It's been a long time since I've seen a show that was totally new to me, so bear with me - I can't be as detailed or analytical as usual since I haven't seen this show twenty-eight times.
Miss Saigon is the story of Kim (Eva Noblezada), orphaned in war-torn Vietnam, who ends up working at Dreamland, a strip-club of sorts, run by "The Engineer" (Jon Jon Briones) in Saigon in April 1975. Chris (Alistair Brammer) and John (Hugh Maynard), American G.I.s, arrive at Dreamland, where John buys a room (and Kim) for Chris. What follows is a story that combines love and tragedy as we follow Kim's life after Chris leaves her behind in Saigon.
I wasn't the biggest fan of Miss Saigon. It almost felt like half the show was missing, despite its length. There was a distinct lack of character development; nothing anyone did made any sense, except perhaps Kim. In a sense, it was incredibly scripted. Everyone did what they were doing because that's what the script said to do, not because it made sense for their character. I still don't understand why Chris left and married someone else (ok, the leaving part I sort of understand, but why marry someone if you're in love with a girl you left behind, especially if you still think you could go back for her?). Anyway, it was just missing something big, because I didn't find any of the characters particularly interesting or emotional. All the performances were good, and whether it was the actors or the script that were at fault, I don't know. But it's not something I'm eager to see again.
There were three things about Miss Saigon I did like though. First, the sets. They were massive, incredibly detailed, realistic - I loved them! They really helped set the story in Saigon. That helicopter though… totally unnecessary. Way too much fuss over something that was onstage for about thirty seconds and made no difference to the atmosphere of the scene. The sound effects and lights were enough. Another favourite thing was the massive dance scene at the transition between Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City. WOW that was something. I could've watched that for the rest of the show. Beautiful choreography, great music, wonderful performers - it was quite something. And the last thing I liked was Tam! He was so fluffing adorable, I just wanted to pick him up and squish him. His interactions with The Engineer were so cute; I can't recall the exact line/action, but something made me laugh quite a bit. I wish I knew which Tam we had (I think I heard someone call him Connor at Stage Door, but I could be wrong), but he did a great job.
All in all, Miss Saigon isn't something I'd go see again. While all members of the cast gave strong performances, it was missing something that gave the story purpose and meaning.
I wasn't the biggest fan of Miss Saigon. It almost felt like half the show was missing, despite its length. There was a distinct lack of character development; nothing anyone did made any sense, except perhaps Kim. In a sense, it was incredibly scripted. Everyone did what they were doing because that's what the script said to do, not because it made sense for their character. I still don't understand why Chris left and married someone else (ok, the leaving part I sort of understand, but why marry someone if you're in love with a girl you left behind, especially if you still think you could go back for her?). Anyway, it was just missing something big, because I didn't find any of the characters particularly interesting or emotional. All the performances were good, and whether it was the actors or the script that were at fault, I don't know. But it's not something I'm eager to see again.
There were three things about Miss Saigon I did like though. First, the sets. They were massive, incredibly detailed, realistic - I loved them! They really helped set the story in Saigon. That helicopter though… totally unnecessary. Way too much fuss over something that was onstage for about thirty seconds and made no difference to the atmosphere of the scene. The sound effects and lights were enough. Another favourite thing was the massive dance scene at the transition between Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City. WOW that was something. I could've watched that for the rest of the show. Beautiful choreography, great music, wonderful performers - it was quite something. And the last thing I liked was Tam! He was so fluffing adorable, I just wanted to pick him up and squish him. His interactions with The Engineer were so cute; I can't recall the exact line/action, but something made me laugh quite a bit. I wish I knew which Tam we had (I think I heard someone call him Connor at Stage Door, but I could be wrong), but he did a great job.
All in all, Miss Saigon isn't something I'd go see again. While all members of the cast gave strong performances, it was missing something that gave the story purpose and meaning.
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