Miss Saigon- Page 2
Miss Saigon
jsg03jd
Broadway Star Joined: 11/24/04
#25re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/4/08 at 1:59ameatlasagna, I would sooner see a revival of Miss Saigon after being exposed to the "tragic shows" playing on Broadway right now such as Legally Blonde and Young Frankenstein. Oy vey. So much money put in to such awful shows... It boggles the mind really.
#26re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/4/08 at 2:19am
"Maybe it should be like this.
*snort*
http://www.tenredhen.net/saigon.htm"
Bahahahahaha!!! XD
I recently saw the Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities production of it, and it was shockingly close to the original in terms of sets and costumes. And this is a not-for-profit regional theatre company. The helicopter scene was almost as thrilling as it was when I saw it on Broadway and the 1st and 2nd U.S. national tours.
I saw the 2004 non-equity, and the projections made me laugh.
Recreation of original John Cameron orchestration to "On My Own" by yours truly. Click player below to hear.
SporkGoddess
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/05
#27re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/4/08 at 1:20pm
Oh my God, whose idea was that promotional photo?
At least the Kim is Asian, though.
Jimmy, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's almost 9 PM!
jackson992
Broadway Star Joined: 12/25/04
#28re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/4/08 at 4:26pmThere needs to be more tragedy shows on Broadway even tho I love Legally Blonde. I would love to see a revival of this amazing show. You can't even compare this and Les Mis. They are very different shows and equally as good.
Colle
Broadway Star Joined: 2/13/06
#29re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/4/08 at 6:25pm
I think a revival of "Miss Saigon" will happen at some point,it was a pretty good show, it is just a question of when. I saw the non-equity tour and thought the helicopter projection was fine, though I can understand why it would be a disappointment to those who had seen the orginial production. Also, I have never heard of Kim being played by a Vietnamese, it would be interesting to see, just about all of them have been Filipino. The only exception I can think of is probably Kam Cheng, Lea Salonga's alternate in the orgainal broadway cast, who I think might have been Chinese. Can anyone think of anyone, who has played Kim, who was not Filipino?
eatlasagna
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/6/04
#30re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/4/08 at 8:31pm
let's see...
Mika Nishida played Kim in the 2NT... she is Japanese I believe (she's also the only actress to play Gigi then play KIM)....
Kym Hoy (also from the 2NT) i don't think is Filipina either...
Chloe Stewart (played KIM on broadway, who is in the making of video, she played the young girl they wanted but didn't want her to ruin her voice) i believe is not Filipino...
Alex Lee Tano (alternate to Lea Salonga's 1st return and alternate on 2NT) i believe is Korean
I think everyone in London was Filipina... personally I think the only reason why they choose Filipinos is because of the original search when they found half the cast in Manila... and also Filipinos are really big on music and theater and performing... its like part of our blood... you actually don't see many asians in theater... it's like the same people over and over in shows... Lea Salonga, Jose Llana, Telly Leung, B.D. Wong, Alec Mapa...
musicaltheater1
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/19/05
#31re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/4/08 at 10:30pm
That's correct, eatlasagna. Mika is Japanese.
Chloe, Kym and Alex are also not Filipinas.
Colle is almost accurate for the US productions, that most of the actors who were successfully cast as Kim were Filipinas.
Other non-Filipina Kims:
Japanese, Swedish, Korean and Hungarian productions;
Meera Popkin from OLC;
And, there's one non-Filipina Kim that performed in the Dutch production.
Regardless of the race, I'm sure CamMac will cast the right actor at the revival. If it happens. It'd be interesting to see if they update some of the songs and the set as well. The original worked for me and so as the set used in the Manila production which I thought was huge and the best looking (sans Buidoi segment). The last US tour with the projection was not bad except for the Sun and Moon which was sung on the stairway. It didn't make sense for Kim (wrapped only in a blanket) and Chris to be professing their love on the stairway when they could have staged that on the balcony of her apartment. It almost became like West Side Story.
"I love acting. It is so much more real than life." Oscar Wilde
"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." Aldous Huxley
Updated On: 7/4/08 at 10:30 PM
"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." Aldous Huxley
#32re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/4/08 at 11:05pm
Chloe Stewart (played KIM on broadway, who is in the making of video, she played the young girl they wanted but didn't want her to ruin her voice) i believe is not Filipino...
Yeah, they asked her in the vid and she said she was German, Cherokee, Korean, and Chinese.
I think Kym Hoy is Chinese hapa.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#33re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/4/08 at 11:10pm
What was the nationality of Luoyong Wang (I probably spelt his first name wrong), who played the Engineer FOREVER on Broadway?
Also, what about my favorite Kim, aside from Salonga- Elizabeth Paw?
NDR
Leading Actor Joined: 11/16/06
#34re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/4/08 at 11:51pm
I can't wait for a revival. LOVE this show - still my all time favorite.
I think DeeDee Magno-Hall should play Kim in the revival.
She has a fantastic voice and I never got to see her do the role before the original production closed.
I agree that a projected helicopter would NOT be a big hit with audiences (or wasn't a big hit - however you want to read it). I would hate that. I would much prefer the ropes, lights, and sound effects version that someone mentioned.
We'll have to wait and see.
eatlasagna
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/6/04
#35re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 12:16am
Luoyong Wang is Chinese I believe... i haven't seen him do the role i've only heard TONS of recordings and i don't see why he was in the show so darn long... i can't comment on his acting but man... his accent really bugged me... you could barely understand some of the lyrics.. anyone see him and can comment on him?
Oh... i don't think she was a main KIM but she understudied and performed the role at the papermill and she was Eponine on the tour for a while... Dina Lyn Mori****a was KIM
Meera Popkin... she's the only KIM i have never heard perform... what nationality is she?
