Would MISS SAIGON's Kim Be Better Off with Chris or Thuy?

Manila, Philippines--While the Kim-Chris-Ellen Love triangle may be the more widely discussed, the Chris-Kim-Thuy love triangle in the ongoing run of the hit musical “Miss Saigon” holds its interest. This lesser-explored dynamic adds a layer of complexity to the show’s story.

The Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil musical Miss Saigon follows the journey of Kim, a 17-year-old Vietnamese orphan forced to work at the bar Dreamland, managed by The Engineer. She eventually “married” an American Marine sergeant, Chris, but she was previously betrothed to her cousin, Thuy. 

Kim's parents made a promise when the two were just 13, a common practice in pre-modern Vietnam where the “bride price” was a significant transaction between families during a marriage. 

Marriage payments were typically intensively negotiated among parental generations. The “bride price” depended mainly on the economic status of the groom’s family and could account for a substantial proportion of his household income. It was used to fund wedding feasts and sometimes, if in the form of cash, to buy gold or items for the bride’s dowry. Though it was compulsory, it was voluntary for the bride’s parents to reciprocate with a dowry. The dowry was usually transferred to the bride through gold, jewelry, cloth, or other household items.

Who do you think would offer Kim a more promising future, Chris or Thuy? And most importantly, why do you believe so?

BroadwayWorld has asked the same question to three actors: Abigail Adriano (Kim), Nigel Huckle (Chris), and Laurence Mossman (Thuy).

Adriano shared, "This is a hard one. I believe it’s like those age-old questions: Would you rather be with someone who loves you or someone who you love? Do we choose a marriage of stability or passionate and meaningful love?  

"While it was an arranged marriage (referring to her and Thuy's parents' agreement), I believe Thuy loved Kim, but he was motivated more by his sense of duty to uphold his family’s promise and honor.  

"Kim would have a better life with Chris because it means a better life for Tam, which is the ultimate goal. While it seems Thuy loved Kim, he chose violence and extreme measures, even to the extent of harming Tam, to make their marriage happen.

"Circumstantially, Kim most likely would have lived a longer life with Thuy. But I believe it would have been just as tragic. Losing her parents, losing Chris, and then losing her only son at the hands of someone who claims to provide a better life?

"Kim would have lived a loveless life with Thuy, even if it meant a longer life! "

Huckle, despite how his character and Kim have gone through, [still] thought, "I believe Kim would have had a better future with Chris because they would have been able to grow their family with a support system, and Kim would have been able to explore her agency and independence as a woman. 

"It's difficult though because looking at how Vietnam has developed, and how women's rights in Vietnam have [really] flourished over the decades, it'd be hard to argue that Kim would have had a bad life with Thuy. But choosing between a marriage of love and one of arrangement, we all know what we'd prefer."  

Thuy is an officer in the Communist Vietnamese government. However, Mossman, who plays Thuy, agreed with the lead actors.

"As much as it pains me to say, Kim would have a far better future with Chris, and I could [definitely] see them having a wonderful life together had the war not divided them. 

"While Thuy’s betrothal to Kim is born out of family values, loyalty, and culture, his unyielding determination and fiery temper do not match Kim’s big dreams well."

“Miss Saigon” is Schönberg and Boublil's second major success, following “Les Misérables.” 

Its Manila run concludes at the Theatre at Solaire on Sunday, May 12, 2024.

Photos: Daniel Boud, Alex Ruelo

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