Miss Saigon at La Mirada

[ggersten]

We saw it last Saturday night. And darn it, I promised myself I wouldn't cry. So much for promises.

I guess there aren't spoilers anymore - but the audience loudly gasped when Kim shoots Thuy. I even jumped - and I knew it was coming.

The performances were simply - wow!
Kevin Odekirk as Chris - omg - his Why God Why was emotional beyond emotion and he must held the last note for at least 15 seconds.
Joseph Anthony Feronda's engineer - UNEFFINGBELIEVABLE. I saw an understudy on Broadway (March 1994) - but now see how this part can really be played. He simply inhabited the character (yes, I know he's played it before, but it seemed fresh, original and he totally dominates the stage whenever he's on. He brought out the comedy, the pathos, the deviousness, and perhaps even a little humanity in the Engineer.

Jacqueline Nguyen's Kim was sweet. She sang the role really well. But sometimes, there just seemed like a smidgen of emotion was missing. Nothing specific - just a sense. And Ms. Nguyen is TINY. From the balcony, it looked like Chris was twice Kim's height, but I saw them in the lobby afterward and Odekirk can't be more than 5'6" so Ms. Nguyen may look up at 5 foot.

And poor Cassandra Murphy as Ellen - she's great - but I'd forgotten how thankless a role Ellen is.


The sets were okay - they really just set the scene and didn't really add much. I found the Bangkok outdoor set distracting.

The helicopter was cool (alhough smaller than on Broadway which is completely understandable). The moving of the fences for the Fall of Saigon were well done.

I really enjoyed Morning of the Dragon with the acrobatics.

The Dreamland opening was a bit raunchy - and I didn't expect to see Kim disrobe on stage. (For those of a more prurient interest, her back is to the audience). Apparently, some people have walked out in the middle of Act I or left at intermission.

The worst part of the evening: Mr. Cathy Rigby trying to "warm up" the audience with lame jokes and inappropriate comments about Cathy Rigby in a harness over their bed.

[Wildcard]

One of the reasons for not having too many Vietnamese Kims (and this is a generalization) is that those who possess the innocent virginal & spiritual qualities of Kim were not traditionally raised to sing the Western-style requirements of the score while those who can sing it are too Americanized to posses the stereotypical Asian mystique. The Vietnam of today is different from the Vietnam of 20 years ago when the show was originally mounted too.

My disappointment based on the clips from this production is that the actress' make-up make her look like a more experienced prostitute and not virginal Kim. The flower in her hair does nothing to help either. I'm seeing the production this week so I'll see how it fully plays out and whether these decisions make sense.

[dancinthrulife2]

Ggersten Thank you so much for attending the show and for the kind words! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. And yes, our Kim is a tiny woman with a big voice haha
Just so everyone knows Kim doesn't 'disrobe' in dreamland proper with the other girls...it actually takes place after her and Chris have left. Just thought I'd clarify so thoughtno one we were making Kim strip for her money in the club haha
And yes Tom does like to make his jokes during his preshow speeches, but what can ya do, he's the producer after all
I'm so glad you appreciated the show, we work so hard to make it real. Saigon, Bangkok...ask those places were decadent in sin, dark and gritty....and is very important to us that we portrayed that as real as possible.after all this is history, and these are people's lives we are portraying. We've had hate mail accusing us.of turning a musical that is supposed to be enjoyed by the"whole family" into a porno...which I find ridiculous since even the original production was never meant for children. Sigh....people. They like to ignore the "mature audiences" sign on the website and in the lobby haha


Wildcard you may have a point there, thank you for sharing. The hair and makeup department have worked very hard on their designsbut I see what you mean. I hope you can look beyond the lotus flower in her hair when you see the show

[CATSNYrevival]

Are they using the Fullerton Civic Light Opera sets? Looks like it. The Fullerton set is available to rent and it is very close to the original Broadway design. So much so that John Napier should probably be receiving a credit in the program somewhere.

[EricMontreal22]

Those clips look great. I kinda like Kim not being quite so completely cliche "pure" at the start as often shown.

