1989 stage musical
Miss Saigon
is a
stage musical
by
Claude-Michel Schonberg
and
Alain Boublil
, with lyrics by Boublil and
Richard Maltby Jr.
It is based on
Giacomo Puccini
's 1904 opera
Madama Butterfly
, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover. The setting of the plot is relocated to 1970s
Saigon
during the
Vietnam War
, and
Madame Butterfly
'
s story of marriage between an American lieutenant and a
geisha
is replaced by a romance between a United States
Marine
and a seventeen-year-old South Vietnamese
bargirl
.
The musical premiered at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
,
London
, on 20 September 1989, closing after 4,092 performances on 30 October 1999. It opened on
Broadway
at the
Broadway Theatre
on April 11, 1991 with a record advance of over $39 million,
[1]
and was later staged 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 a world record for opening day ticket sales, with sales in excess of £4m reported.
[2]
[3]
The musical was Schonberg and Boublil's second major success, following
Les Miserables
in 1985. As of October 2022,
Miss Saigon
remains
Broadway's fourteenth longest-running show
.
[4]
Background
[
edit
]
The musical was inspired by a photograph, which Schonberg found inadvertently in a magazine. It showed a Vietnamese mother leaving her child at a departure gate at
Tan Son Nhut Air Base
to board an airplane headed for the United States where the child's father, an ex-GI, would be in a position to provide a much better life for the child. Schonberg considered this mother's actions for her child to be "The Ultimate Sacrifice," an idea central to the plot of
Miss Saigon
.
[5]
Highlights of the show include the evacuation of the last Americans in
Saigon
from the Embassy roof by helicopter
[6]
while a crowd of abandoned
Vietnamese people
screams in despair, the victory parade of the new communist regime, and the frenzied night club scene at the time of defeat.
Cast of principal characters
[
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]
Character
|
Voice Type
|
Description
|
Kim
|
Mezzo-soprano
E
3
?E
5
|
A seventeen-year-old Vietnamese girl, recently orphaned and forced to work at "Dreamland." She corresponds to Butterfly in the original opera.
|
Chris Scott
|
Baritenor
A
2
?G
♯
4
(
falsetto
B
4
)
|
An American
Marine
sergeant
about to leave Saigon to return to America. He corresponds to Pinkerton.
|
Engineer
|
Baritone
A
2
?A
♭
4
|
The sleazy hustler and owner of "Dreamland." He is half-Vietnamese and half-French. He corresponds to Goro.
|
Ellen
|
Mezzo-soprano
F
♯
3
?E
5
|
Chris's American wife. She corresponds to Kate.
|
John Thomas
|
Tenor
A
♭
2
?B
♭
4
|
Chris's friend, also a Marine. He corresponds to Sharpless.
|
Thuy
|
Tenor
C
3
?B
♭
4
|
Kim's cousin and betrothed, to whom Kim's parents promised her when the two were thirteen. Has since become an officer in the Communist Vietnamese government. He is a
composite character
, corresponding in part to both The Bonze and Prince Yamadori.
|
Gigi Van Tranh
|
Mezzo-soprano
G
3
?E
♭
5
|
A hardened Saigon stripper; initially voted as "Miss Saigon".
|
Tam
|
|
Kim and Chris's three-year-old son. He corresponds to Dolore, or "Sorrow".
|
Synopsis
[
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]
Act 1
[
edit
]
In April 1975 at "Dreamland", a
Saigon
bar and brothel, shortly before the
end of the Vietnam War
, it is Kim's first day as a
bargirl
. The seventeen-year-old peasant girl is hauled in by the Engineer, a
French-Vietnamese
hustler who owns the joint. Backstage, the girls ready themselves for the night's show, jeering at Kim's inexperience ("Overture / Backstage Dreamland"). The U.S. Marines, aware that they will soon be leaving Vietnam, party with the Vietnamese sex workers ("The Heat Is on in Saigon"). Chris Scott, a sergeant disenchanted by the 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, annoying him. The showgirls reflect 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, but 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 just as he was about to leave Vietnam ("Why, God, Why?"). When Kim wakes up, Chris tries to give her money, but she refuses, saying that it is her first time sleeping with a man ("This Money's Yours"). Touched to learn that Kim is an orphan, Chris offers to take her to America with him, and the two fall in love ("Sun and Moon"). Chris tells John that he is taking leave to spend time with Kim. John warns him that the
Viet Cong
will soon take Saigon, but then reluctantly agrees to cover for Chris ("The Telephone 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 at gunpoint, Chris forces him to honor the original arrangement for Kim ("The Deal").
