MISS SAIGON Schools Edition

“Miss Saigon Schools Edition”

Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover. The setting of the plot is relocated to the 1970s Saigon during the Vietnam War, and Madame Butterfly's story of marriage between an American lieutenant and Japanese girl is replaced by a romance between an American GI and a Vietnamese bar girl.

Front of House. We were greeted by Neil and welcomed; we had great seats in the stalls. It's my understanding this was the first time NODA has attended so I did explain a programme would be helpful so the reviewer knows whats what beforehand. I therefore do not know all the scene names and Production Team.

Scenery and Props. The scenery and props were great and looked authentic. Attention was given to detail of the period. I liked the scenery flats that changed for different scenes, making the transitions flow nicely. I thought the set design was very clever and allowed for the audience to remain ‘in the moment’ without getting distracted by scene changes.Costumes The costumes were fantastic although I felt the colours of the girls’ robes in one scene were a little out of the period, despite their design being correct. The girl dancers were wearing up to date clothing which could be reviewed for next time to bring in line with the other rather authentic looking costumes. It’s always hard when budget gets in the way, but I would consider more authentic footwear for the future. If I was really fussy I might look at the American Dream costumes; I didn’t feel they tied in as smoothly with one another. (This is me really looking to give you some feedback now!)

Sound and Lighting. The sound was very clear and every word could be heard without problem and no actors were distracted by their radio mics. The overall lighting effect was quite good and imaginative, helping the audience have the scene in their minds. I particularly enjoyed the last scenes when the movers gave great ‘panic’ effects.

The Production. This was a quite remarkable production for such a young cast who sang and performed exceptionally well and with great conviction. They were led strongly by Tara Lucas who was an outstanding Kim; I see her name in lights. Her performance was moving and very mature. Will Carey (Chris) gave a great interpretation and yet again performed without flaws and with complete maturity, he has that special ‘something’ which I’m sure could carry him far. I was particularly moved by the scene where Kim dies and could not spot a dry eye in the house.
Benedict Welch (The Engineer) was superb. He had what we call ‘IT’. I couldn’t take my eyes off him when he was on stage and his ‘American Dream’ was quite remarkable. He is a born entertainer.
Richard Gill (John) gave an excellent performance and sang his songs with great conviction, another fine voice and convincing actor developing.
The girls playing Yvonne, Yvette, Mimi and Gigi performed with great feeling and I particularly commend the girls and boys for coping with the raunchy dancing, proving again the maturity of this young group.
Ollie Hopkins (Thuy) and Daisy Minords (Ellen) also gave good performances for their ages.
All played their part well giving support to the slightly more major cast members.
I hope I haven’t missed anyone out of this list as they were all so good from the tiny Tam to the older teenagers who impressed me with their enthusiasm. I particularly commend the acting for this young group.
The dancing parts were simplified well for the non-movers and the choreographer used the more able dancers well. The direction of the whole production was of a very high standard and should be commended. Congratulations to you all.

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