The lights go dark and four giant screens light up with a blinking cinematic countdown...9, 8, 7, 6, 5...the sound of a helicopter approaching builds to deafening proportions as a garishly huge make-up mirror backstage at the seedy club/brothel Dreamland lights up with an unforgiving glare and the "Movie In Our Minds" begins to roll!
Miss Saigon at Near West Theatre is a high tech explosion of video, photography, lights, rigging and music together with a phenomenal teen cast of fierce energy and brazen commitment to the emotional journey of this show. This rock opera feels like Evita or Jesus Christ Superstar on steroids, You can feel the foreboding tragedy looming in fateful inevitability as Mariah Burks, in the role of Kim, gives the performance of a lifetime along with Xavier Reminick as the ratty, opportunistic Engineer and Mike Glaven as the American G.I. who wins her heart and breaks it in two.
This is a HOT show in a HOT theater. It's the Vietnam War, with all the deception, the misplaced patriotism, the idealism, the courage and the horror.....and its a MUSICAL! Sweat it out!!... it's more than worth it. The heat is ON in Saigon.