MISS SAIGON Reviews- Page 5

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/26/17 at 1:23pm

Ebontoyan, I was just setting the record straight and giving the more complete story behind the casting controversy. Ironically, you use the phrase ''select the facts to tell,'' which is exactly what the N.Y. Times chose to do back in 1990 and continues to do now in its coverage. I spoke with one of the sources quoted in the newest Times piece (''The Battle of 'Miss Saigon,''' March 17, 2017), and this person tells me that they told the reporter, at length, all about the phony ''worldwide casting search'' for Asian actors that never happened. But the reporter, whether through editing or willful neglect, left out this important piece of the story, and this kind of incomplete coverage is why ''Miss Saigon'' is still so misunderstood.

And thanks, Theatergoer3, for your kind compliment. I'm glad you appreciate the fuller history and hope it offers a little more insight.

Updated On: 3/26/17 at 01:23 PM

[Eliza2]

Posted: 3/26/17 at 1:32pm

sparepart973 said: "Sorry, I know this has been asked but I can't spot an answer. Is there a schedule for the alternate Kim that is "tracked" by anyone here? Though there was no official schedule announced in London, it was clear by the 2nd week that the alternate Kim would go on Thursday evenings and Saturday matinee.

I'm planning to see the show on Broadway in May (preferably on a Monday) and wanted to see the alternate, since I've seen Eva half a dozen times already in London. Thanks! "

The playbill still just says "at certain performances" but Lianah was on for the Saturday matinee 3/25

 

[Dave28282]

Posted: 3/26/17 at 2:09pm

Babe_Williams said: "Seriously get a grip. Not everyone shares your sunny perspective. "

Chris' perspective is not sunny enough for you.

You get a grip.

 

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 3/27/17 at 10:41am

newintown wrote:  “And speaking of morals, I'm always surprised at the adoring audience reaction to the song "The American Dream,”…. The Engineer is a morally repulsive character.”

I compare him to Les Mis’s Thernardiers. Those two are war profiteers who abuse a small child. They also provide the only comic relief in a very dour show. Most audiences are willing to forgive them the same way they forgive the actor playing The Engineer.

[dianamorales]

Posted: 3/27/17 at 11:27am

All of these reviews are so disappointing. Miss Saigon was maybe the best show I've ever seen and I was really hoping the reviews would somewhat agree. I need this to become an open run so I can see it 10 more times.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 3/27/17 at 12:25pm

^I agree.  I saw the show and absolutely loved it so I was deeply confused to find such a mess of a thread here.  There's nothing in this production that deserves such pans.  Yes it isn't the original and Eva isn't Lea Salonga, but some us couldn't see the original, so this is the next best thing.

This reminds me of the Falsettos revival where it seemed like everyone loathed it because it wasn't the original production and for no other reason.  I remember people talking about how emotionless and terrible Christian Borle was.  When I saw it, the show was sensational as was Christian Borle who I thought gave a touching, funny, and well sung performance.  I don't understand why some people on here will just hate a show simply because it isn't the original which they saw and loved many years ago.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/27/17 at 12:27pm

Are a lot of people in this thread even referencing the OBC/OLC all that much? It's really more like a lot of racism and lack of listening skills.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 3/27/17 at 12:40pm

^I'm talking about the reviews that are pre-racism debate (which should have its own thread) where there was a lot of people comparing Eva to Lea.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/27/17 at 12:59pm

I saw the show and absolutely loved it so I was deeply confused to find such a mess of a thread here.

Any mention of Miss Saigon always turns into this mess.  I'm not going to participate in the race debate any more.

I don't understand why some people on here will just hate a show simply because it isn't the original which they saw and loved many years ago.

I really didn't get a sense that was the case.  I remember that happening with the recent Les Miz revival because the new staging was a huge departure from the original (and I agreed that it was woefully inferior), but I don't think this new Miss Saigon is so massively different.  At least, not visually.  Many complain about the numerous lyric changes, but like many, their memory is more from listening to the recording as the original Broadway production already had many lyric changes (which was fairly common in the 80s/90s Boublil-Schoenberg works as well as most Lloyd Webber shows) and continued to change throughout the run and the tour.  Personally, when I saw the London production of this revival, I found much of the staging quite similar as well as some numbers to be an improvement.

But I will always prefer the lyrics to Please over Too Much for One Heart.  For me, the song has never retained the emotional impact of the original lyrics.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 3/27/17 at 8:46pm

dianamorales said: "All of these reviews are so disappointing. Miss Saigon was maybe the best show I've ever seen and I was really hoping the reviews would somewhat agree. I need this to become an open run so I can see it 10 more times."

 

I agree, the show is something very wonderful, special and breathtaking. The best I have seen.

We must not forget that these "reviews" you mention are not really reviews. Most of them are not even about this show, but preconceived and biased judgements. About things that happened in 1989, feminism, race, not liking behaviour of certain characters, without even addressing specific things from this version, and basically not liking things that really happened in that time or saying that they would like to see other things too that have nothing to do with this show. Basically, not wanting to like the show.

I notice that as soon as a reviewer says something that is actually about the content of this show instead of about the "noise of misunderstanding", it's utterly positive.

 

Updated On: 3/27/17 at 08:46 PM

[Dave28282]

Posted: 3/27/17 at 9:24pm

LizzieCurry said: "Are a lot of people in this thread even referencing the OBC/OLC all that much? It's really more like a lot of racism and lack of listening skills."

Blocking people is the epitome of lack of listening skills. And judging this new production about casting choices from 1989 is kind of lame too.

 

 

[mollyrrusso]

Posted: 3/27/17 at 10:17pm

SO MANY TEARS. So well done

[nolanativeny]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 8:01am

Not sure if this has been mentioned other places, but JonJon Briones was out last night and Billy Bustamante filled in. I was bummed to see the slip tucked in the playbill when it was handed to me but I thought he was excellent.