The bargirls hold a "wedding ceremony" for Chris and Kim ("Dju Vui Vai"), with Gigi toasting Kim as the "real" Miss Saigon. Thuy, Kim's cousin, to whom she was betrothed at thirteen, arrives to take her home. He has since become an officer in the
North Vietnamese Army
and is disgusted to find her with a white man ("Thuy's Arrival"). The two men confront each other, drawing their firearms. Kim tells Thuy that their arranged marriage is now nullified because her parents are dead, and she no longer harbors any feelings for him because of his betrayal. Thuy curses them all and storms out ("What's This I Find"). Chris promises to take Kim with him when he leaves Vietnam. Chris and Kim dance to the same song as on their first night ("Last Night of The World").
Three years later, in 1978, a street parade is taking place in Saigon (since renamed
Ho Chi Minh City
) to celebrate the third 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 government, has ordered his soldiers to look for the still-corrupt Engineer. For the Communist Party, he goes by the name "Tran Van Dinh" and has spent the past three years working in the rice fields as part of a re-education program. Thuy orders the Engineer to find Kim and bring her to him. Although the intervening period is not shown, it is apparent that Kim and Chris have become separated in the three years separating the two acts. Kim has been hiding in an impoverished area, still in love 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's name. Ellen and Kim both swear their devotion to Chris from opposite ends of the world ("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-education camp
("Coo-Coo Princess"). Again, Kim refuses to go with Thuy and shocks him by introducing Thuy to Tam, her three-year-old son from Chris. Thuy calls Kim a traitor and Tam an enemy, and tries to kill Tam with a knife, but Kim is forced to shoot Thuy to protect Tam ("You Will Not Touch Him"). Thuy dies as the street parade continues nearby ("This Is the Hour"), with Kim showing horror and heartbreak at her action, before fleeing with Tam.
The Engineer laments being 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 Nose") ? thinking the boy is his chance to
emigrate to the United States
. He tells Kim that now he is the boy's uncle, and he will lead them to
Bangkok
. As Kim swears to Tam that she would do anything to give him a better life, the three set out on
a ship with other refugees
("I'd Give My Life for You").
Act 2
[
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]
In
Atlanta
, Georgia, John now works for an aid organization whose mission is to connect
Bui-Doi
(from Vietnamese
tr? b?i đ?i
"street children," meaning children conceived during the war) with their American fathers ("Bui Doi"). John tells Chris that Kim is still alive, which Chris is relieved to hear after years of having nightmares of her dying. He also tells Chris about Tam and urges Chris to go to Bangkok with Ellen, and Chris then finally tells Ellen about Kim and Tam ("The Revelation"). In Bangkok, the Engineer is hawking a sleazy club where Kim works as a dancer ("What A Waste"). Chris, Ellen, and John arrive in search of Kim. John finds Kim dancing at the club 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 break the news to her but promises to bring Chris to her ("Please").
[a]
The Engineer tells Kim to find Chris herself because he doubts that Chris will come ("Chris Is Here"). Kim is haunted by the ghost of Thuy, who taunts Kim, claiming that Chris will betray her as he did the night Saigon fell. Kim suffers a horrible flashback to that night ("Kim's Nightmare").
In the nightmare and flashback to 1975, Kim remembers the Viet Cong approaching Saigon. As the city becomes increasingly chaotic, Chris is called to the embassy 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 immediate evacuation of the remaining Americans. The Ambassador orders that no more Vietnamese be allowed into the Embassy. Kim reaches the gates of the Embassy, one in a crowd of terrified Vietnamese trying to enter. Chris calls to Kim and is about to go into the crowd to look for her. John is eventually forced to punch Chris in the face to stop him from leaving. Chris is put into the last helicopter leaving Saigon as Kim watches from outside, still pledging her love to him ("The Fall of Saigon").