Agreed with CATS--the sets are so clearly based on Napier's originals (not a bad thing), that if he doesn't have an "inspired by" credit at least in the program he really should. (Has Napier even done anything since Gone with the Wind aside from some opera productions? I miss his work)

[AEA AGMA SM]

Yes, they are.

"Per this article, La Mirada is using the same set the Fullerton Civil Light Operat Company used a few years ago. http://www.lastagetimes.com/2012/04/la-mirada’s-brian-kite-launches-miss-saigon/"

dancinthrulife, glad to hear that the run is going well. The TYA tour I'm working on performed at La Mirada last week, but sadly I didn't get a chance to see your show (though we did joke about finding a way to work the Cadillac and Ho Chi Minh statue into our show).

[dancinthrulife2]

Ohmigoodness you should have and sent us pictures.haha

[someone.else's.story2]

I have to thoroughly disagree with Kim's performance being lacking. I have seen Miss Saigon many times and its possible that she was the best Kim I have seen. Really, she was probably the best part of the production in my opinion and I was blown away by her acting and commitment to the role. We sat in the front row and there was not a false moment. Of course, Joseph Anthony Feronda was incredible. I saw him years ago on Broadway when I was just a kid and he has only gotten better. He seemed to have such fun playing the role and also brought a lot of new moments to the show that had never really stuck out to me before.
The ensemble was, on the whole, really great too. And my, oh my...the little boy who played Tam was too cute for words.

I had a few quibbles with the sound design (or perhaps just the acoustics of the space) and some of the staging choices.

Oh, and I absolutely agree that the pre-curtain speech was cheesy, but I went knowing that it would thanks to reading it on here. The stuff about Cathy Rigby flying over the bed...oh my.

I liked the actor playing Chris (sorry, too tired to look up the name right now), but not nearly as much as Kim. I don't know if it was some of the weird directorial choices, but there were times I found him less believable-certainly way less than the woman playing Kim.

Anyway, all these little nit picky things aside, really good production. If dangingthrulife2 reads this, please give my kudos to your castmates. And, break legs on the rest of your run!

[someone.else's.story2]

Oh, and I didn't think it was shockingly risqué, which was surprising as I had read so many comments -particularly on Goldstar saying it was. The whole Dreamland sequence was appropriate and seemed authentic.

Also, I noticed that they cut a few curse words from John early on and found this curious. I seemed that the Engineer's role was unchanged and his role obviously contains lots of curse words, etc. Any word as to why they made these cuts?

[My Oh My]

It's nice to see the director knows the difference between being authentic so that it's both respectful and effective and being foolish.

The focus on authenticity here is then a matter of respect both in doing a culture as much possible justice and portraying a disturbing era of American history without the usual filter. That type of authenticity can never be wrong and kudos to this production for it.

In fairness though, the original production wasn't utterly insulting to any culture nor did it present a sugar-coated version of anything. The Dreamland sequence has always been very raunchy with lots of pelvic thrusts, flashes of nudity, and violence. I don't understand why people expected to see a family friendly production at La Mirada when the original was no family affair to begin with. I bet it's people who claim to know the show but really don't and are punishing the director for their lack of necessary research which is their duty as a parent that they failed at. Aw, well, LOL.

Just like Elena Roger being Argentinian does nothing for me, this Kim being Vietnamese doesn't either. I know how that can be notable as a curiosity but in the end the talent will determine what's good. At best, her direct experience could color her performance and lend to it an edge but I don't think being anything could ever automatically make anyone better than others. Not saying anyone involved with the production claims she is, just a commentary on the matter, is all.

In fact, congrats to La Mirada for not being tacky, pretentious jerks and claiming they are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than the original when in reality they are basically a carbon copy visually and just as professional and talented in everything else.

I'm counting down the days! 4 May.

[Wildcard]

I finally saw this production over the weekend and very much enjoyed it. It was the best of all the regional Miss Saigon stagings I have seen. If not for the smaller cast and scaled down sets, it could easily be on par with the original productions. Most of the performers were top notch (sorry, wasn't a fan of their Thuy) and sang beautifully and enunciated the songs clearly (unlike the tour of American Idiot I saw where I could not understand anything they were singing).

