[MissKimSaigon]

Which Kim is your fav. I like Jo. u?

[-ashleigh-]

Lea - Original and best.

[piscesmoni]

I haven't heard anyone besides Lea, but I think she is very good at expressing emotion and her devotion to Tam. I think this performance is better than her performance as Eponine in Les Mis because there's more emotion to be felt here. I would like to hear Jo, but I can't seem to get ahold of a copy or clip...

-Moni

[-ashleigh-]

[javertsw]

I would love to hear Jo Ampil in it, because I think she is absolutely amazing- but I don't have the money to buy a cd just to hear one person. I like Lea in Miss Saigon though. (I agree, I don't really like her in Les Mis)

[Jess!]

Has to be Jo! she is the most amazing actress ever and has a great voice. She does by far the best rendition of my fav song (i'd give my life for you), but I do love lea too she has a really beautiful voice and before I heard Jo I thought nothing could beat her.

[miki]

Lea will always be the KIM but Jo is very very very good too. So is Aura Deva (the German Kim- very beautiful voice!!) Both have such beautiful voice that it is quite hard to choose but I really love Lea's clear sweet voice. I would do anything to have a voice like hers

[piscesmoni]

[Alanna]

I voted Lea cuz I've heard her the most... all I've heard Jo do is Fantine in Les Mis, but she was absolutely breathtaking at that, so I'm not sure how I could choose between them.

And Ruthie Henshall makes a much better Ellen than Claire Moore - I quite like Claire, but Ruthie is Ruthie.

[-ashleigh-]

[piscesmoni]

I live in a tiny town 50 miles from Los Angeles. Our dinky library has the OLC but not the CSR, so I've always been curious as to how Jo sounds like.

-Moni

[LauraS]

I voted Joanna because she is such a wonderful actress, Lea has wonderful emotion in her voice but Joanna's seems so much more real and sincere. I love Lea's 'Please' and the hope in her voice when she enters for 'Room 317' but I love Joanna the whole way through! Also having seen them both in performance Joanna completely surpasses Lea on stage, her acting is some of the best I have ever seen in both musical and straight theatre.

[Tracy]

I voted Joanna as she was just so amazing as Kim and always made me cry. Such a wonderful voice and what an actress. Love her as Fantine.

[Melanie]

Has to be Jo without a doubt. She puts so much heart and soul into the role, apart from her amazing voice which seems to get more powerful by the day. Fantastic as Fantine too.

[Alanna]

Moni - You can probably find the major CSR songs on the internet (well, I've only managed Now That I've Seen Her...searching for the actors as well as Miss Saigon may help). The actual CSR is available on Amazon, but that requires money.

[Claire L]

I voted Lea, she's absolutely flawless. No one else has such a pure, sweet tone IMO. I do like Joanna's voice but not as Kim - I find it too rich. I also disagree on Joanna's acting, I've seen her as Kim twice and the first was ok but the second performance was the worst I've ever seen. Ok it might have been an off day but it has never been so obvious to me that someone was simply going through the motions.

[MissKimSaigon]

go to http://www.miss-saigon.50megs.com/contact.html and if ur computer will play it you should hear Jo, the other pages play other people too, there are some of lea too. The sites really old and out of date though, i've not updated it in ages.

[piscesmoni]

[DrKnowledge]

Jo rules...

www.JoAmpil.com

[MBoy]

I have to go w/Lea . . . I saw her and Ruthie a week before the show closed on Broadway . . . their I Still Believe withstands as one of the most amazing moments I've ever witnessed in live theatre . . .

[Jess!]

Hey, Dr Knowledge did u vote, u said Jo rules but the tally didn't go up, we can't have that! also i'v noticed many people voating lea cos they've never heard jo, hardly the point i feel. (only joking, plz no one take offence, just a little friendly side rivalry)

[Primashonna]

Deedee Magno is the best Kim!

[Brittannie06]

I would say Lea, as someone wrote earlier, Joanna has a richer sounding voice, and I just think that Lea's light and pretty voice makes her innocence stand out more than Joanna's voice.