Back in 1978 Bangkok, Kim joyfully dresses in her wedding clothes ("Sun and Moon [Reprise]") and leaves the Engineer to watch Tam while she is gone. She goes to Chris's hotel room, where she finds Ellen. Ellen reveals that she is Chris's wife. While Kim is heartbroken and initially in denial about the truth, she soon confirms to Ellen that Tam is Chris's son, and says that she does not want her son to continue living on the streets, pleading that they take Tam with them back to America, but 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, but is determined to keep Chris ("Now That I've Seen Her/Maybe").
[b]
Chris and John return, having failed to find 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 see Chris at her place and that she tried to give away her son to them. John realizes that Kim wants Tam to be "an American boy." Ellen then issues an ultimatum to Chris: Kim or her. Chris reassures Ellen, and they pledge their love for each other. Chris and Ellen agree to leave Tam and Kim in Bangkok but offer them monetary support from America, while John decries their decision as selfish ("The Confrontation"). Back at the club, Kim tells the Engineer that they are still going to America ("Paper Dragons"). The Engineer imagines the extravagant 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 because 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 arrive just outside her room. The Engineer comes in to take Tam outside to introduce 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 and they share one last kiss. Kim then repeats something that he said to her on the first night they met: "How in one night have we come so far?", and dies in Chris's arms as everyone watches ("Finale").
Musical numbers
[
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]
- Act I
- "Overture" / "Backstage Dreamland" ? Gigi, Kim, The Engineer and Bar Girls
- "The Heat is On in Saigon" ? Soldiers, Bar Girls, The Engineer, Kim, John, Chris and Gigi
- "The Movie in My Mind" ? Gigi, Kim and Bar Girls
- "The Transaction" ? The Engineer, John, Soldiers, Chris, and Kim
- "The Dance" ? Kim, Chris and The Engineer
- "Why, God, Why?" ? Chris
- "This Money's Yours" ? Chris and Kim
- "Sun and Moon" ? Chris and Kim
- "The Telephone Song" / "Asking For Leave" ? Chris and John
- "The Deal" ? The Engineer and Chris
- "The Wedding Ceremony" ? Gigi, Kim, Bar Girls and Chris
- "Thuy's Arrival" / "Thuy's Intervention" ? Thuy, Chris, and Kim
- "Last Night of the World" ? Chris and Kim
- "The Morning of the Dragon" ? Soldiers, The Engineer, Two Guards and Thuy
- "I Still Believe" ? Kim and Ellen
- "Back in Town" / "Coo-Coo Princess" ? The Engineer, Kim, Thuy and Soldiers
- "Thuy's Death" / "You Will Not Touch Him" ? Thuy and Kim
- "This is the Hour" ? Chorus
- "If You Want to Die in Bed" ? The Engineer
- "Let Me See His Western Nose" / "Kim & Engineer"? Kim and The Engineer
- "I'd Give My Life for You" ? Kim
- "Exodus" ? Chorus
|
- Act II
- "Entr'acte"
- "Bui Doi" ? John and Chorus
- "The Revelation" ? Chris and John
- "What a Waste" ? The Engineer, Hustlers, Tourists, John and Kim
- "Please" (Original Production) / "Too Much For One Heart" ? John and Kim (2014 London / 2017 Broadway productions)
- "Chris is Here" ? The Engineer, Kim, Club Owner and John
- "Kim's Nightmare (The Fall of Saigon)" ? Thuy
- "Fall of Saigon" ? Soldiers, Chris, Kim, John and Citizens
- "Sun and Moon" (Reprise) ? Kim
- "Room 317" ? Kim and Ellen
- "Now That I've Seen Her" (Original production "Her or Me") / "Maybe" ? Ellen (2011 Holland / 2012-2022 Japan / 2014 London / 2017 Broadway productions)
- "The Confrontation" ? Chris, Ellen, John and Kim
- "Paper Dragons" ? The Engineer and Kim
- "The American Dream" ? The Engineer
- "This is the Hour" (Reprise) ? Kim
- "Finale" ? Chris and Kim
|
Production history
[
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]
West End (1989?1999)
[
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]
Miss Saigon
premiered in the
West End
at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
on 20 September 1989 and closed after 4,264 performances on 30 October 1999.
[7]
The 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's (Drury Lane) longest running musical, eclipsing the record set by
My Fair Lady
.
[8]
Lea Salonga
played the part of Kim, winning the
Laurence Olivier Award
and
Tony Award
. The Engineer was portrayed by
Jonathan Pryce
, who also won the
Laurence Olivier Award
and
Tony Award
for the role. The part of Chris was originally played by
Simon Bowman
.
