MISS SAIGON IN THE CINEMA- Page 4

[ggersten]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 11:43pm

QueenAlice said: "Intermission now and I think it's superbly filmed. They've done this so much like a film, any movie that eventually gets made is going to have a lot to live up to. "

I had the same thought!  All of the cross-cutting and extra filmed bits did take a bit of getting used to - but when Eva and Alistair sang Sun and Moon, I was back in the show.  And it got me, just as it has everytime. This did feel more "cinematic" that a filmed stage production.  The Bangkok number really lost some of its charm (BTW, I caught the ping pong ball at the first London preview- and still have it).  The Fall of Saigon felt more chaotic - but the helicopter is not as impressive, but then I expected it would not be as impactful on film.  Film also softened Tamsin Carroll's Ellen. On stage, she looked 20 years older than Chris.  And, while it may be difficult to believe, Jon Jon is even more magical and maniacal and captivating on stage - although the film did capture much of his Engineer.

This was just great.  I'll be buying the Blu-Ray when it becomes available.  And, I wasn't planning on seeing this on Broadway (no New York trips currently planned) - but plans may be changed!

Oh yes, our smaller midwestern college town - theatre was 2/3 full.  Started right on time at 7:00.  Sound was a little quiet until about halfway through The Heat is On in Saigon when the volume picked up.  

 

Updated On: 9/22/16 at 11:43 PM

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 11:45pm

We had no sound issues at all, and started promptly at 7:00. I can't wait to buy this on blu-ray!

[ren598]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 11:46pm

Just got back from a showing in Boston.  They started at 7:00 on the dot.  I loved it.  I hope they put more shows in the cinemas.  Can't wait for Allegiance on December 13th.  And I will definitely be getting the blu-ray for this when it comes out.
 



 

Updated On: 9/22/16 at 11:46 PM

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 11:50pm

What I thought was brilliant about the filming, aside from being an obvious audition for how they might approach moments for the inevitable film version, was that it gave you the experience you don't get in a live theater, unless maybe you're on the very front row, which is the extreme intimate close up details. 

If this were filmed in the more traditional way most stage musicals are, I probably wouldn't feel the need to go see live. But I had the opposite reaction; going into the screening I thought I probably don't need to see this on Broadway, but coming out I said I for sure want to see this on Broadway to see what the "bigger" experience is like.

[ggersten]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 11:55pm

QueenAlice said: "What I thought was brilliant about the filming, aside from being an obvious audition for how they might approach moments for the inevitable film version, was that it gave you the experience you don't get in a live theater, unless maybe you're on the very front row, which is the extreme intimate close up details. 

If this were filmed in the more traditional way most stage musicals are, I probably wouldn't feel the need to go see live. But I had the opposite reaction; going into the screening I thought I probably don't need to see this on Broadway, but coming out I said I for sure want to see this on Broadway to see what the "bigger" experience is like."

We did see this production from the first row (at the first preview)!  And, yes, QueenAlice, this filmed version was a different experience. But, I won't say whether I cried more from the first row or tonite at the cinema.  

 

[ggersten]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 12:10am

For fun - here is the West End thread about the show:  From the West End Board

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 12:14am

QueenAlice said: "What I thought was brilliant about the filming, aside from being an obvious audition for how they might approach moments for the inevitable film version, was that it gave you the experience you don't get in a live theater, unless maybe you're on the very front row, which is the extreme intimate close up details. 

If this were filmed in the more traditional way most stage musicals are, I probably wouldn't feel the need to go see live. But I had the opposite reaction; going into the screening I thought I probably don't need to see this on Broadway, but coming out I said I for sure want to see this on Broadway to see what the "bigger" experience is like.

 

"

I think this is where they get smart. The cinema screening is not a substitute for the theatrical production, but instead some sort of reimagination of the show most people have been too familiar with, which only adds to people's desire to see it live next March. The friend I went with said basically the same thing like the experience would be so different, if not 100% better, in a live theater, and she said she wanted to see the show live after the screening.

