Lea Salonga Drury Lane London Review Miss Saigon
| Miss Saigon | |
|---|---|
 Original poster | |
| Music | Claude-Michel Schönberg |
| Lyrics |
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| Volume |
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| Basis | Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini |
| Productions |
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Miss Saigon is a phase musical past Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian adult female abandoned by her American lover. The setting of the plot is relocated to 1970s Saigon during the Vietnam State of war, and Madame Butterfly's story of union between an American lieutenant and a geisha is replaced by a romance between a United states of america Marine and a seventeen-yr-quondam South Vietnamese bargirl.
The musical was premièred at the Theatre Majestic, Drury Lane, London, on 20 September 1989, closing afterward 4,092 performances on thirty Oct 1999. Information technology opened on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre on April 11, 1991 with a tape advance of over $39 million,[1] and subsequently played in many other cities and embarked on tours. Prior to the opening of the 2014 London revival, it was said that Miss Saigon had set up a globe record for opening day ticket sales, with sales in backlog of £4m reported.[2] [3]
The musical represented Schönberg and Boublil'due south second major success, following Les Misérables in 1985. As of July 2019, Miss Saigon remains Broadway's thirteenth longest-running show.[4]
Groundwork [edit]
The musical was inspired by a photograph, which Schönberg institute inadvertently in a magazine. Information technology showed a Vietnamese mother leaving her child at a departure gate at Tan Son Nhut Air Base to lath an aeroplane headed for the U.s.a. where the kid's father, an ex-GI, would be in a position to provide a much better life for the child. Schönberg considered this mother's deportment for her kid to be "The Ultimate Cede," an thought central to the plot of Miss Saigon.[5]
Highlights of the show include the evacuation of the final Americans in Saigon from the Embassy roof by helicopter[6] while a crowd of abased Vietnamese people scream in despair, the victory parade of the new communist regime, and the frenzied nighttime club scene at the time of defeat.
Cast of principal characters [edit]
| Character | Boilerplate vocal range | Clarification |
|---|---|---|
| Kim | Mezzo-soprano | A seventeen-yr-old Vietnamese girl, recently orphaned and forced to piece of work at "Dreamland." She corresponds to Butterfly in the original opera. |
| Chris Scott | Tenor | An American Marine sergeant nigh to leave Saigon to return to America. He corresponds to Pinkerton. |
| Engineer | Baritone | The sleazy hustler and owner of "Dreamland." He is one-half-Vietnamese and one-half-French. He corresponds to Goro. |
| Ellen | Mezzo-soprano | Chris's American wife. She corresponds to Kate. |
| John Thomas | Baritenor | Chris'due south friend, also a Marine. He corresponds to Sharpless. |
| Thuy | Tenor | Kim's cousin and matrimonial, to whom Kim's parents promised her when the ii were thirteen. Has since become an officer in the Communist Vietnamese regime. He is a composite grapheme, corresponding in office to both The Bonze and Prince Yamadori. |
| Gigi Van Tranh | Mezzo-soprano | A hardened Saigon stripper; initially voted every bit "Miss Saigon". |
| Tam | Kim and Chris'south three-twelvemonth-quondam son. He corresponds to Dolore, or "Sorrow". |
Synopsis [edit]
Deed i [edit]
In April 1975 at "Dreamland," a Saigon bar and brothel, shortly earlier the end of the Vietnam War, it is Kim'south first day equally a bargirl. The seventeen-year-one-time peasant girl is hauled in by the Engineer, a French-Vietnamese hustler who owns the joint. Backstage, the girls prepare themselves for the night's evidence, jeering at Kim's inexperience ("Overture / Backstage Dreamland"). The U.S. Marines, aware that they will presently exist leaving Vietnam, political party with the Vietnamese sex workers ("The Rut Is on in Saigon"). Chris Scott, a sergeant disenchanted by the social club scene, is encouraged by his friend John Thomas to go with a girl. The girls compete for the title of "Miss Saigon," and the winner is raffled to a Marine. Kim's guilelessness strikes Chris. Gigi Van Tranh wins the crown for the evening and begs the marine who won the raffle to take her back to America, abrasive him. The showgirls reverberate on their dreams of a better life ("Movie in My Mind"). John buys a room for Chris and the virgin Kim ("The Transaction"). Kim is reluctant and shy, simply dances with Chris, who tries to pay her to leave the nightclub. When the Engineer interferes, thinking that Chris does not like Kim, Chris allows himself to be led to her room ("The Dance").
Chris, watching Kim sleep, asks God why he met her merely equally he was most to leave Vietnam ("Why, God, Why?"). When Kim wakes up, Chris tries to give her money, but she refuses, saying that it is her showtime time sleeping with a human ("This Money'due south Yours"). Touched to learn that Kim is an orphan, Chris offers to take her to America with him, and the ii fall in dear ("Sun and Moon"). Chris tells John that he is taking get out to spend time with Kim. John warns him that the Viet Cong volition soon take Saigon, just and so reluctantly agrees to comprehend for Chris ("The Phone Song"). Chris meets with the Engineer to trade for Kim, but the Engineer tries to include an American visa in the deal. Threatening the Engineer with his gun, Chris forces him to honor the original arrangement for Kim ("The Deal").
