Miss Saigon Broadway Transfer

[DrewVandy]

Posted: 3/14/15 at 6:16pm

There have been rumors that the 25th anniversary production of Miss Saigon playing at the Prince Edward Theatre in London's West End may transfer to Broadway once all the principals have left the production. Do you think is a good Idea? If so who would you wanna see playing these characters?
Miss Saigon London

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/14/15 at 6:19pm

If it ends up coming in next season, that would perfectly tie-in with the 25th Anniversary of the show's Broadway premiere.

My Casting Choices:
Kim: Eva Noblezada
Christopher Scott: Matthew James Thomas
The Engineer: Jon Jon Briones
Ellen: Betsy Wolfe
John Thomas: Kyle Scatlife
Thuy: Kwang-Ho Hong
Gigi Van Tranh: Rachelle Ann Go Updated On: 3/14/15 at 06:19 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 3/14/15 at 6:20pm

It is planning on Broadway next season in 2016 and hear that Jon Jon Briones will come over as the Engineer (he just received an Olivier award nomination for his performance)as for the others not sure and haven't heard.

[phan24]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 6:13am

I would assume that Eva Noblezada will also transfer with the show as she's an American citizen and would have zero problems with Actors' Equity, and she's also giving an amazing performance at the Prince Edward, very surprised she was snubbed by the Oliviers.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 8:44am

I'd love to see Joshua Henry take on the role of John.

[Up In One]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 8:56am

Please say it ain't so, the Broadway museum is going to have to add a wing.

[seahag2]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 10:30am

Cast a Vietnamese girl for Kim is all I'm asking

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 11:31am

If there is a Vietnamese girl that can be found who fits the role and is talented I'm sure she will be hired. I don't agree to casting a Vietnamese just to cast a Vietnamese. Eva can pass for a Vietnamese girl and so did the other Kims before her including Lea Salonga. And Cameron Mckintosh did a worldwide search to cast Miss Saigon so I'm sure he made a good and sincere effort to find the right cast!!! The current London revival cast is represented by performers in 18 countries, I'm sure Vietnam is represented there somewhere!



Updated On: 3/15/15 at 11:31 AM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 12:25pm

"I would assume that Eva Noblezada will also transfer with the show as she's an American citizen and would have zero problems with Actors' Equity, and she's also giving an amazing performance at the Prince Edward, very surprised she was snubbed by the Oliviers."

Yep, she went to Northwest School Of The Arts in Charlotte NC.

[TorontoBroadwayFan]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 1:29pm

this was the first musical I ever saw and would love to see it hit the great white way again.

[seahag2]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 1:45pm

Well yeah, don't cast someone based on their identity entirely. But for a broadway production, you would think someone who is even half vietnamese is capable of a leading lady role. Then again, with representation, you can't be too picky.

[Dave19]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 2:08pm

I hope they make a film version too after or during the broadway run.
How amazing would it be to have a Hollywood blockbuster film of this material with people like Eva Noblezada and Jon Jon Briones who have played the role for years and had the time to discover every nuance of the role and also sing and act your socks off. That quality can never be replicated by someone who is not a natural singer (and therefore not good enough in acting through song, knowing what each little nuance in a certain note can evoke) with a rehearsal period of just a few weeks before shooting. Especially not for the roles of Kim and the Engineer.

I hope they let go of the "bare equals raw emotion" mentality for this film too, in cinematography, sets and way of singing. You can either film "last night of the world" in an empty, dirty, cold concrete room, with no atmosphere, like how it probably was in reality, or you can take the audience on a journey with what is going on in Kim and Chris' mind. In their minds that experience is better than life. So show it. Use theatricality to create a glowing theatrical scene to enhance their emotions and evoke them in the audience too.

So more like Chicago/Moulin Rouge than Les Miserables.

But oh well, let's focus on the Broadway transfer first....





Updated On: 3/15/15 at 02:08 PM

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 2:28pm

Well yeah, don't cast someone based on their identity entirely. But for a broadway production, you would think someone who is even half vietnamese is capable of a leading lady role."

Instead of just saying you hope they cast someone who is Vietnamese or even Half Vietnamese, why don't you propose some Vietnamese theater actresses you feel would be qualified to play the role?