Jacqueline Nguyen is not necessarily my favorite Kim of those that I've seen but she does a pretty good job. Oh, and I was able to get over the flower in her hair. Standouts were Kevin Odekirk as Chris and Joseph A. Foronda as the Engineer.

[someone.else's.story2]

Am I the only one who absolutely loved Jaqueline Nguyen? This is so odd...

I have seen tours and the Broadway production and I absolutely loved her interpretation.

So odd...I saw the Saturday matinee so perhaps she just had a particularly good show, but I was blown away.

[Wicked Fanatic]

Bumping this to talk about the closing show at La Mirada today which I attended. It was played to a sold out audience and Tom McCoy announced that it was the most financially successful play they've ever had and that includes the original "Peter Pan".

The reviews for this show have all been GR8 and there's a reason why; it was! Really wowed by this production; although scaled down in size it was definitely the best play I've ever seen at La Mirada Theatre.

Tom McCoy said he loved this cast and I agree wholeheartely with that assessment. The principals were all wonderful! As mentioned before Kevin Odekirk played Chris to perfection and had a wonderful singing voice. I really liked Jacqueline Nguyen. Her scene and song with Ellen was one of my favorites in the show. As someone already posted Ellen has a thankless role. That being said I loved Casandra Murphy's rendition of "Now That I've Seen Her".

Then there's Joseph Anthony Feronda who I loved as the Engineer. His "The American Dream" got the loudest audience response of any song along with the biggest applause of anyone at curtain call. I had the pleasure of seeing him before and he still knows how to sell the role.

dancingthrulife2 if you're reading this and a part of the ensemble you were all great. Loved them even more thanks to the comments you made in earlier posts. Kudos to everyone in the ensemble who make up the heart and soul many times of a show.

Then there was the pit orchestra which was fantastic. I can't remember ever seeing one that large at La Mirada or sometimes at bigger theatre venues. Kudos to Jon Glaudini and all those in the pit!

Lastly is the Dreamland sequence with all its raunchiness. I was in the second row and I was really surprise at how much some of the actors put out in this sexual scene. It was hard not to notice from where I was sitting especially the bald headed guy with the girl at the bar. He really was into her/it. It definitely added to the reality of the bar scene in old Saigon.

Sad to see it's over in La Mirada but if there are any that live in the Inland Empire you have your chance to see this next weekend when it moves to the Fox Riverside Theatre.

[My Oh My]

Unlike the last time I visited the La Mirada Theatre, I found it without incident. Last time I had relied on my GPS and it led me all over the place, making me 30 minutes late to their production of Little Shop of Horrors. I have been to see musicals hundreds of times and that was only my 2nd time being late.

At any rate! I got there with 20 minutes to spare and took my seat at row H, orchestra dead center--a perfect view. I did my usual routine of getting settled and opening my program to eye the orchestra listing. I looked and looked and looked...NO orchestra listing. WHAT!?

Hundreds of performances and that was a first. Not a big deal really, but it's a small part of waiting to see a show I enjoy, especially when the list is nice and full with all sorts of instrumentation. My curiosity was quenched at intermission when I went over to the pit and walked alongside of it--what a nice orchestra. Haven't seen one that large in a while.

Show started and I am glad to say it was a fine production with a fine cast. The set was very close to John Napier's original as was the lighting but none were carbon copies, each inserting their own stamp at some points. I'm glad the imposing Ho Chi Min statue was kept for "The Morning of the Dragon," and the choreography here was very, very well done and highly effective. That's usually the aspect that suffers most in revised or reinterpreted versions of the show but it was tastefully and very creatively executed here. Usually choreographers make the mistake of straying too far from the original, thinking that in order to be unique that approach is necessary. Not so. A good choreographer will intuitively know how far is too far given the mood and storytelling of a scene and vary it while respecting the original message. Since the staging is basically the same as the original, that's exactly what was done and we got a very different, and at times, more impressive set of moves for that number that told the same story and supplemented the original staging nicely. A bad choreographer would have had them doing some random crap that wouldn't gel with anything all so we would get the message that THEY ARE DIFFERENT nailed into our heads. Thankfully, La Mirada has a real talent in choreographer Dana Solimando. Her moves were thrilling. Not a self-indulgent step to be seen anywhere. That's rare.

