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June 3, 2005
An unmissable performance
Miss Saigon delivers everything: talent, emotion, a bittersweet
ending.
BAILA LAZARUS
Carrie who? Bo who? While many fans were tuning in to catch the
grand finale of American Idol on May 25, another group was
getting its fill of music on stage at the Stanley Theatre. And those
who caught the opening of Miss Saigon will tell you they
missed nothing by missing Idol; after all, they got to see
a stellar performance, led by Spirit of the West's John Mann.
One of the most enchanting and well-executed shows to hit the Stanley
in recent memory, Miss Saigon delivered everything a musical
should – talent, emotion and a bittersweet ending. Taking place
in the final moments of the Vietnam War, just before the last American
troops pull out of Saigon, Miss Saigon tells the story of Chris
(Jonathan Winsby), a GI who falls in love with a Vietnamese girl,
Kim (Nena Lazo), who has just been brought into a brothel.
Chris purchases her freedom from her pimp, the "Engineer"
(Mann), and pro-mises to take her to the United States. But before
he can go back for her, he is forced to leave the city with the
rest of the American troops. Back in the States, he takes a long
time to recover from his wartime experiences but eventually marries,
thinking he will never see Kim again. Kim survives on her own over
the next few years, raising a baby conceived on her one night with
Chris. She makes her way to Bangkok with the Engineer, who has contacted
an American organization that reunites Vietnamese-American children
with their fathers in the United States. Eventually, Kim reunites
with Chris for the play's conclusion.
Everyone in the cast gives a strong performance and by far the highlight
of the show is the Engineer, played by Mann to devilish perfection.
His mercenary antics (reminiscent of Fagin in Oliver!) and
energetic singing brought him a standing ovation. But Mann's role
is that of a secondary character, which allows for a feeling of
balance in the overall production. Had Mann been able to strut and
pelvic-thrust on stage to many more songs like "The American
Dream," he would have overtaken the show.
Kudos also go to great set design by Ted Roberts, who uses sliding
stages and alcoves for the sets so the action can move between five
different locales seamlessly.
If there's one tiny criticism, it's that the first half felt rather
long, at one-and-a-half hours, and would have benefited from dropping
the superfluous "I'd Give My Life for You" and ending
instead on Mann's fantastic rendition of "If You Want to Die
in Bed." But you can't have everything.
Miss Saigon was created by the same musical team – Claude-Michel
Schönberg, Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. – that
created Les Misérables. It's directed by Bill Millerd,
with musical direction by Bruce Kellett. Choreography is by Valerie
Easton and costume design by Rebekka Sorensen. It runs until July
17 at the Stanley Theatre, Tuesday to Saturday at 8 p.m., and Wednesday,
Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $46-$59, with discounts
for students, seniors and groups. Call Ticketmaster at 604-280-3311
or the Arts Club box office at 604-687-1644 or visit www.artsclub.com
for more information.
Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, photographer and
illustrator living in Vancouver.
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