The bargirls concur a "wedding ceremony" for Chris and Kim ("Dju Vui Vai"), with Gigi toasting Kim equally the "real" Miss Saigon. Thuy, Kim's cousin, to whom she was betrothed at xiii, arrives to have her home. He has since get an officeholder in the North Vietnamese Army and is disgusted to find her with a white man ("Thuy's Arrival"). The ii men face each other, drawing their firearms. Kim tells Thuy that their arranged spousal relationship is now nullified considering her parents are dead, and she no longer harbors whatsoever feelings for him because of his expose. Thuy curses them all and storms out ("What'due south This I Detect"). Chris promises to take Kim with him when he leaves Vietnam. Chris and Kim dance to the same song equally on their first nighttime ("Terminal Nighttime of The Globe").
Three years later, in 1978, a street parade is taking place in Saigon (since renamed Ho Chi Minh City) to celebrate the tertiary anniversary of the reunification of Vietnam and the defeat of the Americans ("The Morning of The Dragon"). Thuy, now a commissar in the new Communist regime, has ordered his soldiers to expect for the still-decadent Engineer. For the Communist Political party, he goes past the name "Tran Van Dinh" and has spent the past three years working in the rice fields equally part of a re-education programme. Thuy orders the Engineer to find Kim and bring her to him. Although the intervening menstruum is non shown, it is apparent that Kim and Chris have become separated in the three years separating the 2 acts. Kim has been hiding in an impoverished area, still in honey with Chris and steadfastly believing that Chris will return to Vietnam and rescue her. Meanwhile, Chris is in bed with his new American wife, Ellen, when he wakes from a dream shouting Kim'southward proper name. Ellen and Kim both swear their devotion to Chris from opposite ends of the globe ("I Still Believe").
The Engineer takes Thuy to where Kim has been hiding. Kim refuses Thuy's renewed offer of marriage, unaware that his men are waiting outside the door. Furious, Thuy calls them in and they begin tying up Kim and the Engineer, threatening to put them into a re-educational activity camp. Once more, Kim refuses to go with Thuy and shocks him by introducing Thuy to Tam, her three-twelvemonth-old son from Chris ("Coo-Coo Princess"). Thuy calls Kim a traitor and Tam an enemy, and tries to impale Tam with a knife, but Kim is forced to shoot Thuy dead to protect Tam ("You Will Not Touch Him"). A horrified and heartbroken Kim flees with Tam ("This Is the Hr") and the Engineer laments existence born Vietnamese and wishes to go to the USA ("If You Want to Die in Bed"). Kim tells the Engineer what she has done, and he learns that Tam's father is American ("Let Me See His Western Olfactory organ") – thinking the boy is his chance to emigrate to the United states of america. He tells Kim that now he is the boy's uncle, and he volition lead them to Bangkok. As Kim swears to Tam that she would do anything to give him a ameliorate life, the three set out on a ship with other refugees ("I'd Give My Life for Y'all").
Act 2 [edit]
In Atlanta, Georgia, John now works for an assistance organization whose mission is to connect Bui-Doi (from Vietnamese trẻ bụi đời "street children," pregnant children conceived during the war) with their American fathers ("Bui Doi"). John tells Chris that Kim is yet alive, which Chris is relieved to hear subsequently years of having nightmares of her dying. He likewise tells Chris about Tam and urges Chris to go to Bangkok with Ellen, and Chris and then finally tells Ellen almost Kim and Tam ("The Revelation"). In Bangkok, the Engineer is hawking a sleazy gild where Kim works as a dancer ("What A Waste"). Chris, Ellen, and John arrive in search of Kim. John finds Kim dancing at the guild, and tells her that Chris is also in Bangkok. He then tries to tell her that Chris is remarried, but Kim interrupts. She is thrilled about the news and tells Tam that his father has arrived, believing that they are to go to America with Chris. Seeing Kim happy, John cannot bring himself to interruption the news to her, but promises to bring Chris to her ("Delight").[a]
The Engineer tells Kim to detect Chris herself, considering he doubts that Chris will come up ("Chris Is Here"). Kim is haunted past the ghost of Thuy, who taunts Kim, claiming that Chris volition betray her as he did the dark Saigon fell. Kim suffers a horrible flashback to that nighttime ("Kim'due south Nightmare").
In the nightmare and flashback to 1975, Kim remembers the Viet Cong approaching Saigon. Equally the city becomes increasingly cluttered, Chris is called to the diplomatic mission and leaves his gun with Kim, telling her to pack. When Chris enters the embassy, the gates close, as orders arrive from Washington for an firsthand evacuation of the remaining Americans. The Ambassador orders that no more Vietnamese be allowed into the Diplomatic mission. Kim reaches the gates of the Embassy, ane in a crowd of terrified Vietnamese trying to enter. Chris calls to Kim and is most to go into the crowd to look for her. John is eventually forced to punch Chris in the confront to stop him from leaving. Chris is put into the last helicopter leaving Saigon every bit Kim watches from outside, still pledging her love to him ("The Autumn of Saigon").