Updated On: 9/23/16 at 12:14 AM

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 12:15am

I mostly liked the filmed version, once you got used to the close-ups. But I did feel at times a bit claustrophobic with everything being shot from the chest up and so much quick cutting. It didn't give as many chances to appreciate the staging, the sets, the costumes. Only when we got to American Dream did it feel like we were watching an actual stage show. That said, beautiful performances abound and it looked and sounded wonderful. 

We were in a sold out showing in Union Square that started promptly, much the chagrin of the many people who showed up and couldn't find seats except for the front row. Sound and picture were great. Only thing that annoyed was that during the breaks they didn't put up the lights. 

[HSky]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 12:19am

I enjoyed it and appreciated the musical more now than when I saw the original production on Broadway in my late teens. The cinematic style worked quite well but some of my favorite parts, like the scene with Ellen and Chris in the hotel, tended to be ones where the camera mostly sat back and captured the moment as it was. 

Like others, I think this sold me on going to see it on Broadway next year.

There were no sound drop out issues at my screening, but I occasionally wondered about the mix and whether it was the local theater or the film. Every so often it sounded like it was on the verge of clipping (mostly Eva) and I overheard some people during the intermission complaining to each other about no surround effect and it all coming from the front of the room.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 12:28am

Actually I'm pretty interested in what Maybe haters have to say after seeing the screening tonight.

[BWNUT]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 12:35am

Damn you, Mac! Now I have to fly to NY and experience this live once again. Terrific performances.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 12:40am

Dancingthrulife2 said: "Actually I'm pretty interested in what Maybe haters have to say after seeing the screening tonight.

 

"

I was on the fence originally, I had been listening to the BBC Radio broadcast for the last few weeks, and I am now in love with the song. The style is not quite the same as the rest of the score, but the meaning of the song and depth it adds to the character of Ellen is wonderful.

[lambchop2]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 1:19am

Wow. What a magical experience. I'm glad I ended up arriving at the movie theater at 6:15 pm, because when I walked in the auditorium was already half full! It ended up being almost totally sold out except for a few seats in the front row. I was worried before the show that the long run time would drag on, but it passed by without any notice due to the high energy of the film and the audience I saw it with. It honestly felt like being in the actual theater--everyone clapped after each number, and during the gala finale we all cheered and clapped for the Salonga and Pryce entrances. (People cheered before the show when the promo image for Allegiance in theaters showed up--and when the promo image during intermission revealed it would be available on dvd/digital/blu-ray!)

Re: Maybe. I HATE Maybe on the cast recording. Hate it. I listened to it three times over the past year. (Incidentally, I love the earlier version Stephanie Block sang at a concert which was up on YOutube at some point.) On screen, I liked it. I won't be listening to it outside of the context of watching the show on DVD, I feel it did give Ellen depth that she hasn't had in previous versions of the show. I still am not a fan of some of the lyric changes, but especially removing: "A child, what do I do? I shattered Kim, now Ellen too".

The only problem I had was that on occasion the quality of the film/shots seemed to be blurry or unfocused, either an issue with the camera or with the lighting, I suppose?

[Fosse76]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 1:22am

South Florida said: "I have never seen the show until tonight.  I had an old CD that's long gone, and on that recording the words his wife sings when she was alone after meeting Kim I remember as being different.  Did anyone notice changes from the original?"

 

It's a completely new song. The rest of the show has a significant number of lyric changes (most of which seemed unnecessary).

[NYfanfromCA]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 1:32am

Just got back from seeing this!  Bought last minute reserved seats tickets online at a theater 20 miles from home.  We were in the second row of the movie theater, which I thought would be okay.  But the close-ups were REALLY close, and I was longing to see the whole stage a lot more.  I had never seen this show before and thought that there were some beautiful and heart-wrenching songs.  Cast was wonderful.  I was debating whether to see this in NY.  Since I really want to see the staging, wondering if I should?!  No one in the theater was clapping, so I felt like I was watching a movie, ha ha.  And I saw the blurry bits/focus issues, too.  Still, an excellent way to spend the evening!

