MISS SAIGON Ruthie Henshall/Lea Salonga 

I feel like Ruthie Henshall is one of the only LIKABLE Ellen's. everyone else you kinda just dislike by default but with her portrayal she seems much more likeable

One of the things I love about Miss Saigon, is how Ellen's character has a dignified presence in the story and not someone close-minded to the struggles that both Chris and Kim had. And though we ought to root for Kim till the end, Ellen's efforts in trying understand the situation despite her conflicting emotions really made me truly invested in the situation they were all put in.

Wow, the best fantine and the best eponine, here playing the best Kim and best Ellen

I love when Kim rips into Ellen before leaving. It's as if she's casting a curse on her- and in a way, she kinda is.

2:53 Wow, the rage in Lea's voice is something to behold. It is so hard to scream and sing.. so powerful.

What an intense. I love how Leah projects. She's not just singing. She's also acting. Her face screams talent.

"Now That I've Seen Her" is such a fantastic piece and Ruthie just takes it and owns it. She's scared, she's hurt, she's defiant, she's resolved, and she still hits every note so well.

I am SOOOO glad I stumbled on this clip. Ruthie Henshall and Lea Salonga are goddesses

God bless anyone reading this.

Ruthie Henshall’s singing is just as amazing as her acting. Both of them are just power houses with those voices.

This is an absolutely fabulous performance of "Now That I've Seen Her." No one sang it better.

THIS IS SO HIGH QUALITY BLESS WHOEVER RECORDED THIS LEA AND RUTHIE ARE MY FAVOURITE KIM-ELLEN PAIR

Ruthie Henshall is legendary! Her voice is so iconic!

Lea Salonga and Ruthie Henshall are both beautiful women with beautiful voices.

Two legends standing face to face...Epic!

When she sings "Tell me you are lying" it's simply beautiful and magic, you could hear a pin drop in the room, it was so emotional and soft but strong. ❤

I love how most girls that are against the main character in anything are portrayed as ' bad girls ', but I don't think that Ellen really is that.

I feel for Ellen so much in "Now that I've seen her." I cant imagine anyone else playing her except Ruthie. Exceptional.

2 legends, both perfect for their roles

I really like Ruthie Henshall's voice and face expression. I just fall into a character and story when she sings. She is a real singer.

I know bootlegs are wrong but how else could we see such performances like these?

Ruthie really interprets this character in this scene with such understanding! While perhaps not the most vocally amazing, the sense of this woman is so real in her performance.

Ruthie simply blows me away. So much power and passion in her voice.

Ruthie and Lea are actually my all time favourites on broadway.

It is so difficult to find a recording of “Now that I’ve seen here” because it got rewritten to “It’s her or me,” which simply doesn’t pack the same emotional punch. THIS is brilliance. THANK YOU FOR POSTING!!!!! ❤️

Ruthie as Ellen gave me goosebumps when she reached the climax of the song. I love her voice.

two strong women. Magnificent acting and emotional singing. probably the best 2 actresses for the parts

I've seen this before of course but back here after watching Ruthie on I'm a Celeb... (plus Miss Saigon is my favourite musical)

Nice, they eventually both played the same role in les miz (Fantine).

put two legends in a musical = magnificence

Ruthie is just mindblowing here. First actress that got me to not hate Ellen

“Come inside, no one will hurt you” then proceeds telling her she’s Chris’ wife lmao girl, you just stabbed her that! I can’tttt

Wow 😲😭... I just listen to this without watching... my heart just broke when Kim found out that Chris has married someone.. especially when she said “take tam with you” 😭😭😭 2018 and still crying... Ruthie is great too..

Room 317 (A hotel room) Kim Good evening, maam Ellen Don't turn the bed yet Kim I'm not the maid Ellen What do you want then? Kim They must have written the room number wrong I am looking for someone named Christopher Scott Three-seventeen, oh I'm sorry... Unless Well, you must be, of course, you're John's wife, are you not? Ellen Oh God, I see It had to happen You must be Kim Chris went to find you Please come inside No one will hurt you I'm Chris's wife My name is Ellen (Kim doesn't move) Ellen In a way, I am glad I am meeting you first Understand, you were only a name till tonight I don't know how I'd feel if our roles were reversed Please won't you sit down Kim Tell me you are lying Ellen We've been married a year, I am sorry, it's true Kim He said he'd come to get me Ellen He says he tried to reach you, but what could he do? Kim Please tell me you're not married You don't know, you can't know what I've done to be here Ellen You don't know how he needed a new start Kim I feel walls in my heart Closing in I can't breathe I can't win Ellen As for the child You say it's Chris's Kim Oh yes, Madame My son is Chris's I had a dream for my son to belong And not live his life in the streets like a rat Ellen We aren't rich, but we'll shoulder our load Chris and I are totally together on that Kim Then you must take Tam with you Ellen Take a child from his mother, impossible Kim Kim You will take Tam with you Then he'll get what I wanted for him Ellen But Kim, your child needs you Chris is married to me, we want kids of our own Kim Tam's chance lies with you now, not with me Both No! Can't you see It won't work It can't be Kim If you're saying that because you've made him change his mind Chris must go away and leave me and his son behind If you're saying that because my husband has another wife My child has no future, like the dust of life He must come tonight to my place Tell me so to my face (Kim exits) Ellen I don't want this I didn't come here To meet a girl Who loves my husband I came here to help, but what do I do? Now, after this, what do I. ..

