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Post by richey on Nov 8, 2024 11:23:42 GMT
The Crucible version was stunning and if nothing else proved you didn't need a big flashy helicopter as part of the production. I thought that part was cleverly staged and just as emotional.
Judging by the new poster it doesn't look like they're going for a female Engineer.
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645 posts
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Post by christya on Nov 8, 2024 11:41:54 GMT
Logo change basically gives away that there's no helicopter, but thank goodness it doesn't look like they're using a female Engineer! So long as it's just the same show done differently, and not 'reimagined', it could be good.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2024 11:46:32 GMT
I seem to remember a lot of push back over no helicopter after the last reimagined tour (circa 2005 i think). Which is why they made it a bigger production when it came back into London and toured again.
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Post by unseaworthy on Nov 8, 2024 11:51:12 GMT
The Crucible version was stunning and if nothing else proved you didn't need a big flashy helicopter as part of the production. I thought that part was cleverly staged and just as emotional. Judging by the new poster it doesn't look like they're going for a female Engineer. How did they stage that part? |
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Post by erik24601 on Nov 8, 2024 11:59:44 GMT
I wonder if they will leave Saigon on a phoenix high above the auditorium instead.
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7,251 posts
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Post by Jon on Nov 8, 2024 12:01:53 GMT
It's being directed by Jean-Pierre Van Der Spuy who has been an associate director on Miss Saigon as well as other Cameron Mackintosh shows.
Michael Harrison mentioned in an interview it's a 40 week tour so more venues are likely to announced throughout 2025
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5,117 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 8, 2024 13:22:33 GMT
It is strange the tour has opted to go into the smaller Birmingham Alexandra Theatre and not the bigger Hippodrome, this maybe a clue to how small and stripped back this tour is going to be.
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Post by blamerobots on Nov 8, 2024 13:25:01 GMT
I mean, the Alexandra is still a fairly big theatre. Just won't be Drury Lane-big
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7,251 posts
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Post by Jon on Nov 8, 2024 13:33:33 GMT
The Alexandra, Theatre Royal Newcastle and New Oxford don't have huge stages so it suggests it's a smaller production although I don't think the last UK tour was that big either but could be wrong.
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Post by Alejo on Nov 8, 2024 13:40:16 GMT
It is strange the tour has opted to go into the smaller Birmingham Alexandra Theatre and not the bigger Hippodrome, this maybe a clue to how small and stripped back this tour is going to be. Les Mis played the Alexandra Theatre for 3 months in 1999. That was a replica tour of the original London production. So I don't think this suggests Miss Saigon will be small and stripped back. This Miss Saigon tour is also playing the Edinburgh Playhouse, which must be one of the biggest theatres in the UK. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 8, 2024 14:17:48 GMT
The Crucible version was stunning and if nothing else proved you didn't need a big flashy helicopter as part of the production. I thought that part was cleverly staged and just as emotional. Judging by the new poster it doesn't look like they're going for a female Engineer. How did they stage that part? We got the sound of the chopper and the flashing lights, wind machine, a rope was thrown down from the flies and they were winched up and disappeared into the darkness. |
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5,117 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 8, 2024 14:20:48 GMT
It is strange the tour has opted to go into the smaller Birmingham Alexandra Theatre and not the bigger Hippodrome, this maybe a clue to how small and stripped back this tour is going to be. Les Mis played the Alexandra Theatre for 3 months in 1999. That was a replica tour of the original London production. So I don't think this suggests Miss Saigon will be small and stripped back. This Miss Saigon tour is also playing the Edinburgh Playhouse, which must be one of the biggest theatres in the UK. I mean seating wise, don’t know much about stage sizes - it is rare for the Alexander to get a big musical, it normally receives smaller shows with shows that typically play in towns, such as Simon & Garfunkel, Peppa Pig or Murder on the Orient Express. You wouldn’t see The Lion King, Moulin Rouge or Wicked play there. Saying that Miss Saigon is an excellent musical, with a great score that revolves around that wow moment of the Helicopter, I would say that this tour would keep the helicopter as I heard it isn’t really hard to stage and is merely a helicopter shell on a cherry picker. But everything else, around it will be scaled back. |
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7,251 posts
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Post by Jon on Nov 8, 2024 14:29:38 GMT
You wouldn't need a helicopter prop either, I think the 2005 tour was a projection of a helicopter and with the advances in technology, I think you could do something similar but mixing it with real effects.
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Post by SilverFox on Nov 8, 2024 14:43:19 GMT
It is strange the tour has opted to go into the smaller Birmingham Alexandra Theatre and not the bigger Hippodrome, this maybe a clue to how small and stripped back this tour is going to be. Don't the BRB (based at the Hippodrome) normally have their season in November?
I am more surprised that it is only doing one week at Edinburgh.
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Post by blamerobots on Nov 8, 2024 14:57:27 GMT
I'd love a real helicopter but that'd be raising my expectations a bit too much. The imagery the show goes for more and more recently distances it from the helicopter spectacle so I assume this will be much like the Crucible production.