Dorsum in 1978 Bangkok, Kim joyfully dresses in her wedding clothes ("Dominicus and Moon [Reprise]") and leaves the Engineer to scout Tam while she is gone. She goes to Chris's hotel room, where she finds Ellen. Ellen reveals that she is Chris's wife. Kim is heartbroken and refuses to believe Ellen, but the truth presently sinks in. Ellen asks Kim if Chris is the father of Tam, and Kim confirms that he is. Kim says that she does not want her son to continue living on the streets and pleads that they take Tam with them back to America, merely Ellen refuses, saying that Tam needs his real mother, and Ellen wants her own children with Chris. Kim angrily demands that Chris tell her these things in person, and runs out of the room ("Room 317"). Ellen feels bad for Kim, merely is adamant to keep Chris ("Now That I've Seen Her").[b]
Chris and John return, having failed to discover Kim. Ellen tells them both that Kim arrived and that she had to tell Kim everything. Chris and John blame themselves, realizing that they were gone too long. Ellen also tells them that Kim wants to encounter Chris at her place, and that she tried to give away her son to them. John realizes that Kim wants Tam to exist "an American boy." Ellen then bug an ultimatum to Chris: Kim or her. Chris reassures Ellen, and they pledge their love for each other. Chris and Ellen agree to get out Tam and Kim in Bangkok but offer them budgetary support from America, while John decries their determination as selfish ("The Confrontation"). Dorsum at the club, Kim tells the Engineer that they are withal going to America ("Paper Dragons"). The Engineer imagines the improvident new life that he will lead in America ("The American Dream"). Chris, John, and Ellen find the Engineer and he takes them to see Kim and Tam.
In her room, Kim tells Tam that he should be happy considering he now has a father. She tells him that she cannot go with him but will be watching over him ("This Is the Hour [Reprise]").[c] Chris, Ellen, John, and the Engineer go far just exterior her room. The Engineer comes in to have Tam outside to innovate him to his father. While this is happening, Kim steps behind a curtain and shoots herself. As she falls to the floor, Chris rushes into the room at the sound of the gunshot and finds Kim mortally wounded. He picks up Kim and asks what she has done. Replying that the gods guided him to his son, Kim asks Chris to hold her once more than and they share one last kiss. Kim and then repeats something that he said to her on the outset night they met: "How in 1 night have we come up so far?", and dies in Chris's arms as everyone watches ("Finale").
Musical numbers [edit]
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Production history [edit]
West Terminate (1989–1999) [edit]
Miss Saigon premiered in the Due west Cease at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 20 September 1989 and airtight after 4,264 performances on 30 October 1999.[7] The managing director was Nicholas Hytner with musical staging by Bob Avian and scenic design by John Napier. In December 1994 the London production became the Theatre Royal'due south (Drury Lane) longest running musical, eclipsing the tape set past My Fair Lady.[8]
Lea Salonga played the part of Kim, winning the Laurence Olivier Laurels and Tony Award. The Engineer was portrayed by Jonathan Pryce, who as well won the Laurence Olivier Honor and Tony Laurels for the function. The role of Chris was originally played past Simon Bowman.
Broadway (1991–2001) [edit]
The musical débuted on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre on 11 April 1991 and closed on 28 January 2001 after iv,092 performances. Directed over again by Nicholas Hytner with musical staging past Bob Avian, scenic design was by John Napier, costume design was by Andreane Neofitou and Suzy Benzinger and lighting design was by David Hersey.[ix] Every bit of September 2017, Miss Saigon is still the 13th longest-running Broadway musical in musical theatre history.[four]
West End revival (2014–2016) [edit]
Preview performances for the predictable W Terminate revival in the show'south 25th year began in early May 2014 at the Prince Edward Theatre.[10] [11] Information technology was produced by Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Laurence Connor. Auditions for the part of Kim were held from November xix–22, 2012 in Manila, Philippines.[12] On November 21, 2013, it was appear 17-twelvemonth-one-time Eva Noblezada was cast equally Kim.[13] Other cast members included Kwang-Ho Hong as Thuy,[14] Jon Jon Briones as the Engineer, Alistair Brammer as Chris, Hugh Maynard as John, Tamsin Carroll as Ellen and Rachelle Ann Go every bit Gigi.[15] The official opening night was 21 May. On the 22nd September 2014, a special 25th anniversary gala operation was held. Subsequently a total performance of the current show, Lea Salonga, Simon Bowman, Jonathan Pryce and many of the original 1989 cast joined with the current cast for a special finale. The finale started with Lea Salonga leading the ensemble with "This is the Hr", Salonga and Rachelle Ann Go performed "The Picture in My Mind". Salonga, Simon Bowman, Alistair Brammer and Eva Noblezada performed "Last Night of the Earth" before Jonathan Pryce took to the phase for "The American Dream" and was after joined by Jon Jon Briones.[16] The West End product closed on 27 February 2016 after 760 performances. The cast also performed a "Muck-Upward Matinee" on the 24-hour interval of closing, where many understudies came to the phase for one last bow, including Tanya Manalang (Alternate Kim), Christian Rey Marbella (Understudy Engineer), before the main cast in the evening. Cameron Mackintosh appear a cinema screening of the 25th Ceremony Gala forth with a movie at a later appointment, a brand new United kingdom Tour, and plans to transfer to Australia, Federal republic of germany, and Broadway in the next 2 years.[17] The revival closed to make manner for the London transfer of the Broadway best-selling prove Aladdin in May 2016, with old understudy for Thuy, Ethan Le Phong, understudying the atomic number 82 role of Aladdin.
Broadway revival (2017–2018) [edit]
Information technology was announced on November 19, 2015 that the Due west Finish production of the show would transfer to Broadway in March 2017 for a limited date through January xv, 2018. The product starred Eva Noblezada as Kim, Jon Jon Briones as The Engineer, Alistair Brammer as Chris, and Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi, all reprising their roles from the 2014 W End revival. Other cast members included Katie Rose Clarke as Ellen, Nicholas Christopher equally John, and Devin Ilaw as Thuy.[18] A U.South. national tour is planned thereafter.[xix] The revival played at the Broadway Theatre, the aforementioned venue the show played at for its Broadway debut.[20] Preview performances began on March 1, 2017, with an official opening on March 23.[20] [21] The last functioning was on January 14, 2018.
