon earned her nominations for the Dora Mavor Moore Award for best actress in 1994 and again in 2011. She also toured the world playing unforgettable roles in other Broadway musicals such as Les Miserable, CATS and West Side Story to name a few, thus becoming an accomplished Broadway artist.
Ma-Anne Dionisio.
Born and raised in Taguig, Manila, Ma-Anne is also the founding artist of Theatre 20, a musical theatre company in Toronto formed by artists in 2009 and has also appeared in film and television and played a lead role in the movie “The Waiting Room”.
Simply the Best TV recently saw Ma-Anne’s performance in a two-act musical revue “Closer than Ever” that focused on real world adult responsibilities and challenges. Altogether, the equally distributed roles amongst the four main casts proved that she has rose to the occasion during her solos. Although a far cry from her challenging roles as Kim (Miss Saigon) and Eponine (Les Miserables), Ma-Anne proved her versatility and, over the years, has mastered control and sophistication.
Here’s our interview with Ma-Anne.
Luisa: How do you like Vancouver?
Ma-Anne: It’s absolutely beautiful. I managed to find magical spots. I’ve been to Stanley Park, Capilano Bridge, and Van Dusen Gardens. It’s been amazing! I got the chance to really see the sights with some of my friends that lived here.
Luisa: Is this your first time in Vancouver?
Ma-Anne: I was here, maybe, 25 years ago now. So I don’t even remember much really ’cause I was so young. Just before Miss Saigon, I did a show called “Spirit of a Nation” that toured all over Canada and this is one of the places that we were at.
Luisa: You have an amazing life touring all over world, how was that experience for you?
Ma-Anne:
I feel very blessed and absolutely grateful because it has been an amazing experience all around. I can’t complain.
Luisa: You were 16 yrs. old when you first came to Canada. How was that transition for you?
Ma-Anne: It was really hard and really quick. We moved to Winnipeg, of all places, in January… so we went from plus 30 something to minus 30 something. “Pumutok talaga ang daliri ko sa lamig”. It was tough but then it was so quick. Just like what I said, it was quick because I toured with “Spirit with an Asian”, then I moved to Toronto to do Miss Saigon. Ang bilis talaga. Then I have to move to Australia, sunod sunod. I find myself sometimes having to actually catch up with myself.
Luisa: Is this really something that you wanted to do ever since you were little?
Ma-Anne: I can’t say that because I was actually studying to become a dentist. (She laughs). I really didn’t even dream of it, to be completely honest, so I just kinda learned how to go with the flow as it happens.
Luisa: Singing and performing are obviously your passions. How long have you been doing this?
Ma-Anne:
About 25 years or more because I did a little bit in the Philippines as well. When I was 14 yrs. old, ABS-CBN had Discovery 88 with Lino Brocka and Charo Santos. I was one of those people. I was actually the only recording artist at the time so they launched me at the Sharon Cuneta Show so I got to sing with her and meet people like Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera, basically my heroes!
We did a TV movie with Lino Brocka and matched us up with all the amazing actors and actresses in the Philippines so that was quite an experience.
Luisa: Who is your inspiration?
Ma-Anne: Ang dami… I think I have a lot. The first person that comes to mind right now is my very first engineer in Miss Saigon. He’s passed away now. His name is Kevin Gray. He’s kinda like a huge father figure to me in terms of like a role model, as a human being. He’s such an amazing soul and if it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have stuck it out because he sort of gave me the facility. There’s something about him that made it right at that time. I was basically lost in the world of musical theatre. So he was a really good guide and so was the rest of the company. I’m really grateful for the entire production of Toronto Miss Saigon because that’s where I started.
Luisa: What’s the best part of your career?
Ma-Anne: Kim will always hold a very special place in my heart but every opportunity I’ve gotten has been quite the experience and quite a journey for me so every single one has held a special place in my heart, for sure, not just as a performer, but also as person.
Luisa: What do you say to all the little Filipino girls who are looking up to you saying, “I wanna be like her someday?”
Ma-Anne: Keep singing, keep following your dream but at the same time be prepared to work really hard because it’s not all easy like it may seem from the outside. But it’s a lot of work, a lot of discipline, and a lot of hard times and you have to be able to surround yourself with people that love you and support you in order to get through the tough times.
Please visit www.luisamarshall.com for the full episode of On Spotlight: Ma-Anne Dionisio.
