Ginger Pixie Jams: Miss Saigon 2014: Review

The Heat is most definitely on... at the Prince Edward Theatre!

Back in September I had the pleasure of seeing Cameron Macintosh's revival of Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theatre in London for my 21st. This review is tardy on my part but that is because it has taken me this long to gather my thoughts coherently enough to be able to discuss the night that I witnessed one of the most incredible productions I have ever seen. I understand that many people will not be fans of musical theatre and that is a different blog for another day. I myself am not a fan of the sickly-sweet High School Musicals or the Glees of the 21st Century but if you stick around to the end I would like to give you my opinion as a first-time viewer of Miss Saigon because what I have come to realise is that, it isn't your average musical! Typically with most shows you go to, there is already a preconception before you go of what theme or category the show fits into which is naturally why some people prefer light-hearted comedies and others the more sentimental love stories but what I've found is that it would be unfair of me to pigeonhole the show as a particular genre because the story and production was so gripping that I found myself overwhelmed with emotions. This in my opinion is not a bad thing but it is one of the first shows I've seen that has made me laugh just as much as it has made me cry and feel truly moved. I think that is why for many people Miss Saigon is a story that will entice you back again and again.

Background

One of the most compelling aspects of the show is undoubtably its story and setting. After the success of Les Miserables in 1985, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil set to work on adapting a new version of Puccini's Madame Butterfly, keeping a similarly tragic story but setting it in 1970s Saigon towards the end of the Vietnam War. It follows the story of an American GI, Chris, who begins an ill-fated romance with a Vietnamese bargirl called Kim who works for The Engineer, a sleazy guy who just wants to get out of the country and move on to bigger and better things. It is a story about love, sacrifice and doing what's best for your children at all costs in a country that was falling apart at the time and to me this is what makes the show so poignant and the anecdote so heart-rending.

"That this show is in many ways a piece of history. That this fictional love story was someone else's reality nightmare. That real people experienced the same suffering in real life."

Myself and my boyfriend outside of the Prince Edward Theatre before the show.

This photo was the inspiration for Claude-Michel Schonberg

to begin writing Miss Saigon. It features a Vietnamese woman

handing over her child at Saigon airport.

NB: This photo is my own but all the others from the show were found on Google Images. I do not take credit for any of the photos in this blog.

Any extra information used in this blog was found in the Miss Saigon programme from August/September 2014 or from the (2006) documentary 'The Making of Miss Saigon.'

Cast & Crew: Production Review
I was very nervous before seeing the show, having never seen the show before, the only thing I had to go by was listening to the original 1989 cast recording featuring Lea Salonga as the original Kim and Jonathan Pryce as the original Engineer. It wasn't that I thought it would be bad (by and large that is generally never the case with most West End productions), I was just concerned that the new cast wouldn't live up to Lea's performance, having won the Tony Award, to me she was perfect in the role and brought Kim to life and many feel the same way about Jonathan Pryce.

Nevertheless, the minute the curtains opened it was clear to see that my concerns were insignificant. I actually had the unique experience of seeing two actresses play Kim. Eva Noblezada, the young 18 year old leading actress, began the show but was brought off in the interval due to illness. Saying that, I hadn't even noticed she was ill, her singing was perfect and maybe had a softer tone to her voice than Salonga but her chemistry with Alistair Brammer, who plays Chris, was very convincing. I think perhaps her real age brought a vulnerability and innocence to the part which is what is needed for Kim's character. The first time Eva sang was with the Filipino pop artist Rachelle Ann Go, who plays Gigi during Movie In My Mind. What can I say about this song? An incredible duet that gave me goosebumps! Rachelle Ann Go is one hell of a talent and definitely deserves the praise and awards she is receiving now. Kim was resumed in the second half by Eva's understudy Julia Abueva, which took a few moments to get used to but then once she started singing, I had forgotten the sudden change. Julia, I believe, was a bit older than Eva and her voice was pretty incredible with more of a quality that reminded me of Salonga's voice. In fact I would of loved to see Eva do the second act because if it was anything like Julia's performance it was phenomenal. As an actress she truly pulled you in at some of the deeper-more-emotional scenes, I had tears in my eyes watching her. Alistair Brammer as Chris was an incredible singer, possibly even topping the original for me. His performance of Why God Why? was just stunning, you could of heard a pin drop and his chemistry with both of the actresses who played Kim was on point. In fact watching him with Eva sing and play out the main love-songs Sun And Moon, Dju Vui Vai (The Wedding Song) and Last Night of The World was a joy to watch and at times very comical.

