VIDEO: 30 Days of TONY, Day 16: MISS SAIGON Makes a Star Out of Lea Salonga

Welcome to BroadwayWorld's Tony Award Countdown: 30 Days of TONY, a loving look at some of the most memorable moments from Tony's history featuring today's nominees!

In 1991, Boublil and Schonberg's musical epic, Miss Saigon made its way across the pond to the Broadway stage. Winning acclaim, legions of devoted fans, and enjoying a run that made it the thirteenth longest running musical in Broadway history, for nearly thirty years, Miss Saigon has become an international musical classic.

Miss Saigon tells the story of the last days of the Vietnam War, when 17 year-old Kim is forced to work in a Saigon bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer where she meets and falls in love with an American GI named Chris. Torn apart by the fall of Saigon. for three years Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he has fathered a son.

In 1991, the show took Broadway by storm, bringing with it an astounding newcomer named Lea Salonga. During the 1991 season, the show broke house records and was nominated for eleven Tony Awards. It won three including Best Leading Actress in a Musical for its bright young star.

See Lea's big win here!