U.K. ‘Miss Saigon’ revival a visually arresting epic

EPIC REVIVAL IN LONDON: Eva Noblezada & Kwang Ho Hong. Photo: Matthew Murphy

MISS SAIGON
Adapted from the original French text by Alain Boublil
Music by Claude-Michel Schonberg
Lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. & Alain Boublil
Directed by Laurence Conner
Musical Staging by Bob Avian
Prince Edward Theatre
Old Compton Street
London, United Kingdom
(0844 482 5155), www.miss-saigon.com

By David NouNou

In the 1960s, America had the British rock invasion: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc. In the 1980s and 1990s, we had The Cameron Mackintosh invasion: Cats, Starlight Express, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon. Damn, that’s impressive, and Broadway deservedly welcomed him with open arms. He single-handedly turned a dying Broadway into a booming, bustling Broadway with the aid of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Schonberg and Boublil.

That being said, I must now specifically concentrate on Miss Saigon. In 1990, it came to Broadway with the largest advance in history to date, the tale that a helicopter lands on the stage (Americans love special effects) and a lot of controversy regarding casting. I salute Mr. Mackintosh in his stand to bring Jonathan Pryce and Lea Salonga in their roles that they originated in London, for which they ultimately won Tony Awards for best actor and actress, because without them the show would not have been as powerful and interesting.

Fast forward to 2015. Seeing Miss Saigon at the gorgeous Prince Edward Theatre in London seems awesome at first thought, but sadly for me and I’m sure for most Americans who see it, it’s a shameful reminder of our past history and the atrocities that took place during the Vietnam War. Unlike the epic grandeur of Les Miserables ,with its glorious and memorable score and beautifully etched-out characters, Miss Saigon is epic visually but very thin in storyline. It is basically Madame Butterfly set during the Vietnam War.

Chris (Chris Peluso), an American G.I. stationed in Vietnam, falls in love with the Vietnamese bar girl Kim (Eva Nolezada), who is under the thumbs and controlled by the Engineer (Jon Jon Briones), a man with dreams of coming to America and using his entrepreneurial skills to make it big in the USA. You know the rest.

The score by Schonberg and Boublil never lives up to the magnificence of Les Miserables. With the exception of “The Last Night of the World,” a sweet ballad sung by Kim and Chris, the haunting “I’d Give My Life For You” sung by Kim and the Engineer’s rousing delusional tribute “The American Dream,” the rest of the score is undistinguished. And the whole scene with the helicopter landing in Act II is now almost laughable. A cheesy projection of a helicopter landing at the U.S. embassy morphs into what appears to be the body of a helicopter, with spinning ropes as propellers and lots of audio or noise, lot of hysteria, few people get on, and off it goes into projection land.

For Mr. Mackintosh, casting is most essential. He brought Mr. Pryce as the Engineer, a role that is sinister, evil, calculating and a lowlife. He’d do anything and sacrifice anyone just to save his hide. Mr. Pryce played that part to perfection, and at the end you are cheering for him. As for Jon Jon Briones as the Engineer, I honestly had no idea what he was conveying. The closet character I could think of was a sleazy version of the parrot, Jose Carioca, in the 1943 Disney animated movie Saludos Amigos; totally lacking in personality, charisma and style, nothing that would suggest sinister, just plain smarmy.

Ms. Nolezada is enchanting as Kim, and Mr. Peluso as Chris, possesses a powerful voice and both fit their characters perfectly. Honorable mention must be made to Siobhan Dillon as Ellen, Chris’ wife, and Hugh Maynard as Jake, Chris’ war buddy.

From a visual standpoint, this version of Miss Saigon is arresting, and the score and many of the performances pack a strong emotional punch. If it plans to come to America (and rumors say it will), some stronger choices have to be made: An Engineer that can hold up this giant behemoth, tighter and more disciplined direction, and a more authentic, realistic idea for the helicopter scene.

LOVE IN WAR-TORN VIETNAM: Eva Noblezada & Alistair Brammer. Photo: Michael Le Poer Trench

A G.I. IN ‘SAIGON’: Alistair Brammer. Photo: Michael Le Poer Trench

GIGI IN ‘MISS SAIGON’: Natalie Mendoza. Photo: Michael Le Poer Trench

THE ENGINEER: Jon Jon Briones. Photo: Michael Le Poer Trench

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published June 29, 2015
Reviewed at June 16, 2015 performance in London