Miss Saigon The Musical Review
By Jake Freeman
The who’s who of Melbourne recently gathered at Her Majesty’s Theatre to attend Miss Saigon The Musical, 16 years after it was last performed on the same stage. Stars such as Rob Mills, Josh, Piterman, Cameron Robbie, Rebecca Maddern, and politician Bill Shorten graced the cameras on the red carpet.
Miss Saigon The Musical tells the story of Kim, a young Vietnamese woman, orphaned by war and forced to work in a bar run by notorious character, The Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with American G.I., Chris, but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For three years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he’s fathered her son. The musical spans three years, from the month the Vietnam War ended (April 1975) to October 1978.
The stage musical was developed by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. Miss Saigon is loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s 1904 opera Madama Butterfly which similarly tells the tragic story of a fated romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover. The musical was also partially inspired by a photo in a magazine discovered by Claude-Michel Schönberg that showed a Vietnamese mother leaving her child at a departure gate at Tan Son Nhut Air Base to board an airplane headed for the U.S where the child’s father, an ex-GI, would be in a position to provide a much better life for the child.
Since its opening in 1989, Miss Saigon has been phenomenally successful worldwide, winning over 30 theatre awards and breaking box office records. It remains Broadway’s fourteenth longest-running show with over 4000 performances. The show has also had its fair share of controversary, ranging from being racist, misogynistic and in the show’s early run, casting white actors to portray Asian characters.
In her debut lead role as the sweet and innocent Kim, 18-year-old Abigail Adriano did not disappoint. Her powerful and emotional vocal performance in the song’s opening number “Dreamland” alone was astounding. She captivated the audience in every scene and was the true highlight of the show.
Seann Miley Moore, portraying The Engineer, the sleazy hustler and brothel owner of ‘Dreamland’, made his presence felt from the moment the curtain was raised. His flamboyant, campy persona left the audience in stitches with his constant cheeky delivery of sexual innuendos.
Nigel Huckle as US GI Chris, was perfectly cast having excellent on-stage chemistry with Abigail.
Kerrie Anne Greenland as Ellen, Chris’s American wife was also talented despite her lack of stage time.
One of the major highlights and strong points of the show was the set design. Miss Saigon, had the feel and production values of a very elaborate David Copperfield magic show. From the moment it started right to the end, it was a flawless execution of changing sets and visual precision. One felt completely transported into the scene and totally emersed in the story.
Funny, emotional, moving, controversial, but above all an epic and highly entertaining production with an incredible cast, vocals and musical score, Miss Saigon needs to be seen while it’s here, otherwise it’s another 16 years until it’s back again.
The Australian stage production of Miss Saigon The Musical is produced by Opera Australia and Cameron Mackintosh and is directed by Laurence Connor. The Australian cast is led by Abigail Adriano as Kim, Nigel Huckle as Chris, Seann Miley Moore as The Engineer, Kerrie Anne Greenland as Ellen, Nick Afoa as John, Laurence Mossman as Thuy, Kimberly Hodgson as Gigi. The cast is supported by an ensemble of 42 performers.
Miss Saigon is now playing until and including Saturday 16 December at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne at 219 Exhibition Street, opposite The Comedy Theatre. It is a short walk from Parliament Train Station.
The show runs for approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, including one interval. The performance contains wartime and adult themes, sexual and drug references, heavy coarse language and is suitable for mature audiences. This production also contains some loud theatrical sound effects and strobe lighting and smoke effects.
To purchase tickets to Miss Saigon and learn more about the show, go to – https://miss-saigon.com.au/