Other productions [edit]
Since its opening in London Miss Saigon was produced in many cities around the globe including Tokyo, Stuttgart, The Hague, and Toronto, where new theatres were designed specifically to house the evidence.
Miss Saigon opened in Australia at the Capitol Theatre Sydney on 29 July 1995, starring Joanna Ampil as Kim, Peter Cousens as Chris, Cocoy Laurel as the Engineer, Milton Craig Nealy as John, Darren Yap as Thuy, and Silvie Paladino equally Ellen.
In the small isle community of Bømlo, Norway with only effectually xi thousand inhabitants, the show was set up in the outdoor amphitheatre by the local musical fellowship and ran from 5 August to 16 Baronial 2009. The local musical fellowship brought in a Bong Helicopter for the show.[22] [23]
Miss Saigon has been performed by twenty-seven companies in twenty-five countries and 246 cities, and information technology has been translated into twelve unlike languages.[24] Arlington Virginia'due south Signature Theatre 2013'south production was the US debut with the inclusion of the new song 'Maybe' (which replaced the prior song 'Now That I've Seen Her') which would be integrated into the W End'due south 2014 revival.[25]
The new production of Miss Saigon at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne
Tours [edit]
The first US tour started in Chicago, Illinois in Oct 1992 and was then expected to travel to those cities that could suit the large product. The tour also played venues such as the Wang Center in Boston from xiv July to 12 September 1993,[26] the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Florida in the Spring 1994,[27] and the Kennedy Eye, Washington, DC in June 1994.[28] Cameron Mackintosh said: "Corners haven't been cut. They've been added. There are but a dozen theaters in America where nosotros can do this."[29]
A second National The states tour launched in Seattle in early 1995 and would shut very successfully in August 2000 in Buffalo NY subsequently playing engagements in virtually major U.s. and Canadian markets, including Honolulu HI, San Francisco, Toronto, and return engagements in Boston (twice), Chicago and West Palm Embankment. The tour originally starred DeeDee Magno as Kim (later Kristine Remigio, Kym Hoy, and Mika Nishida), Thom Sesma as The Engineer (later Joseph Anthony Foronda), and Matt Bogart as Chris (replaced by Will Hunt, Steven Pasquale, Greg Stone and Will Swenson). This product boasted all the original pattern and creative elements of Broadway, but on a scale that nearly major market road houses could accommodate.
After the London product airtight in 1999 and also following the closure of the Broadway product in 2001, the show in its original London staging embarked on a long tour of the six largest venues in U.k. and Republic of ireland, stopping off in each city for several months. The tour starring Joanna Ampil, Niklas Andersson and Leo Valdez opened at the Palace Theatre, Manchester and also played in the Birmingham Hippodrome, the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, the Edinburgh Playhouse, the Bristol Hippodrome and The Signal Theatre in Dublin. This successful tour drew to a shut in 2003 and a brand new production was adult by original producer Cameron Mackintosh on a smaller scale so that the show could be accommodated in smaller theatres. This bout started in July 2004 and concluded in June 2006.[30]
A non-Disinterestedness North American tour began in summertime 2002 to spring 2005, playing such venues every bit the New Jersey Performing Arts Middle, Newark, New Jersey in November 2003, Raleigh, North Carolina in February 2005, and Gainesville, Florida in November 2003.[31] [32] [33]
A third U.k. tour for 2017/2018 opened at the Curve in Leicester, and also toured to the Birmingham Hippodrome, the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin, the Wales Millennium Middle in Cardiff, the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton and the Palace Theatre in Manchester.[34]
Another US tour began at Providence Performing Arts Center in September 2018. The tour closed early on March 15, 2020 in Fort Myers, Florida due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[35]
Casts [edit]
| Character | Original West End Bandage (1989) | Original Broadway Cast (1991) | West Stop Revival Bandage (2014) | Broadway Revival Bandage (2017) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kim | Lea Salonga | Eva Noblezada | ||
| The Engineer | Jonathan Pryce | Jon Jon Briones | ||
| Chris | Simon Bowman | Willy Falk | Alistair Brammer | |
| John | Peter Polycarpou | Hinton Boxing | Hugh Maynard | Nicholas Christopher |
| Ellen | Claire Moore | Liz Callaway | Tamsin Carroll | Katie Rose Clarke |
| Thuy | Keith Burns | Barry Bernal | Kwang-Ho Hong | Devin Ilaw |
| Gigi | Isay Alvarez | Marina Chapa | Rachelle Ann Go | |
Controversies [edit]
Hubert van Es, a Dutch photojournalist who recorded the most famous epitome of the autumn of Saigon in 1975 (a grouping of people scaling a ladder to a CIA helicopter on a rooftop), considered legal activity when his photograph was used in Miss Saigon.[36]
Casting controversies [edit]
Miss Saigon has received criticism for what some accept perceived as its racist or sexist overtones, including protests regarding its portrayal of Asians and women in general.[37] Originally, Pryce and Burns, white actors playing Eurasian/Asian characters, wore centre prostheses and bronzing foam to make themselves look more Asian,[38] which outraged some who drew comparisons to a "minstrel show".[39] The American scholar Yutian Wong noted when Miss Saigon premiered on the Due west Cease in 1989, reviews in British newspapers such as The Daily Mail, The Times, and The Evening Standard were uniformly positive as British theater critics did not find anything objectionable virtually the opera, and the controversy near Miss Saigon only began in 1990 with the prospect of it appearing on Broadway, which Wong argued was because the The states has a much larger Asian population than does the Uk.[40]
