 | | Love and despair in war-torn Vietnam | |
|  |  | THIS STORY LAST UPDATED:
19 February 2003 1123 GMT
::: Miss Saigon
:: Bristol Hippodrome
:: Until 10th May | | Lovers Kim and Chris in Miss Saigon | | | |
| | 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. | | | "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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