Miss Saigon

So for Easter, my parents got Mariel and me tickets to see Miss Saigon in Salt Lake City. We both love musical theater, but neither of us have been to see a show for awhile. I didn't know much about Miss Saigon, but Mariel's always wanted to see it so we were looking forward to it.

We weren't disappointed either. The production was first class all the way. The story itself (by the same people who wrote Les Mis) is an adaptation of Madame Butterfly, which I saw at the Opera some 15-16 years ago. The story surrounds an American soldier in Vietnam who spends a night with a Vietnemese prostitute, and falls in love with her, deciding to try and take her back to the states. However, as Saigon falls to the VC in 1975, they get seperated and the soldier goes back to America without her. Unfortunately, their short relationship produces a child, and the soldier gets married upon his return to the states. All I can say is, if you've ever seen or know anything about Madame Butterfly, you know it doesn't end well.

Anyways, all the actors were really great, particularly Kevin Gray, who played The Engineer. He really stole the show for me. We liked it so much, and liked the atmosphere at the Pioneer Theater so much, we're thinking about getting season tickets for next year! I'd give this production 5 stars, and while probably nothing will ever top Les Mis for me, this is certainly right up there with it. In fact, I'd probably say I liked it better than Phantom of the Opera, and that's saying something. If you've neglected Miss Saigon or thought that it couldn't be as good as Phantom or Les Mis, you're really missing out, and you should remedy that ASAP.