‘Miss Saigon’ in one’s mind
Theater is a place where people converge to watch and witness either a (straight) play or a musical that touches the heart and tells universal emotions close to hearth and home.
“Miss Saigon” is one exemplar of that — a memorable masterpiece with a compelling love story, a beautiful musical score, and a stunning spectacle.
That’s why it continues to enthrall audiences, regardless of age, class, culture, and gender.
“Miss Saigon” has recently made its comeback to Manila, after almost 24 years, and is now playing at The Theatre at Solaire.
It holds a special place in every Filipino’s heart because its original London production tapped Pinoy talents, including Lea Salonga, who originated the role of Kim, a 17-year-old Vietnamese orphan and bar girl. Over the years, many Filipinos have also graced its international tours.
The musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, with Cameron Mackintosh as the producer, did help Philippine theater actors foray into the West End and Broadway.
From personal recollections and the information from the 2000 souvenir program, one could share that “Miss Saigon” had its premiere on Sept. 20, 1989 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and made its debut in Manila on Sept. 29, 2000 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
During that time, Tony and Laurence Olivier winner Lea reprised her role as Kim, while Will Chase portrayed Chris, the American G.I., and performed it for two years in the Broadway production.
After taking on the role in the London and Sydney productions, Leo Valdez essayed The Engineer, the French-Vietnamese go-getter owner of the nightclub Dreamland, before his kababayan. Ronn Smith, part of the “Miss Saigon” national tour in the US, was John, the best friend of Chris.
The roles of Ellen, wife of Chris, and Thuy, cousin of Kim, were played by Lisa Capps and Robert Seña, respectively.
Cezarah Campos, Jon Jon Briones, and Arvin Quirante were Kim, The Engineer, and Thuy in certain performances.
Jon Jon played the iconic role of The Engineer in the 2014 “Miss Saigon” revival at the Prince Edward Theatre, with Eva Noblezada as Kim, Alistair Brammer as Chris, and Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi.
The 2000 “Miss Saigon” in Manila also had Isay Alvarez, a member of the 1989 original production, again play her role of Gigi.
Fast-forward to now: “Miss Saigon” in Manila features Abigail Adriano as Kim, Nigel Huckle as Chris, Seann Miley Moore as The Engineer, Laurence Mossman as Thuy, Kiara Dario as Gigi, Lewis Francis as John, and Sarah Morrison as Ellen.
Just like their predecessors, they successfully convey the emotional struggles and personal stories of their characters in different musical numbers that present themes the audience can resonate with.
The dramatis personae — The Engineer, Chris, John, Kim, Gigi, and the rest — are introduced in “The Heat is On,” with a “glimpse” of the Vietnam War as the background, the goal and dream of local characters to flee “this life” and “flee this place,” and the brewing romance between Chris and Kim as star-crossed lovers in “The Movie in My Mind,” “The Transaction,” “Why God Why,” “This Money’s Yours,” and “Sun and Moon.”
Feelings and emotions that encompass such as love, happiness, hope, disappointment, and sadness are heightened in “The Last Night of the World,” “The Deal” and “Thuy’s Intervention” as among other sung-through segments.
Since the Manila staging is based on the 2014 revival production, it has subtle, unique features. The musical numbers, from 2000 to now, in Act 1 are, I think, essentially the same, but some are titled differently: “The Heat is On in Saigon” to “The Heat is On,” “Bartering for Kim” to “The Transaction,” “Telephone Sequence” to “Asking for Leave,” “The Wedding” to “The Wedding Ceremony,” and “Thuy’s Death” to “You Will Not Touch Him.”
The 2000 edition had “Kim and Engineer.”
In Act 2, “Kim and Ellen” is now “Room 317,” with segments such as “What a Waste,” featuring The Engineer, “Too Much for One Heart” with Kim and John, and “The Confrontation” of Chris, Ellen, John, and Kim.
From singing “Now That I’ve Seen Her,” Ellen has “Maybe.”
As compared to the 2000 production, the new staging has Fifi and Dominique as the latest bar girls, joining Gigi, Mimi, Yvette, and Yvonne in “The Heat is On,” “The Movie in My Mind,” and “The Wedding Ceremony” segments.
All this brings something new to look forward to for theatergoers, who have watched it before, and something to enjoy and experience for the new audience.
The continued success of “Miss Saigon” can be attributed to its being constantly updated in terms of choreography, production design, staging, and music. The iconic helicopter evacuation scene, for sure, has been presented in different ways. Actors are given the freedom to interpret the roles assigned to them.
The crafting and reinterpretation of The Engineer are totally different from the versions Jonathan Pryce, Leo, and Jon Jon created or from what many are accustomed to.
Seann’s is one of a kind. Some describe it as flamboyant, but it is still engaging and a show-stopper. This Engineer is unapologetic and brave enough to embrace his/her/their identity. The character throws hints, through voice inflection and movements, about his masculinity/her femininity/their true selves. It’s about The Engineer’s emerging and unfolding gender identity.
Aside from this, the visual and aural spectacle is top-tier. The actors smoothly move from one “realistic” setting to another with the help of lighting.
This element transports you to the Dreamland bar, where the story takes off, to the embassy office and gates, where tensions build over whether some characters will stay or not. The American soldiers protect the embassy from the inside, while the Vietnamese want to get their visas from the outside.
The company, on the other hand, delivered amazing performances in numbers such as “The Heat is On,” “The Morning of the Dragon,” and “The American Dream.”
There are so many reasons to love “Miss Saigon.” One of which is the romance between Kim and Chris. They may come from two different worlds (as implied and explicated in “Sun and Moon”), but love knows no color of skin or race (“Why God Why?”). They are bound to have met and fallen in love. They are also destined to part ways because of the political situation in their time, but Kim and Chris show how resilient one’s heart is. It simply never forgets (Kim’s “I Still Believe”). If ever Chris may have experienced some change of heart, Kim remains true to her feelings.
When Kim reveals her little secret and life connection, besides her memories and mementoes of the past, to Chris, their son Tam, she reminds one about the selfless love of a parent to a child (“I’d Give My Life for You”).
This is “the hour,” or the moment when she bares all that being a mother is more important than being a lover. Kim wants to secure the future of Tam, that is hopefully different from the other “bui-doi” or Amerisians.
“Miss Saigon” in Manila, from its 2000 production to now, has remained and is a must-watch, memorable musical in my mind. It is definitely one that appeals to one’s senses and engages them — from sight, hearing, and intellect.
“Miss Saigon” is, again, playing at The Theatre at Solaire until May 12.
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