I just hope that the tour will have a glorious orchestra and not be backing tracks or something ridiculous
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645 posts
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Post by christya on Nov 8, 2024 15:11:42 GMT
I know some people think the helicopter is a gimmick, but one of my favourite memories of Miss Saigon is sitting front row of stalls for the revival and my hair blowing back when the helicopter appeared. That's the kind of 'immersive' I can actually like!
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 8, 2024 15:13:44 GMT
I'd love a real helicopter but that'd be raising my expectations a bit too much. The imagery the show goes for more and more recently distances it from the helicopter spectacle so I assume this will be much like the Crucible production. I just hope that the tour will have a glorious orchestra and not be backing tracks or something ridiculous An actual real helicopter to fly into the theatre? |
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Post by blamerobots on Nov 8, 2024 15:49:00 GMT
I'd love a real helicopter but that'd be raising my expectations a bit too much. The imagery the show goes for more and more recently distances it from the helicopter spectacle so I assume this will be much like the Crucible production. I just hope that the tour will have a glorious orchestra and not be backing tracks or something ridiculous An actual real helicopter to fly into the theatre? Yea  |
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19,855 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 8, 2024 15:51:35 GMT
Wasn’t there an outdoor production somewhere in Asia where a real helicopter was used?
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Post by theatrenerd on Nov 8, 2024 15:54:38 GMT
Les Mis played the Alexandra Theatre for 3 months in 1999. That was a replica tour of the original London production. So I don't think this suggests Miss Saigon will be small and stripped back. This Miss Saigon tour is also playing the Edinburgh Playhouse, which must be one of the biggest theatres in the UK. I mean seating wise, don’t know much about stage sizes - it is rare for the Alexander to get a big musical, it normally receives smaller shows  with shows that typically play in towns, such as Simon & Garfunkel, Peppa Pig or Murder on the Orient Express. You wouldn’t see The Lion King, Moulin Rouge or Wicked play there. Saying that Miss Saigon is an excellent musical, with a great score that revolves around that wow moment of the Helicopter, I would say that this tour would keep the helicopter as I heard it isn’t really hard to stage and is merely a helicopter shell on a cherry picker. But everything else, around it will be scaled back. The Alex is both smaller in terms of capacity (Hippodrome is 1850, the Alex is 1347) and stage-wise, but still not tiny by any means. However the last 2017 tour of Miss Saigon definitely wouldn’t have been able to fit there without some cutbacks. Lots of productions however have toured to both the Hippodrome and the Alex (i.e. The Book of Mormon this Christmas). It is strange the tour has opted to go into the smaller Birmingham Alexandra Theatre and not the bigger Hippodrome, this maybe a clue to how small and stripped back this tour is going to be. Don't the BRB (based at the Hippodrome) normally have their season in November?
I am more surprised that it is only doing one week at Edinburgh.
No they usually do the Nutcracker at the Hippodrome just before the panto. |
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Post by blamerobots on Nov 8, 2024 16:25:59 GMT
Wasn’t there an outdoor production somewhere in Asia where a real helicopter was used? Serenbe Playhouse had a production of Miss Saigon with a real helicopter flying in and out as the theatre was in a field. Same Serenbe Playhouse that had a production of Titanic where a scale model ship sinks into the lake every night. Serenbe Playhouse did shutter though in a big incident because of many reports of workplace harassment, racism, cultural insensitivity and safety violations. Not the nicest place. And the founder almost started a cult, or something?? A strange situation. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 8, 2024 16:57:27 GMT
They can do gender blind casting, age blind casting, colour blind casting but don’t ever ever ever mess with the helicopter!
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Post by ncbears on Nov 8, 2024 17:18:11 GMT
I know some people think the helicopter is a gimmick, but one of my favourite memories of Miss Saigon is sitting front row of stalls for the revival and my hair blowing back when the helicopter appeared. That's the kind of 'immersive' I can actually like! I was at the first preview of the 2014 revival - and as the music swelled, there was wind but just a projection of the helicopter and there was an audible sigh of disappointment from the audience. but then the screen parted and out came the helicopter to thunderous applause. |
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Post by max on Nov 8, 2024 18:42:23 GMT
There are no guarantees in life, and Cameron Mackintosh doesn't owe them anything (well perhaps a debt of inspiration), but this quote's a bit of an ouch for the Sheffield team.
“The recent hugely successful Sheffield Crucible production took a contemporary look at this great musical and that inspired producer Michael Harrison and I to also take a fresh look at Miss Saigon and create a modern version that can play in many theatres that the original was unable to do.
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5,117 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 8, 2024 19:30:23 GMT
I know some people think the helicopter is a gimmick, but one of my favourite memories of Miss Saigon is sitting front row of stalls for the revival and my hair blowing back when the helicopter appeared. That's the kind of 'immersive' I can actually like! I was at the first preview of the 2014 revival - and as the music swelled, there was wind but just a projection of the helicopter and there was an audible sigh of disappointment from the audience. but then the screen parted and out came the helicopter to thunderous applause. I was there too and remember the sign of disappointment. I told a colleague who bought tickets, who also saw the original that the helicopter was now just a projection, i approximately broke his heart, he was completely crest fallen, I’m sometimes a nasty so so, he certainly had a smile on his face when he went btw. |
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