Miss Saigon, Starlight Bowl/San Diego

[Elphaba]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:36pm

So, Starlight Opera is doing Miss Saigon next month.
Starlight Opera is done outside, SO.......I'm wondering if for the big Helicopter scene they'll use a REAL helicopter.

I suppose for safety reasons they can't.......but it would be amazing if they did......

I may have to go see this......

Updated On: 8/21/05 at 10:36 PM

[apdarcey]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:45pm

hah.
i saw a production a couple months ago where they did the usual strobe lights, but then they had like a 3-d projection of a helicopter instead of the real thing...

wierd part was it was a miniature projection. like toy-size.. and so it just looked miniscule next to normal-size people... which kind of made the scene comical, which it is not supposed to be!

[Elphaba]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:46pm

hmmm, in both Toronto and San Francisco (does that make me a
Miss S-Head?) they used what looked like a real, lifesize shell...was cool

[otis33]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:48pm

This is happening in my hometown! I've worked there before. Funny you should mention using a real helicopter...(they're not going to, btw)...the theatre is directly under the airplane flight path. It heads directly to the landing strip. So...anytime a plane flies over, a red light in the orchestra pit goes off, and ALL action on stage freezes. Oh, yes. Freezes. Amusing at first, but 15 planes into it, no ones laughing.

Anyway, can't wait to see the show. My friend is playing Chris.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:48pm

well i've seen it multiple times in boston and in dc... and i own multiple recordings... i guess i'm a miss s-head too.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:51pm

Is there a full cast list somewhere that one of you can link to?

[Elphaba]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:55pm

otis I lived in SD for 8 years, and LOVED the fact that the action stops when a plane flys over.......of course in the 1970's a lot fewer planes flew over, so I may no longer like the idea.......I used to go there all the time, loved being there under the stars

[Elphaba]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:57pm

Darcy, I knew there was a reason we were married!

Lizzie I just checked the website, and they don't list casts.......

[otis33]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:58pm

I will admit, the planes are part of it's charm...but truly the amount of planes now is large. I've seen many an audience member leave at intermission because of the planes. You're right, didn't used to be that way. It's too bad, really, because there's often quite exciting work being done on stage.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:58pm

Ha Ha. Gotta love San Diego. And gotta love the Starlight Bowl and all the planes that fly by.

I've seen Evita there several times.... and during Buenos Aires the red light comes on and the music stops and all the dancers freeze. It's great.

[otis33]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:59pm

sandiegoplaybill.com will eventually post a press release listing the cast. They usually post it about a week before the show opens.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 11:00pm

i just got the highlights CD and I LOVE it. I wish i had seen the tour when it came two years ago, i hope it comes back. What do you mean when you say "lifesize shell" what's that mean? Do community/regional theaters really use real helicopters?

[Patronus]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 11:01pm

Wow, this sounds fascinating.

I may have to drive down for this. How much to seats normally cost? Is the production value good?

[otis33]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 11:05pm

Um, production values vary. I've seen great, and I've seen pretty awful. check out starlighttheatre.org for info.

Their J & H and Sweeney Todd a few seasons back were both really fantastic.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 11:38pm

yeah......Fiddler there was excellent when I saw it, Kismet, sucked

by shell I mean I could not tell if it was a REAL helicopter front, or a shell of one, made up to look real

[Elphaba]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 11:39pm

I love this musical...maybe because I lived through the Vietnam era. A young friend I went with in Toronto hated it....but we both felt it's because she did not live through it. It was hard for her to relate to the Vietnam war

[otis33]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 11:54pm

It's a true mega-musical, and I love it too! I saw it 7 or 8 times when I lived in NYC. Actually, I went to the very first preview my first year of college.

[MouseInfo]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 12:17am

As far as I know, Jen Paz as been cast as Kim.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 6:57am

I've performed at Starlight before. I did "Into the Woods." All I can say is that, since the SD airport has changed, your flyover value will vary depending upon which landing strips they're using that night. I think you can get lucky and the bulk of flights won't directly flyover sometimes...but, once, during the opening number of Woods, I counted 17 red lights.
That's just the opening number.
The director made the bold choice that, no matter what, we wouldn't stop "Your Fault/Last Midnight." We got lucky and only one plane flew over.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 8/23/05 at 5:44pm

i have my tickets for the show... got them 50 percent off at goldstarevents.com!!!!!!! i am looking forward to seeing the show for the 21st time!! woo hoo... but i'm more looking forward to see it when the action freezes... i saw INTO THE WOODS a few years back (who were you bwaysinger?) and after like the first 5 times i was SICK of the freezing on stage... it's funny at first and then just gets old... and for a show like Miss Saigon, the emotional impact will be taken away when the show freezes... but we'll see how it goes... i love the show and i'll see it anywhere...

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/2/05 at 1:09am

I'll definitely be there. I've never seen Miss Saigon before and I love starlight so yeah I'll be there... I thought about the idea of a real helicopter too, but obviously for safety they can't do that, but, if they ever did I'd be first in line signing a release form watching at my own risk...

I auditioned for sweeney last year, but didn't get cast... next year for Hot Mikado, Jesus Christ Superstar, the Wizard of Oz and Urinetown I'm going to audition for all of them...

[sdsm2006]

Posted: 9/8/05 at 3:18am

Hi,
I actually work in the box office and I worked on "Sound of Music" this season. I just saw "Miss Saigon" in dress rehearsal on Wednesday night and the helicopter scene was outstanding. The show as a whole was great as well. Hope you all enjoy it :) If you have any ticket questions I'd be happy to answer them the best I can as well. :)

And as a side note about the freezes in the show, during rehearsal there were no pauses for the planes since the show is all music and rarely is there normal dialogue. :)

Updated On: 9/8/05 at 03:18 AM

[Jon]

Posted: 9/8/05 at 12:03pm

The Broadway helicopter was a balloon. The only "solid" part was the propeller and the motor which made it turn.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 9/8/05 at 1:00pm

I don't remember what the Toronto helicopter was, but it looked great

[Shay Jericho]

Posted: 9/9/05 at 1:19pm

I'm ushering for this show tomorrow night, so I'll let everyone know how it is.