Miss Saigon: Love And Heartbreak In A World Consumed By War ~ Theatre Review

Miss Saigon Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre. Fri 5 Jan, 2024. Cameron Mackintosh, GWB Entertainment and Opera Australia have put together a visual and musical delight in this latest rendition of Miss Saigon. Adapting elements of the original show to reflect a more contemporary and socially, even gender aware audience, this version is so much more than a retelling of Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly or a melodramatic tragedy about the Vietnam War. The love story and pathos remain true to the original, but this Miss Saigon is grittier and more nuanced in the portrayal of war, survival, the chaos and trauma that both sides of a conflict are left to deal with. The audience is even led to draw comparisons with more recent war zones. Written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg (Les Miserables), this is a lavish production with a massive, primarily Australian cast and a horde of creatives and technicians led by Matt Kinley and Tottie Driver. The sets, the lighting by Bruno Poet, the costumes, the video work and the technical brilliance required to bring this staging are outstanding. The big choreographed scenes of a marching, menacing army and the cavorting and extravagance of The American Dream sequence truly are memorable. However the showstopping moment remains, as in other Miss Saigon productions, the spectacle of a hovering helicopter, and the turmoil and desperation of people clambering to escape through fences to safety and a new beginning. The production directors for this Australian staging Jean Pierre van der Spay and Laurence Connor balance the intimate love story with the grand scale with finesse. Care is taken to incorporate Vietnamese culture and the characters’ emotional intelligence. The acting and the vocals are all superb. Both Abigail Adriano playing Kim in her first lead role, and Nigel Huckle as Chris, have glorious voices that easily enhance the stirring and intertwined melodies. When duetting together they bring charm and authenticity to their characters’ moving predicament. Adriano's role is massive - on stage for much of the show - and she commands it seemingly effortlessly. Quite a feat! Seann Miley Moore’s performance as a very audacious scheming and desperate Engineer marks out this Miss Saigon production as something special you will remember for a long time afterwards. He instils  both menace and high camp humour with style and sheer pizzazz. He begins as a seemingly brash character, but many different layers reveal themselves as the show progresses. Come see the show for this tour de force performance alone. Even if you don’t usually go to musicals Miss Saigon is definitely worth taking a punt on. You will be swept away. 5 Stars Cathy Tune Miss Saigon continues at Adelaide Festival Theatre, at various times, until Sat 3 Feb. Bookings at Ticketek. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.