More than 100 children ran, skipped and jumped their way through auditions yesterday for a starring role in Miss Saigon, which opens for the first time in Hong Kong next month - but only three were picked.
Dressed in anything from shorts and T-shirts to traditional cheongsams, the youngsters and their parents queued from 11am at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts in Wan Chai.
The three children selected to alternate in the role of Tam, Miss Saigon's child, were Jasper Tse Yen-fen, Martin Woo and Junya Choi Fong-ching, all aged four. To be considered for the role, children had to be Asian or Eurasian, aged four or five and have dark eyes and dark hair.
Darren Yap, associate director of IMG's Hong Kong production of Miss Saigon, said: 'We get the children to play ball games, run, jump and skip on stage. Through these games we can see if a child is scared by the cameras, the bright lights and an audience.'
Mother Carly Tse Lau said: 'I wanted to expose Jasper to more opportunities and try different things. He is very outgoing.'
And Jasper said he was more than happy to spend the day at auditions. 'I liked drawing the best,' he said.
The parents of Martin Woo, who attends the Hong Kong Montessori Pre-School in Mid-Levels, were equally proud of their son's achievement - but puzzled about his talent.