Miss Saigon Previews Thread- Page 3

[broadwayghost1]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 1:33am

Toti Driver (Set Designer) was seated next to me. We chatted a bit before the show and during intermission. Such a sweet lady. I also saw Bob Avian (Staging) standing in front of me by the orchestra pit as people were leaving.

I thought this production was amazing. Eva was crying during room 317 and I could see the tears rolling down her face. The stage was very high, but a lot of action takes place down stage. The helicopter is amazing!!!!  Everyone came outside after the show to take pictures and sign autographs.

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 1:56am

^Eva looked a bit emotional at curtain call too.

[Chowd95]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 5:22am

Regarding the set design.. I haven't seen this production in person, just through YT clips and of course the filmed version.  I did see the 90's version on Broadway and a number of times during it's full scale tour.  I think time has made the memory of the original seem bigger than it really was.  The majority of the action took place on small sets dwarfed by a huge stage framed by white blinds..  The lightning fast transitions and epic story of the show, plus the "big" moments (Morning of the Dragon, Bangkok, The Fall of Saigon, The American Dream) gave it a larger than life feel. From what I've seen the staging of the new version holds up to the original, just without the automation. I'm excited to see it in person.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 6:03am

Chowd95 said: " I did see the 90's version on Broadway and a number of times during it's full scale tour.  I think time has made the memory of the original seem bigger than it really was.  The majority of the action took place on small sets dwarfed by a huge stage framed by white blinds..  "

 

I think this made the original version more intimate and emotional and I think the show benefits from this intimacy. For example Last night of the world was on this smaller set centre stage with a bamboo bed and fabric flowing and a fan, which really represented the moment and the lyrics as it was in their thoughts. In their minds it was the most romantic moment in the world. The new approach, where we see a big black stage with the back of a bar and a trash can with them just walking around on that stage does not work for me. Instead of making it feel raw and real it makes it feel less emotional and less convincing, as this artform is a lot about their thoughts being sung and represented. Embracing that and taking it all the way is what made the original production in your mind feel bigger, more impressive, while it was actually more intimate and real because of the fantasy/their thoughts being shown. Same for most of the other scenes. Sun and Moon, steel pipe construction, bed far away up stage right, big black stage. I miss the intimacy of the smaller set centre stage. 

 

About the acting and singing, I have a question about Eva. Did they fix the wrong melody lines she sang in the London production? Such as "He's been waiting for his father, for a long, long while" with the angelic notes at the end or did she sing lower notes instead? And also the "Paper dragons in the sky" part? Also, in the paper dragons part, I love it when Kim is in a sort of a dark place, a trance, kind of ominous, when she sings to the engineer, I have seen Tanya Manalang doing this in London in a way that still haunts me, with a teardrop rolling down her cheek. When I saw Eva, she just sang the lines like she was reading the grocery list, which she does in the filmed version too, which is really a pity to me.

 

Updated On: 3/2/17 at 06:03 AM

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 7:44am

I was not much a fan of this musical when I saw it the first time. After last evening, I'm still not. As before, it's turgid and heavyhanded. On the positive side, the score contains some pretty melodies, and the tear jerking elements still jerk tears. Eva Noblezada and Alistair Brammer both sang beautifully and  gave affecting performances. I've never understood why the character of the Engineer was given so prominent a part in the proceedings.  He's really incidental to the main story, and his dime-store cynicism wears thin early. Jon Jon Briones was less outsized than Jonathan Pryce, but he scored his laughs and did his big number well.

All told, I'll take Madama Butterfly.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 7:54am

Nostalgia ensues, reading these posts, as I saw the very first preview of the B'way original (I believe it's April 9, 1991, but will have to look it up.)  It's a show I felt was underrated, upstaged as it was initially by the helicopter-as-symbol-of-B'way-overkill, the inherently pejorative pop-opera/operetta designation, and the Pryce controversy. It remains -- to my thinking -- one of the best ideas for a musical, the movement of Butterfly to Viet Nam inspired.  And it delivers on the Butterfly story so satisfyingly.  I have fond memories, having seen it a second time when Salonga went back in.  It's interesting to read how many people love the piece, and welcome its return.  Whether it's a favorite, it's a musical that has always had teeth and guts, and a score that matches its intentions.  For me, it works, and well.

[Chowd95]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 8:24am

I've never understood the hate. Even those who dismiss the show admit the score is gorgeous.  I guess people associate this with the over the top mega-musicals of the late 80's-early 90's, which it surely was, but there is so much to love beyond the spectacle. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 8:50am

WhizzerMarvin said: "I still get chills during the big confrontation between Thuy and Kim and loved their, "You will not take my child/You don't know hoooooooow to kill/ I have no other choice, what I must do. I. will! This is the hour..." "

The point where the gun fires and the chorus sings "This is the hour..." is my favorite part of the show.