The direction was essentially that of Nicholas Hytner of the original London and Broadway productions with some creative touches by La Mirada director Brian Kite, another creative team member that deserves accolades for his taste and respect of the original production. It would've been one thing had they staged a completely original version but considering the designs were almost exactly what was seen on Broadway just smaller in scale, the direction could only be varied as much as the scenery movement allows but he focuses more on nuance rather than overall, general movement and as minor as it seems, his choices are actually quite powerful and completely change the meaning of certain scenes and motivations thankfully for the better.

Some highlights that could be directly attributed to his direction:

-The start of the show is very different and very well done. In the original production, it starts with flashes of light representing bombs going off and the populace running for cover as Kim makes her way through all the chaos. The Engineer meets her and lures her to his bar where she becomes one of the bar girls. I did not notice the Engineer meeting Kim during this sequence for the longest time because it's usually concealed by all the panic and chaos. Kite cleared the whole thing leaving only a solitary Kim dressed in frumpy pajamas and freezing under a spotlight and a nice foreshadowing of Chris also under a spotlight placed to the side behind her. It was a very evocative, haunting image. The Engineer still meets her and lures her away but this time it's not covered by anything.

-One detail that might have been director Kite's idea or Foronda's was the clear gesture hinting at the Engineer having actually been the one to have been Kim's "first," which only made the character much more sinister. It occurred during the line "She's sort of a virgin, well, more or less." This is the first time I got that message from the line and it was shocking to think the Engineer had his way with her first. OMG, lol.

A very smart change occurred in the cheesefest "Last Night of the World" number making it a bit less of a cheesefest. Kite makes it obvious that that is the night Kim and Chris make woopie and create Tam. I never got that from the 9 previous viewings of this show. It's a subtle but powerful change and even justifies the sexy saxophones! LOL.

The Dreamland sequence is just as raunchy as in the original production. I kept waiting for something truly shocking given the reaction to this production's and was left scratching my head when it was all over. In fact, the original was more disturbing and had an equally shocking dose of violence where this version had none at all. During the instrumental break in "The Movie In My Mind" in the original production, a fight would break out between two GI's over Kim which would have her and the other girls roughed up badly. The Engineer would also slam Gigi down to the ground early on during that sequence and upon winning the Miss Saigon contest, Gigi would get into a nasty brawl with a jealous, fellow contestant. Not suggesting La Mirada's was tame but it was not more raunchy or disturbing than previous stagings. It was equally effective despite the removal of some violence though.

I'm tired and will continue this shortly!

[dancinthrulife2]

We did close the production today at La Mirada- and what a great audience to end it with. for those of you who attended (today or anytime during the run)- thank you for such a great response,and for all your kind words here.

Wicked Fan- thank you so much for the kind words about the show, and especially about the ensemble. I am a member of the ensemble, and the fact that you noticed and appreciated it/us so much really says a lot. the ensemble is such a huge part of this show, and it's so nice to know that we were appreciated and thanks for noticing the moment at the bar (that may or may not have been me with bald-y )

the show has gotten an incredible response from critics, reviewers and most importantly audiences. we were honored to have a visit from Sgt. Doug Potratz last weekend on the anniversary of the fall of Saigon (one of the last marines off the roof of the embassy) and it was a very very special performance for all of us
you can read a bit about it here: http://www.whittierdailynews.com/ci_20543861/la-miradas-miss-saigon-brings-back-memories-ex

and My oh My, i'm so glad you noticed the new opening staging....it's so wonderful. being a huge fan of the show and knowing the original staging very well...the first time i saw brian's new opening i was reduced to tears. so haunting.

now, off to the IE!!!

[My Oh My]

Yes, it was a very nicely done opening. I'm often accused of being a "purist" who dislikes change but I only dislike changes that aren't effective and I hate self-indulgent, pretentiousness that seems to be all the rage these days. It seems every director is some sort of magician who claims to magically make a show relevant for today's audiences and also basically make it way better than previous attempts. If it were true, then that wouldn't be an issue. But it's usually a bunch of ego-boosting baloney or hogwash designed to boost interest and ticket sales.

