so i saw the show over the weekend.. it's probably the 30th time i've seen the show (i'm a miss saigon nerd... and hey we all have that one show we are obsessed with... this is mine).... anyways... it was great show... just a few things that bothered me or i liked....
1) Not about the show but... i hate going to regional shows and having to sit through what feels like 30 minutes of the manager talking about the season and how we should all subscribe... geez it's so reptitive... and i hate how people gasp that they are doing a show like Oklahoma for the millionth freaking time!
now for the show
2) it bothered me that the director said this was the definitive miss saigon... that takes balls to say someting like that... even saying new york people have come down to see it, making it seem like it's a huge deal... well the sets and costumes were pretty much rented from the Fullerton Civic Light Opera which won several LA Ovation awards a couple years ago... and if it wasn't rented then well they pretty much copied it!
3) good to see Kim get the final bow
4) Bonifacio Deoso, Jr. as Thuy- sorry but ive seen this guy waaay too many times in the role and i don't think he's all that great that critics make him out to be... in fact he was also the Thuy in the Fullerton prodction so they took that too!
5) Kevin Bailey as the Engineer- i still think this role should be performed by an Asian person... despite the fact that it's Eurasian, it's just hard for me to see a white guy pretending that he's half asian... so it ws odd hearing him sing "why was a born of a race... etc.)... i probably woudn't have minded so much also if the guy didn't completely ruin the role for me... he played the Engineer completely one note... like he didn't even bother to act the role... this is a great role for anyone to play because it has a lot of stuff going on with it... this guy played it like was frat boy thinking it's cool to pimp women and get some money... argh! i also hated how he pretty much sang the role like it was some classical opera or musical!!!!! he literally ended every verse or line singing the ending note longer than i would like (did that make sense?) and like the LA times review said... this guy sure does know how to ham it up... no wonder the audience liked him... geez... he was HORRIBLE
6) Jen Paz was awesome but i'd still like to see someone else perform the role for a change... i have seen her about 10 times in the role... i need a ne KIM
7) Eric Kunze was pretty damn good and didn't look old at all
I'm still a firm believer that THE HEAT IS ON IN SAIGON is not some dance number... although it wasn't horrible like in some verions i've seen... i hate when the marines dance... looks so horribly cheesy... the girls can dance but when they turn it into some big group thing... i can't deal with it
9) this is a show that NEEDS to always keep moving... i know it's hard because it's not broadway caliber staging and money... but i hate when Last Night of the World there is no music going into MORNING OF THE DRAGON.... i get that they have to clear the sets but it kinda ruins the moment...
10) along with that... i hated when the audience clapped after Please, Sun and Moon Reprise, John and Chris' dialogue before What a Waste and the Confrontation Sequence. To be more specific, I'm so used to those songs just going directly into the next scene... and clapping after it just ruins it for me... but what made it worse was that there was no clapping for all these songs, but the damn orchestra pretty much WAITED or clapping... there would be one spattering of applause then it's like the condcutor waited for more applause to start the next scene... completely ruined the dramatic moment for me...
11) i thought it was pretty funny that when KIM killed herself the woman next to me clapped because she guessed the ending!!!! hahaa.. hilarious...
12) matinees are full of every old person in the world... but i guess most of you all knew that! HAHA!
OK... i'm pretty sure I have more complaints but I'm too tired to write more.... And I know i'm picky but hey... it's my favorite musical of all time and i just love it so much that i want the show to be done well... like i said earlier... we all have that show we love so much...
Overall a worthy production of miss saigon that i truly loved and enjoyed despite the complaints... next time i just don't want to hear that this is the definitive version of the show because i'll scrutinize it more!
and and ANOTHER side note... when i left the theater i recognized the guy who was sitting behind me... so i had to get a good look.. and sure enough as i was leaving the theater... it was Sam Anderson... for all you LOST lovers out there it was Bernard!!!! GOO LOST! Season Finale this Thursday!!!!! oh and i overheard him say how much he LOVED the show!