In the London product of Miss Saigon, Lea Salonga originally starred every bit Kim, with Jonathan Pryce equally the Engineer. When the production transferred from London to New York City, the Actors' Equity Clan (AEA) refused to permit Pryce, a white actor, to portray the office of the Engineer, a Eurasian pimp, in the Usa. The playwright David Henry Hwang and the actor B.D Wong wrote public letters of protestation against Pryce's casting.[41] Both Hwang and Wong had seen Miss Saigon on the West Cease of London, and felt Pryce'due south performance as the Engineer was demeaning to Asian people.[41] Equally Alan Eisenberg, executive secretary of Actors' Disinterestedness explained: "The casting of a Caucasian histrion fabricated up to appear Asian is an affront to the Asian community. The casting choice is especially agonizing when the casting of an Asian actor, in the function, would be an important and meaning opportunity to break the usual blueprint of casting Asians in minor roles."[39] This ruling on 7 August 1990 led to criticism from many, including the British Actors' Equity Association, citing violations of the principles of artistic integrity and freedom. Producer Cameron Mackintosh threatened to cancel the show, despite massive advance ticket sales.[41] [42]
Though there had been a large, well-publicised international search among Asian actresses to play Kim, there had been no equivalent search for Asian actors to play the major Asian male roles—specifically, those of the Engineer (Pryce) and Thuy (Keith Burns).[43] The American scholar Angelica Pao noted that in the get-go production of Miss Saigon on the W End, Macintosh went out of his mode to bandage Asian actresses to play the Vietnamese women, arguing that this was necessary to provide authenticity, but he was content to cast white actors as Vietnamese men.[44] All the same, others pointed out that since the Engineer'due south graphic symbol was Eurasian (French-Vietnamese), they argued that Pryce was being discriminated against on the basis that he was Caucasian. Likewise, Pryce was considered by many in Europe to accept "star status," a clause that allows a well-known foreign actor to recreate a role on Broadway without an American casting call.[39] After pressure level from Mackintosh, the general public, and many of its own members, Actors' Equity reversed its conclusion. Pryce starred aslope Salonga and Willy Falk (as Chris) when the show opened on Broadway.[45] [46] [47]
During the production transfer from Westward End to Broadway, a lesser controversy erupted over Salonga'due south citizenship, as she was Filipina, and the AEA wanted to requite priority to its own members, initially preventing her from reprising her role. Even so, Mackintosh was unable to find a satisfactory replacement for Salonga despite the extensive auditions that he conducted in several American and Canadian cities. An arbitrator reversed the AEA ruling a month later to allow Salonga to star.[48]
Revived productions of Miss Saigon have been subjects to boycotts from Asian actors.[49]
Orientalism, racism, and misogyny [edit]
Community members have organized against the play in many different cities over the years, citing that the product is racist and misogynistic. 2010 Fulbright Hayes Scholar D Hideo Maruyama states, "it'south time to see the real Vietnam, not the Miss Saigon version. Whether or not America is fix to see the existent one is upwards to question."[50] American artist and activist Mai Neng Moua states, "I protested Miss Saigon back in 1994 when the Ordway get-go brought it to town. I was a college educatee at St. Olaf and had never protested annihilation before. I didn't know what to say or do. I was scared people would yell or throw things at me. Then I met Esther Suzuki, a Japanese American woman whose family survived the racist U.Due south. policy of internment camps. Esther was nigh my size – which is pocket-size – but she was fearless. Esther protested Miss Saigon considering, she improve than anyone, understood Dr. Male monarch'southward "No one is free until we all are gratuitous." I stood with Esther, protesting Miss Saigon, and drew forcefulness from her. Nosotros protested Miss Saigon because information technology was racist, sexist, and offensive to u.s. every bit Asian Americans. 19 years later, this hasn't changed."[51] Vietnamese American activist Denise Huynh recounts her experience attention the production and the stereotypes making her feel physically ill.[52]
Sarah Bellamy, co-artistic director of the Penumbra Theatre, dedicated to African American theater, states "It gets a lot easier to wrap your head around all of this for folks of colour when nosotros remember a central signal: this work is non for us. It is past, for, and about white people, using people of color, tropical climes, pseudo-cultural costumes and props, violence, tragedy, and the commodification of people and cultures, to reinforce and re-inscribe a narrative well-nigh white supremacy and authority."[53]
The American scholar Wong Yutian described Miss Saigon as promoting the image of "...an effeminzed and infantized Asia serving as a low-budget whorehouse for the West".[54] The fact that the Vietnam war impoverished many Vietnamese people, and forced many women to turn to prostitution in lodge to survive is non mentioned in Miss Saigon, and establishments such every bit the fictional Dreamland brothel are portrayed equally the norm in Vietnam.[54] In 1999, when Miss Saigon was endmost in London, a new advertisement campaign was launched on the Tube featuring posters reading "You'll miss Saigon" that showed an Asian woman wearing a armed services jacket that barely covered her breasts, which Wong felt sent the message that "Asia equals prostitution"..[55]
American scholar Karen Shimakawa argued that the romance between the Marine Chris with Kim was intended as a bulletin past Boublil and Schönberg about the legitimacy and justice of the Vietnam war with the submissive Kim looking up to Chris to protect and save her from her ain people.[56] Notably, the wedding between Chris and Kim is seen by the former as a mere spectacle for him to enjoy rather representing a binding commitment on his function to Kim, and he is very surprised to learn subsequently on that Kim considers him to be her hubby, an aspect of his character that he is not criticized for.[57] Instead, Ellen explains to Kim that under American law she is Chris'southward wife, and Kim simply just accepts the supremacy of American police force over Vietnamese police force, which Shimakawa argued represents the viewpoint that Vietnam is merely simply a place that provides exotic spectacles for Chris and other Americans to enjoy.[57]
