Miss Saigon

As vibrant and varied as our local theatre scene is, occasionally you need to get down to the 'big smoke' to see one of those huge West End productions. So it was that I ventured down the M1 to the Prince Edward Theatre to see Cameron Mackintosh's long overdue revival of Miss Saigon. Of course the show famously features the amazing effect of a helicopter descending onto the stage, but this is not the only mind blowing spectacle of this production and the pyrotechnics and lighting effects combine to immerse you in the traumatic times in which the story is set.
Housed in the beautifully restored and renovated 1930's Prince Edward Theatre this show is a feast for the eyes and ears. Settling into our seats we were awed by the proscenium arch which seemed to stretch upwards forever and was dressed as a rattan wall. As the live orchestra in the pit struck up the overture it was immediately obvious we were in for a raucous night. The curtain rose to a melee of Vietnamese and American GI's jockeying for favours and indulgences. From that moment on there was no let up on the energy as the twin stories of a desperate 'entrepreneur' trying to get out of the country to what he thinks is the promised land of America and the love story of one of his girls and an American soldier.
With a huge cast it is probably unfair to single out individual performers but Jon Jon Briones as the Engineer is the lynchpin of the show and Eva Noblezada as Kim deserves special mention, especially as this is Eva's professional debut.
This was a production that is well worth the trip down to London. If ever it tours it will, by necessity, have to be pared down so grab any chance you have to see the full experience in the West End

© Paul Towers 11/12/2014