Miss Saigon Previews Thread- Page 9

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 6:39pm

https://imgur.com/gallery/zueMC

[broadwayghost1]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 7:14pm

Does anyone know who does the dragons acrobats for this current production?

[phan24]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 9:31pm

^thanks for that picture! What a sight to see.

W. Ellis Porter in the ensemble or more commonly known as Tony Award winner Billy Porter. 

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 11:05pm

Went again tonight and BOY,  was it a show. First, a couple prop and costume snafus in the first act, easily attributable to working out preview kinks. 

 

THEN during Bui Doi, some guy, i believe orchestra left somewhere starting shouting over the song. At first i thought it was staged, that some soldiers might be against John's work, but then i heard "GO TRUMP". Eek. The actors kept on performing beautifully and, as far as i know, nothing else happened, but it was a jarring moment. 

 

THEN, during Kim's nightmare, right as the helicopter should descend, it felt like it was taking longer than normal. Suddenly the music stops and we wear "ladies and gentlemen, we will be taking a short break because of technical difficulties" and the actors leave the stage. About 5 minutes later, they returned and they picked up a few bars ahead of where they left off and the helicopter went off without a hitch. 

 

From the on, the audience (which was extremely receptive throughout the show, lots of applause after musical sections that didn't get it friday night) was cheering the show on and the show ended beautifully. It was a crazy, crazy night, but that's live theatre. 

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 11:41pm

sing_dance_love said: "Went again tonight and BOY,  was it a show. First, a couple prop and costume snafus in the first act, easily attributable to working out preview kinks. 

 

THEN during Bui Doi, some guy, i believe orchestra left somewhere starting shouting over the song. At first i thought it was staged, that some soldiers might be against John's work, but then i heard "GO TRUMP". Eek. The actors kept on performing beautifully and, as far as i know, nothing else happened, but it was a jarring moment. 

 

THEN, during Kim's nightmare, right as the helicopter should descend, it felt like it was taking longer than normal. Suddenly the music stops and we wear "ladies and gentlemen, we will be taking a short break because of technical difficulties" and the actors leave the stage. About 5 minutes later, they returned and they picked up a few bars ahead of where they left off and the helicopter went off without a hitch. 

 

From the on, the audience (which was extremely receptive throughout the show, lots of applause after musical sections that didn't get it friday night) was cheering the show on and the show ended beautifully. It was a crazy, crazy night, but that's live theatre. 

 

The Manila production in 2000 came to a screeching halt on December 24th, which was Lea Salonga's and Will Chase's final show before they returned to New York to close the Broadway production.  The glitch occurred right after Chris ran away from the Engineer to go back to his room with Kim and before the female ensemble came out to sing, "One of us girls is moving on."  It took about 30 minutes before the show resumed.  Gotta love live theatre indeed.

[abbagirl]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 12:10am

 

I was there tonight too! :) They recovered from the helicopter snafu so well...and I was wondering what the heck that guy was yelling during "Bui-Doi"; I didn't hear the "Go Trump," yikes!!

[onesongglory2]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 12:19am

Was Eva on tonight?

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 12:21am

She was!

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 1:12am

Saw the show tonight - LOVED it. Admittedly this is one show I don't know terribly well, besides the big songs...but this production really was spectacular. Tired so here are some scattered thoughts -

As mentioned above the helicopter didn't work at first, and got a huge ovation when it finally entered after they restarted the sequence.

Eva & Jon Jon should absolutely be recognized with nominations come Tony time. Eva specially blew me away. She commands that stage with power well beyond her years. Without her performance, much of this production would fall apart. I hope she isn't forgotten amongst the bigger names this spring. 

Much better than the LES MIS revival. The director actually seems to have some ideas this time. 

[mint]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 9:15am

Lot666 said: "mint said: "Hi all, I will be heading to New York next month, there is a Telecharge promotion for Miss Saigon and a Orchestra seat at row G (side) cost USD120 (including service fees). Is row G considered too in front, will it hard to see the stage?"