In continuation:

Speaking of bologna, there is none present in Kite's claims found in an interview posted earlier on here. In it, he claims that the acting in La Mirada's production has been sharpened and that special attention to authenticity has been given to the piece. On the acting front, it is very true and it is apparent in everyone's performance. As for authenticity, I didn't see anything that was 'more real' here compared to the original production standard but if quality acting is it, then he couldn't be more correct. That's not to say previous productions were lacking. This production is not so much an improvement in the acting department, but it is a very well acted one that both meets the original's quality in some of the performances I remember attending and exceeds it in others. As great as all previous Kims have been, I will have to give a special shout out to Ms. Jaqueline Nguyen beautifully executed, unconventional Kim.

There seems to be some mixed feelings about her Kim and it is no doubt due to her rather unusual vocal technique. The role of Kim is most effective as it was meant to be sung--in chest voice. It is primarily a belty singing role. Ms. Nguyen has, no doubt, a very beautiful voice with a strong, consistent vibrato; however, some may find what sounds at first like pure head voice sort of off-putting as I initially did. Thankfully, it grows on you as the performance goes on, no doubt helped in part by her very powerful, heartfelt acting. I wouldn't say she is of pure head voice after watching the whole performance; it became clear to me that she uses mostly a mix. This had the quality of chest voice on most of the midrange notes and the upper ones were a very 'thick', rich and powerful mix. The few times she attempted pure head voice were not so powerful but thin and warbly but it wasn't terrible and this amounted to all of 2 or three times in the whole show which is negligible. All in all, she sang the role very well with her unique styling and proved to this skeptic that the role can work with something other than chest voice. The only reservation is that the switch between chest and head or mix often times produces a noticeable vocal "slide" that can come off as sounding out of tune when it's not so much that but just the voice adjusting to the different source. It did not become an issue until Kim's big act one closer "Id Give My Life For You," a number firmly belonging to chest voice types. That was the only part where Ms. Nguyen seemed to struggle a bit vocally but her stellar acting, once again, made all of that unimportant to me.

Her's is the first Kim I've seen to be steadfast and determined in her quest to reunite with Chris. It is understandable to base acting choices on the drama and urgency of each scene's situation but Ms. Nguyen's Kim is noticeably fiercely unwavering in her resolve while vulnerable at the same time. Often times she'd appear strong faced, holding back emotion as it seeped through her glimmering eyes. What a wonderfully nuanced Kim. This fresh take made the ending more affecting as it was absolutely an act of courage and defiance rather than desperation and sorrow.

Kevin Odekirk was perfect as Chris and he had yours truly sort of mystified--in a good way--by the remarkable way he produced crazy notes while making it look like it required no effort whatsoever. His mouth would open a crack and this GREAT BIG SOUND would emerge full of emotion and vibrato. Of course, there was his wonderful acting as well. Lawrence Cummings John was rich-voiced with acting to match the rest of the cast's. His "Bui Doi" was among the most heartfelt I've heard.

Aiden Park's Thuy makes a rather awkward impression at first but that is quickly replaced. He initially comes onto the scene a bit too abruptly and appears to be way too eager that it's jarring. But aside from that first impression, his Thuy is really excellent with a very powerful, attractive voice and strong acting. His Thuy is more desperate and snide than most but effective, nonetheless.

Cassandra Murphy's Ellen was everything I imagine Ellen should be and her special attention to detail in her big number "Now That I've Seen Her" made it among the most satisfying I've seen. Every word is infused with meaning and there are noticeable 'stages' of composure that I've always felt are a part of the number. Standing there with the same strong expression throughout is not enough. It is obviously a mix of very different high emotions and Ms. Murphy rises to the occasion and then some. This made her resulting hurt and anger when Chris arrives more affecting as it is in direct contrast to the confusion, self-doubt, and utter shock we had just seen. This natural progression not only moves the story along, it makes Ellen's inner turmoil more apparent and avoids any feelings of resentment toward her.