"Maybe" was bland though."

I prefer the original song (Now That I've Seen Her) to this replacement.

 

Updated On: 3/2/17 at 08:50 AM

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 8:58am

I first saw this show at the matinee on the day before the Tonys, and then saw it countless times on Broadway and on tour after that. I'm looking forward to seeing the revival next month. Sometimes I call the show a guilty pleasure, but I'm not sure how "guilty" to really feel about liking it. I compare it to Wicked in at least one aspect: there are things wrong with both of them, but the central idea in both is so solid that the shows just work, even if in spite of themselves at times.

I love everything about Schonberg's score. The music is even more accomplished than Les Mis to me, since it's a little more specifically tuned to its setting and story. Much as I love Les Mis, let's face it, the music is (very pleasant) theater pop that could be placed in any number of contexts. And I'll admit, I also enjoy the spectacle but there's a real balance there with intimate character scenes. (Much as in Wicked, I love to see Elphie fly, but it doesn't mean I don't still find "For Good" the best and most effective number in the show.) There are also many opportunities in Miss Saigon for talented performers to really show their chops and there are some terrifically tense scenes.

All that said, the show can be a bit heavy-handed at times. It's essentially a big soap opera set to music, which you just have to accept for what it is, but scenes like the "Bui Doi" number cross over into the obviously manipulative. (I remember some critic likening it to a UNICEF ad and now that's all I can think of every time I hear that song.) But my biggest problem is the lyrics. They do their job, but sometimes not very artfully. Some things just grate and they haven't been fixed with the revisions. Thuy's lines "You must decide upon/Which side you're really on" are a syntactical torture, don't really rhyme, and don't make any sense--is there any doubt of which side Kim is "really on"? And it's not my job to rewrite the show, but even in the new song "Maybe" there's a weird lyric: "Back when we met/You were broken and wild/And I held you at night/And I ached when you cried". Obviously wild and cried are supposed to rhyme but don't, so wouldn't it be more effective for Ellen to sing "You were broken inside"? To me, that has a little more pathos and actually rhymes. But anyway. (FWIW, overall I actually like "Maybe" a little better than the old number, just because Ellen's reaction of "What if I'm the other woman?" feels truer in the situation.)

But despite the shortcomings, the show just has an emotional pull that works for me and I really anticipate seeing it next month, while enjoying others' comments on the preview period.

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 9:35am

carolinaguy said: "...my biggest problem is the lyrics. They do their job, but sometimes not very artfully. Some things just grate and they haven't been fixed with the revisions. Thuy's lines "You must decide upon/Which side you're really on" are a syntactical torture..."

As soon as you said "my biggest problem is the lyrics", this is the line that came immediately to mind. "You must decide upon" is grammatically awkward and makes me cringe.

I also hate when he says "I am talking about staying free". The word "staying" just doesn't fit comfortably here; at the very least, it would have been better to simply say "I am talking about being free".

 

Updated On: 3/2/17 at 09:35 AM

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 9:56am

Whizzer, how was Nicholas Christopher?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 10:02am

Carolinaguy's post is spot on, for my money.  I think the soapiness is cut by the Engineer, who's wisely employed both as a character in traditional book scenes, and an explication-delivering host, post Cabaret MC. If he's not entirely original, he's used in very compelling ways, and the placement of "American Dream" late in the show, just when the melodrama crescendos lifts the show out of bathos.  But the tears this musical provokes are all earned.  It manipulates because the history is accurate.  And accurate history, even if reductively distilled into Butterfly's construct, is worth our time in a musical, at least to me. 

Updated On: 3/2/17 at 10:02 AM

[Broadwaystar2]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 10:24am

Auggie27 said: "Carolinaguy's post is spot on, for my money.  I think the soapiness is cut by the Engineer, whose wisely employed both as a character in traditional book scenes, and an explication-delivering host, post Cabaret MC. If he's not entirely original, he's used in very compelling ways, and the placement of "American Dream" late in the show, just when the melodrama crescendos lifts the show out of bathos.  But the tears this musical provokes are all earned.  It manipulates because the history is accurate.  And accurate history, even if reductively distilled into Butterfly's construct, is worth our time in a musical, at least to me. 

 

"

Very well said!