[ggersten]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 2:47pm

Jacqueline Nguyen played Kim at La Mirada in 2012. She is Vietnamese-American. Supposedly, the first Vietnamese actor to play Kim professionally in the US. She was excellent - and tiny.....
But I don't know about her for the film.


Article about Jacqueline Nguyen Updated On: 3/15/15 at 02:47 PM

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 2:56pm

"So more like Chicago/Moulin Rouge than Les Miserables."

How the hell could you possibly do a dramatic musical like that? That would be almost like taking the JFK assassination and turn it into this big screwball comedy!

Plus Moulin Rogue wasn't even any good to begin with, it was nothing but a two-hour migraine. Updated On: 3/15/15 at 02:56 PM

[Dave19]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 3:43pm

I am talking about the theatrical aspects and the sets and cinematography. Not about the particular story line or music style.

"How the hell could you possibly do a dramatic musical like that?"

Well, for example there are more emotions than crying (which unfortunately are the only scenes that work in that sobbing-speaking-crying style of Les Mis that gave me migraine.) For example, there are many moments in Miss Saigon where Kim does not cry, for example when she dreams of something and is very happy, and sings about it, what matters is all the details and nuances in her soaring notes that evoke the right emotion (the whole basis of telling a story through song, nuances, beginnings, mids and endings of each note, building up, go softer/louder etc, etc), a very delicate artform, and those feelings can be complimented by all the wonderful things cinematography has to offer. So for example, the "Roxy" scene in Chicago, which is basically playing in the character's mind, or the "Your song" scene in Moulin Rouge, which is also a bit surreal, it doesn't always have to be an empty conrete room just because the filmmakers think that only then the audience will feel real emotion. Filmmaking is about other things.

Better than life things. Filming "Last night of the world" in an empty conrete room in 1 take and pretend that only then the result will feel "real" for the audience is the dumbest thing you can do in a musical film, and insulting to this artform too. Especially when it's done by people who do not master the craft of real singing. Then all we will see and feel is 2 people in an empty concrete room struggling with singing. Basically, like all the scenes in les mis aside from the crying scenes. At least proper cinematography would have made up for the bad singing (a little). The result for the audience lies in other things.





Updated On: 3/15/15 at 03:43 PM

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 4:58pm

If it does come to Broadway, I hope that Ashley Park could get a chance to play Kim. From the audio I heard of her singing "My Lord and Master" her voice is amazing.

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 5:07pm

Post a link if available, I don't know who she is and that song is not even from Miss Saigon. And Eva does an awesome job as Kim I would think she will have first chance at the role when the show transfers to Broadway unless Cameron wants to hire an 'unknown' as Eva was when she was cast as Kim for the London revival

[Dave19]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 8:48pm

That girl (Ashley) does not look like a Kim at all. She also has a different vocal type.

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 9:00pm

Hmmm... Maybe Ellen then?

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 9:13pm

I was intrigued and did a search of this Ashley Park (but didn't see a sample of her singing) and hmmm no to either Kim or Ellen. She can be in the ensemble lol

[seahag2]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 9:14pm

A lot of roles on broadway are written as or played by white people. Therefore I can't give you a list of Vietnamese women because I just am not too involved in the theatre scene outside of big name broadway stars. I probably couldn't even give you a list of regional/off-broadway faces in general. I'm not gonna throw a fit if they cast a different nationality of Asian but casting a vietnamese girl would be preferable, personally.

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 9:21pm

As long as the Vietnamese actress has the chops to do the role! The way your post reads (to me) is hire a Vietnamese, any Vietnamese to this show! May not be your intent but that's how it comes off

[seahag2]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 11:41pm

Oh I'm sorry if it came off that way, in no way am I suggesting to hire someone incompetent for such a demanding role. I just think that someone out there is of the same racial background AND a great performer. I mean, of the 7 billion people in the world it isn't too much to ask...right?

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 3/15/15 at 11:58pm

"Cast a Vietnamese girl for Kim is all I'm asking"

The premise of this statement is that only a Vietnamese woman who can sing the role should play Kim. One would think that if there is such a Vietnamese actress (other than the woman mentioned above), then that person would have already been cast in a major production of MISS SAIGON but that has not been the case. So the question is: where are these Vietnamese female singers who can tackle the role?

Also by this reasoning only actors who are of Irish descent can play Irish roles, only actors of Italian lineage can play Italian characters, only actors with German bloodlines should play German parts and so on and so forth. That's awfully narrow minded.