April Malina IS Gigi. I didn't think anyone could ever truly embody such a tiny role so that they are seemingly impossible to replace, but I doubt I will ever see anyone fit that small role so perfectly as she. She is a total standout physically and her "Movie In My Mind" is as gritty and tragic as it can get. Her powerful vocals made the song soar as it should. Excellent.

If I didn't already rave enough, I've saved the best for last.

Joseph Anthony Foronda's Engineer was perfection. And when I say PERFECTION, I mean PERFECTION. Every single line, every note, every acting choice, every nuance, every last bit of his performance was filled to the brim with a professionalism and intuition that is so typical of theatre performers yet executed in a way that is so DELICIOUS, thoughtful, and effective, you are reminded every time he is on stage why you love theatre and everything theatrical as much as you do. Such a rich performance.

I'd say this production was a success, don't ya think? LOL. Of course, subjective but being the hard ass I am, it's a rare affair these types of resounding raves from me. Congrats to all involved.

[Wildcard]

It was a very good show, dancinthrulife2. Great job to La Mirada.

Not that it makes any difference anymore but I found it funny that the bio for Claude-Michel Schönberg stated that the writing team was working on their next musical opening soon… Martin Guerre

[Wicked Fanatic]

Edited since My Oh My finished their fantastic review of this show. Kudos to your PERFECT assessment of this show. You expressed exactly how I felt and more!

dancingthrulife2 Break a leg in the IE and I think I'm going to buy a ticket for this weekend and finally get a chance to see my old college days movie theatre which has been renovated beautifully for theatrical productions.

[Pauly3]

Saw this show last week.

My memory of the first time I saw Miss Saigon (New York 1995 or so) was that I was blown away by how good the music was and how well the story was told on stage. That was an evening of entertainment that was well worth whatever ticket price I paid - and is easily in my top 5 live events of any kind ever.

I saw Miss Saigon again in 2005 at FCLO (Fullerton, CA) and thought it was good - but with a "for a smallish regional production" qualifier. The cast was mostly very good but for a few exceptions. The way La Mirada did it - and mostly because of the incredible talent they had - this production was awesome. Everyone in the cast was no less than excellent!

Musical theatre is alive and well in Socal....

[eatlasagna]

hmmm... i felt very different about this production... while not the worst prodution of the show it's not the best i've seen from regional productions...

i'm also a purist... admittedly a snob when it comes to this show since i've seen the original production way too many times on tour...

so i will just say the good... the ensemble is truly the standout of this show! they impressive throughout the entire production... love the Heat is on in Saigon, Morning of the Dragon and American Dream... they were all stellar and i couldn't keep my eyes off of them

and that's where the problem is for me... i watched the ensemble more than the principal leads who i felt were pretty lacking (with the exception of Joseph Anthony Foronda who is amazing as always and Ellen whom I LOVED)... i kinda blame it on the poor and spotty direction which I know some of you loved but i found it so anemic.... and let me be specific... it's like the director focused on the ensemble rather than the leads

As My Oh My mentioned, Last night of the world had a big change at the end... and i found it to be awkardly staged... mainly because the two leads barely showed emotion in Sun and Moon and the first part of the song... all of a sudden she's ripping off his shirt?!? the people i sat around were laughing at the very odd random scene! Sun and Moon was staged with the two leads just kinda staring at each other... there was no passion! there was nothing... just staring at each other... same with Last night of the World, which made the ripping off of the shirt awkward...

as mentioned, Thuy's entrance was so quick and sudden and sang so fast. it was awkward. then the entire sequence where she kills him, that was just even more sped up. my audience was laughing in the back. maybe because i saw the last performance but the guy was not good... good voice but his acting was just not that great during that pivotal scene

Bui Doi was just so random... it was weird seeing the ensemble just stare at each other the entire song! what was that about?

If you want to die in Bed.. the Engineer just kinda walked down the center of the stage for the first few bars or so... not very exciting and utterly bland

well... like i said, not a bad production just not as great as I was expecting it hearing what everyone had to say... but still... they did a worthy production of the show with an incredible ensemble