Broadway (1991?2001)
[
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]
The musical debuted on
Broadway
at the
Broadway Theatre
on 11 April 1991 and closed on 28 January 2001 after 4,092 performances. Directed again by Nicholas Hytner with musical staging by Bob Avian, scenic design was by John Napier, costume design was by Andreane Neofitou and Suzy Benzinger and lighting design was by
David Hersey
.
[9]
As of October 2022,
Miss Saigon
is the
14th longest-running Broadway musical
.
[4]
West End revival (2014?2016)
[
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]
Preview performances for the anticipated West End revival in the show's 25th year began in early May 2014 at the
Prince Edward Theatre
.
[10]
[11]
It was produced by
Cameron Mackintosh
and directed by Laurence Connor. The official opening night was 21 May.
On 22 September 2014, a special 25th anniversary gala performance was held. After a full 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 Hour", Salonga and Rachelle Ann Go performed "The Movie in My Mind". Salonga, Simon Bowman, Alistair Brammer and Eva Noblezada performed "Last Night of the World" before Jonathan Pryce took to the stage for "The American Dream" and was later joined by Jon Jon Briones.
[12]
The West End production closed on 27 February 2016 after 760 performances.
Broadway revival (2017?2018)
[
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]
It was announced on November 19, 2015 that the
West End
production of the show would transfer to Broadway in March 2017 for a limited engagement through January 15, 2018. The production 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 West End revival. Other cast members included
Katie Rose Clarke
as Ellen, Nicholas Christopher as John, and Devin Ilaw as Thuy.
[13]
The revival played at the
Broadway Theatre
, the same venue the show played at for its Broadway debut.
[14]
Preview performances began on March 1, 2017, with an official opening on March 23.
[14]
[15]
The final performance was on January 14, 2018.
Other productions
[
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]
Since its opening in London,
Miss Saigon
was staged in many cities around the world including
Tokyo
,
Stuttgart
, and
The Hague
, where new theatres were designed specifically to house the show.
The show opened in
Toronto
at the
Princess of Wales Theatre
on May 8, 1993. The production starred
Kevin Gray
as the Engineer and
Ma-Anne Dionisio
as Kim. The show closed on April 30, 1995. Replacements in the cast included
Norm Lewis
as John.
[16]
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 as Ellen.
In the small island community of
Bømlo
, Norway with around eleven thousand inhabitants, the show was set up in the outdoor amphitheatre by the local musical fellowship and ran from 5 August to 16 August 2009. The local musical fellowship brought in a Bell helicopter for the show.
[17]
[18]
Miss Saigon
has been performed by 27 companies in 25 countries and 246 cities, and it has been translated into twelve languages.
[19]
Arlington, Virginia's
Signature Theatre
2013's 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 was integrated into the West End's 2014 revival.
[20]
In 2023, a non-replica UK revival of
Miss Saigon
was staged at the
Crucible Theatre
in
Sheffield
. The production starred
Joanna Ampil
as The Engineer and was nominated for three What's On Stage awards.
[21]
Tours
[
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]
The first US tour started in Chicago, Illinois in October 1992 and was then expected to travel to those cities that could accommodate the large production. The tour also played venues such as the
Wang Center
in Boston from 14 July to 12 September 1993,
[22]
the
Broward Center for the Performing Arts
, Florida in spring 1994,
[23]
and the
Kennedy Center
, Washington, DC in June 1994.
[24]
Cameron Mackintosh
said, "Corners haven't been cut. They've been added. There are only a dozen theaters in America where we can do this."
[25]
A second national US tour launched in Seattle in early 1995 and closed in August 2000 in Buffalo, New York, after playing engagements in most major US and Canadian markets, including Honolulu, San Francisco, Toronto, and return engagements in Boston (twice), Chicago and West Palm Beach. The tour originally starred
Deedee Magno Hall
as Kim (replaced by Kristine Remigio, Kym Hoy and Mika Nishida), Thom Sesma as The Engineer (replaced by Joseph Anthony Foronda), and Matt Bogart as Chris (replaced by
Will Chase
,
Steven Pasquale
,
Greg Stone
and
Will Swenson
).
