Miss Saigon

Any title that carries the suffix ‘School Edition’ implies that the show is most likely to be a tough undertaking for youth theatre. This is certainly so in the case of ‘Miss Saigon’, with its highly-charged adult emotions and the intimidating setting of wartime Vietnam. In addition, the music is not the easiest to perform, and the operatic structure of the show, without the spoken word, adds further complexity. But WOW are past masters at this game, with two successful runs of ‘Les Miserables’ behind them, and they acted out ‘Miss Saigon’ with a remarkable maturity well beyond their actual years. In doing so, they conveyed, with conviction, the intense drama and the mixed emotions generated by the narrative to produce an engaging and most-moving show. By far the bulk of the action falls to the three principal and four supporting leads. Excellent performances by these seven talented young people ensured the success of this show, and each would be worthy of mention by name here. But perhaps special mention is due to 14 year-old Reinebeau Anderson for outstanding portrayal of Kim. From the pit, the ten-piece orchestra provided good, sound support for the singers under the familiar baton of musical director Heather Reed, and Sarah Hardwick, on her debut as Stage Manager, smoothly manipulated her crew, and a sometimes reluctant set, through the many scene changes involved in the show. As we have come to expect, this was a very good production from WOW, well up to the high standards that the company has set for itself over the years. While local theatre-lovers fight to save the Pavilion Theatre from extinction and demolition, here’s hoping that the impact made by this impressive show will make significant contribution towards its salvation.

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