What do people think of Miss Saigon? — Page 2

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#26

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/13/10 at 4:03pm

I love the music and the story, but the lyrics are so frustratingly uneven. I have to skip over Last Night of the World and Sun and Moon when I listen to the CD. Great melodies utterly destroyed by awful lyrics. And then you have the poignant Please which can reduce me to tears. I know I'm in the minority, but I also can't stand The American Dream. It's a bit of a chore and I've never been a big fan of laundry-list lyrics except in patter songs.

Miss Saigon doesn't come close to beating Les Miz, which I consider a masterpiece of musical theatre.

"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian

#27

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/13/10 at 4:27pm

Les Miz is far better, but Miss Saigon is beautiful. That being said I saw an unimpressive touring production in the late 90s and it came across quite awkwardly staged. Set pieces were diminutive and the performances lacked the proper investment from the actors. Still, beautiful score and story. I wish B & S could have followed up its success.

With Irma you gotta do something!

#28

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/13/10 at 4:58pm

I understand why some people have problems with lyrics in this show, but I don't think they're anywhere near as problematic as the lyrics in Rent or Spring Awakening.

"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter

#29

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/13/10 at 5:34pm

"How can anyone prefer Miss Saigon to Les Miz? It's not in the same league. It's a BIG step down"

Because both times I've seen Les Miz on Broadway, I was bored to tears. I enjoy the music, but it just doesn't do it for me when it's onstage for some reason.

-There's the muddle in the middle. There's the puddle where the poodle did the piddle."

#30

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/13/10 at 7:16pm

I've never seen Miss Saigon but I've always wanted to...I was a bit young for it when it closed as I recall. I love the cast recording, though I really don't care for the vast majority of Boublil and Schonberg including Les Mis.

#31

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/13/10 at 8:58pm

It's my favorite of all the big "pop operas" that came out of the West End during the 80s. MISS SAIGON is the most intimate of those shows, as it's really, at its core, a love story that features 5 key characters, and uses spectacle to better and greater effect than LES MIZ and PHANTOM.

#32

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/13/10 at 11:59pm

i don't mind the lyrics to Last Night of the World... but Sun and Moon is cheesy.. as for American Dream... it's more of a visual song for me... i just love how some Engineers start to get more perverse in their dream each time they say "the american dream"... the lyric i cringe at the most... "this little girl we could be in a sack for what it'd cost me to buy a big mac"... aaarggh!

#33

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/14/10 at 12:01am

That lyric makes me laugh because Kim cost like $30, what the heck kind of Big Macs has Chris been buying?

Of course, he's not the brightest to begin with.

Jimmy, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's almost 9 PM!

#34

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/14/10 at 11:23am

There is a Miss Saigon high school version?

#35

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/14/10 at 12:52pm

I understand why people like Miss Saigon better.

Miss Saigon is accessible. It is intimate and has an easy story to follow. Miss Saigon goes straight to heart in a much smaller story.

Les Miz is sprawling, complicated and the first act can be very uninvolving, because you haven't had time with the characters to get involved with them. When I saw it in SF, it was hard to understand the lyrics and hard to understand the show. If you don't read the synopsis, you can be very very lost. I didn't really "like" the show until seeing the 10th Anniversary concert version.

So, I "liked" Miss Saigon better though I can appreciate Les Miz is the better show.

#36

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/14/10 at 12:59pm

"That lyric makes me laugh because Kim cost like $30, what the heck kind of Big Macs has Chris been buying?

Of course, he's not the brightest to begin with."

LOL. Apparently Chris gets the rip-off kind.

#37

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/14/10 at 1:22pm

i remember seeing it for the very first time in london in 1989 at the drury lane, and i remember being one of the many teary-eyed people in the audience. ive seen it 13 more times ever since, in different productions , big and small. one of my top 5 musicals ever! looooovvvveee it and can't wait for it to become a movie!

#38

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/14/10 at 2:03pm

i want to see a production where Ellen is now Eli and played by a man. Talk about adding a whole new layer to the show. It would make "I Still Believe" so much more powerful.

And I Am Always So Vitriolic

#39

What do people think of Miss Saigon?

Posted: 4/14/10 at 2:49pm

"Miss Saigon is accessible. It is intimate and has an easy story to follow. Miss Saigon goes straight to heart in a much smaller story."

My thoughts exactly. The audience gets to spend a lot of time with Kim and that kind of emotional investment is not present in Les Miz. I can see why people like Miss more than Miz, but I am not among them.

Still, beautiful.

With Irma you gotta do something!

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