On a decidedly chilly winter’s evening the warmth of Vietnam seemed a welcome invitation. The south Asian country is the setting for the musical Miss Saigon which is currently touring the country and is presently appearing at The Grand in Leeds.
The story is based on Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly and tells the story of a young Asian woman who falls in love with an American GI. The musical which has been running since 1989 is set in Saigon during the Vietnamese war during the mid seventies. The show takes the audience on a thrilling journey that deals with a range of emotions love, jealousy, fear, happiness and sadness.
This was a show that I wasn’t particularly excited about seeing, at the end of the evening I had been gripped and enthralled by the captivating story that unfolds.
The story unfolds
Miss Saigon is a love story based around Kim (Julianne Pundan) who despite her small frame is a powerful vocalist who portrayed the emotion in her voice convincingly.
Recently orphaned Kim is forced to work in Dreamland, a bar in Saigon run by the sleazy and controlling character The Engineer (Sean Miley Moore) the former X Factor contestant is superb in a role that was made for him. Whenever Moore appeared on stage it was hard to not to take your eyes off him. His version of ‘The American Dream’ which comes towards the end of the show is worth the ticket place alone; emphatic, emotional and energetic he had the audience in the palm of his hand.
Desperate to leave Vietnam to travel to America, The Engineer tries to bribe American GI John (Dominic Hartley-Harris) into getting the necessary visa he needs to enter the country. John’s best friend Chris (Jack Kane) meets Kim at the Dreamland bar where the attraction between the two is instant leading to the start of a love affair – the chemistry between Chris and Kim was natural, making the storyline so believable.
The action moves forward three years to 1978 where the audience discovers that Kim has a young child whose father is Chris. In the intervening period Christine has been wed to Ellen ( Emily Langham) whilst Kim still has her boyfriend Thuy (Mikko Juan). Both were superb in their supporting roles bringing to the fore jealousy, regret and a simmering anger to the story.
It would be wrong to spoil the conclusion of Miss Saigon – it might be a dark story at times however the uplifting songs bring a more uplifting feel.
An unmissable musical
The lighting throughout was sympathetic from the shimmering full moon over Saigon to the red colouring that transported the audience to Southern Asia with ease. A small revolving stage was cleverly used throughout in many scenes, with even a helicopter coming to the aid during the Vietnamese war and rescuing the marines.
Expect choreography that is sharp, precise and with military precision.
At the end of the performance the audience rightly gave a standing ovation, no surprises here when the cast were superb and the story captivating with this musical masterpiece.
Miss Saigon is at Leeds Grand until Saturday 13 December. To book www.leedshertitagetheatres.com or 0113 2430808
