★★★★★ (5 of 5)
Whilst many regard Les Misérables as the pinnacle of the Alain Boublil - Claude-Michel Schönberg writing partnership, it can be argued that Miss Saigon is at least its equal, and in some quarters it is said it is their best show. Whatever your stand, it has filled theatres around the globe since its 1989 debut. Rob was lucky enough to see the original cast perform at Drury Lane and has paid irregular visits to the show over the years. Ian has never seen the legend live, so a visit to the new Michael Harrison production (produced in association with Sir Cameron Mackintosh) is a voyage of discovery for us both as we witness a re-birth of a classic.
If there is anyone out there who does not know, the show opens in 1975 in the last days of the Vietnam War where an American marine Chris meets Kim, a 17 year old girl who through tragic circumstance is forced to perform in the sleazy bar 'Dreamland' and compete for the title Miss Saigon. Its love at first sight for Chris and this attraction is shared by Kim. However, time is against them, the Americans are ordered to evacuate Saigon, and after the bar girls perform a hurried marriage ceremony for the pair, Chris tries to get a visa for Kim to leave Saigon for America. Kim's cousin Thuy arrives to whom she has been promised from childhood, now a general with the Viet Cong, he is wanting to take her home and is outraged to find Kim with Chris, an American. Kim abruptly breaks off any promise to Thuy and he storms out. Cut to three years later, Chris is married in America to Ellen but what has happened to Kim and what secret does she harbour?
Famously based on the story of opera Madame Butterfly, the score to Miss Saigon soars throughout. Ranging from the communist anthem 'The Morning Of The Dragon', to the saxophone driven love duet 'The Last Night Of The World' as Saigon falls to the Viet Cong and the highly emotive 'I'd Give My Life For You'. The lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. find both the nub of the epic world events and also the deeply personal story of Chris and Kim, as their lives are shaped by what is happening in Vietnam. Miss Saigon is an emotional journey, and one which is sadly still relevant in these troubling times we live in.
Re-imagining a classic is a tough call. The iconic original production with its helicopter scene stealing moment has gone down in theatre history. But a musical is more than its set, and thankfully the score and story of Miss Saigon is more than strong enough to take a re-design. Andrew D. Edwards has created a versatile space that can take us through the horrors of war but also provide those small, introspective moments needed to make this show such a personal journey. He effortlessly takes us from war torn Vietnam to the seedy environs of Bangkok, whilst delivering the horrors of war and the growing menace of communism. We get that helicopter moment, sure its not as impressive as it once was but it still packs a punch. Bruno Poet's mesmeric lighting adds a lot to the atmosphere on stage,
At the performance we saw, Bea Ward - the tours alternate Kim - was performing. Ward posseses an angelic singing voice just right for the innocent Kim as she is thrust by the need to survive into the cess pit of Saigon, she gives the performance of the night and is a worthy successor to legendary original Miss Saigon, Lea Salonga, in the role. Jack Kane's Chris finds all the right beats portraying a soldier haunted by what he has gone through and the need for closure, and his big moment 'Why God Why?' resonates. Mikko Juan is the villain of the piece in Thuy, the wronged cousin who seeks revenge. Juan offers a powerful study of a man whose traditional values are challenged to the hilt and who ultimately pays the price for his beliefs. The most showy role of them all is of course The Engineer, the fixer with little or no morals when it comes to fleecing the vulnerable and the ultimate survivor. Seann Miley Moore makes him an androgynous snake who slithers around Saigon, pimping girls in the 'Dreamland' bar to American GI's. He is less likeable in this version than in any other so far seen by us, and that is fine. Somehow the audience are still on his side, and his "American Dream" sequence is one of the big hits of the night.
A thirteen piece orchestra under the direction of Ben Mark Turner, manage to create that big sound that is such a feature of the cast recordings. It's shivers down the spine time when they are in full flow. Director Jean-Pierre Van Der Spuy has taken the essence of Miss Saigon and given it a new spin without detracting from the elements that made it such a sensation in the first place. Miss Saigon takes us to some dark places of the human soul, but its a journey fuelled by love and hope which only fails at the last hurdle. Both of us were moved and won over by the performances and staging, the heat is definitely still on more than three and a half decades from its debut.
Rob & Ian
Tour information and tickets can be purchased via the Miss Saigon Official Website
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