For as much as I love Les Mis, I went into Miss Saigon knowing shockingly little. Finding out it was written by 2/3rds of the Les Mis team, that it was adapted from an opera that fascinated me in my Music History class, and that one of my favorite stage actresses originated the lead role were all huge, pleasant surprises for me. Luckily, that all helped me really enjoy this show when the rest of my group didn't very much, because if there's one thing Boublil and Schönberg can do almost perfectly it's write a truly dark and depressing show with glimmers of hope sprinkled throughout.
Miss Saigon is a musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Alain Boublil & Richard Maltby Jr., and book by Schönberg & Boublil. Based on the 1904 Puccini opera Madama Butterfly, the show opened in 1989 at the Theatre Royal in the West End before coming to the Broadway Theatre (located on Broadway proper) in 1991, where it remained in residence until 2001 after over 4,000 performances. The show has also seen successful revivals in both the UK and US, as well as productions in Canada, Germany, Japan, Norway, and The Netherlands as well as tours in the UK and US. The original Broadway run was nominated for eleven Tony Awards in 1991, winning three (Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for Jonathan Pryce; Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Lea Salonga; Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for Hinton Battle), and the Broadway Revival was nominated for two Tony Awards in 2017. Talks of a film adaptation have been going around since 2009, with no official word yet on whether or not it will actually happen.
For this post, I will as usual focus on one song for each main cast member from the original West End cast recording as well as the 2014 West End Revival cast recording. I will not be doing honorable mentions for this post. Warning: potential spoilers ahead.
Kim (Mezzo-Soprano/Alto)
Spotlight Song: I Would Give My Life for You
Original London Cast (1989): Lea Salonga
West End Revival (2014): Eva Noblezada
Kim is an absolutely tragic heroine, a true victim of her circumstance, and she will absolutely break your heart in two. All she wants is a better life, first for herself and then more intensly for her son, and she has every obstacle imaginable thrown at her. Lea Salonga can do nothing wrong in my eyes, and she does a phenomenal job pouring all of her emotions into this performance. Honestly, Eva Noblezada, who I have absolutely loved for almost two years since seeing her in Hadestown, is right on par with Salonga with her crazy talent and her spot on performance of this character. Act I's I Would Give My Life for You is a heartbreaking theatre ballad and a truly beautiful song to guide the audience to Intermission. It's a great one to have in a vocal repertoire to show off emotional range.
You who I cradled in my arms/You, asking as little as you can/Little snip of a little man/I know I'd give my life for you/You didn't ask me to be born/You, why should you learn of war or pain/To make sure you're not hurt again/I swear I'll give my life for you/I’ve tasted love beyond all fear/And you should know it's love that brought you here/And in one perfect night, when the stars burned like new/I knew what I must do/I’ll give you a million things I'll never own/I’ll give you a world to conquer when you're grown/You will be who you want to be/You can choose whatever heaven grants/As long as you can have your chance/I swear I'll give my life for you
Chris Scott (Tenor)
Spotlight Song: Why, God, Why?
Original London Cast (1989): Simon Bowman
West End Revival (2014): Alistair Brammer
I know he's the male lead and Kim adores him with her entire being, but Chris honestly sucks in my opinion. I know he didn't do any of it maliciously, but he way overpromised a life for and with Kim (before she knew she was pregnant) that it was always going to be difficult to give her, and then when he was forced to go home he basically just gave up. Simon Bowman was fine, he's got a decent enough voice, but his performance feels a little overdone and pompous to me. I much preferred Alistair Brammer, who sounded way more the part of a young moonstruck soldier who is, I'll admit, in an impossible situatiton, even if he did 100% of it to himself. Act I's Why, God, Why? is a classic tortured hero ballad as Chris sings about how unfair life is that he met and fell in love with Kim days before he was to return to America (cue eye roll here). It is a good song, of course, and Brammer in particular did a fantastic job on it.
Why does Saigon never sleep at night/Why does this girl smell of orange trees/How can I feel good when nothing's right/Why is she cool when there is no breeze/Vietnam/You don't give answers, do you friend/Just questions that don't ever end/Why God, why today/I’m all through here, on my way/There's nothing left here that I'll miss/Why send me now a night like this
The Engineer (Baritone)
Spotlight Song: The American Dream
Original London Cast (1989): Jonathan Pryce
West End Revival (2014): Jon Jon Briones
To me, The Engineer is one of the most interesting (and definitely the most entertaining) characters in the whole show. He's not exactly an antagonist, but he's definitely not a protagonist; he's really just out for himself and willing to side with whoever is most beneficial to him at the moment, like Jack Sparrow without a conscience. Jonathan Pryce did a great job because he's a great actor, I just have a hard time believing he'd be cast in this role today. Jon Jon Briones brought so much fun, chaotic energy to his portrayal, and I would've loved to have seen him do this on stage in person. Act II's The American Dream is a perfect picture of the type of person The Engineer is: he was dealt a terrible hand, but let his circumstances change him for the worse instead of the better. Both versions of this song are great and give off massive Thenardier vibes for me.