[Wildcard]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 2:18am

I thought the movie was great. While I would have wanted some more wider shots, it was good to see the emotions up close. Eva has a natural ease in her acting. Her youth was also very evident and it was nice to see considering many stage productions have older actresses as Kim. It made her choices more believable.

Seeing the pain in the bar girls' faces was heartbreaking. I wish they went to a wide shot during the transition from Dreamland to Why God Why. Gigi walking home in the dark was one of my favorite scenes from the stage production and we only got a glimpse of it here. Bangkok did lose some of its appeal. There were so many funny things going on in that scene and the frenetic editing made it less exciting. That editing worked well during the fall of Saigon though. I was thrilled seeing the helicopter on screen even though it could have been nothing special in a movie. The sound was great in the theater I saw it at that it felt like the chopper was flying above us. And in an only in LA moment, Jon Jon Briones was outside the theater after the screening. I will be seeing this on Blu-ray again and again. 

Posted: 9/23/16 at 2:42am

Just got back from this.  I had to drive out 15 miles for this, because the theater by me that usually has these Fathom Events wasn't on the list this time.  The theater was probably 90% full!

To echo others' thoughts, I would have liked fewer close-ups and more wide shots so that we could appreciate the staging/scene transitions a little more.  It did feel more like a movie than a filmed live performance, which I didn't quite like.  The helicopter scene was kind of underwhelming and I didn't like all of the chaotic cuts/editing.  Same goes for the dragon scene.  We also had the sound issues and occasional blurry shots.

As for the cast, the actress who plays Ellen was waaaaay too old, LOL.  She must be twice Eva Noblezada's age!  The actor who played Chris was OK, but I wasn't that impressed.  I had a little trouble understanding Thuy--just looked him up and see he is from South Korea.  Same goes for some of the ensemble members (soldiers, Dreamland girls).  I think that is one of the issues I have had with seeing this show with international casts--their accents/diction have made it difficult to understand.  Eva Noblezada was the definite standout for me.

I hate to be the dissenting voice, but I did not enjoy Jon Jon Briones' portrayal of the Engineer at all.  I saw him live in the non-Equity tour in 2004 and pretty much had the same complaints I had back then.  His performance is just too affected for me--all the mugging/overacting is annoying and distracting.  Perhaps it's just the way the character is written, but the role requires a balance between sleazy and charming that his portrayal just doesn't do for me.  He is the only actor I have seen in the role, and since he has been doing it on/off for so long, it comes across as a little tired and stale.  I would really like to see someone else's interpretation of the role; I enjoyed Pryce's performance in the gala much more.

I also didn't understand why the intermission was only 5 minutes, while the break before the gala was 10 minutes.  Should have been the other way around.

I don't love the show like a lot of people do, but I'm glad I got to revisit it after 12 years.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 2:54am

Loved loved loved it!

I loved the fact that it was filmed largely in close-up. For me MISS SAIGON is a show about the characters more than the scenery or choreography (and I thought they did a decent job of showing what coreo there is) and like others have said it really gave you an experience unlike the one you may have at the Broadway next year. It felt very much like a film, with the close ups and the cinematography.

As for the sound, at my theatre it was BOOMIN! Not one moment did I think it sounded flat or quiet. Those gorgeous orchestrations (rightfully given a nod during the speeches at the end) were crystal clear in surround sound, appropriately dramatic during the more intense moments. 

Performance wise, I loved Eva especially (of course). She had a great consistent innocence to her, with flashes of intensity. The only performance I found meh was Thuy.

Still hate "Maybe" sorry to say. It sticks out like a sore thumb, and while I appreciate the unique angle of her issues that it highlights I think other versions of that number do a better job making her sympathetic without verging on whiny or blubbering. Some of the other lyrical changes (from the OLC just to add) were jarring but they were mostly in the first numbers so didn't detract too much. 

Overall it was amazing to be able to see the London version, and the gala finale. I'll definitely have to pick up the video (which was advertised during the second intermission).

[Dave28282]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 7:41am

HSky said: "The cinematic style worked quite well but some of my favorite parts, like the scene with Ellen and Chris in the hotel, tended to be ones where the camera mostly sat back and captured the moment as it was."

