Forgive me, for I momentarily may wax lyrical.
Miss Saigon is astonishing.
At least ten years ago I sat in the stalls at the Manchester Opera house to witness this story, but it never hit home like it did tonight. In this production every note is heartbreaking every word filled with a gut wrenching sincerity. And I loved it.
Miss Saigon follows the story of Kim, a Vietnamese country girl who finds herself in the same Saigon strip club as Chris an American GI on the night before the end of the war. They meet, fall in love and that is where the traditional musical structure ends. What follows is a story of yearning, of mistakes and of Romeo and Juliet inspired devotion.
It is phenomenal. There is never a hair out of place, never a beat missed. The set pieces smack of believability rather than the west end grandeur which often overtakes large sale musicals. The solider’s are macho but not in a ‘camp butch’ sense, in a real smoke cigarettes whilst singing way.
It seems wrong to seperate the principals from the chorus in a production which excels in its collective spirit but it would be worse not to mention them at all. Jon Jon Briones is wonderful as the Engineer whose greed and vision offers light to this tragic tale. Hugh Maynard is commanding as John and he dispatches Bui Doi the opening number of the second act with great skill and compassion. But the play hinges on the relationship between Kim and Chris, here played by Eva Noblezada and Alistair Brammer. I thought they were wonderful. Brammer nails the confused soldier in search of humanity and Noblezade is exquisite as the ever faithful Miss Saigon.
It’s tragic but has a soaring beauty buried in its pessimism. I loved it. Only two points in the second half slowed from the the relentless pace which drives the rest of the action and even they were well judged and didn’t really outstay their welcome.
A wonderfully acted, wonderfully directed, wonderfully judged, choreographed, lit, designed, cast and conceived production which borders on West End Musical perfection.
I genuinely loved it – spend whatever you have to, because it’s worth every penny – #recommended