[broadwaybaby11]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 10:27am

I spontaneously went to the theater yesterday around 5:30pm and managed to walk away with 2 rush tickets - Orchestra Row S.

As a whole, I was blown away by the performance. 

[nealb1]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 10:36am

I am so looking forward to seeing this.  My friend and I have tickets for Saturday night, April 29th.  I first saw the show in May of 1991, twice - right after it opened and before it won it's 3 Tony Awards.

 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 10:37am

How is Nicholas Christopher as John?  I saw Hugh Maynard in London (also on the DVD) and he was the worst John I've ever seen.  I was actually surprised that he was allowed to be so ridiculously over-the-top in every scene with every line.  I'm hoping Nicholas doesn't chew the scenery so much or turn Bui Doi into a self-centered full-on gospel revival.

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 10:53am

broadwaybaby11 said: "I spontaneously went to the theater yesterday around 5:30pm and managed to walk away with 2 rush tickets - Orchestra Row S.

As a whole, I was blown away by the performance. 

 

"

WOW!!! Thanks for the tip...

[phan24]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 11:52am

Nicholas Christopher was good, definitely did not chew up the scenery like Hugh Maynard did and his notes in Bui Doi were simple, maybe could have used one or two big notes there, but overall it is better simple.

His few scenes were very good, especially in the hotel room scene, his anguish for the decision that Ellen and Chris were going to make, did come through, and you sided with him. He also got some hearty laughs throughout.

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 12:07pm

Nick is one big reasonI want to see this production alomg with it being one of my favorite scores. Became a fan of his after seeing him in the RENT revival.

[phan24]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 12:23pm

Playbill pages of Cast and Musical Numbers:

[Theatrebaby-Ki]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 4:07pm

WhizzerMarvin said: "This production feels a lot less like a revival and more like a stop on the 3rd national tour- which isn't really an insult, but rather a remark on how familiar and safe it all feels. It's not a slavish recreation, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the table either. You won't see anything you wouldn't expect to see from any production of Miss Saigon. It's being presented as a sort of comfort food and ends up being just kind of there, albeit in a very professional way.

...

I think this production might please the fans who want to hear the score again, but next time they revive the show I would like to see something new done with it. "

I agree with what you said about it being a bit too much of the same as other productions. I didn't understand what the cast meant when they said that this production is grittier than the previous ones. 

I saw the London and Japanese production (both in the last 2 years). I must say that Kim and Chris in the new production are way less intimate. I've never seen the original production but growing up Asian and a theatre kid, I've seen many clips of previous productions. In this production I felt like Sun and Moon and Last Night looked very unnatural. The staging didn't quite give me the chills that other productions did (even though the set looked amazing and the music had me in an emotional wreck, goddammit Claude Michel and Alain Boublil).

I think Eva is great. Her voice is definitely something more than what I've ever heard and she would kill it in the right role, but Miss Saigon (in my opinion) is not one of them. Her version of Kim as a mother is good, I think she does it well but her Kim falters quite a bit when she's with Chris. Eva's portrayal of Kim has way too much strength and it didn't sit so well with me. I really think she'd be amazing or even Tony quality, if she was in a show like Rent or Wicked. BUT JON JON. You are gonna love him. He was fantastic.

The production overall had me in tears the moment the helicopter sounded. The music is amazing, kudos to the one in charge of orchestrations because it was heartbreakingly fantastic. The nightmare scene was done so cleverly and literally has you on the edge of your seat. To anyone who is going to watch it, please enjoy it. Although I did just roast quite a lot of the show, I was still so captivated by it. The visual effects are incredible but oh the music. It's the music that gets you right there.

I see a possible Tony out there for Jon Jon, set design and orchestrations.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 4:35pm

his notes in Bui Doi were simple, maybe could have used one or two big notes there, but overall it is better simple.

No "big notes" are necessary.  The more the song gets embellished (or as in the case with Maynard, completely out of control), the more it becomes about the actor (not the character, mind you) rather than the message.  I was so upset when I saw that Maynard was the one memorialized in the filming.  Even his hair was all wrong for the period.  

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 8:21pm

Billy Bustamante and Nkrumah Gatling are fabulously talented, so should Briones or Christopher be out, they're in good hands.

Are the characters of Fifi and Dominique the previously unnamed, generic "bar girls"? They're not named in The Heat Is On.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 8:31pm

I wish we knew the alternate schedule. Really hoping Eva is in this upcoming Monday. 

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 3/2/17 at 9:47pm

Question for anyone who has seen the London revival, or the DVD or Blu-ray of said revival: From a production standpoint, does this seem like the London production has come here in tact, or is it scaled back?