The Trinidadian-Canadian critic Richard Fung wrote in 1994: "If Miss Saigon were the only evidence about sexually bachelor Asian women and money-grubbing Asian men, it wouldn't be a stereotype and there would exist no protest-negative portrayals per se are not a problem".[58] Fung argued that the fashion in which films, television and plays repeated such stereotypes ad nauseam had a damaging effect on the self-esteem of Asian-Americans, particularly Asian-American women.[58]
The Overture Center for the Arts planned to host a touring production of Miss Saigon in Apr 2019 and had scheduled a panel word to showcase Asian-American perspectives on the musical's treatment of Asian characters.[59] The Middle then postponed the panel give-and-take indefinitely, prompting a teach-in by the panel's organizers and scheduled speakers. "Shame on Overture for making a profit off the bodies of Asian bodies and Asian lives," said Nancy Vue of Freedom Inc. "If you are a white woman, you lot should be outraged because this play pits white adult female confronting Asian women. Yous should be outraged that information technology does that because we ought to exist working together."[threescore]
Recordings [edit]
| Character | The Original Cast Recording | The Consummate Symphonic Recording | The Definitive Live Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kim | Lea Salonga | Joanna Ampil | Eva Noblezada |
| The Engineer | Jonathan Pryce | Kevin Greyness | Jon Jon Briones |
| Chris | Simon Bowman | Peter Cousens | Alistair Brammer |
| John | Peter Polycarpou | Hinton Battle | Hugh Maynard |
| Ellen | Claire Moore | Ruthie Henshall | Tamsin Carroll |
| Thuy | Keith Burns | Charles Azulay | Kwang-Ho Hong |
| Gigi | Isay Alvarez | Sonia Swaby | Rachelle Ann Go |
Response [edit]
Though the show has received awards and acclaim, it lost the Best Musical Award at the 1989/1990 Laurence Olivier Awards to Return to the Forbidden Planet in London.[61]
Upon its Broadway opening in 1991 the musical was massively hyped as the best musical of the twelvemonth, both critically and commercially. Information technology broke several Broadway records, including a record advance-ticket sales at $24 meg, highest priced ticket at $100, and repaying investors in fewer than 39 weeks.[62]
Miss Saigon and The Volition Rogers Follies led the 1991 Tony Award nominations with eleven nominations. According to The New York Times, "Will Rogers and Miss Saigon had both earned 11 nominations and were considered the front-runners for the Tony every bit best musical. Just many theatre people predicted that Miss Saigon, an import from London, would be the victim of a backlash. There is lingering bitterness confronting both the huge corporeality of publicity Miss Saigon has received and the boxing by its producer, Cameron Mackintosh, to allow its two foreign stars, Mr. Pryce and the Filipina actress Lea Salonga, to re-create on Broadway their number one accolade-winning roles."[63]
The prove lost to The Volition Rogers Follies for nearly every major award, though Lea Salonga, Jonathan Pryce and Hinton Boxing all won awards.
Awards and nominations [edit]
Original West Stop product [edit]
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Laurence Olivier Honor | Best New Musical | Nominated | |
| All-time Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Jonathan Pryce | Won | ||
| Best Actress in a Leading Part in a Musical | Lea Salonga | Won | ||
| Best Director | Nicholas Hytner | Nominated | ||
Original Broadway production [edit]
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Tony Laurels | All-time Musical | Nominated | |
| All-time Volume of a Musical | Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil | Nominated | ||
| All-time Original Score | Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. | Nominated | ||
| All-time Performance by a Leading Player in a Musical | Jonathan Pryce | Won | ||
| Best Operation by a Leading Extra in a Musical | Lea Salonga | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Hinton Battle | Won | ||
| Willy Falk | Nominated | |||
| Best Choreography | Bob Avian | Nominated | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Nicholas Hytner | Nominated | ||
| All-time Scenic Design | John Napier | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting Design | David Hersey | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk-bound Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Jonathan Pryce | Won | |
| Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Lea Salonga | Won | ||
| Outstanding Orchestrations | William David Brohn | Won | ||
| Outstanding Lighting Design | David Hersey | Won | ||
| Theatre World Laurels | Lea Salonga | Won | ||
2014 West End revival [edit]
| Year | Laurels | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Musical Revival | Nominated | |
| Best Player in a Leading Function in a Musical | Jon Jon Briones | Nominated | ||
2017 Broadway revival [edit]
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Upshot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Nominated | |
| Distinguished Performance | Eva Noblezada | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Role player in a Musical | Jon Jon Briones | Nominated | |
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Tony Awards | All-time Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Best Extra in a Leading Role in a Musical | Eva Noblezada | Nominated | ||
Film adaptation [edit]
On 21 Oct 2009, a film version of the musical was reported to exist in "early stages of development". Producer Paula Wagner was reported to be teaming with the original musical producer Cameron Mackintosh to create a film version of the musical.[64] Filming locations are said to be Kingdom of cambodia and quite possibly Ho Chi Minh City (the former Saigon).