Orchestra row G is about three rows forward of the mezzanine overhang, so I don't think it will be too close to the stage. You didn't say which seat you're contemplating, but I would be more concerned with how far down the row the seat is. If the seat number is higher than about 15-16, the view will likely be too far off to the side.

"Should I go ahead to purchase the ticket online or should I head down to TKTS to get discounted tickets, but how long is the queue, do I need to wait long?"

If you definitely intend to see the show, I recommend that you purchase your tickets in advance (especially given the fact that you already have access to a discount). It may be possible to purchase same-day tickets at the TKTS booth, but orchestra seats will likely be within about $20 of the online price you quoted and you will almost certainly have to stand in a long line to do so.

Lastly, will I get to see most of the main cast (in particular Eva, Rachelle Ann Go and Jon Jon) on a Saturday evening show?"

Barring illness, injury, or vacation, you are more likely to see the advertised star performers on a Saturday evening than in any other performance that week.

Enjoy!

Hi! Thanks for the kind replie. I'm flying all the way from Asia so I'm really excited. I'm referring to G14, hope the seat is okay.

"

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 9:50am

mint said: "Hi! Thanks for the kind replie. I'm flying all the way from Asia so I'm really excited. I'm referring to G14, hope the seat is okay."

I hope I was helpful, and I'm sorry that some people don't consider the possibility that English may not be everyone's first language around here. G14 is four seats in from the far left side, so I think you'll be okay. 

Will this be your first time seeing a show on Broadway?

 

Updated On: 3/7/17 at 09:50 AM

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 10:02am

Also there was a CRAZY man in the audience. During the opening of Act 2 during "Bui Doi" this man starting yelling "WHAT ABOUT THE TROOPS!?? THE TROOPS LEFT BEHIND??". He was house left about five rows behind me. He started yelling "TRUMP" several times. Apparently house management removed him, only to allow him back in the theatre. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 10:10am

IdinaBellFoster said: "Also there was a CRAZY man in the audience. During the opening of Act 2 during "Bui Doi" this man starting yelling "WHAT ABOUT THE TROOPS!?? THE TROOPS LEFT BEHIND??". He was house left about five rows behind me. He started yelling "TRUMP" several times. Apparently house management removed him, only to allow him back in the theatre."

We're talking about a theatre here, not a rally or a town hall. Does anyone else feel that persons who behave in such a manner should be removed and not allowed back in? 

 

[mint]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 10:23am

IdinaBellFoster said: "I hope I was helpful, and I'm sorry that some people don't consider the possibility that English may not be everyone's first language around here. G14 is four seats in from the far left side, so I think you'll be okay. Will this be your first time seeing a show on Broadway?"

Hi, no worries!

Yes it's my first time catching a Broadway show. I'm planning to watch Wicked (my 8th time!), Aladdin and Lion King as well. I have watched a couple of shows last year in West End and am looking forward to my visit to NY next month! :)

I have not gotten any of my tickets though cos am contemplating whether to go down to TKTS itself in hopes of getting discounted (are the tickets very much discounted?) or just buy the tickets online but the tickets are quite expensive especially Lion King shows. Sigh..

Updated On: 3/7/17 at 10:23 AM

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 11:41am

mint said: "IdinaBellFoster said: "I hope I was helpful, and I'm sorry that some people don't consider the possibility that English may not be everyone's first language around here. G14 is four seats in from the far left side, so I think you'll be okay. Will this be your first time seeing a show on Broadway?"

Hi, no worries!

Yes it's my first time catching a Broadway show. I'm planning to watch Wicked (my 8th time!), Aladdin and Lion King as well. I have watched a couple of shows last year in West End and am looking forward to my visit to NY next month! :)

I have not gotten any of my tickets though cos am contemplating whether to go down to TKTS itself in hopes of getting discounted (are the tickets very much discounted?) or just buy the tickets online but the tickets are quite expensive especially Lion King shows. Sigh..

 

"

Shows on TKTS are usually 50% off, although THE LION KING is never on there, and ALADDIN is on there only very rarely. If you download the TKTS app, you will get a better idea of what shows are available from day to day. During the winter/early spring, the best availability is always Monday-Thursday. Also, there is usually good availability for shows during previews, before the reviews come out. For example, I saw DEAR EVAN HANSEN for 50% off during previews through TKTS.