As for the Danish and Hungarian productions... i think the whole show wasn't even cast with Asians at all... i have the cast recordings...eee gads they are awful!!!
jsg03jd
Broadway Star Joined: 11/24/04
#36re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 12:39am
Meera Popkin was Lea Salonga's immediate successor in the West End while Monique Wilson continued as the alternate Kim. I think Popkin is Malaysian, but I could be wrong.
And Wang is Chinese, and he had the worst diction of all the Engineers I saw. Second to Jonathan Pryce, my favorite Engineer was Francis Ruivivar while Salonga played opposite Sean McDermott's Chris.
Updated On: 7/5/08 at 12:39 AM
SporkGoddess
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/05
#37re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 1:43amMy favorite Engineer was Jon Jon Briones. Amazing.
Jimmy, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's almost 9 PM!
eatlasagna
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/6/04
#38re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 3:04am
loved Kevin Gray in the role.. he'll always be my favorite...
jon jon briones second
joseph foronda third... almost tied for 2nd... but jon jon beats him by a margin
#39re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 3:12am
Oh... i don't think she was a main KIM but she understudied and performed the role at the papermill and she was Eponine on the tour for a while... Dina Lyn Morishîta was KIM
Dina was an understudy on the 2NT.
And I loved Kevin Gray. Loved.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
noplain
Understudy Joined: 10/31/07
#40re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 7:37am
How's the Australian production going?
I don't think it is running anymore, but when I saw it it was brilliant. They could easily put that production on Broadway. They used a projection for the helicopter, but it worked really well - the sound came from the back of the theatre and all the seats were vibrating. They did it really well, and I didn't think it looked tacky at all. That whole scene with the fences was incredibly staged. I almost didn't go and see it, as I'd just come back from New York and was hesitant about spending that much money, but it was so worth it.
I can only think of one production that moved from Aus to Broadway - The King and I (in 1995ish?), and it won the best revival Tony. I don;t know if there is anychance of that happpening here, but if it did it would be great.
lmw8880
Understudy Joined: 7/21/07
#41re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 7:53amI would love to see a revival (for no other reasons other than it is my favorite show), although I am a little torn because the last tme I saw it (before it closed), the cast was perfect.
#42re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 10:13am
Also, what about my favorite Kim, aside from Salonga- Elizabeth Paw?
I asked Liz about this during the run, but have since forgotten. But man, what an incredible Kim she grew to be! Definitely in my top three.
SporkGoddess
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/05
#43re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 12:36pmThe sort-of-recent Manila production with Lea Salonga looked fantastic. I would love a similar production here, though maybe with a different cast (I love Lea, but I think we need a younger Kim now).
Jimmy, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's almost 9 PM!
#44re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 1:24pm
I think that DeeDee and Cliffton Hall are a perfect match for Kim and Chris. It would also be adorable if they made it a family affair and their son play Tam.
It would be awesome if Ali Ewoldt played Kim. (YES ANOTHER FILIPINA)
eatlasagna
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/6/04
#45re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 1:40pm
I never saw Elizabeth Paw but i heard her on a recording... she was fantastic! it was the only time i'd ever heard people clap and cheer after YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM... it was insane! i want to think she's Filipina when i look at hr but a part me thinks now... hmmm
as for Deedee... man... every time there is a southern CA regional productino I hope she does KIM because i read in interviews that while she may not be the best sung KIM, her acting is truly amazing... but alas... i always end up with Kristine Remigio or Jen Paz... and i have tons of recordings of her as KIM and she doesn't have the srongest voice as KIM but there's something about it i love...
and is it me... or is Miss Saigon also one of the first shows to recycle.. so many cast members went from broadway to tour and back and forth... there was hardly any new people to join (except the 2NT kept changing casts... that was an awesome company)...
jsg03jd
Broadway Star Joined: 11/24/04
#46re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 3:24pm
Most of Cameron Mackintosh's shows "recycle" their performers from CATS, LES MIZ, PHANTOM, SAIGON, GUERRE much in the same way that there's a select coven, if you will, of women who play Elphaba in WICKED these days. Johnson-Liff & Zerman (later Johnson-Liff Associates) simply cast people they already knew from one CM show to another.
In London, for instance, Claire Moore was Christine in PHANTOM and both Simon Bowman and Peter Polycarpou came from LES MIZ before all were cast in the opening production of SAIGON. Ma-Anne Dionisio did SAIGON in Toronto but she also did GUERRE in London. In New York, Eric Kunze was Marius in LES MIZ (opposite Lea Salonga's Eponine) but he ended up in SAIGON as well. Rona Figueroa also went from SAIGON to LES MIZ. Jane Bodle was in LES MIZ and SAIGON. Liz Callaway, the original Broadway Ellen, was one of the final Grizabellas in CATS. The list goes on and on...
Very incestuous circle, isn't it? 
#47re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 4:02pmEric Kunze is starring in Miss Saigon at the Muny in a couple of weeks. Has anyone here seen him perform the role of Chris, and if so, how was he? Thanks!
eatlasagna
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/6/04
#48re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 4:23pmi saw Eric Kunze play Chris a few months ago at the South Bay CLO MISS SAIGON and the guy did an awesome inredible job... loved his performance... didn't looked like he aged too much...
#49re: Miss Saigon
Posted: 7/5/08 at 4:46pm
I remember seeing the UK tour in the Bristol Hippodrome back in 2003, and that certainly had the helicopter. My friend from Bristol though said when it came back, she saw no helicopter. Why did they change it on the tour second time round, especially for a venue like that which used it before?
EDIT: I just saw SongandDance's reply, so question answered :)
Everything in life...is only for now.
Updated On: 7/5/08 at 04:46 PM
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