HIT SAIGON!

Advantages: An excellent show, high quality throughout
Disadvantages: No helicopter!

...The Bristol Hippodrome is currently home to Cameron Mackintosh's new production of the hit musical Miss. Saigon. Being a big fan of this genre, my daughter and I really wanted to see it, so I bought the tickets through Ticketmaster - £35 for mine, £30 for hers - and we saw it last night, fourth row of the stalls. Miss. Saigon is quite a 'heavy' musical, not one I would recommend for young kids (swearing, murder, suicide, skimpy costumes) or for casual fans. It is a "through-composed" musical, which means there is no spoken dialogue, everything is conveyed through song. I know some people don't like this. I don't think my husband would have enjoyed it much. But my daughter and I loved it. We have the CD and already knew the songs and the gist of the story, although I found the plot much clearer watching it come to life on stage...

KarenUK 08.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Miss Saigon

the heat is on in saigon

Advantages: great musical
Disadvantages: don't presume you don't like musicals until you;ve seen this one

...I went to see Miss Saigon on Saturday 19th January 2002, at the palace theatre in Manchester. We had to go to the matinee because all of the evening performances were sold out. The palace theatre itself has recently undergone a development costing in excess of 300,000. There is a modern box office, different signage and front façade, new canopy, another kiosk and merchandise positions and a fully re-fitted pit bar. The surroundings looked and felt very elegant. The programme cost just £3.00 and they were on sale just as you walk through the entrance. The bar prices were a little steeper than I’d imagined them to be charging £1.00 for a small bottle of coca-cola. We sat in the stalls, which made us fairly level with the stage and suitably seated to see the performance at its best angle. The people behind the stage...

darrenaspinall 22.01.2002 · Read review
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Review of Miss Saigon

I Miss Saigon

Advantages: Vibrant, bustling and thrilling
Disadvantages: Street Hawkeres and Cyclo Drivers

...My husband and I visited Vietnam in February of this year. Having previously visited Thailand we wanted to return to South East Asia but also to experience a new culture. Vietnam seemed the obvious choice, a relatively new tourist destination where you get real value for money. After a 2 night stop in North Thailand (just to relive a bit of our honeymoon ;o)!) we arrived in Saigon. We thought that being late at night we wouldn't get too much of a feel for the city, but we were wrong. The place was buzzing...literally. The noise was awesome, mopeds humming past, horns beeping and indicator alerts chiming (this is a novel concept...we heard cars playing, amongst other things, Happy Birthday and Jingle Bells during our time in Vietnam!) Tired but elated we arrived at the Grand Hotel, our home for the next three nights. One...

mrsclark 27.08.2003 · Read review
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Review of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Another opera that you shouldnt miss

Advantages: Good opera to watch
Disadvantages: Sad ending

...Miss Saigon, a popular love sotry during the wartime. Since it is a story in Saigon, so the whole musical always have a touch of the oriental culture, including the costumes and the backdrop. The story starts at the club owned by "The Engineer" who want to flee from his country. This guy is a real joker and he is the one creating most of the laughther throughout the show. The serious and the most important part is between the love of a poor girl Kim, who works in the club and a American Marine, Chris. They fell in love and even married to each other but only later to find out that he already has a wife, Ellen back at home (America) when she went over with her son, looking for their husband and father. Chris wants to resolve this situation by staying with his wife in U.S. but sending Kim and their son back and supporting them...

pehchiong 01.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Miss Saigon

~~A Superb Masterpiece from Mackintosh~~

Advantages: Most spectacular production around the world
Disadvantages: The UK tour has already ended but there might be possible future shows

...THERE ARE SO MANY POSITIVE REVIEWS and documented reports about the musical - from West End to Broadway and Down Under acclaiming that Miss Saigon is one of the best productions ever shown around the world! After reading reviews available on-line, I was inspired to write my own review considering that I was able to watch the play for 3 times: April 1997 (New York, USA), October 2000 (Manila, Philippines) and October 2005 (Belfast, Northern Ireland). With no doubt, each review has its own merit of telling us why Miss Saigon is highly recommended play to watch. Having that, so what is the reason why that I have to give another review about the play? Firstly, I watched it in different locations and each location has different ways of doing it which is influence by the size of the venue where the play will be shown; and thus, each...

digitalenvironmentalist 31.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Miss Saigon

