1,762 posts
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Post by fiyero on Feb 14, 2016 22:05:50 GMT
I am sitting in the grand circle slips for the final performance and have sat there before (both sides) and love it for the price, so close and much better (in my opinion) than sitting right at the back for the same price. You do have to lean and be contientious of those you are sharing with but a really close view.
I am getting rather excited now, I do love a closing night (Done The Woman in White, Lord of the Rings, Bodyguard and From Here to Eternity and have a ticket for Billy Elliott)
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2,276 posts
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Post by richey on Feb 14, 2016 22:26:50 GMT
I am sitting in the grand circle slips for the final performance and have sat there before (both sides) and love it for the price, so close and much better (in my opinion) than sitting right at the back for the same price. You do have to lean and be contientious of those you are sharing with but a really close view. I am getting rather excited now, I do love a closing night (Done The Woman in White, Lord of the Rings, Bodyguard and From Here to Eternity and have a ticket for Billy Elliott) I'm in the GC slips for the final performance too - my first closing night, am looking forward to it! |
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Post by theatre-turtle on Feb 14, 2016 22:29:34 GMT
If anyone can no longer make closing night, happy to buy their ticket  |
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Post by westendcub on Feb 15, 2016 13:11:55 GMT
Closing nights are bittersweet - the atmosphere is pretty wonderful and can get a bit emotional at the end.
Even at the recent 'Legally Blonde' at 'Upstairs at the Gatehouse' there was a good atmosphere throughout the closing show, I know it wasn't a big production but was sad they did not do a speech at the end but they were downstairs in the pub afterwards and my friend and I had a really lovely chat with Jodie Jacobs!
I can really imagine that 'Miss Saigon' with have a real buzz to it....'Made in Dagenham' was magical - it truly had the audience in that were it's fan - big cheers after each number, the cast really went for it and the moment was 'Stand Up' with the whole theatre standing up for the whole number - it was dreamlike and then the speeches.
I have loved having this show back on the West-End, seen 6 times....Goodbye 'Miss Saigon' on your final West-End flight (for now) off back to Broadway you go!!
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573 posts
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Post by Dave25 on Feb 15, 2016 14:48:01 GMT
I will really miss the show. London won't be quite the same without it.
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Post by daniel on Feb 15, 2016 16:13:07 GMT
Will be in the Upper Circle on closing night...looking forward very much to seeing it one last time!
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Post by distantcousin on Feb 15, 2016 16:29:32 GMT
Saw the show on Saturday afternoon. In extremely good shape - went with someone who had never seen it and knew little about it - she was absolutely bowled over with it and found it highly intense and emotional - as anyone with a heart should!!
Enjoyed seeing it in the Circle - although the helicopter scene is less effective up there (let's say some stage trickery is more visible!)
I thought the performances were marvellous.
Got to see JJB for the first time since the 2nd UK Tour! He is phenomenally good - so nuanced and a complete understanding of the light and shade of the role. Just a shame he has such a lisp!!
2nd understudy Sooha Kim was on. I thought she was mostly great. Her lack of experience did show but in some ways this enhanced her performance and felt more real than "acted" (much like Bjork in Dancer In The Dark) - the innocence and rawness really shone through. Her accent was strong though - it was the first time I'd heard Kim performed by a non Filipina in all the times I've seen it. SO used to that slightly American twang. Interesting - it made Kim seem more "foreign" - which is a good thing for the story and the perception, but it was sometimes at the cost of diction - especially on the faster and/or more emotionally charged parts of the libretto.
This was worse for the Thuy - I could barely understand a word he sung! Why would anyone cast someone who doesn't have clear enough diction to be heard in a highly amplified, sung-through musical?!? It seems ridiculous. His acting carried him well, but honestly, for anyone not knowing the lyrics, it would simply have been guesswork 90% of the time!!
Loved the Chris much more than ol' Brammer Balls! Better in every way! Stick to Casualty luvvie!
A greater presence, a richer voice and more chemistry with Kim.
Understudy was on for Ellen - even she was better than the woefully miscast Tamsin Carroll - nicer costumes too.
One thing my friend asked, which I couldn't answer clearly: in the final deal, were Chris and Ellen fully prepared to take Tam AND Kim with them? Genuinely? Surely not The Engineer too? (I thought he was rather deluded on that one)
Perhaps I have forgotten little strands of the plot but I haven't been able to quite piece out the final plan...
It is a wonderful show and such a shame it didn't have the legs to make it to a significant run in it's revival.
My theory is tonally it is out of step with the current zeitgeist of light hearted, non-dramatic, fluffy family-friendly musicals...
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Post by ali973 on Feb 15, 2016 16:51:17 GMT
The "deal" was that they'd stay behind and that support them. "In Bangkok he'd go to an American school"
It's alluded that in the end they take them, and Engineer is left behind. Ellen takes Tam, and when the Engineer tries to intervene John stops him.
