Miss Saigon - Sheffield Crucible

[marob]

I was at the matinee as well. I’ve never seen Miss Saigon, so was able to just take it on it’s own terms without comparing it to the original. Really enjoyed it and would also be booking again if Sheffield wasn’t a bit too far away.

I saw Worth a few months ago (the play that was pulled from the Crucible after they announced this) and F*** Miss Saigon a few weeks ago, and after seeing this I can’t quite work out what all the controversy is about. I’ll have to watch the gala film to see what the original is like. Just listening to The Heat is on in Saigon, it does sound like the women are treated very differently (and more realistically TBH) in that.

I like how stripped back it was. I loved the (off-stage) helicopter and The American Dream, both highlights, but I got goosebumps during the Sun and Moon reprise.

This was my first time visiting the Crucible. What a lovely theatre. I had to change my booking pretty late, so went from front row to row L, but even near the back it still felt really intimate.

On a side-note: Are those colourful buildings you can see from the foyer/bar the setting for Standing at the Sky’s Edge?

[mrnutz]

Miss Saigon on a budget. Amateurish. Clunky.

I know others have described this production as ‘sanitised’ but the word I’d use is ‘muted’.

Probably not helped by being (I believe) the first performance for the alternate Kim and so the alternate Gigi, this did not feel like a confident and assured performance from many in the cast.

I have no issue with a female Engineer in theory and could see how this could have worked, but Joanna Ampil didn’t bring the sleaze or comedy that can make the Engineer such an engaging character, screeching her way through most of her songs.

There were dropped props, including Thuy’s pistol sliding across the stage, and I have no idea what having performers sat around the edges at various points brings to this show.

The helicopter scene was well done, despite the lack of helicopter, and I enjoyed the projections on the back wall which helped to set the scene with minimal physical sets. Amazing what you can do with a wobbly metal staircase and a table on wheels.

Overall, for me, a miss.

2.5/5

Side notes on my first visit to The Crucible: excellent views, not enough toilets, could have done without the constant phone checkers, casual chatters and sweet unwrappers.

[stepha]

I saw the Sat matinee of this with my sister, both huge fans of the original so very biased and I was nervous how I'd feel about this. I'd avoided other reviews until after I'd seen it but did see the word sanitised a few times. I can understand why this will split opinion but I actually enjoyed this so much and was even more surprised that my super-fan sister said it was her favourite performance of Miss Saigon that she'd seen.

Apologies if my thoughts are all over the place but here goes...

I didn't mind the very stripped back staging and thought it was very well done with very little.

I actually don't agree with sanitised - the whole thing felt much more real and gritty. I suspect the girls outfits in Dreamland were probably more accurate than the original costumes - Dreamland felt quite dark and hard to watch rather than glamorised - I felt like I could feel hopelessness from both the girls and the GI's which was really stirring. The use of the podium where the GI's were looking up at the girls who weren't actually on the podium, but were around the stage, lit up for the audience as their names were called was really interesting.

Bui-Doi (as lots have already mentioned) was for me a triumph and better than the original.

I actually thought that moving Chris and Ellen into a supermarket for I Still Believe was effective - it's not just his dreams that are haunted but his everyday life and again felt more 'real'.

I was really moved by the flashback and Chris being pulled away from Kim by the helicopter - gives me chills thinking back to it.

Morning of the Dragon was also really effective - the choreography and lighting were clever.

The projections and the whole atmosphere around the refuge boat were so beautifully done and the first time I've really felt the gravity and danger they were facing.

A female engineer really seemed to me to give a strong sense of the desperation to escape and Joanna Ampil was unsurprisingly excellent. I feel like this has opened the door for the engineer to be played interchangeably by anyone as long as they can portray that dark desperation.
Our Kim was Desmonda Cathabel on her debut and I found her portrayal really beautiful. (she blanked for a couple of lines near the beginning which I don't even know if I should mention because she moved on like a true professional and it didn't change my opinion on her wonderful performance).
I've always found Ellen to be a rather blaa and not particularly likeable character but Shanay Holmes was outstanding - the first time I've ever shed a tear for Maybe.
Ethan Le Phong as Thuy was another outstanding performance.
The cast were all outstanding, I feel almost bad singling out just these!

Oh, and my first time at the Crucible and what a fabulous theatre!

