Rachelle Ann Go returns to the 'Les Mis' stage in Manila

Rachelle Ann Go has performed Les Misérables all over the world, but returning to Manila is never routine.

“It’s always a dream come true to perform for the Filipino people,” she said during a press conference on Wednesday. 

"This is where I started.”

Now part of the "Les Misérables World Tour Spectacular in Manila," staged at Solaire Theatre, Go describes the performance as emotionally heavier than the last. The weight comes not from pressure, but from recognition.

“Every single night, I feel like I want to cry,” she said. “Seeing the faces of the Filipino people cheering for me. And I will always come back. It's just different. It's just, I feel very emotional every single night."

This time, she is also not alone onstage. The cast includes fellow Filipino performers, including Lea Salonga, someone Go has long regarded as an idol.

“There’s a Pinoy on stage. And now, it’s not just me,” she said. “It’s amazing to be able to share the stage with my idols and to sing for our countrymen.”

The moment carries particular weight because Go remembers what it was like when that representation did not exist for her. In her first year in "Les Misérables" in the West End, she nearly walked away.

“I was crying before the show,” she recalled. “I was asking God, is this for me? Because I feel like I do not fit in.”

The doubt came to a head one night when she feared she would fail onstage. Then, unexpectedly, a fellow cast member offered a quiet affirmation.

From that moment, she stopped anchoring her worth to audience reaction.

“I realized I’m not performing for the people here,” she said. “I have a purpose why I’m here on stage.”

That shift kept her in the show. It also kept her in the industry long enough to witness change.

Looking at today’s cast, Go sees more Asian performers occupying roles that once felt unreachable.

“Now I’m still here, and seeing a lot of Asians in the cast, it’s like, wow, we made it.”

The statement is quiet, but it carries years of waiting. Representation, in her telling, did not arrive suddenly. It accumulated and stayed because people stayed.

For her, coming home now is not about validation. It is about standing on a stage that reflects more than one story, more than one face, and more than one kind of belonging.

Go is among the strong Filipino presence in the global cast of the "Les Misérables: The World Tour Spectacular," alongside Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, Emily Bautista, and Red Concepcion.

With Cameron Mackintosh, in association with Nick Grace Management and GMG Productions, the Manila staging runs until March 1, 2026, at the Solaire Theatre, with ticket prices starting at P1,750. — LA, GMA Integrated News