My father was a tattoo artist in Haiphong/But his designs on Mother didn't last too long/My mother sold her body, high on Betel nuts/My job was bringing red-faced monsieurs to our huts/Selling your mom is a wrench, perfume can cover a stench/That's what I learned from the French/Then it all changed with Dien Bien Phu/The frogs went home, who came, guess who/Are you surprised we went insane/With dollars pouring down like rain/Businessmen never rob banks, you can sell shit and get thanks/That's what I learned from the Yanks/I’m fed up with small-time hustles, I’m too good to waste my talent for greed/I need room to flex my muscles in an ocean where the big sharks feed/Make me Yankee, they're my fam'ly, they're selling what people need/What's that I smell in the air/The American dream, sweet as a new millionaire/The American dream, pre-packed, ready-to-wear/The American dream/Fat, like a chocolate eclair as you suck out the cream
John Thomas (Baritone)
Spotlight Song: Bui Doi
Original London Cast (1989): Peter Polycarpou
West End Revival (2014): Hugh Maynard
John's kind of just there to be Chris's best friend in my opinion. He has some nice vocal moments, but he's not the most interesting or compelling character. Peter Polycarpou gave me similar vibes to Simon Bowman: very talented, but almost pretentious in the way he performed. Hugh Maynard's vocals were so clean and pleasant to listen to, especially on this particular song. Act II opener Bui Dui is so sad in retrospect, as John and the other soldiers sing about all the babies born during the war, but you also want to hit all of them for being the root cause of these children's suffering. Maynard in particular does a phenomenal job on these powerful moments in this one.
They’re called Bui Doi, the dust of life/Conceived in Hell and born in strife/They are the living reminder of all the good we failed to do/We can't forget, must not forget that they are all our children, too/Like all survivors, I once thought/When I'm home, I won't give a damn/But now I know I'm caught, I'll never leave Vietnam/War isn't over when it ends, some pictures never leave your mind/They are the faces of the children, the ones we left behind
Ellen Scott (Mezzo-Soprano)
Spotlight Song: I Still Believe
Original London Cast (1989): Claire Moore
West End Revival (2014): Tamsin Carroll
Poor Ellen, if anyone in this show is stuck between a rock and a hard place it's her. Her husband has this whole past from before they got married that she knows nothing about, and while she feels for Kim and Tam she's been totally blindsided and her entire life has suddenly changed from the picture she had in her head. Claire Moore has a lovely voice with a nice, rich tone that complements Lea Salonga's very well. Similarly, Tamsin Carroll and Eva Noblezada's voices dance together beautifully with their harmonies, which is so important in a Boublil/Schönberg duet. Act I's I Still Believe is one of those said duets, beautiful and sad as both Ellen and Kim long for parts of Chris that they unfortunately will never have. It's a great duet in general, perfect for a theatre portfolio.
Last night I watched you sleeping, once more the nightmare came/I heard you cry out something, a word that sounded like a name/And it hurts me more than I can bear/Knowing part of you I'll never share/Never know/But still/I still believe the time will come/When nothing keeps us apart/My heart, forever more holds still
Thuy (Tenor)
Spotlight Song: Kim's Nightmare (The Fall of Saigon)
Original London Cast (1989): Keith Burns
West End Revival (2014): Kwang-Ho Hong
Thuy's a giant asshat, that much is made clear early on. It's actually quite sad that the men in this show are all pretty crappy from a character study, I can't find myself rooting for any of them. Keith Burns is definitely talented, but like with Jonathan Pryce I cannot see him being cast in this role in 2024. Kwang-Ho Hong does a great job at playing the douchey, entitled "man" who sees Kim only as a possession, creating an appropriately threatening presence. Act II's Kim's Nightmare (The Fall of Saigon) isn't fully included on the '89 recording, so for Burns I listened to What's This I Find. Both songs show what kind of person Thuy is well, portrayed by two talented actors.
Did you think I'd gone away/This is the face you saw that day/Staring at you with open eyes/You're safe in the daylight, but in the dark I rise/I’m the crime that you hid/For you want to forget that you killed, but you did/You will never be free/Not as long as there's me
Gigi Van Tranh (Soprano/Mezzo-Soprano)
Spotlight Song: The Movie in My Mind
Original London Cast (1989): Isay Alvarez
West End Revival (2014): Rachelle Ann Go
Gigi is only in the beginning of Act I, but that doesn't stop her from being yet another tragic character in this story. It would be easy to expect her to be hardened and mean after everything she's experienced, but her soft side shows itself more than once during her stage time. Isay Alvarez definitely brings a more operatic approach to her performance, but it works well with the rest of the ensemble. Rachelle Ann Go's portrayal feels so open and raw that you just want to cry a little bit. Act I's The Movie in My Mind is a beautiful number that shows right away how these poor young women feel about their current lot in life.
They are not nice, they're mostly noise/They swear like men, they screw like boys/I know there's nothing in their hearts/But every time I take one in my arms, it starts/The movie in my mind, the dream they leave behind/A scene I can't erase and in a strong G.I's embrace/Flee this life/Flee this place
I hope you found some beautiful music to try out and appreciate from this show. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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