 

[musikman]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 11:57am

IdinaBellFoster

i was sitting in the front mezz and was wondering what was going on! I thought maybe it was an adlib from a character onstage.  Fortunately I only heard about 2 outbursts from him. If that's what he said, it's just ludicrous, but shows that some people apparently don't have enough compassion in their hearts to want to help everyone, not just ourselves.  

As for the production, I thought it was spectacular.  Everything from the sets to the costumes and lighting were spot on.  That ovation when the helicopter finally worked after the technical snafu was deafening and pretty cool to witness.  We can gripe all we want about set pieces taking precedence over quality in certain blockbuster shows (and lord knows I have), but it was genuinely an amazing effect.  

The cast is *mostly* wonderful, with props going to Eva and Jon Jon who were terrific.  I definitely had issues with Alistair Brammer's vocals, but he looks and acts the role.  

I've always enjoyed Miss Saigon far more than Les Miz - and think it's also a far superior show - so I'm thrilled to finally have seen a professional production of it, and overall it definitely did not disappoint.     

 

[C4b2a3b]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 12:29pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFIkmvgMIDs

Sorry if this video has been discussed, but I find Mackintosh's comments about the Engineer distasteful at best. He says of Pryce's performance, "Because of what he did with the original show, we were subsequently able to find Asian performers to actually play the role in their own brilliant way". He later says "It's marvelous that this time around we have the perfect Asian performer."

I know the topic of Pryce playing the Engineer has been discussed ad nauseum, but I find it disappointing that this is still how Mackintosh thinks of casting Pryce - that talented Asians didn't exist in the 1980s to do the role justice. And then to add the qualification that Jon Jon Briones is the perfect Asian performer. Why can't he just be a perfect performer? 

Mackintosh starts talking about it at 2:50 in the video, but what do you all think? Maybe I'm just being too critical of Mackintosh?

Updated On: 3/7/17 at 12:29 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 12:33pm

You're not, and this did come up at BroadwayCon at the Asian Americans panel. I forget who said it (BD Wong?) that maybe back then this kind of mindset was more acceptable than now (albeit unfortunate), but not anymore.

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 12:42pm

mint said: "Lot666 said: "I hope I was helpful, and I'm sorry that some people don't consider the possibility that English may not be everyone's first language around here. G14 is four seats in from the far left side, so I think you'll be okay. Will this be your first time seeing a show on Broadway?"

Hi, no worries!

Yes it's my first time catching a Broadway show. I'm planning to watch Wicked (my 8th time!), Aladdin and Lion King as well. I have watched a couple of shows last year in West End and am looking forward to my visit to NY next month! :)

I have not gotten any of my tickets though cos am contemplating whether to go down to TKTS itself in hopes of getting discounted (are the tickets very much discounted?) or just buy the tickets online but the tickets are quite expensive especially Lion King shows. Sigh.."

As I mentioned earlier, prices at the TKTS booth are discounted (typically anywhere from 25-50%), but you will have to stand in a long line and you will not really be able to pick your seats in the same way that you can online (they will offer you "the next best available", which is rather a subjective concept, and there is little patience - you will be expected to buy or get out of the line).

You will likely not find Wicked, Aladdin, or The Lion King (or Hamilton or Book of Mormon) at the TKTS booth. If you want to see those shows, you almost have to arrive with tickets in hand. There are lotteries, but the number of entries is high, so your chances of scoring tickets this way is not good.