Alistair Brammar as Chris with Eva Noblezada as Kim during Last Night Of The World.

Rachelle Ann Go as GiGi during Movie In My Mind.

This review wouldn't do the show justice without mentioning another of its leading stars Jon Jon Briones. The incredible Filipino talent, who was actually in the original 1989 cast but as part of the Ensemble, took to the stage in May 2014 substituting Jonathan Pryce's famous role as The Engineer. He completely becomes the character, embracing the slightly cruder elements that have been introduced into the show with some funny innuendos and suggestive expressions. I should put out a small warning that due to the adult content of the show and the odd F-bomb that is thrown in here and there that the Miss Saigon booking website advises that the show is appropriate for children over 12 years who should be supervised and it is up to the parents discretion to gauge the maturity of their child.
Nevertheless I believe part of what makes this revival so good is that it is realistic in terms of trying to capture the chaotic atmosphere of Vietnam in the 1970s and Jon Jon Briones brings such colour and animation to the show that it is a sight to be seen. His finale performance of The American Dream can only be described as an extravaganza. Words fail to cover what a talent Briones is and the incredible depth he brought to a character who on first glance is not a likeable character was just magnificent. He plays the sleazy pimp with such passion and humour that it is impossible not to fall in love with him throughout the show and sympathise with the struggle he too is going through. It is a testament to him and to the show that just today Jon Jon Briones has been nominated for 'Best Actor in a Musical' along with Miss Saigon being nominated for 'Best Musical' at the Olivier awards and I am so glad that I got to witness these fine actors and actresses. Others who deserve a mention are Hugh Maynard as John, who gave such a beautiful and emotive performance of Bui Doi or "The Dust of Life" that there wasn't a dry eye in the house and made the audience feel for the poor Vietnamese children that never got to meet their estranged American fathers. Similarly the Korean artist Kwang-Ho Hong held such stage presence and brought so much passion to the role of Thuy whilst Tamsin Carrol proved to be a wonderful singer and she too brought new insight to the character of Ellen. Tamsin gave a great performance of Ellen's solo Maybe which was a new song for the revival replacing what use to be Now That I've Seen Her. I feel a little sympathy for Tamsin because her character Ellen, in terms of plot, goes against what you want as an audience yet I could still see what a quality vocalist she is and the new song allows for further understanding of her character.

Current Engineer Jon Jon Briones (left) performs The American Dream with

original Engineer Jonathan Pryce (right) at the 25th Anniversary Gala of Miss Saigon.

Hugh Maynard as John during Bui Doi (The Dust of Life).

Aside from the main actors themselves was also the incredible choreography and singing from the Ensemble who really held the cast up and made the transition from scene to scene even more impressive particularly during some of the large-scale sequences such as The Morning of The Dragon, Kim's Nightmare and The American Dream. The crew and set designers also deserve a huge mention because without them one wouldn't have the wonderful fluidity and pizzazz that comes with changing sets so that you can go from the Dreamland bar in Saigon, to a senate meeting in Atlanta, to a busy bustling cosmopolitan Bangkok in a few seconds. And what kind of review would this be if I didn't mention the helicopter?! I don't want to give away too many spoilers for those of you who may not have seen it but lets just say in a legendary scene during Act 2 the audience witnesses one of the greatest stage stunts in creation.

So I urge everyone reading this, whether you're a fan of the show, or whether you're a first time viewer like I was or even if you have never been to the theatre before; start with Miss Saigon and you won't regret it! There's a good reason the show won 9 What'sOnStage Awards' last month including 'Best West End Show' and I can't wait to see it again to be pulled into a world of colour, song and reality.

I hope that the show stays running for many years to come so that everyone can share in the spectacle that is Miss Saigon. But until then I will leave you with the Miss Saigon 2014 Theatrical Trailer.