THE musical juggernaut that is Miss Saigon rolled into Southampton this week.

It’s a huge show and more than 150 cast and crew will be involved in bringing the dramatic story to life on the Mayflower Theatre stage.

Set in the final days of the Vietnam War, the epic musical takes audiences on an emotional roller-coaster and depicts a story of doomed true love.

But how do the cast cope with portraying such raw emotion in a gruelling tour with eight shows a week?

Ashley Gilmour plays the lead role of Chris, an American soldier who falls in love with a 17-year-old girl forced to work in a Saigon bar.

The pair are torn apart when Saigon falls and Chris has no idea he has fathered her son.

In an interview with the Daily Echo, Ashley told of his joy at winning the role and how he deals with the emotional side of his performances.

“It is hard to have that level of emotion eight times a week but my way of dealing with it is to go home, have a nice cup of tea and watch something good on the television” he said.

“We are also lucky in that on days with one show we don’t have to be at the theatre until 6pm so there’s time to get out and about and perhaps go to the park.”

Trained at the Arts Educational Schools in London, Ashley, now 26, joined the ensemble of Miss Saigon as only his second job after finishing his training.

He was part of the 25th anniversary cast recording of Miss Saigon, as well as its cinema and DVD release.

Ashley spent a year in the cast before embarking on more light-hearted ventures including playing Link Larkin in a UK tour of Hairspray and appearances in sketches in Walliams and Friend.

His return to Miss Saigon saw him land the main role and his is now enjoying every minute of its tour.

“I think it was very important that I stepped away from being ensemble and played a small, leading role in Hairspray before returning to play Chris” said Ashley.

“The director needed to know that I had the experience to hold the show.”

Ashley and the rest of the cast will be in Southampton for nearly a month and he said they plan to make themselves at home in the city.

“It is lovely to be able to spend time in the cities we visit” he said. “We all sort out our own accommodation so we’re not living in hotels - we look for apartments or perhaps digs so we feel at home.

“Although the emotion of the show can make it tiring, it’s tiring in a different way than other shows can be.

“Some shows move every week and that can be exhausting in itself.”

He said Miss Saigon’s enduring themes of war, love and refugees are relevant in today’s society and continue to attract large audiences.

“We are very lucky that we get to perform to such lovely audiences. It’s a very popular show” he said.

This tour of Miss Saigon is Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s legendary musical. It was a recent smash hit in the West End and is currently playing on Broadway to rave reviews.

n Miss Saigon runs at the Mayflower from Wednesday February 21 until Saturday, March 17 with a total of 29 gruelling performances. To book tickets, visit website mayflower.org.uk or call the box office on 02380 711811.