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131 posts
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Post by critchyboy on Feb 15, 2016 16:55:01 GMT
My understanding from the lyrics:
Ellen: If it were only Tam I'd take him now. He is your child we'd make it work somehow. But Chris she still loves you, how can I have her near?
Tam only - easy solution. Tam and Kim - no go. They decide to leave them both in Bangkok and support them there.
Kim recognises this having met Ellen, hence the tragic ending that gets me absolutely every time!
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573 posts
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Post by Dave25 on Feb 15, 2016 19:29:53 GMT
It is a wonderful show and such a shame it didn't have the legs to make it to a significant run in it's revival. My theory is tonally it is out of step with the current zeitgeist of light hearted, non-dramatic, fluffy family-friendly musicals... I think the show is simply too unknown to most people. There hasn't been a recording since the early nineties and no video material anywhere whatsoever. Shows like Phantom and Les Mis are much more "out there", which works as great promotion. |
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Post by Dave25 on Feb 15, 2016 19:33:37 GMT
My understanding from the lyrics: Ellen: If it were only Tam I'd take him now. He is your child we'd make it work somehow. But Chris she still loves you, how can I have her near? Tam only - easy solution. Tam and Kim - no go. This always confuses me a bit. That was exactly Kim's plan. 5 minutes before, Kim asks Ellen: "You must take Tam with you". And then Ellen says "NO, can't you see, it won't work, it can't be". And a minute later, when Chris comes in, she says "If it was only Tam I'd take him". Well, why didn't you say so to Kim? Then she wouldn't have killed herself. |
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Post by distantcousin on Feb 15, 2016 21:19:47 GMT
Thanks for this! Of course the American school line! The times I've heard it and it hasn't really registered! aargh!
However, there is a lot of contradiction and expression of ideas from Chris and Ellen, you don't get a firm sense of the actual final plan.
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716 posts
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Post by theatre-turtle on Feb 15, 2016 21:27:59 GMT
Saw the show on Saturday afternoon. In extremely good shape - went with someone who had never seen it and knew little about it - she was absolutely bowled over with it and found it highly intense and emotional - as anyone with a heart should!! Enjoyed seeing it in the Circle - although the helicopter scene is less effective up there (let's say some stage trickery is more visible!) I thought the performances were marvellous. Got to see JJB for the first time since the 2nd UK Tour! He is phenomenally good - so nuanced and a complete understanding of the light and shade of the role. Just a shame he has such a lisp!! 2nd understudy Sooha Kim was on. I thought she was mostly great. Her lack of experience did show but in some ways this enhanced her performance and felt more real than "acted" (much like Bjork in Dancer In The Dark) - the innocence and rawness really shone through. Her accent was strong though - it was the first time I'd heard Kim performed by a non Filipina in all the times I've seen it. SO used to that slightly American twang. Interesting - it made Kim seem more "foreign" - which is a good thing for the story and the perception, but it was sometimes at the cost of diction - especially on the faster and/or more emotionally charged parts of the libretto. This was worse for the Thuy - I could barely understand a word he sung! Why would anyone cast someone who doesn't have clear enough diction to be heard in a highly amplified, sung-through musical?!? It seems ridiculous. His acting carried him well, but honestly, for anyone not knowing the lyrics, it would simply have been guesswork 90% of the time!! Loved the Chris much more than ol' Brammer Balls! Better in every way! Stick to Casualty luvvie! A greater presence, a richer voice and more chemistry with Kim. Understudy was on for Ellen - even she was better than the woefully miscast Tamsin Carroll - nicer costumes too. One thing my friend asked, which I couldn't answer clearly: in the final deal, were Chris and Ellen fully prepared to take Tam AND Kim with them? Genuinely? Surely not The Engineer too? (I thought he was rather deluded on that one) Perhaps I have forgotten little strands of the plot but I haven't been able to quite piece out the final plan... It is a wonderful show and such a shame it didn't have the legs to make it to a significant run in it's revival. My theory is tonally it is out of step with the current zeitgeist of light hearted, non-dramatic, fluffy family-friendly musicals... Thanks for your review! Totally agree the show is better from the stalls, especially the helicopter scene. I sat in J of dress circle on my third visit and noticed how much less intimate the show is. I personally prefer all the original cast, except Ellen (the current Ellen is fantastic IMO). I think Chris Peluso is adequate, but vocally and acting-wise weaker than Alistair Brammar, and I think he lacks chemistry with Eva. I don't think it helps that he's extremely tall, and both Eva and Tanya need to reach upwards to kiss him, making those scenes a little hard to believe. |
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131 posts
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Post by critchyboy on Feb 15, 2016 22:07:34 GMT
My understanding from the lyrics: Ellen: If it were only Tam I'd take him now. He is your child we'd make it work somehow. But Chris she still loves you, how can I have her near? Tam only - easy solution. Tam and Kim - no go. This always confuses me a bit. That was exactly Kim's plan. 5 minutes before, Kim asks Ellen: "You must take Tam with you". And the Ellen says "NO, can't you see, it won't work, it can't be". And a minute later, when Chris comes in, she says "If it was only Tam I'd take him". Well, why didn't you say so to Kim? Then she wouldn't have killed herself. True - but then she's heard Chris's side of the story and much he feels he's messed up. Perhaps that helped her change her point of view...! |
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Feb 15, 2016 22:44:20 GMT
No, I don't think that's it at all. It's 'if it was only Tam we'd take him now' - but it's not only Tam, there's Kim too. They refuse to take Tam and separate him from his mother ('take a child from his mother, impossible, Kim').
