Miss Saigon Ages Horribly In Era Of #MeToo And Authentic Representation

Very timely article given the broadway revival closed 18 months ago. But yes, let's beat this topic to death one more time.

LizzieCurry said: "Oh Charlie. It's a review of the tour.

"Miss Saigon is a story that needs to be told, but through a totally different lens. It’s a tragic part of American history that we must face, but when it is put in the context of the white savior narrative, that’s when problems arise. Chris, no matter what he does, is seen as the hero and the victim."

^ Yep!"

Personally, I think Chris is an as*hole.

Miss Saigon is waaaaaaay less offensive than the opera on which it's based, Madama Butterfly. I finally saw the latter recently (having loved Miss Saigon for over twenty years now), and wow...

This sort of thing always goes on during wartime, people understand that. Why are they not picketing Madame Butterfly?

Why is #METOO not picketing performances of Tosca? ( Powerful figure promises freedom for loved ones if woman services him sexually)

SERiously there are real issues and problems and diverting energy to these "Tsimmis in a Teapot" is about as ineffectual as it gets.

sabrelady said: "Why is #METOO not picketing performances of Tosca? ( Powerful figure promises freedom for loved ones if woman services him sexually)"

In regards to Tosca, I would guess it's not viewed nearly as problematically since Scarpia is never portrayed as anything but the villain of the piece. I've never heard of a production that tries to romanticize his plans, and of course Tosca herself is the one to stab him in a reversal of power at the end of Act 2.

Miss Saigon is a problematic show which engages in stereotypes and the male gaze, but this article does a terrible job at explaining why and would not have convinced me had I not already agreed with the main argument. I remember in Nicholas Hytner's fantastic memoir Balancing Acts, he described how the musical's opening sequence only condemns the misogynistic behavior of the male characters after completely reveling in it for the first ten minutes--it tries to have it both ways. I thought Hytner's analysis from a couple decades after directing the original was very astute. This article just sums up the plot and expects you to be on board with the conclusion without any further explanation.

By the way, does anyone remember a review of the original Broadway production that was a scathing pan, describing the show as a bunch of contrivances aimed at putting more human suffering onstage? I remember a line that said something like "And then at the top of the second act, when you've seen enough images of suffering people, they bring on a video screen and stop the show to play a montage of suffering children." I remember reading the review a while back but have not been able to find it since. Does anyone else remember that piece?

To me, this argument is similar to the one about whether confederate monuments belong in public parks and at avenue intersections in southern cities. If the intent of the work is to glorify, and even "honor", the subject, then the answer is a resounding NO. But if the intent is to revisit historical situations to help us learn from the past, then the work makes a positive contribution to society and is valid as art.

I also think that Miss Saigon challenges the "white savior" narrative. I think it's important to remember that the authors are French, everything in the show that seems to glorify American culture is actually a critique of it. The Engineer's obsession with American consumerism and culture is shown to be an unfulfilled and ultimately empty dream.

I agree that Chris is an asshole and he's unintelligent. I also think that Thuy is a complex character. It's easy to think of him as a villain, but look at the situation from his perspective. Even his attempt to murder Tam, although obviously wrong, is understandable.

I have recently been thinking about Miss Saigon and the criticism of it and there are some valid points (conflation of the Japanese culture of Madama Butterfly with Vietnamese culture, even using a kanji-looking character for the poster when Vietnam doesn't use that writing system, orientialism). That being said, I do think that it's possible to acknowledge that the show has its flaws and still find it to have artistic merit. It's my favorite show and I'll forever love it, flaws and all.

Also, I didn't like this line: "There is no female empowerment or ownership of their bodies whatsoever as men fling these women over their shoulders as if they are objects" - The prostitution portrayed in Miss Saigon is not exactly about female empowerment. There are women exploited by prostitution and the show reflects that situation. That doesn't make it "problematic."