Updated On: 3/7/17 at 12:42 PM

[Harpz2006]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 12:44pm

I haven't seen a lot on here about Lianah Sta. Ana- I saw her at last week's Saturday matinee. My sister and I love Miss Saigon since seeing it as kids at our local dinner theatre. I thought Lianah did a great job and was emotional and heartbreaking and committed, but she just sounded like she had a cold/didn't her full voice. She was pretty soft and her voice had a very covered sound. My sister who is not as theatre-obsessed, made similar comments, commenting at intermission that the girl who played Gigi had a much stronger voice. To me it kinda felt like she knew she didn't have 100% of her voice but the director probably wanted her to just do it and get comfortable since she is new to the production. I watched her "Kim reel" on youtube from a local production she did in the fall and she was much more powerful vocally. We were in rear mezz seats- my sister also commented that no one was really loud enough besides Gigi, Thuy, and Engineer, and that Chris was fine but seemed more like an understudy. I would agree. The singing usually didn't like "fill" the theatre other than Gigi belting her face off at the end of her song. I would definitely overall describe Liahna's singing as pretty soft and just sounded like someone with a great voice getting over a cold or vocal overuse. 

 

STRONGLY agree that Kim should have last bow. People around us were asking why Engineer had the last bow. Kim is the title character and the heroine of the story. Her strength and resilience were remarkable.. I was more moved by those aspects seeing it as an adult now. Jon Jon was phenomenal as the Engineer but his character isn't the hero; there were references to him even kind of raping/fondling Kim if I interpreted them right ("she's kinda sorta a virgin, mostly" "I washed her myself" etc.) and overall he symbolizes greed. Giving him the final bow seems to like almost celebrate his character as the star of the show. Especially in our current political state, I think the audience wants to reward the female who survived in the face of so much adversity and protected her son selflessly while surviving against all odds. That is who we want to be cheering for as we leave.  

[Wick3]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 12:57pm

To those who saw this in London, is it pretty much the same production? I was surprised they brought the same Chris to Broadway from West End (I'd think there's equal if not better talent in NYC to play Chris.)

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 1:02pm

Wick3 said: "To those who saw this in London, is it pretty much the same production? I was surprised they brought the same Chris to Broadway from West End (I'd think there's equal if not better talent in NYC to play Chris.)"

I agree. Same with Sunset Blvd. They should have cast from this side of the Atlantic. There are great local actors who could have really done incredible work here. I don't know why they decided to add the expense of flying out, paying per diem to and housing a non-local. It definitely didn't pay off in the performance I saw. Same - again - with Sunset.

[phan24]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 1:02pm

Yeah, it's exactly the same version, with one or two few tunes/incidentals shortened/modified. My only guess for bringing Alistair and the main cast over is due to the advertising and merchandise (posters, video trailers, DVD, cast recording) with those faces/leads, so it would be easier to sell those in New York without producing anything new. 

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 6:42pm

sing_dance_love said: "Went again tonight and BOY,  was it a show. First, a couple prop and costume snafus in the first act, easily attributable to working out preview kinks. 
 THEN during Bui Doi, some guy, i believe orchestra left somewhere starting shouting over the song. At first i thought it was staged, that some soldiers might be against John's work, but then i heard "GO TRUMP". Eek. The actors kept on performing beautifully and, as far as i know, nothing else happened, but it was a jarring moment. 
THEN, during Kim's nightmare, right as the helicopter should descend, it felt like it was taking longer than normal. Suddenly the music stops and we wear "ladies and gentlemen, we will be taking a short break because of technical difficulties" and the actors leave the stage. About 5 minutes later, they returned and they picked up a few bars ahead of where they left off and the helicopter went off without a hitch. 
From the on, the audience (which was extremely receptive throughout the show, lots of applause after musical sections that didn't get it friday night) was cheering the show on and the show ended beautifully. It was a crazy, crazy night, but that's live theatre. 

I saw it last night, too after seeing the original cast 26 years ago and wow, I agree, what a show!!  This revival is as fantastic, if not a rawer, as the original and very loud.  I was happy the technical difficulties with the helicopter were fixed rather quickly - I had never seen that effect from up close in orchestra for I always bought the $18 seats in rear mezz!!  Still took my breath away. 

I had almost forgotten how gorgeous Dju Vui Vai sounds live - the voices were so captivating and Eva was amazing.

And thanks for pointing out what all the shouting from the audience was about during Bui Doi.  I was very worried about a pregnant woman in front of me who looked like she would be sick and kept leaning over the back of her seat into mine and then the yelling - wow, what a powerful evening!  

[BwayDreamer00]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 6:57pm

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. 

Harshhhhhhhhhhh