So when both Kim and Tam are on the scene, they refuse to separate them, they refuse to take them both to America, so both of them have to stay in Bangkok and be supported there. So Kim takes herself out of the equation, meaning that is *is* only Tam, so Chris and Ellen will take him.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Feb 15, 2016 22:51:20 GMT
2nd understudy Sooha Kim was on. I thought she was mostly great. Her lack of experience did show but in some ways this enhanced her performance and felt more real than "acted" (much like Bjork in Dancer In The Dark) - the innocence and rawness really shone through. Her accent was strong though - it was the first time I'd heard Kim performed by a non Filipina in all the times I've seen it. SO used to that slightly American twang. Interesting - it made Kim seem more "foreign" - which is a good thing for the story and the perception, but it was sometimes at the cost of diction - especially on the faster and/or more emotionally charged parts of the libretto. This was worse for the Thuy - I could barely understand a word he sung! Why would anyone cast someone who doesn't have clear enough diction to be heard in a highly amplified, sung-through musical?!? It seems ridiculous. His acting carried him well, but honestly, for anyone not knowing the lyrics, it would simply have been guesswork 90% of the time!! Loved the Chris much more than ol' Brammer Balls! Better in every way! Stick to Casualty luvvie! A greater presence, a richer voice and more chemistry with Kim. Understudy was on for Ellen - even she was better than the woefully miscast Tamsin Carroll - nicer costumes too. I saw it on Thursday evening, and totally agree with you on the actor playing Thuy. He's woefully miscast. His accent is so strong you struggle to understand parts of what he is saying, but - worse - he just doesn't play it strong enough. I'm not sure if it's the accent getting in the way, or if it's just his manner, but this Thuy is not scary or intimidating in the slightest. I really don't know what they were thinking in casting him, he's completely wrong for the role. I saw Sooha Kim too, and agree with basically everything you said. She's great, but having seen Eva, she's not in the same league (but then I don't think anyone is). Really liked Chris Peluso as Chris, very strong and self-assured, and a very good actor too, very natural (I think it does help having an American in the role, rather than someone faking an accent). And Claire Parrish, the understudy Ellen, is my favourite of all the Ellens I've seen - she's just excellent, and when I saw her had great chemistry with the understudy Chris, Richard Carson. |
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Post by ali973 on Feb 16, 2016 4:59:56 GMT
2nd understudy Sooha Kim was on. I thought she was mostly great. Her lack of experience did show but in some ways this enhanced her performance and felt more real than "acted" (much like Bjork in Dancer In The Dark) - the innocence and rawness really shone through. Her accent was strong though - it was the first time I'd heard Kim performed by a non Filipina in all the times I've seen it. SO used to that slightly American twang. Interesting - it made Kim seem more "foreign" - which is a good thing for the story and the perception, but it was sometimes at the cost of diction - especially on the faster and/or more emotionally charged parts of the libretto. This was worse for the Thuy - I could barely understand a word he sung! Why would anyone cast someone who doesn't have clear enough diction to be heard in a highly amplified, sung-through musical?!? It seems ridiculous. His acting carried him well, but honestly, for anyone not knowing the lyrics, it would simply have been guesswork 90% of the time!! Loved the Chris much more than ol' Brammer Balls! Better in every way! Stick to Casualty luvvie! A greater presence, a richer voice and more chemistry with Kim. Understudy was on for Ellen - even she was better than the woefully miscast Tamsin Carroll - nicer costumes too. I saw it on Thursday evening, and totally agree with you on the actor playing Thug. He's woefully miscast. His accent is so strong you struggle to understand parts of what he is saying, but - worse - he just doesn't play it strong enough. I'm not sure if it's the accent getting in the way, or if it's just his manner, but this Thuy is not scary or intimidating in the slightest. I really don't know what they were thinking in casting him, he's completely wrong for the role. I saw Sooha Kim too, and agree with basically everything you said. She's great, but having seen Eva, she's not in the same league (but then I don't think anyone is). Really liked Chris Peluso as Chris, very strong and self-assured, and a very good actor too, very natural (I think it does help having an American in the role, rather than someone faking an accent). And Claire Parrish, the understudy Ellen, is my favourite of all the Ellens I've seen - she's just excellent, and when I saw her had great chemistry with the understudy Chris, Richard Carson. I agree on the accent. His vocals are fine, but nothing that can't be matched locally. Not sure why they decided with such a far away