SEXY LADIES

Advantages: great show
Disadvantages: none

...I went to see Miss Saigon on Saturday 19th January 2002, at the palace theatre in Manchester. We had to go to the matinee because all of the evening performances were sold out. The palace theatre itself has recently undergone a development costing in excess of 300,000. There is a modern box office, different signage and front façade, new canopy, another kiosk and merchandise positions and a fully re-fitted pit bar. The surroundings looked and felt very elegant. The programme cost just £3.00 and they were on sale just as you walk through the entrance. The bar prices were a little steeper than I?d imagined them to be charging £1.00 for a small bottle of coca-cola. We sat in the stalls, which made us fairly level with the stage and suitably seated to see the performance at its best angle. The people behind the stage and responsible...

darrenasprin 07.12.2002 · Read review
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Review of Miss Saigon

Ikea Hits Asia

Advantages: ..
Disadvantages: ..

...I live near the Palace theatre – so near, in fact, that you can see the immense clock tower from my kitchen. In the middle of the night, when the rest of that area of the city is plunged into darkness, I can usually find my way home by aiming for the bright, shining red letters that spell out its name. In short, it’s my local theatre when I’m in Manchester. At the moment, Miss Saigon is showing there about 8 times a week (6 x evenings and 2 matinees). It’s been on since last November, and will continue to show until June, and I saw it for the first time last weekend. Not the first time here, you understand, but the first time ever. I’ve seen a lot of musicals in my time, and danced a handful or so, but Miss Saigon has never appeared in that list. The most I know is one song a friend had for her song...

zoe_page 23.04.2002 · Read review
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Review of Miss Saigon

Noooooooooooooooo

Advantages: Excellent show
Disadvantages: None

...Those were the last words of the show. Not just a simple ?no? or a direct ?no? but a ?no? so full of pain and agony that you could not fail to be moved by it. A ?no? I felt like shouting as I could have happily sat through the entire performance again? Miss Saigon is a remarkable musical/opera ? I have never experienced a show quite like it. The passion, the drive, the energy, the simple nightmarish consequences of actions we make ? this was a first for me. Normally, I am quite reserved with my emotions ? I?ve seen Les Mis and managed to hold back the sniffles ?till half way through the first act but Miss Saigon caught me unaware in the sixth song of the show and me, a 25 year old bloke, was blubbering his heart out? But enough of that and onto the show:- This is a review of Miss Saigon when I saw it at the Palace Theatre in...

Critchyboy 10.02.2003 · Read review
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Review of Miss Saigon

A brilliant, heart renching experience.

Advantages: Powerfull, moving and dramatic.
Disadvantages: Expensive tickets.

...One word to summarise Miss Siagon? I would certainly say Intense, intense and intense. I went to the Apollo theatre in Manchetser (after paying a tear jerking amount for my ticket) with no idea of the story, form, style or critical response to the play. Thankfully for me (and my empty purse) I was actually very surprised at the brilliance of the whole affair. Yes, it was heavy and the constant operatic form did, in parts become quite tiring. But it had to be, I mean the Vietnam war was no bunch of roses. Miss Saigon is a love story set in Vietnam in 1975. Kim is a 17-year-old orphan who flees the countryside after seeing her family destroyed. Chris is an American Marine officer who visits the sordid strip club called Dreamland where Kim works. He eventually falls for the victimised Kim and they both fall in love with each other...

consumer5 19.06.2002 · Read review
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Review of Miss Saigon

Victims of war

Advantages: Brilliant story and songs
Disadvantages: Sad

...My parents first took me to see Miss Saigon in the West End when I was 11 years old and I don't think I truly understood the meanings behind it, but it made a big impact on me even then. The musical begins during the Vietnam war in a Saigon brothel run by the Engineer - an 'entrapreneur' who is desperate to get to the USA to live the 'American Dream'. Its Kim's first night and she is young and nervous but very beautiful. Chris - a US marine who was dragged on the night out by his friends - is surprised how taken he is by Kim and they spend one unexpected but perfect night together in which they pledge to marry. Unfortunately the war situation changes and Chris is forced to leave in a hurry. Three years later Chris returns to Vietnam having finally started to live his life again by marrying Ellen. Kim however has borne Chris a son...

RuthHolohan 14.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Miss Saigon