Review: MISS SAIGON at Citizen's Bank Opera House

BWW review: Miss Saigon - Citizen's Bank Opera House

June 14, 2019

MISS SAIGON: Presented by Broadway in Boston, opened Last night at the Citizen's Bank Opera House to a very warm reception.

The Musical, which is loosely based on Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, opened in 1989 in London. It tells the story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim, who is orphaned by war, and with no other prospects for survival, she is forced to work in a bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris, but they are separated by the fall of Saigon, and the many difficulties faced by many South Vietnamese in getting proper immigration documents before the last American airlifts ceased. For three years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival, in a vastly changed country and society, while trying to hold on until Chris comes back for her. Meanwhile, Chris, who is now back in America meets an American woman, marries, and moves on with his life, having no idea he has fathered a son with Kim, eventually Chris finds out about his son and returns to Vietnam leading to the tragic ending.

This new production features stunning spectacle and a sensational cast of 42 performing the soaring score, including Broadway hits like "The Heat is On in Saigon," "The Movie in My Mind," "Last Night of the World" and "American Dream."

With music by Claude-Michel Schönberg with lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. and Alain Boublil, adapted from original French lyrics by Alain Boublil, with additional lyrics by Michael Mahler. The new production is directed by Laurence Connor with musical staging by Bob Avian and additional choreography by Geoffrey Garratt.

When the production premiered on Broadway in 1991, it immediately came under fire from the Actors union, Actor's Equity Association, and the Asian community for casting a white actor Jonathan Pryce as the (Engineer), in a Eurasian role. The controversy led to negotiations with Producer Cameron Mackintosh, which almost caused the cancellation of the production. Yet it eventually did go on and played to over 6 Million people until 1999, and it grossed $266Million.

Fortunately, in this Broadway touring production the (Engineer) is superbly portrayed by Red Concepción, with a strong voice, and impeccable comic timing you almost get to like this thoroughly despicable character. In last night's performance, Myra Molloy played the role of (Kim) and she was exceptional in every aspect of her portrayal. Likewise, Anthony Festa as (Chris) gave a stellar performance of the conflicted lover/husband, and his vocal range, tenor and control were impressive. (John) played by J. Daughtry was equally impressive and one of the finest actors in the cast. Another stand out in the cast was Jinwoo Jung as (Thuy), he brought a believable menace to the North Vietnamese soldier, originally promised, and honor bound to marry (Kim) by her father.

The whole production was polished, tight and well-rehearsed, and the ensemble was excellent in the large numbers. The lighting design by Bruno Poet was flawless, moody, and created an amazing atmosphere throughout. If you haven't seen this Musical, I highly recommend it, and if you saw the original, this fresh new production is well worth a second look.

Rounding out the Creative Team: Production design is by Totie Driver and Matt Kinley based on an original concept by Adrian Vaux; costume design by Andreane Neofitou; lighting design by Bruno Poet; projections by Luke Halls; sound design by Mick Potter; and orchestrations by William David Brohn. Music supervision is by Stephen Brooker and James Moore, with casting by Merri Sugarman for Tara Rubin Casting

PERFORMANCES ARE: Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30 pm

Note: additional performance on Thurs 6/13 at 1 pm

Fridays at 8:00 pm

Saturdays at 2:00pm & 8:00pm

Sundays at 1:00pm & 6:30pm

TICKET PRICES: Starting at $44.50

Tickets for MISS SAIGON can be purchased through an authorized ticket seller found only at Ticketmaster 800-982-2787, and by visiting www.BroadwayInBoston.com. Tickets will also be sold directly at the Boston Opera House Box Office, 539 Washington Street, Boston, MA during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm) beginning Monday, November 12th. Season Subscribers interested in tickets should call Broadway In Boston directly at 1-866-523-7469. For groups of 10+ please call Broadway In Boston Group Sales directly at 617-482-8616 or email Groups@BroadwayInBoston.com.

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ABOUT BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA:

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