Lance Joseph Martinez

Rachelle Ann Go: Grateful for Her Purpose as a Theater Artist

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<p>From a pop diva and an <strong>original Pilipino music (OPM)</strong> artist to a musical theater star, <strong>Rachelle Ann Go</strong> has gone a long way in the industry. She’s thankful for it.</p><p>Last month, she joined the cast of &quot;<strong>Les Misérables: The World Tour Spectacular&quot; </strong>and reprised the role in the musical as <strong>Fantine</strong>.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772071753407Messenger_creation_41D2C555-0F27-4A6E-8DE1-13B45990EEF5.jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Rachelle Ann Go</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>How It All Began</strong></div><p>Since Go’s inclusion in the <strong>2014 West End </strong>revival of <strong>&quot;Miss Saigon&quot; </strong>as <strong>Gigi Van Tranh</strong>, she has done productions that she takes pride in. She was part of the original cast for this revival, marking her international debut.</p><p>Looking back and seeing things as they are now, she is grateful for the chance to expand her territories. “I’m thankful that theater taught me who I really am.</p><p>“Theater is very honest. You cannot hide onstage. Your fears, insecurities, and doubts all come out—but so do your strengths.” The industry has opened doors for her and given her life more meaning.</p><p>“It also gave me a sense of purpose beyond applause. I am not here just to please people. Theater showed me that storytelling can comfort people, heal people, and sometimes even give hope.&quot;</p><p>“That’s something I carry not just as an artist, but as a person and as a parent.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Fantine in Her Eyes Over the Years</strong></div><p>Now that Rachelle is married to <strong>Martin Spies</strong> and a mother to two kids—son <strong>Lukas Judah Spies </strong>(born in March 2021) and daughter <strong>Sela Teruah Spies</strong> (born in March 2023)—she has a better understanding of the roles she tackles onstage, especially Fantine.</p><p>In the many times she assumed the role of Fantine, she could feel the suffering of the working class and the consequences of societal abandonment through the young and naive woman working in a factory owned by <strong>Jean Valjean</strong>. She’s a devoted single mother to her daughter, <strong>Cosette</strong>.</p><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-1" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRjCUteDjlE/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=1080&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A3147309%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>“Fantine has changed as I’ve changed.&quot;</p><p>&quot;When I first played her, I understood her from an actress’ perspective: a tragic character, a broken woman—someone whose life had been cruel to her. But now, as a mother, I understand her choices. I no longer see her as weak. I see her as unbelievably strong.&quot;</p><p>“She is not a victim—she is a fighter. Every decision she makes, even the painful ones, comes from love. She endures humiliation, illness, and loss because she believes Cosette will have a better future.&quot;</p><p>Her biggest discovery about Fantine’s story is not really about despair: “It’s about hope and love.”</p><p>She assumed the role of Fantine multiple times across various productions spanning over a decade, starting from 2015 to the present (2026).</p><p>She first played Fantine in the 30th-anniversary staging at the <strong>Queen&#x27;s Theatre (now Sondheim Theatre) </strong>in London; then in Manila in 2016. She did it again on West End (2020–2021). She returned to doing the role at <strong>&quot;Les Misérables: The Staged Concert&quot; </strong>at the <strong>Sondheim Theatre</strong>, including a return in 2021 after a break due to pregnancy. She also performed at the UK &amp; Ireland Tour in 2022.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772071904668Messenger_creation_14781872-4558-427C-8E6F-CDA7402E0F6B.jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>More Complex Roles in the Future</strong></div><p>She debuted in the local theater scene in 2011 as Ariel in the now-defunct<strong> Atlantis Theater Entertainment Group’s</strong> <strong>&quot;The Little Mermaid,&quot;</strong> and a follow-up appearance as <strong>Jane Porter</strong> in <strong>&quot;Tarzan&quot;</strong> with the same theater company’s production in 2013.</p><p>In the international stage, after her acclaimed performance as Gigi Van Tranh in &quot;Miss Saigon&quot; (2014-2017), she took on the character of<strong> Eliza Schuyler Hamilton</strong> in the original <strong>West End </strong>production of <strong>&quot;Hamilton&quot; </strong>(2017–2019, 2023–2024), and Fantine in &quot;Les Misérables&quot; in the West End (2019-2022) and its World Tour (2019–2022); and recently, the &quot;Les Misérables: The World Tour Spectacular&quot; (2026).</p><p>When asked what other roles she wants to portray someday, she answers with glee, “I would love to explore roles that challenge me in a completely different way— characters that are not just vocally demanding, but emotionally complex and perhaps even unexpected for me.&quot;</p><p>“At this point in my life, I’m drawn to characters with depth—women who have lived, struggled, and transformed. I think audiences connect most not to perfection, but to truth. And as I grow older and experience more in life, I want my roles to grow with me, too.”</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772071939150Messenger_creation_DA8B40F4-9B39-42A1-BB90-866C722EB72F.jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>As a theater artist, through every audition rejection and every opportunity, she learned perseverance, humility, and faith.</p><p>And this is something she will always remind herself with: “I think performing Fantine anywhere in the world is emotional, but performing her for a Filipino audience hits differently because I am one of them. I grew up here. I dreamed here. This is my home.&quot;</p><p>“So when I step onstage, I don’t feel like I’m just portraying a character—I feel like I’m sharing a story with my own people.”</p><div><strong><em>Les Misérables: The World Tour Spectacular will close on March 1, 2026. </em></strong></div>

<p>From pop diva and OPM powerhouse to global theater star, Rachelle Ann Go expresses gratitude as she reprises Fantine in "<i>Les Misérables: The World Tour Spectacular</i>."</p>

From pop diva and OPM powerhouse to global theater star, Rachelle Ann Go expresses gratitude as she reprises Fantine in " Les Misérables: The World Tour Spectacular ."

Rachelle Ann Go Reflects on Her Purpose as a Theater Artist

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Rachelle Ann Go Reflects on Her Purpose as a Theater Artist

Jude Cartalaba

Published Feb 26, 2026 01:20 PM PHT

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Les Misérables: The World Tour Spectacular

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