Theatre review: Miss Saigon turns up the heat with spectacular performances and sets
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While Miss Saigon does not boast as many iconic songs as Les Miserables, it makes up for it with emotional punch and theatrical magic.
PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD
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Miss Saigon Base Entertainment Asia Sands Theatre Aug 20
Miss Saigon has been hailed as one of the most beloved musicals of all time, and it certainly lives up to its hype.
The award-winning show was last staged here at Kallang Theatre in 2001. It returns to Singapore after 23 years and is playing at Marina Bay Sands’ Sands Theatre.
Miss Saigon, which premiered in the West End in 1989, is French creators Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil’s second most successful musical after Les Miserables.
While Miss Saigon does not boast as many iconic songs as Les Miserables, it makes up for it with emotional punch and theatrical magic.
Based on Italian composer Puccini’s classic 1904 opera Madama Butterfly, Miss Saigon is a poignant love story set towards the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
The sung-through musical follows Kim (Abigail Adriano), a 17-year-old Vietnamese orphan forced to work at Dreamland, a nightclub-brothel owned by The Engineer (Seann Miley Moore). There, she meets Chris (Nigel Huckle), an American soldier, and they fall in love.
The couple are separated when Saigon falls. Chris returns to the US and marries an American woman. Three years later, he learns he has fathered a son and goes to Bangkok to look for Kim.
The cast of Miss Saigon.
PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD
The curtain raiser, The Heat Is On In Saigon, is energetic and infectious, paving the way for Adriano’s entrance.
Miss Saigon is the actress’ professional lead role debut. She is only 19, yet the Filipino-Australian brings gravitas to the demanding role. She is pitch-perfect as Kim, the pivotal character who goes from a sweet and vulnerable girl to a tenacious mother who will do anything to ensure her son gets a better life than hers.
Abigail Adriano in Miss Saigon.
PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD
Adriano’s soprano voice is warm and soars from low to high registers powerfully and effortlessly, despite the challenging score. Her diction is excellent, making the emotional numbers more effective. Do not be surprised if you find yourself tearing up during the closing song of Act 1, I’d Give My Life For You.
Her chemistry with Huckle is spot on and their duet, Last Night Of The World, is beautifully delivered.
Chris could easily be dismissed as heartless, but the actor brings some sincerity to the character. The Australian-American tenor’s vocals are impressive and his solo, Why God Why?, will give you goosebumps.
Nigel Huckle as Chris in Miss Saigon.
PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD
However, the scene-stealer has to be Moore, who balances sleaze, camp and fun with great ease. When the charismatic and flamboyant Filipino-Australian gets to The American Dream in Act 2, it is an all-out show-stopping extravaganza.
The ensemble cast and supporting actors – like Sarah Morrison (Chris’ wife Ellen), Lewis Francis (Chris’ best friend John) and Laurence Mossman (Kim’s betrothed Thuy) – deserve praise too.
Miss Saigon is also a visual treat to behold. The sets are intricate and detailed. The staging is exceptional, and the highlight has to be the fall of Saigon. The chaotic scene in which Chris leaves Kim behind – and featuring the famous helicopter, a symbol of the musical – is such a spectacle.
Seann Miley Moore sings The American Dream in Miss Saigon.
PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD
Miss Saigon is not free from controversy, with critics offended by the themes of colonialism, sexism and racial profiling over the years.
But leave politics at the door and enjoy the show for what it is – an amazingly well-orchestrated production.
Book it/Miss Saigon
Where: Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue str.sg/wRPN2 sistic.com.sg str.sg/Apuj
When: Till Sept 29, 8pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 2 and 8pm (Saturdays), and 1 and 6.30pm (Sundays)
Admission: $60 to $250 via Marina Bay Sands (
