Miss Saigon - Theatre Royal / Prince Edward / UK Tour

I’m back for a 2nd viewing this week. First time seeing Leo Tavaro Valdez as the Engineer. I quite like him. He reminds me a little of Jon Jon but then not as he has his own spin on the character and i’m A fan of his comedic delivery.
At times I feel Ashley Gilmour gets swallowed by the music and he doesn’t seem to be in control. But he has some lovey moments with his Kim. On Monday I saw Sooha, my 2nd time as I saw her in London when she was the understudy. But tonight I’m seeing Ayrand Ferrer who is quite sweet yet powerful and her acting is very good.
Sunderland has Tam’s who are all girls and it looks like they’ve had their hacked off in the cruellest way. I thought tonight’s Tam was going to cry in i’d Give my life for you. The tempo of the music does seem to have been speeded up since London but i’m still very much enjoying it.

Not their HEAD hacked off, I beg of you?!

Wicked and Matilda, despite being obscenely priced, did well there as they did good last minute deals and student offers. None of the sort for Saigon it seems.

£32 for side stalls this Saturday seems abit much but I couldn’t really afford much more than that, and I didn’t want to be all the way at the back of the stalls where you apparently miss elevated scenes. I don’t wanna miss that helicopter! Gallery also appears to be closed too which is never good for a Saturday performance of a big show.

Compare that to Les Mis which sold out in Edinburgh and Newcastle almost instantly, and I'd imagine many other venues. No wonder this is closing next year and allowing them to focus on the Les Mis tour!

Just been on ATG Sunderland website, and they have changed the interface which really confused me. Saturday 10th (matinee) is the show I'm going to, and it looks like all the circles are closed. Those sections on the seat map all appear white on my computer, but there's still plenty of blue and light green seats left in the stalls.

Wow I just looked at the availability for tonight's performance in Sunderland and it looks about half sold, with 50 minutes until curtain up. Definitely struggling then!

I saw the matinee today, and it was incredible. Things started up quite slow, but after 'Why God Why', it really picked up and I very much enjoyed it.

Joreen Bautista (alt. Kim)
Unless someone had told you otherwise, you would never have known that she wasn't the principal Kim. Her acting was brilliant and really showed the emotional and vulnerable side of Kim, and her singing was beautiful and sweet, but also powerful. She was genuinely lovely to talk to at stage door too. She was in front of us in the queue in Starbucks before the show which was pretty strange! It was so weird just ordering my macchiato with her just stood next to me at the next till.

Leo Tavarro Valdez (Engineer)
He had the audience on his side from start to finish. He nailed the deadpan comedy aspect of the role, and American Dream and What A Waste were showstopper moments. I did have problems with his diction at points, especially in Heat Is On, but it improved in the second act. He also did an announcement during bows which was about the show supporting Children in Need, and staff having donation buckets.

Ashley Gilmour (Chris)
I thought he had a great voice, and there are scenes when the top comes off which satisfied my inner homosexual, and the blue rinse brigade at that performance. I did think his acting was slightly lacking, but it was made up for by his great voice.

Elana Martin (Ellen)
I thought made the best of her thankless role. Maybe was a standout and earned her lots of applause, and I enjoyed her acting. She played Ellen more as an awkward, unassuming woman which I enjoyed. Her vocals were superb and she had good use of vibrato during Maybe.

Ryan O'Gorman (John)
His singing was brilliant. His voice was so powerful and really filled the cavernous Sunderland Empire auditorium. His acting was also great. He played John as a caring, fatherly man which was very effective in his big scene at the top of the second half.

Gerald Santos and Aicelle Santos (Thuy and Gigi)
Despite their roles being minor, I thought they did very well, with Aicelle delivering an emotive performance during Movie In My Mind. Her powerful voice sent chills down my spine. Gerald's acting was good. He played a very fierce Thuy.

I just found these 2 clips of the UK Tour that went to Germany on youtube.

I havent' seen this production (only the London revival, London original and worldwide productions) but I think this sounds absolutely wonderful.
The orchestra is just magnificent, it sounds fresh, dynamic, exciting and alive. This has to be the best orchestrated and played version of Last Night of the World I have ever heard. The soft notes at the beginning already make my eyes wet, beautifully gentle and quiet, but the dynamics as the song progresses make it a soaring experience. I really wish I had seen this version of the show live. Also props to the guy that plays Chris, he has a very natural balance between singing and acting, he would make a great movie Chris.


Why god:



Thuy's intervention:



Last night of the world:



You will not touch him:

I totally agree. They need to embrace this language (sung through) instead of apologizing for it (Les Mis film), and understand that many notes are actually sung thoughts, so a non-literal world is essential. Scenes such as last night of the world or the choir in Thuy's death should not take place in an empty concrete room or a street between a clothes line and a bin (les mis), but these are places of thought, bigger than reality, it is like that in the character's minds so we need extensive filmic editing, sets, and illusions of sung thoughts to make it work.

Movies like Moulin Rouge, Chicago and certain parts of Evita understood this "places of sung thought" a bit more. Imagine what Miss Saigon could be if taken to the next level and with great natural singers (acting through notes instead of acting in spite of them). It really could be a triumph of the fantasy and very haunting and real because of that. And a triumph in filmmaking if the singing and sung through language is embraced too. 

About the brand Miss Saigon; it is interesting that so many people who see the show are blown away and absolutely love it. Until 2014 they have done a great job at hiding this show (between 1999 and 2014). There were only 2 English cd's, of which one bad one. The only images of the show true fans could find were some bad quality bootlegs online. I think Miss Saigon is slowly starting to make a name for itself again with the London revival and current tours, but it takes time. But everyone seems to love it. 

If the movie is done in a few years (maybe with someone like Angelica Hale as Kim) and done right, it could really be an epic film. The story is outstanding and the way it is written too, every lyric is a perfect match with the melody, it is just a masterpiece.

For me it's Her or Me. Hands Down. i really like Now That I've Seen Her, but i think Maybe is just plain awful.

Over the years they have tried to soften Ellen for some reason. In the OLC she was a strong woman willing to stand and fight for Chris. Then doubts came in with Now That..... and by the time Maybe comes around, she's become this woman who full of doubt and wonders if she even has a chance with Chris anymore and wonders if she's strong enough to leave him. Thank god Claire Moore's amazing voice wasn't wasted on it.

I wonder what prompted them to change it over the years, because while Miss Saigon, for me, does have some issues, Ellen really isn't one of the.