import. His predocessor, though, despite having an accent, was absolutely phenomenal. His voice was quite unbelievable. In terms of portrayal, Thuy was clearly the "bad guy" antagonist in the 80s version. I think they really needed to box people into categories back then, and he certainly fit the bill as the harsh, Asian baddie. In this version though, it shows you how he truly loves Kim and how conflicted he is about some of his choices (before he attempts to murder Tam, he closes his eyes and is shocked at his own actions, as if he really does not want to do this). This makes the scene even more tragic, as you feel bad for both her and Kim for having gone through this. Thuy is actually by far my favorite character in the show, and has some of the best musical moments in the score. I saw Ethan Le Pong (2nd understudy) as Thuy, who was average, which is a shame because he actually has a great voice in other things I've seen him in, but I think he was holding back here. Christian Ray Marbella was the understudy for a while, and he was absolutely unbelievlby horrible. Like a male sounding Angela Lansbury. |
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Post by talkstageytome on Feb 16, 2016 9:32:21 GMT
I agree with what Ali972 said about Thuy. He's absolutely my favourite character. I like the fact that they didn't go with a big scary guy. It's really interesting to see that, like Kim / The Engineer, he's just doing what he has to do to survive. And I really like Sangwoong Jo's acting and voice, though I agree that had I not know his songs already it would be been hard to hear what was being said.
And having seen Eva and Sooha, I much preferred Sooha. Eva has a stunning voice but Sooha felt much more innocent and natural. Both were excellent but Sooha was perfect for me.
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Post by Dave25 on Feb 16, 2016 10:51:19 GMT
This always confuses me a bit. That was exactly Kim's plan. 5 minutes before, Kim asks Ellen: "You must take Tam with you". And the Ellen says "NO, can't you see, it won't work, it can't be". And a minute later, when Chris comes in, she says "If it was only Tam I'd take him". Well, why didn't you say so to Kim? Then she wouldn't have killed herself. True - but then she's heard Chris's side of the story and much he feels he's messed up. Perhaps that helped her change her point of view...! So basically Kim and Ellen agree to take Tam to America, it's only Chris who goes against these 2 ladies |
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Post by Dave25 on Feb 16, 2016 11:08:33 GMT
2nd understudy Sooha Kim was on. Her accent was strong though - it was the first time I'd heard Kim performed by a non Filipina in all the times I've seen it. SO used to that slightly American twang. Interesting - it made Kim seem more "foreign" - which is a good thing for the story and the perception, but it was sometimes at the cost of diction - especially on the faster and/or more emotionally charged parts of the libretto. I thought she was ok, and agree she looked more "foreign", which I didn't quite like. It makes the role of Kim a bit more like "typical damsel in distress". Maybe who doesn't speak the same language, language barrier, it almost makes her too "generic" for the role of Kim. Like you can't really understand why Chris falls in love with her or thinks she is so special. She looks more like a Mimi than a Kim to me. You can't quite understand where their "connection" comes from. I love the fact that Eva (and Lea, and Tanya, and most other Kim's) have this aura that connects more. Like you can immediately see why Chris falls head over heels for her. Like they are meant to be together, I don't know how else to explain it. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2016 18:16:14 GMT
Does anyone happen to know if they're still doing day seats? A friend has asked me to check! Many thanks |
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Post by daniel on Feb 16, 2016 18:26:21 GMT
Does anyone happen to know if they're still doing day seats? A friend has asked me to check! Many thanks £20 Front Row check Theatre Monkey's page for up to date advice on when to start queuing! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2016 18:49:34 GMT
Does anyone happen to know if they're still doing day seats? A friend has asked me to check! Many thanks £20 Front Row check Theatre Monkey's page for up to date advice on when to stare queuing! Thanks done it before just wasn't sure if they'd stopped with it closing soon. |
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Post by ali973 on Feb 17, 2016 3:31:45 GMT
For at least the last two shows they have sold the first row for £20 when the tickets went on sale. They will continue selling day seats even on the last day and evening, not sure where they've allocated their day seats for that date.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Feb 17, 2016 13:53:58 GMT
They were selling day seats last week, but if you want front row, be prepared to get there seriously early. But it seems they'll continue selling what's left (generally side stalls) once the front row is gone, for £20.
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