After the London production closed in 1999 and also following the closure of the Broadway production in 2001, the show in its original London staging embarked on a long tour of the six largest venues in Britain and 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 Point Theatre
in
Dublin
.
[26]
This successful tour drew to a close in 2003 and a brand new production was developed by original producer
Cameron Mackintosh
on a smaller scale so that the show could be accommodated in smaller theatres. This tour started in July 2004 and ended in June 2006.
[27]
A non-Equity North American tour began in summer 2002 to spring 2005, playing such venues as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center,
Newark, New Jersey
in November 2003,
Raleigh, North Carolina
in February 2005, and
Gainesville, Florida
in November 2003.
[28]
[29]
[30]
A third UK tour for 2017/2018 opened at the
Curve
in Leicester, and also toured to the
Birmingham Hippodrome
, the
Bord Gais Energy Theatre
in Dublin, the
Wales Millennium Centre
in Cardiff, the
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
, the
Mayflower Theatre
in Southampton and the
Palace Theatre
in Manchester.
[31]
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
.
[32]
Casts
[
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]
Notable replacements
[
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]
West End (1989?1999)
[
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]
- Kim:
Joanna Ampil
,
Ma-Anne Dionisio
,
Naoko Mori
,
Jamie Rivera
,
Monique Wilson
- Chris:
John Barrowman
,
Graham Bickley
,
David Campbell
,
Peter Joback
,
Jerome Pradon
,
Glyn Kerslake
- The Engineer:
Hilton McRae
- Ellen:
Gunilla Backman
,
Ruthie Henshall
- Gigi:
Lorraine Velez
Broadway (1991?2001)
[
edit
]
- Kim:
Joan Almedilla
,
Deedee Magno Hall
,
Jennie Kwan
,
Jennifer Paz
,
Annette Calud
(a/t)
- Chris:
Will Chase
,
Jarrod Emick
,
Eric Kunze
,
Peter Lockyer
,
Tyley Ross
- The Engineer:
Wang Luoyong
,
Alan Muraoka
- John:
Matthew Dickens
,
Keith Byron Kirk
,
Norm Lewis
,
Billy Porter
,
Curtiss Cook
(u/s)
- Ellen:
Anastasia Barzee
,
Jacquelyn Piro Donovan
,
Ruthie Henshall
,
Christiane Noll
,
Andrea Rivette
(u/s)
- Thuy:
Yancey Arias
,
Michael K. Lee
,
Welly Yang
U.S. Tour (1992?2000)
[
edit
]
U.K. Tour (2004-2006)
[
edit
]
West End revival (2014?2016)
[
edit
]
Controversies
[
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]
Hubert van Es
, a Dutch photojournalist who took the most famous image of the
fall of Saigon
in 1975 (a group of people scaling a ladder to a CIA helicopter on a rooftop), considered legal action when his photograph was used in
Miss Saigon
.
[33]
Casting controversies
[
edit
]
Miss Saigon
has received criticism for its
whitewashing
as well as racist or sexist overtones, including protests regarding its portrayal of Asians and women in general.
[34]
Originally, Pryce and Burns, white actors playing Eurasian/Asian characters, wore eye prostheses and bronzing cream to make themselves look more Asian,
[35]
which outraged some who drew comparisons to a "
minstrel show
".
[36]
The American scholar Yutian Wong noted when
Miss Saigon
premiered on the West End 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 about the opera. The controversy about
Miss Saigon
only began in 1990 with the prospect of it appearing on Broadway, which Wong argued was because the United States has a much larger East Asian population than does the United Kingdom.
In the London production of
Miss Saigon
,
Lea Salonga
originally starred as Kim, with
Jonathan Pryce
as the Engineer. When the production transferred from London to
New York City
, the
Actors' Equity Association
(AEA) refused to allow Pryce, a
white
actor, to portray the role of the Engineer, a Eurasian
pimp
, in the United States. The playwright
David Henry Hwang
and the actor
B.D Wong
wrote public letters of protest against Pryce's casting.
Both Hwang and Wong had seen
Miss Saigon
on the West End of London, and felt Pryce's performance as the Engineer was demeaning to Asian people.
In the London production, Pryce had performed the role in
yellowface
, wearing prosthetics to alter the shape of his eyes and makeup to alter the color of his skin.
