#51
Posted: 2/26/05 at 2:37pm
'chanced upon this site--had to clarify some things said about the Fullerton production of 'Saigon' for people to have a better 'behind-the-scenes' idea of the process of the staging and, hopefully, have a better appreciation of the finished product, flaws and all.
1. The production was staged in THREE WEEKS without the benefit of any staging guidelines that should have come together with the rented show materials. The ensemble (with the exception of about 2 or 3) has not seen the production before (B'way, Nat'l tours, Non-union, regional, etc.) and was working on a blank slate. The original B'way and National Touring companies had the benefit of rehearsing the show 8 hours per day for an entire month--complete with preset staging materials, prepared artistic personnel, and pre-planned technical setups BEFORE starting PREVIEWS (not actual performances)--all these were lacking when the FCLO rehearsals started. The aforementioned reasons alone would probably answer everyone's queries on why staging and choreo weren't as crisp as they should have been during the first few shows. Of course, the fact that there was a budget of about $11 million to mount the productions on the B'way/Nat'l tours should already answer the question why there is a seemingly flawless smoothness to the changing sets and scenery and why there is a helluva lot of other technological marvels of the original Equity companies of 'Saigon'. Oh, and going back to the previews, there was one, mind you, ONE dress/tech rehearsal/preview before opening night for the FCLO production. That's only one full performance before the press opening the very next night! I think that it's a feat in itself that this company was able to pull off GREAT press reviews with the obvious lack of rehearsals to make the show as seamless as it can possibly be! So, considering all factors involved, maybe we can cut the cast some slack and even consider their efforts quite exemplary by coming up with a product that's certainly MOSTLY good in most aspects than bad.
2. To Kristine's voice student: No, Kristine did NOT stage all her scenes with 'Chris' and, no, the entire cast did not look to her for directions. All 4 prior 'Saigon' veterans in the show were asked to HELP stage scenes but not at the expense of the Director not having to finalize anything. Jan Duncan, the director, certainly tied all things together eventually. Ray Rochelle (choreographer), a veteran of the 1st Nat'l tour, handled most of the staging based on the B'way production. If anything at all, the collaboration of several minds in staging this production should be looked at as a creative way of approaching the direction--not as a desperate, confused effort at just coming up with something. Kristine certainly helped out a lot in the staging (voluntarily), but so did EVERYBODY else. The credit certainly isn't due just her. If it was another former 'Kim' that ended up playing the role, she certainly would have extended the same courtesy that would just have been as helpful in staging the show.
3. At the risk of sounding biased, the FCLO cast is amazingly vocally gifted. In the original companies, there were 44 cast members which accounted for strong ensemble vocals based on quality AND quantity. However, in the FCLO production, the 33 cast members certainly make up for quality in the absence of quantity. The principals in this show can arguably be considered at the top of their numbers regardless of some technical sound glitches that occurred in the first couple of performances. The Broadway veterans among them certainly maintain the standards all of us Broadway aficionados expect them to be.
On a personal note, there will always be flaws that will come up based on individual preferences, however, the FCLO production has got to be one of the very, very few powerful renditions of this show that have stayed true to their original Broadway predecessor.
So far, all reviews on this production have been nothing short of excellent (not that they really count).
Peace!
1. The production was staged in THREE WEEKS without the benefit of any staging guidelines that should have come together with the rented show materials. The ensemble (with the exception of about 2 or 3) has not seen the production before (B'way, Nat'l tours, Non-union, regional, etc.) and was working on a blank slate. The original B'way and National Touring companies had the benefit of rehearsing the show 8 hours per day for an entire month--complete with preset staging materials, prepared artistic personnel, and pre-planned technical setups BEFORE starting PREVIEWS (not actual performances)--all these were lacking when the FCLO rehearsals started. The aforementioned reasons alone would probably answer everyone's queries on why staging and choreo weren't as crisp as they should have been during the first few shows. Of course, the fact that there was a budget of about $11 million to mount the productions on the B'way/Nat'l tours should already answer the question why there is a seemingly flawless smoothness to the changing sets and scenery and why there is a helluva lot of other technological marvels of the original Equity companies of 'Saigon'. Oh, and going back to the previews, there was one, mind you, ONE dress/tech rehearsal/preview before opening night for the FCLO production. That's only one full performance before the press opening the very next night! I think that it's a feat in itself that this company was able to pull off GREAT press reviews with the obvious lack of rehearsals to make the show as seamless as it can possibly be! So, considering all factors involved, maybe we can cut the cast some slack and even consider their efforts quite exemplary by coming up with a product that's certainly MOSTLY good in most aspects than bad.
2. To Kristine's voice student: No, Kristine did NOT stage all her scenes with 'Chris' and, no, the entire cast did not look to her for directions. All 4 prior 'Saigon' veterans in the show were asked to HELP stage scenes but not at the expense of the Director not having to finalize anything. Jan Duncan, the director, certainly tied all things together eventually. Ray Rochelle (choreographer), a veteran of the 1st Nat'l tour, handled most of the staging based on the B'way production. If anything at all, the collaboration of several minds in staging this production should be looked at as a creative way of approaching the direction--not as a desperate, confused effort at just coming up with something. Kristine certainly helped out a lot in the staging (voluntarily), but so did EVERYBODY else. The credit certainly isn't due just her. If it was another former 'Kim' that ended up playing the role, she certainly would have extended the same courtesy that would just have been as helpful in staging the show.
3. At the risk of sounding biased, the FCLO cast is amazingly vocally gifted. In the original companies, there were 44 cast members which accounted for strong ensemble vocals based on quality AND quantity. However, in the FCLO production, the 33 cast members certainly make up for quality in the absence of quantity. The principals in this show can arguably be considered at the top of their numbers regardless of some technical sound glitches that occurred in the first couple of performances. The Broadway veterans among them certainly maintain the standards all of us Broadway aficionados expect them to be.
On a personal note, there will always be flaws that will come up based on individual preferences, however, the FCLO production has got to be one of the very, very few powerful renditions of this show that have stayed true to their original Broadway predecessor.
So far, all reviews on this production have been nothing short of excellent (not that they really count).
Peace!
Updated On: 2/27/05 at 02:37 PM
