In 1985 Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil brought us the outstanding musical 'Les Misérables', and only 4 years later they stunned theatre goers again with another spectacular musical, 'Miss Saigon'. Once notice got out that a new revival of the show was to return to the West End in 2014 for a limited run, the anticipation and excitement was enormous. Miss Saigon is set during the Vietnam war and tells of American G.I. Chris and Vietnamese bar girl Kim as they fall in love, and when the Americans finally pull out of Saigon, their lives are torn apart and the aftermath takes a heart-breaking turn as 3 years later, we learn, Kim has had Chris's child, Tam, and Chris has taken an American wife. Well, the show is currently on a tour of the UK and in my opinion, must be seen. It is incredible. There are some fantastic numbers, including the powerful Act 2 opening number 'Bui Doi' and the over-the-top showstopper 'American Dream'. Also, be prepared for the emotional ending which will have you reaching for the tissues. Although those, like me, who saw the original will notice some changes in this revival (and not for the better either, but you know me and change, I never like it). From lyric changes which spoilt the flow of the songs and the replacement of 'Now That I've Seen Her', a fantastic number for the character Ellen, in favour of a ridiculous number called 'Maybe', to the disappointing change made to the stand-out scene of the helicopter descending onto the stage, this is now nowhere near as impressive as it was and is now partly done with a projection. Having said all that, Miss Saigon is still easily one of the best musicals to hit the West End, and the special 25th Anniversary performance was just perfection (and was filmed for a one-off screening in cinemas, and can be bought on DVD to enjoy repeatedly). Jon Jon Briones is sensational as The Engineer, he is conniving, seedy, funny, ruthless and sleazy. Eva Noblezada is sweet and assured as Kim, and Alistair Brammer, too, is excellent as Chris, with a strong stage presence and another wonderful voice. Watch out too for the final 35 minutes of the DVD as a special encore brings together the original cast with the 25th anniversary cast to sing a few numbers and pay tribute. It is spine-tingling stuff. Original cast members Lea Salonga, Simon Bowman and Jonathan Pryce perform alongside their contemporaries. This was a well-meaning touch, but did the anniversary cast no favours. Even 25 years later, Salonga and Pryce were spectacular, helping explain why that first production was such a success (despite some daft controversies at the time). When Miss Saigon opened on Broadway in 1991, there were protests that the cast had too few Asian Americans; others complained about the then-outrageous top ticket price of $100. All that died down long before the original production finished its run a decade later, and it is now the 13th longest running show in Broadway history. There is also talk of a movie adaptation being produced (however I am seriously hoping it isn't an atrocity like the movie of Les Mis). If you love musicals then make sure you get the 25th Anniversary DVD, and get to see the show while it tours the UK. You will not be disappointed.