[39]
As Alan Eisenberg, executive secretary of Actors' Equity explained: "The casting of a Caucasian actor made up to appear Asian is an affront to the Asian community. The casting choice is especially disturbing when the casting of an Asian actor in the role would be an important and significant opportunity to break the usual pattern of casting Asians in minor roles."
[36]
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.
[40]
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).
The American scholar Angelica Pao noted that in the first production of
Miss Saigon
on the West End, Mackintosh went out of his way to cast 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.
However, others pointed out that since the Engineer's character was Eurasian (French-Vietnamese), they argued that Pryce was being discriminated against on the basis that he was white. Also, Pryce was considered by many in Europe to have "star status", a clause that allows a well-known foreign actor to recreate a role on Broadway without an American casting call.
[36]
After pressure from Mackintosh, the general public, and many of its own members, Actors' Equity reversed its decision. Pryce starred alongside Salonga and Willy Falk (as Chris) when the show opened on Broadway.
[43]
[44]
[45]
During the production transfer from West End to Broadway, a lesser controversy erupted over Salonga's citizenship, as she was
Filipina
, and the AEA wanted to give priority to its own members, initially preventing her from reprising her role. However, 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.
[46]
Revived productions of
Miss Saigon
have been subject to boycotts from Asian actors.
[47]
Orientalism, racism, and misogyny
[
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]
Internationally, community members objected to productions of the show over the years, arguing the show is racist and misogynistic. The 2010 Fulbright Hayes Scholar D Hideo Maruyama states: "it's time to see the real Vietnam, not the
Miss Saigon
version. Whether or not America is ready to see the real one is up to question."
[48]
American artist and activist
Mai Neng Moua
stated: "I protested
Miss Saigon
back in 1994 when the
Ordway
first brought it to town. I was a college student at
St. Olaf
and had never protested anything 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.S. policy of internment camps
. Esther was about my size ? which is small ? but she was fearless. Esther protested
Miss Saigon
because, she better than anyone, understood Dr. King's "No one is free until we all are free." I stood with Esther, protesting
Miss Saigon
, and drew strength from her. We protested
Miss Saigon
because it was racist, sexist, and offensive to us as Asian Americans. Nineteen years later, this hasn't changed."
[49]
Vietnamese American activist Denise Huynh recounts her experience attending the production and the stereotypes making her feel physically ill.
[50]
Sarah Bellamy, co-artistic director of the
Penumbra Theatre
, dedicated to African American theater, stated: "It gets a lot easier to wrap your head around all of this for folks of color when we remember a key point: this work is not for us. It is by, 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 about white supremacy and authority."
[51]
The American scholar Yutian Wong described
Miss Saigon
as promoting the image of "an effeminized and infantized Asia serving as a low-budget whorehouse for the West".
The fact that the Vietnam war impoverished many Vietnamese people, and forced many women to turn to prostitution in order to survive is not mentioned in
Miss Saigon
, and establishments such as the fictional Dreamland brothel are portrayed as the norm in Vietnam.
In 1999, when
Miss Saigon
was closing in London, a new advertising campaign was launched on the Tube featuring posters reading "You'll miss Saigon" that showed an Asian woman wearing a military jacket showing some cleavage, which Wong felt sent the message that "Asia equals prostitution".
American scholar Karen Shimakawa argued that the romance between the Marine Chris with Kim was intended as a message by Boublil and Schonberg about the legitimacy and justice of the Vietnam war with the submissive Kim looking up to Chris to protect and save her from her own people.
The wedding between Chris and Kim is seen by the former as a mere spectacle for him to enjoy rather than representing a binding commitment on his part to Kim, and he is very surprised to learn later on that Kim considers him to be her husband, an aspect of his character that he is not criticized for.
Instead, Ellen explains to Kim that under American law she is Chris's wife, and Kim just merely accepts the supremacy of American law over Vietnamese law, which Shimakawa argued represents the viewpoint that Vietnam is merely just a place that provides exotic spectacles for Chris and other Americans to enjoy.
The Trinidadian-Canadian critic
Richard Fung
wrote in 1994: "If
Miss Saigon
were the only show about sexually available Asian women and money-grubbing Asian men, it wouldn't be a stereotype and there would be no protest?negative portrayals
per se
are not a problem".
Fung argued that the way in which films, television and plays repeated such stereotypes
ad nauseam
had a damaging effect on the self-esteem of Asian-Americans, especially Asian-American women.
