Curve,
Leicester
12th
July 2017
Star-crossed love story, or
cautionary tale of exploitation and the disenfranchisement of war? Miss Saigon is both these things.
Boublil and Schönberg’s musical is complex, sumptuous and doesn’t give its
problematic subject matter an easy ride. Now embarking on a nationwide tour,
Cameron Mackintosh and director Laurence Connor’s revival is everything I
expected and more – a feast for the eyes, mind and heart.
As a big fan of Les Miserables, I couldn’t help but
compare the two musicals, and they’ve much in common. Not only the exploration
of the indestructible bond between parent and child, the harrows of war and the
unflinchingly honest admission that, despite the efforts and trials of mankind,
sometimes we fail. But in Schönberg’s rich score, tender wind sections rouse
into piercing string orchestrations during the soaring ballads that typify his
compositions, while Boublil’s lyrics are admirable in their combination of
simplicity and poetic imagery.
As Les Mis tackles themes of redemption, moral duties and social
revolution, Miss Saigon does not shy
away from political matters and issues of ethical representation. With little
prior knowledge of the story, having now seen the show I cannot fathom how
producers thought that casting Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer in the original
production was a good idea. Not only is the character of French-Vietnamese
heritage, but his whole motivation and characterisation is built upon feelings
of cultural displacement – he relishes the ideals of Western capitalism and has
a voracious affinity with the hunger and entitlement that is promoted by his
sordid interpretation of the ‘American Dream’.
In an astounding and
thought-provoking act of internalised racism the Engineer, in his role as chief
pimp, facilitates the Western exoticisation and fetishisation of the East that
is central to the story. To have a white actor in this role would just seem
wrong and inappropriate, both in regards to political correctness, and in terms
of the plot. Thankfully, in the 28 years since the original production
attitudes towards representation have progressed. (Caveat: I realise that as a
white British woman I am not best situated to comment on the state of race
relations and representation within Western culture, and I don’t wish to come
across as overly preachy – I’m sure there are many better researched and better
written arguments than mine).
The crux of the tragedy rests
upon ignorance and the too-true situation wherein one dominant culture takes
precedence over another. Kim believes that her marriage is a binding and unbreakable
avowal of love, whereas to Chris the ceremony is a beautiful and quaint show of
local custom – the trivialisation of tourism rearing its head – a brief respite
from the drudgery and strife of war and an antidote to the false, Westernised
representation of Vietnamese women in the Engineer’s ‘Dreamland’. Yet he fails
to recognise the real meaning of this ‘show’. To coin a phrase, ‘what happens
in Saigon stays in Saigon’. Perhaps it is for this reason that my own
interpretation of the central romance is not one of true ‘love’, but a heady
mixture of lust, Chris’s manifestation of the ‘white saviour complex’, and the
paradoxical combination of jadedness and the ‘carpe diem’ sentiment that
accompanies war, as well as Kim’s desperation, poverty and naivety in believing
that he can provide her with a better life.
Therefore, within a score
chock-a-block with pretty love songs, the greatest and most touching of them
all is ‘I’d Give My Life For You’, a searingly honest and deeply moving
depiction of the ferocious love a mother feels for her son. All of the
political, moral and thematic issues and character motivations provide food for
thought, which for me is what elevates Miss
Saigon above the (unfairly derogatory, imo) label of ‘80’s mega-musical’.
That said, the production is
spectacular. One of the slickest musicals I’ve seen, it oozes quality. I have
slight reservations about supposed cut-backs for tours, and was concerned that
some aspects may be skimped on, but boy was I wrong! The infamous helicopter
scene has to be seen to be believed. We were there, fully immersed in the
chaotic hysteria, the clawing of the Vietnamese people desperate to escape, the
imposing chopper blades beating down on us as well as them. The stage is vastly
populated and, with Totie Driver’s set design, creates a scale that feels at
once crowded yet intimate and places us directly within the thoroughly believable
world of Saigon.
The production is topped off
with a huge and unreservedly outstanding cast. Red Concepcion’s Engineer steals
every scene with his maniacal performance – all darting eyes, frisky fingers
and an energy that drips sleaze. Sooha Kim’s Kim is deceptively sweet as her
trillingly dainty voice gives way to a rawness of emotion that seems to tear
from her very soul. Also notable, Ryan O’Gorman as John once again displays the
unique mixture of soulfulness and humility that made him stand out in the
recent RENT tour. His rendition of
‘Bui Doi’ is a rousing opener of Act 2.
Miss
Saigon is a must see for theatre lovers. Mackintosh sure knows
how to put on a show, and many of the remarkable images have imprinted
themselves in my mind. But beneath the spectacle, Boublil and Schönberg have
created a mature musical which, while, realistically, not able to provide
answers to the world’s problems, illuminates them and allows us to see things
from a different perspective. And all this is wrapped up in a luscious package
of blissful melodies and exciting set pieces.
Miss Saigon is currently touring the UK and Ireland. For full dates and details visit https://www.miss-saigon.com/uk-ireland-tour/tour-dates
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Ashley Gilmour as Chris and Sooha Kim as Kim - Photo Credit Johan Persson |
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