The Theatre Royal is very large, and I was a long way from the stage.
But the stage is huge, and whenever it was used to it's full depth it was
really stunning to see. The sets were lovely, and the street scenes, with arrays
of neon signs, were particularly good. There were lots of semi-naked oriental
girls doing sexy dances in parts of the show, and I wondered if it was suitable
for the younger people in the audience!
The scenes between Kim and Chris didn't live upto my expectations until
'Last Night of the World', which finally got the audience to applaud. From then
on it was just wonderful. Kim, played by Joanna Ampil, was absolutely brilliant,
and the Engineer was amazing too. Chris was the only character who I thought
should have been better.
The 2nd Act was really moving. The fall of Saigon nightmare was awesome, and the
helicopter was far more realistic than I expected. During this scene, when Chris and
Kim can't get to each other, tears came to my eyes. Also I nearly cried when Kim finds
out that Chris is in Bangkok, knowing that her hopes would be shattered. 'The American Dream'
was so great seen on stage, with glitzy dancers and a big pink car.
There was a slight problem with the sound before the Finale, which made Kim difficult
to hear, and so it wasn't nearly as moving as it should have been. But it was a faultless
final hour apart from this.
Here are the songs and how much I enjoyed them:
1.Overture (9)
I would love to see Miss Saigon again, but much closer to the stage!
2.The Heat is on in Saigon (10)
3.The Movie in my Mind (10)
4.The Transaction (8)
5.Why God Why? (9)
6.Sun and Moon (9)
7.The Telephone Song (8)
8.The Ceremony (9)
9.The Last Night of the World (10)
10.The Morning of the Dragon (10)
11.I Still Believe (10)
12.You Will not Touch Him (10)
13.If You Want to Die in Bed (9)
14.I'd Give my Life for You (10)
15.Bui-doi (9)
16.What a Waste (10)
17.Please (10)
18.The Fall of Saigon (10)
19.Room 317 (9)
20.Now that I've Seen Her (9)
21.The Confrontation (10)
22.The American Dream (10)
23.Finale (9)