I enjoyed the show too, although there were many high school students around me (there must have been 4 or 5 different groups in total) who laughed at inappropriate times which kind of ruined the moment a bit. They also didn't seem to get the satire of the American Dream sequence, and I mean...it's not exactly subtle. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and I'm glad there are students enjoying theatre. But every time this happens to me I'm reminded of the benefits of splurging on more expensive seats at touristy shows.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 6:29pm

Honestly, the audience's love of the Thenardiers in Les Mis has always driven me crazy.  Maybe it's because they're such monsters in the novel. I wish that the musical hadn't reduced them to comic relief.

[Wicked Fanatic]

Posted: 4/2/17 at 7:59pm

Theatre Talk's interview with Boublil & Schonberg about Miss Saigon and the current revival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrS2uxOt2Ro&feature=em-subs_digest

[Malka2]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 11:28pm

Saw this last night for the first time, knowing nothing about the show.

The first act nearly bored me to tears. The second act moved me to tears. The story in the first act just isn't very compelling and maybe the actors needed to put more into it to sell it.... I didn't feel their chemistry at all even though they spent half of it making out.

Thankfully the second act was more than enough to make up for the beginning, very powerful theater that will stay with me for a long time.

Having never seen a different version, curious to hear opinions on the Chris performance.

[evic]

Posted: 4/7/17 at 7:37am

The first act is DEADLY......the second act is half deadly. Such an over rated show.....just because of a helicopter!

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 4/7/17 at 10:19am

The last two of you who didn't really care for it, were you bored by the material or by the actors? I think the show is compelling, despite its flaws, but will remain perplexed about the decision to bring Allistair Brammer over to play Chris when he isn't a very big draw in the US and the performances I have seen online with him have been pretty lackluster. 

[Luscious]

Posted: 4/7/17 at 10:41am

evic said: "The first act is DEADLY......the second act is half deadly. Such an over rated show.....just because of a helicopter!"

What a stupid comment. The reason I love this show, and this production in particular, has nothing whatsoever to do with a helicopter. And I don't find the first act "deadly" in the least. Saw it last night for the second time this week and it was spectacular on every level!

ETA: IMO, Allistair Brammer gave an even better performance last night than when I saw it the first time last Saturday. Either that or he's growing on me.

Updated On: 4/7/17 at 10:41 AM

[Lot666]

Posted: 4/7/17 at 10:46am

Babe_Williams said: "...I think the show is compelling, despite its flaws, but will remain perplexed about the decision to bring Allistair Brammer over to play Chris when he isn't a very big draw in the US and the performances I have seen online with him have been pretty lackluster."

I saw him with Eva in London and thought he was well-cast. His boyishly handsome looks and demeanor lend credence to the idea that Kim would fall hard and fast for him. He also projects a youthful innocence that sets him apart from the other soldiers in the ensemble, and this innocence supports the character's contempt for his more hardened peers' blatant disrespect for Kim and the other bar girls. When he gets angry with his fellow soldiers, including John, for treating the girls like commodities, he comes across as someone who was raised with principles and a sense of moral duty. During the "Fall of Saigon" (Kim's Nightmare) scene, his outrage at the atrocity going on around him and his powerlessness against is believable.

Updated On: 4/7/17 at 10:46 AM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 4/8/17 at 2:21am

Chris ''comes across as someone who was raised with principles and a sense of moral duty.'' And yet, even though Chris is taken aback by the prostitution and the sexist attitude of his fellow soldiers, he chooses to sleep with Kim, 17, and take her virginity. I don't know what the laws were like back then, but in modern-day Vietnam, even consensual sex with someone under 18 is still statutory rape.

Updated On: 4/8/17 at 02:21 AM

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 4/8/17 at 5:49am

Wayman_Wong said: "Chris ''comes across as someone who was raised with principles and a sense of moral duty.'' And yet, even though Chris is taken aback by the prostitution and the sexist attitude of his fellow soldiers, he chooses to sleep with Kim, 17, and take her virginity. I don't know what the laws were like back then, but in modern-day Vietnam, even consensual sex with someone under 18 is still statutory rape.

 

"

Well, they are two different governments and different sets of laws.

[Lot666]

Posted: 4/9/17 at 11:04am

Wayman_Wong said: "Chris ''comes across as someone who was raised with principles and a sense of moral duty.'' And yet, even though Chris is taken aback by the prostitution and the sexist attitude of his fellow soldiers, he chooses to sleep with Kim, 17, and take her virginity. I don't know what the laws were like back then, but in modern-day Vietnam, even consensual sex with someone under 18 is still statutory rape."

You're kind of taking my comments out of context. I was describing the depiction of the character by a specific performer (in response to someone else's thoughts about Mr. Brammer); I was not analyzing the character itself.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 4/9/17 at 11:48am

Brammer is playing what's written: That Chris likes to think of himself as morally superior to the other G.I.s, but at the end of the day, he's still sleeping with an underaged girl. Let's not forget that ''Miss Saigon'' is a riff off ''Madama Butterfly,'' where the American naval officer takes a 15-year-old CioCio-san for a bride. ''Miss Saigon'' bumps up her age a couple of years, but Kim is still a minor.

[Lot666]

Posted: 4/9/17 at 11:58am

Wayman_Wong said: "...Let's not forget that ''Miss Saigon'' is a riff off ''Madama Butterfly,'' where the American naval officer takes a 15-year-old CioCio-san for a bride. ''Miss Saigon'' bumps up her age a couple of years, but Kim is still a minor."

I get it, but that was not what my post was about. You're appropriating my words to support a different argument.