This was so beautiful, I have been repeating this for 2 days now I'm so obsessed with this especially on how lea expressed her anger in 2:53 it was so amazing it made me loose my breath. this is such a masterpiece

i never get tired watching this over and over and over again. You will never see such two brilliant and great broadway royalty ever again. They are both unique and incomparable!

Goosebumps at 1:41 Tell me you are lying!!

Grabe ang bigat talaga ng Miss Saigon. By "ang bigat", I mean, the themes. The conflicts are so raw and real, not written cheaply just to elicit emotions by force but naturally draws them out instead. These two women in this scene are amazing. How I wish I was old enough to watch this live. I imagine I'd be getting chills with each scene. Soooo good. 😭

Ruthie in her solo act is darn epic! #legend

Ruthie and Lea are magnificent!!! BOTH ARE AMONG MY FAVORITE BWAY LEGENDSSSS. This is by far THE BEST version of "Room 317" and Ellen's soliloquy.

I love how Lea and Ruthie were both in this and then they were both in the 10th anniversary version of Les Mis as the best Eponine and Fantine,

Wow Ruthie’s performance was breathtaking.

Wowww... Ruth is so impressive, she elicits that emotion parallel to her singing. By far the most expressive, if not, the best Ellen who played this part so wellll 😍❤

I'm in LOVE with Ruthie's interpretation of "I don't care!" just after 5:20 as something almost like a verbal slap. It's not "pretty" or "melodic" at all. It's an ultimatum, and for a show that often prettifies the raw stuff ("tale of a Vietnam girl" for instance), this sharp break from sing-acting to straight up acting is captivating.

Brilliant..... thanks for sharing 😀 The power in their voices is out of this world!!!

Such powerful performances from two excellent singers!!!!

Thanks so much for this clip--these two captivate me. Ruthie's interpretation of Ellen--I just lose myself in her performance; I can't imagine what it must have been like live.

Great singers Ruthie and Lea, superb acting

Sad to hear that this is not in the revival, this song originally named "Room 317" and later renamed "Now That I Seen Her" really touched me all those years ago!

She’s my favorite Ellen no one can sing this better than she does .She nailed it 😍

WOW!!! Thank you so for sharing this most amazing set of songs performed beyond perfection in a way that I'd never heard until just now... The revival rid of "Now That I've Seen Her" and replaced it with a lame song that I can't even remember (even though I only saw the revival 3 weeks ago)... I saw the original with the OBC multiple times while living in the city, and this scene was always amongst my favorites from Miss Saigon. Thank you so very much!!!

Oh Ruthie Hensall and Lea Salonga

I love how Kim's tone changes when Tam is brought up, I don't know why exactly, I just do.

i really liked Ruthie's Ellen!!!

after watching this a few times the goosebumps still there.. wow

Ruthie's performance is breathtaking. I have no words

What s voice Ruthie_.. And it takes Leas fantastic voice to appreciate it. X

Amazing. Brings me to tears. I really wish I saw this live.

[KIM] Good evening, maam [ELLEN] Don't turn the bed yet [KIM] I'm not the maid [ELLEN] What do you want then? [KIM] They must have written the room number wrong I am looking for someone named Christopher Scott Three-seventeen, oh I'm sorry... unless Well, you must be, of course, you're John's wife, are you not? [ELLEN] Oh God, I see It had to happen You must be Kim, Chris went to find you Please come inside, no one will hurt you I'm Chris' wife, my name is Ellen In a way, I am glad I am meeting you first Understand, you were only a name till tonight I don't know how I'd feel if our roles were reversed Please won't you sit down? [KIM] Tell me you are lying [ELLEN] We've been married a year, I am sorry, it's true [KIM] He said he'd come to get me [ELLEN] He says he tried to reach you, but what could he do? [KIM] Please tell me you're not married You don't know, you can't know what I've done to be here [ELLEN] You don't know how he needed a new start [KIM] I feel walls in my heart Closing in I can't breathe I can't win [ELLEN] As for the child, you say it's Chris' [KIM] Oh yes, Madame, my son is Chris' [ELLEN] Of course we'll help [KIM] Please keep your pity [ELLEN] It's not a gift, it is our duty [KIM] I had a dream for my son to belong Not live his life in the streets like a rat [ELLEN] We aren't rich, but we'll shoulder our load Chris and I are totally together on that [KIM] Then you must take Tam with you [ELLEN] Take a child from his mother, impossible! Kim - [KIM] You will take Tam with you Then he'll get what I wanted for him [ELLEN] But Kim, your child needs you Chris is married to me, we want kids of our own [KIM] Tam's chance lies with you now, not with me [BOTH] No! Can't you see It won't work It can't be [KIM] If you're saying that because you've made him change his mind Chris must go away and leave me and his son behind If you're saying that because my husband has another wife My child has no future, like the dust of life He must come tonight to my place Tell me so to my face [ELLEN] I don't want this I didn't come here To meet a girl Who loves my husband I came here to help, but what do I do? Now, after this, what do I-

