Miss Saigon at Bristol Hippodrome - Review
Posted on: 2018-05-18
Our rating:
I found myself mesmerised by the captivating story...Miss Saigon is a powerful tale of war, loss and death, told on an epic scale. This sensational production tugs at the heartstrings and I must confess to shedding more than one tear.
Cameron Mackintosh’s sensational production of the legendary musical Miss Saigon has landed in Bristol and this epic love story is set to astound audiences. A 20th century retelling of Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon is the story of 17-year-old Kim who in the closing days of the Vietnam War is forced to work in a Saigon bar where she meets and falls in love with Chris, an American GI. This is a love that is not meant to be as they are cruelly torn apart by the fall of Saigon. Both haunted by their lost love they struggle to get on with their lives Chris with his new wife in America and Kim struggling to find her way back to Chris with the little boy he doesn’t know he has fathered.
*** Showing until 23rd June 2018- Get Tickets Here***
As is typical of a Cameron Mackintosh touring production the quality is first class, this is a West End show brought to the provinces with all the bells and whistles firmly in place. A high value production that surprises and leaves the paying customer feeling the cost of a ticket was money well spent.
From start to finish this is a spine-tingling spectacle, especially thrilling is the famed helicopter scene as the full-size chopper takes off with cast members clinging on. There are flashes and bangs galore, dramatic effects that highlight the devastation taking place and contrast with the beautiful romance and story of enduring hope being played out on stage.
In the role of Kim, Sooha Kim excels. She drives the performance forward through each powerful vocal and soulful look. Kim and Ashley Gilmour as Chris have a great on-stage chemistry and charmingly characterise the innocent and endearing budding relationship between the two ill-fated lovers, as well as the anger and heartbreak at their separation and different journeys through life. Their stellar performances mean this production really packs an emotional punch.
Red Concepcion provides supposed light relief as the Engineer, the sinister character who forces the young Kim to work in his Saigon bar and who later takes on the persona of a benevolent Uncle in his quest for self-gain and a new life in America. He is fabulous as the character who is in equal measure a jovial showman - sharing a joke and wink with the audience - and a sleazy, vicious opportunist.
The principals are all undoubtedly exceptional but so are the supporting players. Chris’ wife Ellen is powerfully played by Elana Martin who perfectly conveys the raw emotion of a woman whose world is torn apart when she finds out the horrors in her husband’s past. And Ryan O’Gorman is a stand out as Chris’ friend John, the GI whose overwhelming guilt at the things he had to do to survive leads him to devote his life to supporting the children left behind following liaisons between his colleagues and Vietnamese girls.
This is one of the few big musicals that I have never seen before and I was a little unsure what to expect, but I found myself mesmerised by the captivating story. Boasting fantastic sets and an incredible score - the beautiful romantic duets ‘Sun and Moon’ and The Last Night of the World’ being real highlights – Miss Saigon is a powerful tale of war, loss and death, told on an epic scale. This sensational production tugs at the heartstrings and I must confess to shedding more than one tear.
Showing at Bristol Hippodrome until 23rd June, Miss Saigon is a must see. Get Tickets Here.
5/5 reviewed by Sarah-Jane Howard
Article by:
Sarah-Jane is an aficionado of film, theatre, culture and the arts. A voracious reader and avid crafter, she can be found volunteering her face painting talents at Bristol Zoo when she's not cementing her reputation as Coalpit Heath’s cake maker extraordinaire. Known to have an opinion on everything she’s never happier than when sharing these with the good folk of Bristol!
