BWW Reviews: MISS SAIGON at Vintage Theatre

Vintage Theatre Productions has tackled one of the more difficult musicals of the last 30 years. Miss Saigon is a show filled with challenges for even the biggest, most equipped theatres. But the smaller-scale production that Vintage performs is a beast in other ways.

While I was skeptical about seeing Miss Saigon on a smaller stage because of the enormous reliance on huge spectacle that the show demands, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Director Rebecca Joseph found a heart to the story that I had not seen before in grand-scale productions. By paring away the need for elaborate sets, and focusing on the beautiful and tragic love story between Kim (Regina A. Fernandez) and Chris (Rob Riney), the show latched itself to my heartstrings and didn't let go for the whole performance. Arlene Rapal masterfully portrays the Engineer, who is usually played by a male actor. This change was a genius twist to the character, who diabolically uses the torn lovers to secure her own fortune and freedom from the sordid Vietnam. The ensemble for the show did a spectacular job navigating the challenging music of the show, which has no spoken breaks in the score.

The unit set was perfectly designed to use the limited space very wisely, and the sometimes stark, sometimes soft lighting for the show enhanced the many locations that were suggested throughout. Even the iconic scene in the second act, that features a helicopter descending to rescue a few soldiers, was skillfully done, using lighting and sound to enhance the action. The orchestra made the show feel like a large-scale Broadway event, but at times, the balance and sound issues that often plague smaller venues like the Vintage, distracted from the action on stage.

In all, I was truly amazed at how well this monster of a show got lovingly packaged for the smaller venue. The heart of the story was much more prevalent than I had ever seen before, and for that, I'm very grateful. Where before I had marveled at other productions' use of giant flying cars, full-scale helicopters, and a cast of thousands, I cried at the true value of the torn hearts in the story, and shuddered at the harrowing reality of the Vietnam war.

Miss Saigon plays through February 1, 2015 at Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. with additional performances Saturday, January 11 and 31 at 2:30 p.m.; Monday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, January 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $31, $26 in advance and available online at www.vintagetheatre.com or by calling 303-856-7830. Group discounts for 6 or more are available.

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