Miss Saigon Previews Thread — Page 6

Edit: ugh

Updated On: 3/4/17 at 12:01 AM

Edit: my gosh

Updated On: 3/4/17 at 12:01 AM

This is no reason to revive this show. Why do we need to see this show in 2017?

LizzieCurry said: "Oh, that's interesting. Too Much For One Heart used to be a solo for Kim, but (I think) it was cut before the OLC even started previews. Lea Salonga sings it in concerts frequently.



And it's a very poor decision by the creative team to change PLEASE and reinsert "Too much for one heart" in its place. Kim and John singing it sounded corny.

I was not a fan of the revised lyrics when I saw MISS SAIGON in the West End in November 2015 and I'm still convinced the person hired to rework the book was getting paid by the word. So many lyric changes are unnecessary particularly in I STILL BELIEVE: Kim's new opening is so wretchedly cringe worthy ("In the silence of my secret tears, you are here still" - yuck). Most egregious was Kim singing "One and the same, you and I" instead of "We have been blessed you and I" in SUN AND MOON because the new phrase undercuts the premise that Kim and Chris came together from different worlds during the Vietnam War. Kim and Chris "are not one and the same" at all.

Some other observations:

-- DJU VUI VAI was retooled. I'm not Vietnamese but I'm guessing the lyrics I heard at the first preview were an improvement unlike the other unnecessary changes.

-- I did not get to see Rachelle Ann Go in London but was glad to see her here in New York. If she were younger, she'd be such an amazing Kim.

-- Eva Noblezada's voice was malfunctioning the first time I saw her and she was consistently flat. Noblezada's pitch is much better but I was expecting a bigger vocal difference after she crossed the Atlantic similar to how Lea Salonga's voice gained so much more resonance when she debuted in New York compared to her singing in London. Noblezada's voice tends to sound pinched, shouty and too AMERICAN IDOL-esque for my taste. Yes, Noblezada can belt out the top notes but her head voice needs so much work as does her lower register. Comparisons are inevitable but Salonga's vocal quality has that special X factor and natural beauty to it; Noblezada's is generic.

-- MAYBE is still as awful as when I first heard it in 2013 in the production at the Arena Stage in Virginia.

-- The Mormon guy in the Bangkok scenes was funny as hell but tended to be a bit distracting at times. Though I hope they won't kick it out before the show freezes.

-- Jon Jon Briones was consistently good as were Nicholas Christopher, Alistair Brammer and Katie Rose Clark notwithstanding MAYBE.

-- There's some Christopher Scott nudity now when Kim and Chris have sex as Brammer flashed the top of his buns as he pulled his pants down before getting into bed with Kim. That was definitely new.

-- The gun shot blast was totally out of sync as Kim gunned Thuy down and it was very noticeable.

-- In the reprise of SUN AND MOON, Kim's pants were missing from the box she retrieved so Noblezada only wore her cheongsam sans pants, which Kim is supposed to put on as she sings. After returning onstage for Kim's meeting with Ellen, Noblezada was wearing the aforementioned missing pink pants.

-- Devin Ilaw is a great choice for Thuy. His diction is clear and he has pretty good vocal technique.

-- I miss the automated trucks from the original productions in Drury Lane and the Broadway Theatre. The new sets are too basic and look like they belong in a touring production, not on Broadway.

-- It felt out of character both in the West End and on Wednesday for Kim to run down the stairs after Chris wearing only a blanket and nothing else.

-- There's work to be done before opening night because, among other things, you could see stage hands moving the sets, flashlights lit on the wings and cued lights were off (at one point, the spotlight was supposed to be on Gigi and clearly the operator missed Go).

Hope this revival finds its audience. I have a lot of affection for the original production and I would love it if new theater goers find that affection too for this new production of MISS SAIGON, which I consider to be the best of the big pop operas that crossed over from London to New York during the late 80's and early to mid 90's.

Updated On: 3/4/17 at 03:06 AM

matineeidol2591 said: "This was a total snooze fest. disappointing from start to finish. flimsy/cheap theme park set, melodramatic performances, tired direction, and the biggest travesty- a very sad sounding orchestra. save your money and watch the bootleg floating around with will chase and lea salonga.



" Its very interesting that you are the ONLY one on this thread that feels this way. You must have not gotten the part. That's ok it happens!

LizzieCurry said: "Is this the same kind of ad-libbing/over-interjectionitis that happened in the last Les Miz revival?"



Yes, I think so. I also noticed it a bit in the London revival of MS where Alistair for example, said the word "F*CK" after many of his normal lines. Even after his final note in "Why God", right after he finished the long note he said "F*ck", while the orchestra was still playing the last chord and the applause hadn't even started! What the hell?

This happens in Les Mis revival too, and also in the movie, a pingping game between singing a line and speak or make up the next. The director may think that this constant switching makes it gritty.......as that's what I hear in interviews all the time. While in the show it actually throws me out if it. It does not feel real, gritty or emotional, at all.

Updated On: 3/4/17 at 08:47 AM

call_me_jeoge: perhaps my qualm is with the sound department as opposed to the orchestra. I thought they sounded distant and thin- and I was sitting 10 rows from the stage. Now that I go back to my program I notice there were 18 pieces, which is sizable. I am also admittedly spoiled from the 40 pieces at Sunset Boulevard- which is a worse show but far better revival in my opinion.

jsg03jd said: "

-- I miss the automated trucks from the original productions in Drury Lane and the Broadway Theatre. The new sets are too basic and look like they belong in a touring production, not on Broadway.

"

They will be used in the touring production.

theatregoer3 said: "BroadwayGuy12 said: "HighFlyingAdored97 said: "Can somebody who saw the original Miss Saigon tell me if Lea Salonga got the last bow during curtain call? I left the theatre tonight feeling angry that Jon Jon Briones got the last bow. This is Kim's story, and Eva Noblezada gave the strongest performance. I thought it was so disrespectful to Ms. Noblezada to give her the second to last bow."

I was also there tonight and also found this odd. I wholeheartedly agree that Noblezada (and any actress playing Kim, for that matter) deserves the final bow."



In the original production the engineer took the final bow.





"

When Lea Salonga reprised the role for the final performances on Broadway she got the final bow (as well as in the Manila run)... her alternate, Melinda Chua, was given final bow on her final performance

So from what I've been reading here... It sounds like I could save my money and just re watch the recent filmed version?

Any idea where rush seats have been?

VintageSnarker said: "How is Alistair Brammer's American accent?



Very good and convincing.

Updated On: 3/4/17 at 02:05 PM

Broadwaystar2 said: "matineeidol2591 said: "This was a total snooze fest. disappointing from start to finish. flimsy/cheap theme park set, melodramatic performances, tired direction, and the biggest travesty- a very sad sounding orchestra. save your money and watch the bootleg floating around with will chase and lea salonga.



" Its very interesting that you are the ONLY one on this thread that feels this way. You must have not gotten the part. That's ok it happens!





To be fair, the sound assessment is accurate. It was problematic too in the original Broadway mounting for some reason. They couldn't get the mic balancing right then and they still have problems now. The orchestra does sound thinner in the revival. If I recall correctly, the number of musicians in the pit in the original production was higher and the pit now uses more synthesized instruments (especially the strings) compared to before.