Review: MISS SAIGON at RAIMUND THEATER

THE HEAT IS ON!

After almost two years and all the Covid 19 difficulties, MISS SAIGON finally raised the curtain for Opening Night at the beautifully refurbished Raimund Theater in the presence of Producer Cameron Mackintosh.

Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, inspired by Puccini's MADAME BUTTERFLY, set their Version of the doomed love story between a young Vietnamese Girl Kim ( superb, Vannesa Heinz) and an American G.I. Chris (Oedo Kuipers) in Saigon, during Vietnam War. Vienna got the revised Version ( directed by Jean-Pierre Van Der Spy )from the thriving West End Revival ( London 2014-2016). MISS SAIGON, one of Broadways Longest Running Musicals, finally found its new home as the last of the so-called Big Four in Vienna. During his reign as the Director of the VBW, back in the days, Prof. Peter Weck brought CATS (1983), the Phantom, and Les Misérables (both 1988) to Vienna for the very first time, which was, as we know now, the beginning of a new area in German-Speaking Musical History.

Phantom has its Chandelier, Les Mis the Barricades, and MISS SAIGON, a Military Helicopter, still, a showstopping moment. ( and CATS has CATS, for the record)

Familiar faces ( and of course unique voices) like GINO EMNES ( John) and ABLA ALAOUI ( Ellen), with Christian Rey Marbella ( a showstopping seedy Engineer with some phonetic issues to work on) and JAMES PARK ( THUY) together with KUIPERS and HEINZ are leading an energetic Cast of more than 30. Together with the critically acclaimed VBW Orchestra, MISS SAIGON in Vienna is a gritty musical extravaganza, honestly sad and profoundly moving, the Show everybody needs to see right now.

MISS SAIGON is now playing at the Raimund Theater Wien with performances from Tuesday to Sunday. For tickets, visit www.musicalvienna.at