I think that's because all Ellen's scenes are from the actual 25th anniversay performance. They did not invite her back a year later for the close ups (which they did a week before closing during the day, without an audience, lip-synching to the audio ofthe 25th performance, and they invited back Alistair Brammer and Rachelle ann go for these additional close-up shots, but not the actors for Ellen and Thuy).

Anyway, I'm glad to hear that everyone is so enthusiastic and that obviously amazing singing works so well in a filmic setting with close-ups. I wish they had realized this before, with other films too.

Unfortunately we have to wait another month here in Europe for the screening.

I am also curious, does Eva sing the right melodies/angelic notes in for example "He's been waiting for his father, for a long, long while" and "And he's teaching him to fly, paper dragons in the sky", etc. She avoided all the notes in the live version, did they fix it for this? I truly hope so.

 

 

 

[phan24]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 8:24am

Thuy had some intense close-ups, was confused how they did that if they didn't invite him back to re-shoot it.

Overall, an amazing filmed version.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 10:21am

It was absolutely amazing!  It looked and sounded fantastic. The production is a lot grittier than what I'm used to, so I think the show hit me even harder than usual (and that's saying a lot).  I also wasn't a huge fan of some of the lyric changes.  This was my first time really experiencing "Maybe" in context and I'm sorry to say that I don't like it.  I just don't think it seems like an organic response and what Ellen would really be feeling in that situation, given her behavior throughout the show.  Jon Jon has always been my favorite Engineer and he was even better than I remember him being in the non-Equity tour. I was also super impressed by Eva Noblezada--her singing and acting were phenomenal.

"The Fall of Saigon" was breathtaking--not just the helicopter but the way that they made it so chaotic.

Also, I live in a fairly big city and it was sold out here.

 

[Kitzka]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 10:58am

Thank you to everyone who posted their reviews. I desperately wanted to go but work kept me away. A friend, who went to at 6:30 wasn't able to get in as it was sold out. OUr theater never sells out!

 

I really hope it comes out on DVD/Blu-ray. 

[Jshan05]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 11:11am

I am still coming off the high from last night. While I have some minor complaints, they definitely do not outweigh the positives. Eva Noblezada is absolutely terrific. If she goes a little deeper into the character, she would be phenomenal. Her voice was one of the highlights of the show for me. And Jon Jon was a fantastic Engineer. Great production!

[Jarethan]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 11:26am

Couple of points.  I agree with the posters who thought it was great, but would have liked periodic full-stage shots, particularly during the big numbers: the fall of Saigon, the introduction of the Vietcong, American Dream.  As much as I loved the overall result, I found the lack of broader stage views frustrating during those numbers.  It detracted slightly from what I thought was an INCREDIBLY well-done production.

I found it interesting that this was IMO vastly superior to the movie of Les Mis, whose first half I was very disappointed in. It helped that the three leads were all outstanding; I would venture that they were as good as the original three, who I saw several times, including once from the 5th row in London, and from the tenth or eleventh row at the first Broadway preview on a Saturday night in 1991.  I remember that it was the first preview because it was the very first time we got out to the theatre after our son was born and it was an event on two levels.

My wife felt that seeing it on a screen with all the closeups made the melodramatic aspects of the show itself seem more obvious; as a result, she liked it, whereas I loved it.  Interestingly, her only criticism was with the source material, not the filming.

Other thoughts: I understand why they did it, but I thought Ellen's song was lousy, I thought the (can't remember the spelling) Thui character benefited either from both the excellent performance and the use of close-ups.  It worked better than I have ever seen on stage.  I think The Movie of My Mind was a highlight of the show, something I have never felt before.  The woman who sang lead was beautiful and sand and acted it amazingly well.

To the after show: I have not seen Lea Salonga in anything since Miss Saigon.  I was amazed at two things: how gorgeous her voice remains, and how gorgeous she is.  Her face really did look like porcelain, and i certainly did not get the impression that there was any work done on it.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/23/16 at 11:42am

" If she goes a little deeper into the character, she would be phenomenal."

Don't forget, this performance will have been 2.5 years ago by the time this revival opens on our side of the pond.