Miss Saigon: Tragedy returns to America

Fun Fact: In 1989 Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce originated the role of The Engineer in the London production Miss Saigon, when scheduled to transfer to Broadway the following year Actors Equity refused to allow Pryce to appear in this role rather than a Eurasian actor. Pryce had had a successful run on the West End where he wore prosthetic makeup to appear Vietnamese which was considered offensive and unwarranted. The ban was later renounced, but the controversy and protests sprouted with racist accusations.

Target Audience: Musical theatre lovers will lap up this operatic score, based on Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly. Miss Saigon is a moving production that stimulates all senses!

Best Bit: Rachelle Ann Go plays the hardened bar girl Gigi and delivers an emotional performance that depicts the never-ending hope these girls hold, "The Movie in My Mind" is a beautiful song that thrusts us into the dreadful world of war.

Morning After Effect: I couldn't help but think that the youngest Bui Doi is forty-two years old and may never have met his/her American father, the devastating sound of the departing choppers kept playing over in my mind.

Verdict: Miss Saigon is an important story that looks at war from a forgotten perspective and reminds us that war is not only comprised of heroes, victory and bravado but also the fragility of a human experience within the nightmare - the failures encountered and the greatest victory of finding love despite cultural differences and political boundaries.

It was quite surreal to see Miss Saigon just one week after seeing the harrowing production 1984. Both productions aim to uncover how people respond to war by instinctively searching for love and human connection, as they hope for peace to arrive. While 1984 was a fictional and gruesome perspective of civilians in their homeland receiving updates of the never-ending war, Miss Saigon reveals a truth of many soldiers stuck in a living hell that lasted nineteen and a half years, the Vietnam war. During this endless war, several soldiers found solace and fell in love with Vietnamese woman as Saigon crumbled around them, a cultural taboo at the time. For others, it was not so romantic but rather a transactional service undertaken by local women to survive, thriving off the sexual needs of the soldiers.

Twenty-eight years after the London-formed musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg first premiered on the West End, Miss Saigon has been revived at the Broadway Theatre, where it transferred in 2001. The international success of this production is testament to the creative talents, along with many capable contributors and transformations the production has undergone over the years. Miss Saigon has played to an audience of over thirty-five million people across the globe! A production of this size calls for immense leadership and collaboration to ensure a flawless execution. The revival is under the direction of Laurence Connor who has had an impressive career bouncing between West End and Broadway (with a few stops in Australia and Korea). Big musicals are clearly his forte and his impressive resume includes School of Rock, Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Oliver, and the entirely new stage production of The Phantom of the Opera.

Despite the elaborate staging and ensemble numbers, Connor has managed to maintain the intimacy of Miss Saigon with his excellent direction. The leading trio; Eva Noblezada (Kim), Alistair Brammer (Chris) and Jon Jon Briones (The Engineer); pay homage to this iconic musical which received controversial reviews during the original run in 1989, as no Eurasian actors were hired for any of the major parts. Briones has been with the large Miss Saigon family from the beginning, a life changing passage that has lead him to Broadway, opening as the infamous Engineer. Briones hustled his way into the audition room over two decades ago and climbed his way to the top, a journey his character would be proud of! Despite being a sleazy pimp we somehow want the best for the Engineer, which is possible by the tenacity Briones brings to be role.

Noblezada (Kim) was just seventeen when she made her West End debut playing the challenging role of Kim, earning her the Whatsonstage Award for Best Actress in a Musical - fast forward two years and Noblezada finds herself celebrating her Broadway debut and a Tony nomination. The competition was incredibly high with seasoned stars Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole (War Paint), and winner Bette Midler (Hello, Dolly!). Noblezada and Denee Benton (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) were the younger nominees who represent the long-awaited diversity Broadway has been craving.

Teenager Linah Sta. Ana (Kim) is making her Broadway debut as an alternate lead which is no easy feat in this big scale production and following Noblezada's performance, not to mention the incredible Lea Salonga who originated the role. Sta. Ana performed the night I saw the show, not only did she hold her own but proved she is undoubtedly a rising star.

Miss Saigon is a visually stimulating production despite the dreary backdrop of war. The bright colors and textures of bustling Bangkok serve as a shocking contrast to the dark ruins which the Vietnamese civilians and soldiers find themselves living amongst - desperate to get out, they long for their own American Dream. Bruno Poet has done a brilliant job with his lighting design which creates the perfect ambiance and leaves no detail hidden from the textured transformative set created by Totie Driver and Matt Kinley. As the sound builds from the back of the auditorium and makes it way over head with the signature helicopter we are thrust into the reality of Vietnam, the war. Sound designer Mick Potter stirs our adrenaline with the chopper and sets the tone for a gritty, raw and organic production.

The reality of this story hit like a ton of bricks with the performance of "Bui Doi" by John (Nicholas Christopher) and company. Bui Doi directly translates to children of the dust or dust of life, referring to the many children born sometime during the Vietnam war whose fathers are American and mother Vietnamese. Equally as heartbreaking is Katie Rose Clarke's (Ellen) performance of "Maybe" a new song added to the score that offers a glimpse into the life of a veteran and the mysteries they hold. Clarke's performance allows us to reflect and empathize on the consequences these young men faced and the memories they will carry for life. Tam (Daniel Shin) is too adorable for words, his timely arrival to the story further enhances the deeply disturbing fate of Kim and serves as a reminder of the innocence left behind.

Miss Saigon offers its contemporary audience a glimpse into this awful era, yet this production couldn't be more relevant today. If you saw the original go and see it again and, if you have not seen this production at all, now is the time. You will be incredibly moved by this narrative and a mother's strength to do whatever it takes to give her child a better life.

Reviewed by Nicola Quinn

27th July 2017
Broadway Theatre, New York City
Find me on Twitter: @newyorktheatre

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