Cameron Mackintosh reported that the film version of Miss Saigon depended on whether the Les Misérables picture show was a success.[65] [66] In Baronial 2013, director Lee Daniels announced hopes to get a motion picture adaptation off the footing.[67]
On 27 Feb 2016 at the closing night of the Miss Saigon London Revival, Mackintosh hinted that the film adaptation was shut to being produced when he said, "Sooner rather than later, the movie won't just be in my mind". Likewise as this, the 2014 "25th anniversary" operation of Miss Saigon in London was filmed for an Autumn cinema broadcast.[68] In March 2016, information technology was reported that Danny Boyle was in talks to direct the film for a 2018 release.[69]
Run into also [edit]
- Tears of Heaven – Another Vietnam-set musical, from 2011 past composer Frank Wildhorn, set in the atomic number 82 up to and during the Tet Offensive.
Notes [edit]
- ^ Replaced with "Too Much for Ane Centre" with the same melody in 2014 London revival
- ^ Originally "Her or Me", replaced with "Maybe", with new music and lyrics for the 2011 Dutch revival
- ^ Referred to as "Little God of My Heart" on the 2014 London revival recording, though those words are not contained in the lyrics
References [edit]
- ^ "'Blvd.' sets tix record at $i.4 mil". Daily Variety. November 22, 1994. p. 11.
- ^ Miss Saigon breaks tape for biggest single day of sales whatsonstage.com, Retrieved 24 January 2014
- ^ Miss Saigon posts £4m commencement day sales – merely is it a record? whatsonstage.com, Retrieved 24 January 2014
- ^ a b Hernandez, Ernio (2008-05-28). "Long Runs on Broadway". Glory Fizz: Insider Info. Playbill, Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2013-09-03 .
- ^ Schönberg, Claude-Michel. "This Photograph was for Alain and I the beginning of everything...", October 1995. Archived 2011-08-21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2007 – December 15.
- ^ Cohen, Robert; Sherman, Donovan (2020). Theatre: Brief Edition (12th ed.). New York, NY. p. 244. ISBN978-ane-260-05738-6. OCLC 1073038874.
- ^ " "Long Runs-Due west End" Archived 2010-04-02 at the Wayback Auto world-theatres.com, retrieved February 23, 2010
- ^ "Theatre Royal, Drury Lane history-partial reference" arthurlloyd.co.uk, retrieved Feb 23, 2010
- ^ Miss Saigon at the Net Broadway DatabaseRetrieved on 2007 – December fifteen.
- ^ Breaking News: Confirmed! Cameron Mackintosh to Restage MISS SAIGON in 2014 broadwayworld.com, accessed December 9, 2012
- ^ BREAKING NEWS: It's Finally Official! MISS SAIGON to Return to West End in May 2014 at Prince Edward Theatre! broadwayworld.com Retrieved June nineteen, 2013
- ^ Oliver Oliveros (12 October 2012). "Breaking News: W End Revival of MISS SAIGON to Hold Auditions in Manila, 11/xix-22". BroadwayWorld.com.
- ^ 17-Yr-Former Eva Noblezada to Star in MISS SAIGON in the West Stop Retrieved November 22, 2013
- ^ Korean Star to play Thuy in Miss Saigon Retrieved Feb xi, 2014
- ^ Alistair Brammer, Tamsin Carroll, Hugh Maynard & More Join West Terminate'south MISS SAIGON; Full Cast Appear! Retrieved November 22, 2013
- ^ "Miss Saigon gala celebrates 25th anniversary!". cameronmackintosh.com.
- ^ "Final flying for Miss Saigon". cameronmackintosh.com. 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-14 .
- ^ "MISS SAIGON The Musical | Official Broadway Site | Cast/Creative". Miss Saigon on Broadway . Retrieved 2017-01-25 .
- ^ "The Estrus is On! Miss Saigon Revival Volition Bow on Broadway in 2017". Broadway.com. 2015-xi-nineteen. Retrieved 2015-11-19 .
- ^ a b "The American Dream! MISS SAIGON Volition State at Original Broadway Home This Spring". Broadwayworld.com. 2016-08-04. Retrieved 2016-08-04 .
- ^ "Read Reviews for the Broadway Revival of 'Miss Saigon' " Playbill, March 23, 2017
- ^ "bml.no".
- ^ "Archived re-create". Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2011-02-05 .
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived re-create as title (link) - ^ "Facts and Figures" Archived 2011-08-21 at the Wayback Machine miss-saigon.com, accessed September 7, 2009
- ^ Paul Harris (2013-09-03). "Regional Legit Review: 'Miss Saigon'". Variety.
- ^ Taylor, Markland. "Wang Boasts Groovy B.O.", Variety, October 4, 1993 – October 10, 1993, p.74
- ^ Erstein, Hap. "Miss Saigon' Is Critics' Option For Best Actor, Actress And Bout", Palm Embankment Post (Florida), June fifteen, 1994, p.5D
- ^ (no writer)."Route GROSSES:B.0. even at $ 12.3 mil", Variety, June 27, 1994 – July three, 1994. p. 92
- ^ Stearns, David Patrick. "'Saigon' retools for the road", United states Today, Nov eleven, 1992 p.4D
- ^ "Miss Saigon" Official Site, article on the U.k. 2003 tour and the "new" 2004 revised tour production Archived 2011-08-20 at the Wayback Motorcar
- ^ McDowell, Robert W."REVIEW: Broadway Series South: Miss Saigon Superbly Dramatizes the Autumn of Saigon and Its Horrific Aftermath" Classical Voice of North Carolina, February 17, 2005
- ^ Rendell, Bob."Miss Saigon Lands at NJPAC" talkinbroadway.com, Nov 6, 2003
- ^ "Miss Saigon tour, 2002–2005 listing" Archived 2012-03-09 at the Wayback Machine, bigleague.org, retrieved Feb 2, 2010
- ^ "Miss Saigon tour" Archived 2016-03-07 at the Wayback Automobile, miss-saigon.com, retrieved February 27, 2016
- ^ Ltd, Banquet Artistic. "Miss Saigon | The Official Website". www.miss-saigon.com . Retrieved 2020-04-08 .