The
Overture Center for the Arts
in Madison, Wisconsin had planned to host a touring production of
Miss Saigon
in April 2019 and had scheduled a panel discussion to showcase Asian American perspectives on the musical's treatment of Asian characters.
[57]
The Center then postponed the panel discussion 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 should be outraged because this play pits white woman against Asian women. You should be outraged that it does that because we ought to be working together."
[58]
Recordings
[
edit
]
Critical response
[
edit
]
The
Village Voice
critic Michael Feingold despised "Miss Saigon", describing it as "implausible", "trite and savorless", "a trick of exploitation", and worse.
[59]
By contrast, reviewing the original Broadway production,
Frank Rich
for the
New York Times
felt the musical was "a gripping entertainment of the old school...Among other pleasures, it offers lush melodies, spectacular performances...and a good cry". Rich argued that the lyrics were sometimes shallow and the characters of Chris and Ellen rather vague, but that the power of the music and the lead performances of Salonga and Pryce made the audience forget those issues.
[60]
Awards and nominations
[
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 year, both critically and commercially. It broke several Broadway records, including a record advance-ticket sales at $24 million, highest priced ticket at $100, and repaying investors in fewer than 39 weeks.
[62]
Miss Saigon
and
The Will 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 as best musical. But many theatre people predicted that
Miss Saigon
, an import from London, would be the victim of a backlash. There is lingering bitterness against both the huge amount of publicity
Miss Saigon
has received and the battle by its producer,
Cameron Mackintosh
, to permit its two foreign stars, Mr. Pryce and the Filipina actress
Lea Salonga
, to re-create on Broadway their number one award-winning roles."
[63]
The show lost to
The Will Rogers Follies
for several major awards, though
Lea Salonga
,
Jonathan Pryce
and
Hinton Battle
all won awards for their respective performances.
Original West End production
[
edit
]
Original Broadway production
[
edit
]
2014 West End revival
[
edit
]
2017 Broadway revival
[
edit
]
Film adaptation
[
edit
]
On 21 October 2009, a film version of the musical was reported to be 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 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 Miserables
film was a success.
[65]
[66]
In August 2013, director
Lee Daniels
announced hopes to get a film adaptation off the ground.
[67]
On 27 February 2016, at the closing night of the
Miss Saigon
London revival, Mackintosh hinted that the film adaptation was close to being produced when he said, "Sooner rather than later, the movie won't just be in my mind". As well as this, the 2014 "25th anniversary" performance of
Miss Saigon
in London was filmed for an autumn cinema broadcast.
[68]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Replaced with "Too Much for One Heart" with the same melody in 2014 London revival
- ^
Originally "Who Says I'm Hurt" and "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 $1.4 mil".
Daily Variety
. November 22, 1994. p. 11.
- ^
Miss Saigon breaks record for biggest single day of sales
whatsonstage.com, Retrieved 24 January 2014
- ^
Miss Saigon posts £4m first day sales ? but is it a record?
whatsonstage.com, Retrieved 24 January 2014
- ^
a
b
Hernandez, Ernio (2008-05-28).
"Long Runs on Broadway"
.
Celebrity Buzz: Insider Info
. Playbill, Inc. Archived from
the original
on 2009-04-20
. Retrieved
2013-09-03
.
- ^
Schonberg, Claude-Michel. "This Photograph was for Alain and I the start 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
(Twelfth ed.). New York, NY. p. 244.
ISBN
978-1-260-05738-6
.
OCLC
1073038874
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
" "Long Runs-West End"
Archived
2010-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
world-theatres.com, retrieved February 23, 2010
- ^
"Theatre Royal, Drury Lane history-partial reference"
arthurlloyd.co.uk, retrieved February 23, 2010
- ^
Miss Saigon
at the
Internet Broadway Database
Retrieved on 2007 ? December 15.
- ^
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 19, 2013
- ^
"Miss Saigon gala celebrates 25th anniversary!"
.
cameronmackintosh.com
. Archived from
the original
on 2015-02-09
. Retrieved
2014-10-03
.
- ^
"MISS SAIGON The Musical | Official Broadway Site | Cast/Creative"
.
Miss Saigon on Broadway
. Retrieved
2017-01-25
.
- ^
a
b
"The American Dream! MISS SAIGON Will Land 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
- ^
Miss Saigon Toronto
- ^
"bml.no"
.
