BWW Reviews: MISS SAIGON Heat is On at TUTS

From the first sound of a helicopter flying as the sun rises over Saigon during the Overture, to the show's abrupt, powerful ending, the Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) production of Miss Saigon will take you on an emotional rollercoaster about unwavering faith in love and self sacrifice - just be sure not to leave your tissue box at home.

Loosely based on Puccini's Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon follows an American GI, Chris (Eric Kunze), who falls in love with a naïve Vietnamese girl, Kim (Melinda Chua), recruited to work at a gentleman's club by the Engineer (Joseph Anthony Foronda) after her village is burned.  The couple falls in love a few days before the fall of Saigon and is separated in the ensuing chaos.  Chris is forced to evacuate with the other Marines after he is unable to find Kim.  A few years later, Chris has returned to America and has married a new love when he learns Kim survived the war and has fathered his son.  The result is a dramatic, complicated, international love triangle that tests the limits of love. 

Kunze, Chua and Foronda all played their respective roles in Miss Saigon on Broadway and lead a large, talented cast which includes Orange, TX native Jessica Rush as Chris's American wife, Ellen, Houston native Steve Eng as Thuy, Kim's betrothed, and Broadway veteran Philip Michael Baskerville as Chris's Marine friend, John.

Kunze and Chua complement each other in both on stage passion and chemistry but also in tone, vocally creating amazing harmonies throughout their duets.  As the plot progresses Kunze masterfully moves Chris from carefree and smitten in love to a wiser man under the pressures of his complicated social situation.  Likewise, Chua delivers a passionate performance that will touch the heart of all mothers. 

Kim symbolizes the potential of love, never losing faith that Chris will return for her and their son.  But stronger than her love for Chris is Kim's commitment to her son, as she stops at no end to protect him and swears to sacrifice everything for his chance to escape to America.  Chua and Rush's vocal talents also combine during the beautiful ballad "I Still Believe" which reveals Kim's faith that love can transcend war, culture, oceans and all odds.

Kim's unwavering self sacrifice is furthered highlighted through the contrast with the self-serving motives of the Engineer, who will do whatever he needs to in order to put his filthy hands on an elusive American visa.  Foronda gives a standout performance fully committed to the vulgar character with impressive characterization, unique mannerisms and limitless energy.  As a master "social engineer," the Engineer's manipulation of others drives forward the plot and provides light hearted relief from the otherwise heavy-hearted story.

Along with the talented cast, what makes TUTS' production of Miss Saigon shine is the attention to detail such as a dated Coca-Cola sign and full storage shelves in the bedroom upstairs from the Engineer's club, Vietnamese riding on bicycles in the background, and dust covering the girls' old props at the club years later.  Director Bruce Lumpkin brilliantly utilizes the large ensemble of 32 to fill the stage fully bringing to life every scene including soldiers cleaning up the Saigon offices as America pulls out its forces, and a funny group of Japanese nerds enjoying the Engineer's second club in Bangkok.  The production is fast moving with fluid scene changes as the complicated set is manipulated with no downtime on stage.

The strong ensemble makes these small details possible and also provides beautiful backup harmony throughout the show.  This is especially the case during "Bui-Doi," the Act II opening tribute, strongly led by Baskerville, to the American fathered children left behind in Vietnam.  Accompanying the song is a moving video of Vietnamese orphans suffering and laying in rusty cribs which drives home the situation from which Kim is trying to free her son.

The exception, however, is the backup harmony during "The Ceremony" when Chris and Kim pledge their love to each other.  The accompaniment vocals provided by the other bargirls are piercing with tight tone and an overload of vibrato that cannot end soon enough.    

The ensemble does come together with impressive choreography by Michelle Gaudette during "The Morning of the Dragon," a celebration of the third anniversary of the reunification of Vietnam and the defeat of the Americans.  Throughout the piece the company transitions from workers in the rice field to a precise military troop with choreography inspired by Asian movements and martial arts.

Written by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, who had previously partnered for Les Miserables, Miss Saigon is comprised of one moving ballad after another which pulls on your heart strings.  Premiering September 20, 1989 at the Theatre Royal in London, Miss Saigon made its Broadway debut in 1991 and is the 10^th longest-running Broadway musical.  The first TUTS' presentation of Miss Saigon also featured Foronda as the Engineer during the 2001 season.

Miss Saigon runs at the Hobby Center for Performing Arts from February 9-21, 2010.  Tickets are available on-line at http://www.tuts.com/, by phone at 713-558-TUTS (8887), outside the Houston area at 888-558-3882, or in person at the TUTS box office (800 Bagby at Walker, Mon-Fri 10a.m. - 6p.m., Sat-Sun 11a.m.-4p.m.).  An audio described performance is available Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 2 p.m. and open captioning Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

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