[TallPaul]

Jul 16, 2023 23:21:16 GMT marob said:

Are those colourful buildings you can see from the foyer/bar the setting for Standing at the Sky’s Edge?

Yes they are. Goodness knows how they're going to re-create that 'effect' at the Gillian Lynne.    And above and behind Park Hill is the actual Skye Edge.

[BurlyBeaR]

I don’t think we’ve done a press reviews round up? 

Guardian: A slick machine of a musical ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stage: Performances emphasise the rage and anguish ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Times: Who needs a helicopter? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
WoS: Assured interpretation remains a sweeping epic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Telegraph: Respectfully revised, remains emotionally searing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Reviews Hub: Thoroughly moving, beautifully performed ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[BurlyBeaR]

Could this possibly transfer to the NT or GL next year? 😲

[toomasj]

West End Best Friend (blog) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
East Midlands Theatre (blog) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some glowing reviews from the critics/bloggers, but very mixed on here and from friends who have seen it. Two loved it, three liked it, six hated it from the group I went with and friends who went subsequently. Seems the perfect example of a marmite production!

I would say to go and make your own mind up (and this is from someone who was not at all impressed) - at the very least you’ll get to visit a wonderful theatre and hear one of the finest musical scores perfectly competently performed by a decent cast. You may love it!

[cheri78]

Superb review from Stepha, I'm in total agreement with all you say. Having seen Miss Saigon many times this was a revelation. The staging was superb and let you focus on the story and more importantly the characters. I saw things never noticed before on the vast Drury Lane or Prince Edward stages and though their spectacle was amazing many times this direction made you realise that often its 2 or 1 character on stage, so lost in a vast auditorium. The lighting design was stunning, particularly in Solo Saxophone...just watch for the amazing circle of light and the inky black inside...it actually made me cry!! And the Fall of Saigon was brilliant. Having worked at the Crucible I know that there is miniscule amount of space above the lighting rig, so the direction of being hoisted into the helicopter, the wind effects and swirling lights was a coup de teatre. Perhaps, for me, this scene was the only one where I thought that the original was a little better, and not because of the physical helicopter, but because of the use of the metal fences and how it switched from inside to outside the complex where you really saw the desparation of those trying to get out. This was a little confusing from lower seats in the Crucible, but maybe worked well further back. But the final image of Kim and Chris almost touching hands as the helicopter lifted was a directional triumph. And I mustn't forget the amazing company and those voices. Bui Doi was a revelation. Kim,Chris,John, Ellen Thuy and of course the Engineer were wonderful.It's 5* from me.

[BurlyBeaR]

Very much enjoyed this. It’s a totally different experience to the original so if that’s going to upset you…be prepared! Joanna Ampil is so completely assured that you can easily forget the Engineer was originally a man. The gender swap totally works.

It’s pared back and that works most of the time but niggles with things like the wedding ceremony, and a chair and suitcase representing the Bangkok hotel. First time I’ve felt any sympathy for Ellen but back to form I still hated her by the end. Stop spoiling it for everyone Ellen, just leave him!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Transfer it to the NT or GL. It would do great business in name recognition alone, cost nowt to run and then CM could revive the “brilliant original” in a couple of years.

[Ade]

Jul 17, 2023 8:43:37 GMT stepha said:

I saw the Sat matinee of this with my sister, both huge fans of the original so very biased and I was nervous how I'd feel about this. I'd avoided other reviews until after I'd seen it but did see the word sanitised a few times. I can understand why this will split opinion but I actually enjoyed this so much and was even more surprised that my super-fan sister said it was her favourite performance of Miss Saigon that she'd seen.

Apologies if my thoughts are all over the place but here goes...

I didn't mind the very stripped back staging and thought it was very well done with very little.

I actually don't agree with sanitised - the whole thing felt much more real and gritty. I suspect the girls outfits in Dreamland were probably more accurate than the original costumes - Dreamland felt quite dark and hard to watch rather than glamorised - I felt like I could feel hopelessness from both the girls and the GI's which was really stirring. The use of the podium where the GI's were looking up at the girls who weren't actually on the podium, but were around the stage, lit up for the audience as their names were called was really interesting.

Bui-Doi (as lots have already mentioned) was for me a triumph and better than the original.

I actually thought that moving Chris and Ellen into a supermarket for I Still Believe was effective - it's not just his dreams that are haunted but his everyday life and again felt more 'real'.