- ^
"Archived copy"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-24
. Retrieved
2011-02-05
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy 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
.
- ^
"Miss Saigon nominated for three WhatsOnStage Awards!"
.
Sheffield Theatres
. Retrieved
2024-03-17
.
- ^
Taylor, Markland. "Wang Boasts Bang-Up B.O.",
Variety
, October 4, 1993 ? October 10, 1993, p.74
- ^
Erstein, Hap. "Miss Saigon' Is Critics' Choice For Best Actor, Actress And Tour",
Palm Beach Post
(Florida), June 15, 1994, p.5D
- ^
(no author)."ROAD GROSSES:B.0. even at $ 12.3 mil",
Variety
, June 27, 1994 ? July 3, 1994. p. 92
- ^
Stearns, David Patrick. "'Saigon' retools for the road",
USA Today
, November 11, 1992 p.4D
- ^
"Production of Miss Saigon | Theatricalia"
.
theatricalia.com
. Retrieved
2022-09-06
.
- ^
"Miss Saigon" Official Site, article on the UK 2003 tour and the "new" 2004 revised tour production
Archived
2011-08-20 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
McDowell, Robert W.
"REVIEW: Broadway Series South: Miss Saigon Superbly Dramatizes the Fall 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 February 2, 2010
- ^
"Miss Saigon tour"
Archived
2016-03-07 at the
Wayback Machine
, miss-saigon.com, retrieved February 27, 2016
- ^
Ltd, Feast Creative.
"Miss Saigon | The Official Website"
.
www.miss-saigon.com
. Retrieved
2020-04-08
.
- ^
"Photographer who took famous Vietnam war image 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 Bars White in Asian Role; Broadway May Lose 'Miss Saigon"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 2012-04-22.
- ^
Paulson, Michael (2017-03-17).
"The Battle of 'Miss Saigon': Yellowface, Art and Opportunity"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2022-10-17
.
- ^
Corliss, Richard (20 August 1990).
"Will Broadway Miss Saigon?"
.
Time
. Archived from
the original
on 16 October 2007.
- ^
"Yellowworld Forums ? Yellowface Top Ten"
. Archived from
the original
on 2013-10-14
. Retrieved
15 December
2007
.
- ^
Bright Lights Film Journal ? Hollywood Yellowface
Retrieved on 2007 ? December 15.
Archived
2009-07-14 at the Portuguese Web Archive
- ^
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 Press.
- ^
"Call to Boycott Miss Saigon | Stage Whispers"
.
www.stagewhispers.com.au
. Retrieved
2021-12-15
.
- ^
"Tonal Influences"
.
- ^
"The Ordway Still Doesn't Get Sexism and Racism (The Problem With
Miss Saigon
)"
.
Racialicious
. Archived from
the original
on 2015-09-21.
- ^
Huynh, Denise (14 October 2013).
"We All Deserve Better"
.
TC Daily Planet
.
- ^
Bellamy, Sarah.
"Establishing Cultural Norms, our Role and Responsibility"
.
TGC Circle
. Archived from
the original
on 2015-10-03.
- ^
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"
. Fox Valley News.
- ^
Michael Feingold, "Heat-Seeking Bomb"
,
The Village Voice
, April 23, 1991.
- ^
Frank Rich, "Review: 'Miss Saigon' Arrives, From the Old School"
,
The New York Times
, April 12, 1991.
- ^
Laurence Olivier Awards: Past winners ? Musical
Archived
2007-09-27 at the
Wayback Machine
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 Film Treatment"
Archived
2012-10-13 at the
Wayback Machine
, playbill.com, 21 October 2009
- ^
"Cameron Mackintosh's Plans for Miss Saigon Movie Hinge on the 'Success' of Les Miz"
.
Broadway.com
.
- ^
Movies News Desk (26 September 2012).
"Cameron Mackintosh Says MISS SAIGON is Next Musical to Hit Big Screen"
.
broadwayworld.com
.
- ^
Merle Ginsberg & Gary Baum (22 August 2013).
"
'The Butler' Follow-Up: Lee Daniels Says His Janis Joplin Biopic Is Next"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
- ^
Broadway World, 28 February 2016.
"Miss Saigon team speaks at Final London Performance"
Bibliography
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]
External links
[
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]
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