Ruthie's rendition here is great. Listen to her vocals and near flawless belt at "now that I've seen her I cant stay the same, who's this man . . . ? She sings this phrase better than any other version I have heard. If there is a better one, please let me know. I always wish that the song ended a 5th above where it does in order to keep the drama, the power, the moment as tense and high pitched as it was in the previous phrase. On the lower ending note, the song loses just a bit of fizzle for me, but I love how Ruthie gives it as much bite as possible. And, I agree with some of the others here that her Fantine on the 10th Anniversary live performance of Les Mis is just excellent.

So good. What Icons. An escalating musical verbal confrontation that breaks your heart but also doesnt let you breathe for about 2 min. The way Lea says “My Husband” wow. Anger and disbelief turn to desperation for her son. The intensity from both and the last demand Kim makes almost screaming at Ellen but in key somehow. The acting is so good its uncomfortable to see this play out for them.

The revival which I saw in both London and in New York is so lackluster on so many levels compared to the original Drury Lane and Broadway productions. This is a prime example of why that is so.

Eponine meets Fantine (ref. Les Miz 10th) Brava! 👏🏼👏🏼

Great post. Thank you very much for posting. A joy to see & hear Ruth Henshall.

Sad that Ellen's part is no longer part of the current production. Amazing performance for both artist

I knew them from Les Misérables first and then Miss Saigon. They’re both so talented!

It's alright It's alright when I just imagine There's no face, she's not real And I can tell myself it's all okay But she's here And my heart cries this isn't happening But the truth is cold and real And I know this storm won't go away Now that I've seen her There's no way to hide She is not some fling From long ago Now that I've seen her I know why he lied And I think it was better when I didn't know

wow, i just love Ruthie Henshall

Wow thanks for this! I love Ruthie

why am I crying in this scene?? I really wanted to see the original play so bad. 😭

The best Eponine and the best Fantine ever walked on earth Lea and Ruthie

Just saw the show yesterday, and of course, this song was replaced with "Maybe," which is a decent song but doesn't have the emotional punch of "Now That I've Seen Her." I have no idea why they dumped this song, but it was one of the best songs in the show. Show is still great, but there was a little less to look forward to after the intermission knowing this song was gone. Perhaps the producers thought this song was too defiant and turned too many people off to Ellen, whereas Ellen is more self-sacrificing in "Maybe", but personally, I preferred the defiant Ellen more. I mean, what is Ellen's sin? That she loves her husband and won't just give him up? Get real. Any man would love to have a wife like Ellen. THREE spine-tingling moments here- "Tell me you are lying." ... "If it is because MY HUSBAND has another wife!" ... and "I don't care! I swear I will fight!"

omg goosebumps! 😘 glad i found this. thanks!

Would have loved to have seen this! They're both such great performers and perfect for their roles, even so many years after they originally performed them (and Lea being older in particular, given Kim's age). Would also have loved to have seen Jo Ampil and Ruthie together in London, but alas, I was too late! I did get to see Jo though when she came back.

The amazing Ruthie Henshall - brava !

Wow! Ruthie was on fire!!!

Wow! Magnificent scene in Miss Saigon.

Wow! Amazing performance.... I’m tearing up. She did an amazing job as Ellen

I saw Lea as an 18-year old a couple of months into the London production in 1989. She was very good. In this clip, she must have been 30, and her acting and singing were substantially better, if that's even possible.

WOW! This is a totally explosive performance!

This is giving me chills.. brilliant performance

I shed a tear or two. Period.

Still goosebumps 2019

Henshalls eyebrows are so sharp, so defined and expressive holy crap

those people who have watched this live is truly lucky.

I liked Ruthie better than the other lady they had for Ellen in the 10th anniversary. Ruthie has a more maternal, sympathetic vibe.

What legends... I'm quite simply starstruck.

two of my theater idols!!!

Powerful performance. Love this so much.

Ruthie'a voice just.. whew! Has me in a puddle

this is mind blowing. fantastic! thank you!

Superb performance, both Lea and Ruth

I'd never seen or heard that performance before but I loved it Claire Moore is good but Ruthie Henshall is awesome!!!

thanks so much for this!!

So talented ladies

Henshall does a good a job acting and singing here. Impressive.

Ooo - that gave me goosebumps!

"Then you must take Tam with you" was amazing.

wonderful performance. love it!

Still Watching 2018💓