- ^ "Lensman who took famous Vietnam war epitome dies". The Guardian. 15 May 2009.
- ^ Steinberg, Avi. "Group targets Asian stereotypes in hit musical," Boston Globe, January 2005. Archived 2012-04-30 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2007 – December 15.
- ^ Behr, Edward, and Mark Steyn. The Story of Miss Saigon. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1991.
- ^ a b c Rothstein, Mervyn (8 August 1990). "Union Confined White in Asian Role; Broadway May Lose 'Miss Saigon". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22.
- ^ Wong 2011, p. 236.
- ^ a b c Shimakawa 2002, p. 44.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (20 Baronial 1990). "Will Broadway Miss Saigon?". Time. Archived from the original on sixteen October 2007.
- ^ Shimakawa 2002, p. 45.
- ^ Shimakawa 2002, p. 45-46.
- ^ "Yellowworld Forums – Yellowface Pinnacle Ten". Archived from the original on 2013-x-14. Retrieved fifteen December 2007.
- ^ Bright Lights Picture show Journal – Hollywood Yellowface Retrieved on 2007 – December 15. Archived 2009-07-xiv at the Portuguese Web Annal
- ^ Ito, Robert B. (2 May 2014). ""A Certain Slant": A Brief History of Hollywood Yellowface". Archived from the original on 3 May 2014.
- ^ Sternfeld, Jessica (2008). "The Megamusical in the 1990s". The Megamusical. Indiana University Printing.
- ^ "Call to Cold-shoulder Miss Saigon | Stage Whispers". www.stagewhispers.com.au . Retrieved 2021-12-xv .
- ^ "Tonal Influences".
- ^ "THE ORDWAY STILL DOESN'T GET SEXISM AND RACISM (THE PROBLEM WITH MISS SAIGON)". Racialicious. Racialicious. Archived from the original on 2015-09-21.
- ^ Huynh, Denise. "We All Deserve Better". TC Daily Planet.
- ^ Bellamy, Sarah. "Establishing Cultural Norms, our Function and Responsibility". TGC Circle. TGC Circle. Archived from the original on 2015-ten-03.
- ^ a b Wong 2011, p. 214.
- ^ Wong 2011, p. 198.
- ^ Shimakawa 2002, p. 26.
- ^ a b Shimakawa 2002, p. 35.
- ^ a b Shimakawa 2002, p. 43.
- ^ Gordon, Scott. "A "Miss Saigon" discussion implodes at Overture". Tone Madison.
- ^ Chappell, Robert. ""We're Not Your Model Minorities." Asian Americans & Allies Gather Outside Madison Arts Center After "Miss Saigon" Discussion Cancelled". Fob Valley News.
- ^ Laurence Olivier Awards: Past winners – Musical Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Motorcar Retrieved on 2007 – December 15.
- ^ AmerAsians and the Theater Retrieved on 2007 – December 15.
- ^ Rothstein, Mervyn. "'Yonker' and 'Will Rogers' Top Tony Awards", The New York Times, June 3, 1991, p. A1
- ^ Hetrick, Adam.""The Movie in My Mind": Miss Saigon on Track for Motion picture Treatment" Archived 2012-10-13 at the Wayback Auto, playbill.com, 21 October 2009
- ^ "Cameron Mackintosh's Plans for Miss Saigon Picture show Swivel on the 'Success' of Les Miz". Broadway.com.
- ^ Movies News Desk-bound (26 September 2012). "Cameron Mackintosh Says MISS SAIGON is Next Musical to Hit Large Screen". broadwayworld.com.
- ^ Merle Ginsberg & Gary Baum (22 Baronial 2013). "'The Butler' Follow-Up: Lee Daniels Says His Janis Joplin Biopic Is Side by side". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Broadway World, 28 Feb 2016. "Miss Saigon team speaks at Final London Performance"
- ^ Broadway World, 10 March 2016. Danny Boyle in Talks to Captain MISS SAIGON Film Adaptation
Further reading [edit]
- Shimizu, Celine Parreñas (May 2005). "The bind of representation: performing and consuming hypersexuality in Miss Saigon". Theatre Periodical. 57 (two): 247–265. doi:10.1353/tj.2005.0079.
- Shimakawa, Karen (2002). National Abjection: The Asian American Body Onstage. Durnham: Knuckles University Press. ISBN0822384248.
- Wong, Yutian (2011). Choreographing Asian America. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan Academy Press. ISBN978-0819571083.
External links [edit]
- Miss Saigon at the Internet Broadway Database
- Official UK website
- Musical Cyberspace: Miss Saigon
- On the Scene: Miss Saigon Celebrates 4,000 Performances
- Time review, noting changes from Due west End to Broadway
- Plot summary and character descriptions
- Miss Saigon at the Music Theatre International website
- Miss Saigon – Schoolhouse Edition at the Music Theatre International website
- New Zealand Premiere Photos
- New Zealand Premiere Cast
- "Miss Saigon (RUS)".
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Saigon
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