I was really moved by the flashback and Chris being pulled away from Kim by the helicopter - gives me chills thinking back to it.

Morning of the Dragon was also really effective - the choreography and lighting were clever.

The projections and the whole atmosphere around the refuge boat were so beautifully done and the first time I've really felt the gravity and danger they were facing.

A female engineer really seemed to me to give a strong sense of the desperation to escape and Joanna Ampil was unsurprisingly excellent. I feel like this has opened the door for the engineer to be played interchangeably by anyone as long as they can portray that dark desperation.
Our Kim was Desmonda Cathabel on her debut and I found her portrayal really beautiful. (she blanked for a couple of lines near the beginning which I don't even know if I should mention because she moved on like a true professional and it didn't change my opinion on her wonderful performance).
I've always found Ellen to be a rather blaa and not particularly likeable character but Shanay Holmes was outstanding - the first time I've ever shed a tear for Maybe.
Ethan Le Phong as Thuy was another outstanding performance.
The cast were all outstanding, I feel almost bad singling out just these!

Oh, and my first time at the Crucible and what a fabulous theatre!

Saw it this afternoon and this basically echoes my thoughts. It’s 5 stars from me. Loved virtually everything about it. All of the performances worked for me and felt less ‘stagey’ than the Prince Edward production. But the female engineer was a brilliant move. I found myself struggling to see a man in the role - right from the moment the engineer sings in movie in my mind, there was suddenly an extra depth to the character. So many of her motivations seemed more authentic, lee shrewd and more sheer desperation.

And frankly when it comes to the helicopter, who even needs it?! This was a thrilling staging of that sequence - I found myself getting a tad emotional at the sheer theatricality of the way they did it.

I know there was some criticism of the projections earlier on and frankly I could take or leave them but the lighting design was STUNNING. Some of the uses of lighting to create different environments were genius, and the way they used light shining through the back wall created some stunning scenes.

[djdan14]

Selling a ticket for next Saturday Matinee on the notice board

[BurlyBeaR]

[toomasj]

Always loved that performance on YouTube, Peter Poly never lets you down. Seen him in rather a lot of musicals over the years!

[johnp]

I saw the matinee performance on Saturday (22/07) and loved every minute of it. The majority of the production changes worked for me although sometimes the staging seemed a little too busy for my liking at times.

Desmonda's performance as Kim was breath-taking, both in vocal delivery and intensity. I am a massive fan of Joanna and she did not disappoint. However, the engineer historically brings us the closest we are going to get to comic relief and I just don't feel that was achieved in this production.

Ultimately, I would give this 5 stars. Miss Saigon has always been controversial and it involves increasing challenging themes. Any musical that can have a huge emotional impact on you and has that much talent on stage deserves 5 stars, in my opinion. I would add that I spent most of the production with tears streaming down my face; but anyone who knows me knows that is not unusual in the theatre.

This was my first visit to the Crucible and the venue and its staff were lovely.

I hope to catch this production again before it closes.

[schuttep]

I saw this last Saturday matinee and absolutely loved it.

As has been said, the singing and lighting were particularly excellent. I saw the 2022 winner of the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year (SSSSPOTY) competition, Desmonda Cathabel, as Kim and she was outstanding.

I would be very surprised if CamMac doesn't give this a longer life.

[anthony40]

Jul 23, 2023 20:59:04 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Thank you for sharing BurlyBeaR.

When my best friend and I backpacked through Europe we saw Miss Saigon when we came to London in 1993. (I think) he'd left the show by then. But I have his vocals on the cast recording.

We'd heard all about Miss Saigon and this and Sunset Boulevard were the shows to see. 

Since being here I have seen him in many shows- City of Angels and The Band's Visit (both at The Donmar) and Working at Southwark Playhouse. He was also on Oklahoma! at The National- which I never saw (before my time here) but I have on DVD.

Of course he is an older man now but it's good to see him younger and to put a face to the vocals and to see how the whole scene looked back then.

[BurlyBeaR]

It’s interesting that Peter Polycarpou has an amazing voice and a fantastic pedigree in MT but most people in the U.K. only know him from that awful TV sitcom he did. 

[cezbear]

Jul 24, 2023 18:00:05 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

It’s interesting that Peter Polycarpou has an amazing voice and a fantastic pedigree in MT but most people in the U.K. only know him from that awful TV sitcom he did. 