[RainyCrystal]

i really think that Lea is the best Kim ever

[Krista]

Lea Salonga. Her voice is divine, emotional, and both strong and soft at the same time. She is Kim. I don't have much to compare to, though, since I've seen Saigon only twice and both times with the same leading lady (she was amazing too, but I still prefer Lea) and I haven't listened to the CSR, but I still couldn't even imagine anyone being a better Kim than Lea Salonga.

[Melanie]

Definately JO! Her voice is perfect, pure when soft and so much power when needed. And it just gets better and better!

[baritenor30]

Lea is still the definitive Kim, no one beats her tonal clarity and purity. Joanna is surprisingly good in the role, but she has a tad too much vibratto for my taste

[Superstar83]

Lea, but I saw Joanna on stage in the role and loved her just as much. They have very similar voices IMHO.

[Webster]

Joanna Definitely. Lea Solanga has one of the most amazing voices ever and I like her more as Eponine hands down, but I think that Joanna is just a better belter, and Kim is a Mezzo part full of passion. It really comes through on the CSR.

[Dancing-Fool]

Both were amazing, but Lea is the Original who made the role that is why I chose her.

[Eponine93]

I have to go with Lea because 1) I haven't heard Jo and once again, can't get the CSR because that costs money and 2) I want to be Lea Salonga. Seriously. I would DIE for her voice. Its amazing.

I didn't see her in Les Miz (or Miss Saigon for that matter, yay being not born or too young to see them when those shows were originally on Broadway!) but I love watching clips of her as Eponine, particurally in "On My Own." Everything: her voice, her expressions, just the way she looked, was stunning. In Miss Saigon on the CD we hear the voice and I assume all the expressions must be the same.

[truenorth1]

I concede I can't be very objective on this because I have only seen Lea on YouTube and I have only heard, not seen, Jo (who makes a grammar error on the CSR, and they didn't edit it!). And I have seen Laurie Cadevida live on the Melbourne 2007 show. I think Laurie is the best of these three. But I am comparing Lea when she was in her 1st year in MS, while I am seeing Laurie in her 4th, so Laurie had a time to hone her skills. Lea earned her Tony, but Laurie continues to wow Australian audiences with the quality and strength of her voice which matches the strength of her character.

[kitty17794]

Lea, hands down. She is AMAZING.

[sherwills]

Jo is defnitely a better belter than Lea but I think because Lea had more international exposures (not just in theatre but movies and televisions), people are more familiar with her and so they'd usually choose her.

I chose Lea too. I've only heard Jo on the CSR and saw her perform as Fantine in Les Mis. I suppose it helps more if you're american based (and talented too of course). There's a wider chance of exposure there which gives Lea the advantage.

[milkywhite24601]

I actually like the one I saw in a community theatre show the best...I forget her name, but it was scary how good she was, the emotions and everything, she was truly believeable as the part and added so much to it. Plus, her voice was extraordinary. However, of these two, I think I'm going to have to go with Lea, even though I haven't seen either of them, I think Lea has much mroe emotion in her voice which I like.

[rita0629]

[lianneMiserables516]

LEA SALONGA

[cymbellynne]

I agree that Lea will always be Kim... and lots of other Kim's will always be compared to her.

I've heard both Lea and Jo sing, Lea on the OLC and Jo live and I think both are just great. Different actress brings different qualities to the character.

But I'd go for Lea, if I really have to pick. It's tough not to love the original.

[deGREENIFYme]

I'd go for Lea

[aorin]

I'd go for Lea Salonga. I've never seen either artist performing live and only heard Lea through OLC, and Jo through a few music clips. But I like Lea better in projecting's Kim's image, she sounds very sweet, and innocent, and that's how I would picture Kim as a character in the beginning, and how strong and emotional she was, when she's protecting Tam.

Though, somehow, I'm naturally partial to the original cast, even if the latter singers might have better voices. Or maybe, I just like Lea's voice better, but I thought Miss Saigon was one of her best roles, if not, most memorable.

[melissalive33]

I would still prefer Lea Salonga to portray Kim.

[Astonishingg]

Joanna was excellent, but Lea will always be the best in that role for me.