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| Love
and despair in war-torn Vietnam |
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THIS
STORY LAST UPDATED:
19 February 2003 1123 GMT
:::
Miss Saigon
:: Bristol Hippodrome
:: Until 10th May |
| Lovers
Kim and Chris in Miss Saigon |
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This
much-anticipated musical exploded onto the Bristol stage with
the force of a well-aimed hand grenade – and the subtlety of
a Scud missile.
In a recent interview producer Cameron Mackintosh said the show
wasn’t as much a look at war as “ about ordinary people being
caught up in extraordinary events ” - but to the casual onlooker
the two are irreparably intertwined.
Set during the last days of the Vietnam War, the story begins
with a shock look at the life of Vietnamese women, forced to
sell their bodies to American GIs in seedy bars to earn enough
money to live.
The show is full of such shocking images, made even more jarring
by the music and dancing that often goes with them.
Comedy moments
Yes there are comedy moments, mostly provided by Leo Favarro
Valdez as the Engineer, a Svengali figure who runs one of the
most popular nighttime venues for the battle-worn soldiers.
His over-the-top and extremely charismatic performance was highly
entertaining.
But even as he brought brief laughter to the show, there was
the uneasy knowledge that this character was an unscrupulous
brothel -keeper, driven by an overwhelming desire to emigrate
to America and willing to do anything and use anybody to achieve
it.
Meanwhile the relationship side of the story focuses on the
love between American GI Chris, played to great effect and with
a lovely voice by David Shannon, and innocent Kim (Ima Castro),
a village girl forced to turn tricks after the death of her
family.
Victims
Here is a real victim of war.
Courageously carrying on with her life she finds hope in the
presence of Chris - but he too is a victim.
He struggles to keep her with him when he is suddenly returned
to the US, but then pushes memories of her aside, along with
the war, in order to return to “real life.”
The young lovers’ passion for each other may have been real,
but Chris is just not strong enough to fight for it.
Kim meanwhile carries on with her life as best she can, keeping
her love for Chris alive even when all hope should surely be
gone.
Ensemble
Miss Saigon is a great ensemble piece, with fine performances
from the entire cast.
With special mention for Robert Vicencio as Kim’s former sweetheart
Thuy and a remarkable performance from Ima Castro as Kim, who
convincingly portrays an innocent who keeps alive her faith
in love despite all she has to endure.
Direction by Matthew Ryan is tight and lighting by David Hersey
helps give an intimate, cameo feel to what might otherwise by
a distracting muddle in some of the chorus numbers.
The set, designed by John Napier, is stunning and used to maximum
effect.
The brilliant reds of the Dragon Guards contrasting with the
poverty of the streets and the use of the bamboo blinds keeping
the Oriental image to the fore.
Then of course there is the grand scale of the full-size helicopter,
12ft statue of Ho Chi Min and full sized Cadillac.
War
But entertaining as it is, Miss Saigon also gives a timely and
poignant reminder that those fighting the battles are not the
only casualties of war.
The second act opens with a conference looking at the huge number
of Vietnamese children conceived during the war and now abandoned
by their American fathers.
Gutsy singing by Hugh Maynard as Chris’s friend John and a gospel
chorus gives a real sense of sorrow as the screen behind projects
images of the forgotten children.
A reminder, as the threat of conflict looms over our own heads
– that in war there can be no real victors, only an infinite
number of losers. |
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"The
young lovers’ passion for each other may have been real,
but Chris is just not strong enough to fight for it. " |
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