I'll admit I can never quite forget him for birds of a feather (thanks mum).

[toomasj]

Regarding this going into the Prince Edward, would Cameron Mackintosh even want that? He did his revival - basically the original production - with his boy directing really not too long ago. He clearly believed in it, releasing the pro-shot, transferring it to Broadway, doing a making of DVD etc.

I personally think it’s very unlikely the Sheffield Theatres MS will go into the same theatre. As far as I understand it, Cameron had little to no involvement in the Sheffield production and simply licensed it - would his ego allow a new production he didn’t helm to undermine his previous one at the very same venue?

Cameron has made it clear throughout his career he believes in not reinventing the wheel - and has said as much in recent interviews. I wonder if this production is a little too far outside of his vision to put his name to in the West End.

And finally, would the audience bite? Playing a northern regional venue (and a great one at that) scoops up audiences for the show from the entire north of England. The revival in town was really struggling on for a while before it closed, papering every single night at PBP and others - and not even shifting all of those either.

Would an audience really be sold on a “new production” anyway? One without the helicopter? The average punter doesn’t know or care what the differences between productions is, they’ll just see Miss Saigon and either book or not. I think it’s too soon for a revival in the West End.

Maybe a tour.

[BurlyBeaR]

Jul 25, 2023 18:20:49 GMT toomasj said:

And finally, would the audience bite? Playing a northern regional venue (and a great one at that) scoops up audiences for the show from the entire north of England. The revival in town was really struggling on for a while before it closed, papering every single night at PBP and others - and not even shifting all of those either.

Would an audience really be sold on a “new production” anyway? One without the helicopter? The average punter doesn’t know or care what the differences between productions is, they’ll just see Miss Saigon and either book or not. I think it’s too soon for a revival in the West End.

Maybe a tour.

Maybe a non replica production would be the very thing to get a London audience to bite?

I’ve been looking at some clips from the original and my word, it looks “busy” and (sorry) “overblown”? I’ve realised since seeing the Crucible version that the stripped back design really made me focus on the material.

Isnt the London and possibly International audience looking for something a bit more forward thinking than that old helicopter effect? 

[theatrefan62]

Isn't this version too small for the Prince Edward? It looks like it would be lost on such a big stage.

Plus before the last revival happened there was a lot of drama/negative comments about the possible loss of the helicopter with people fearing it would be like the previous scaled back uk tour.

Maybe in a smaller venue could work, and signal its definitely nothing like previous productions

[toomasj]

Jul 25, 2023 18:27:10 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Jul 25, 2023 18:20:49 GMT toomasj said:

And finally, would the audience bite? Playing a northern regional venue (and a great one at that) scoops up audiences for the show from the entire north of England. The revival in town was really struggling on for a while before it closed, papering every single night at PBP and others - and not even shifting all of those either.

Would an audience really be sold on a “new production” anyway? One without the helicopter? The average punter doesn’t know or care what the differences between productions is, they’ll just see Miss Saigon and either book or not. I think it’s too soon for a revival in the West End.

Maybe a tour.

Maybe a non replica production would be the very thing to get a London audience to bite?

I’ve been looking at some clips from the original and my word, it looks “busy” and (sorry) “overblown”? I’ve realised since seeing the Crucible version that the stripped back design really made me focus on the material.

Isnt the London and possibly International audience looking for something a bit more forward thinking than that old helicopter effect? 

I think it’s certainly possible, but I question exactly how much research the average theatregoer puts into what they are going to see, short of the show’s name, and maybe who they’ve heard of that’s in it.

If a punter sees a show on tour, they aren’t looking at who is producing it, or the size of the orchestra or production pictures of the sets/costumes in advance. They are booking a night out in the main.

In my opinion “epic” famous shows are in the public consciousness, you can usually apply one key moment to them that they remember.

Miss Saigon - Helicopter
Phantom - Chandelier
Wicked - Flying/Defying Gravity

[distantcousin]

Jul 24, 2023 18:00:05 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

It’s interesting that Peter Polycarpou has an amazing voice and a fantastic pedigree in MT but most people in the U.K. only know him from that awful TV sitcom he did. 

Birds of A Feather?!?!

[mrnutz]

This production is way too stripped back for the PE.

[djdan14]

Ticket still available on the Noticeboard for todays matinee if anyone wants it