London Revival of Miss Saigon has its Kim- Page 2

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/22/13 at 8:52pm

Has an announcement of director/designer been made? It seems odd that the promo videos all seem to ignore this important aspect and given CamMac's underwhelming choices to helm the new productions of Phantom and Les Miz, that's where I'm the most worried. I saw the original show in London during its closing month (Joanna Ampil was a great Kim) and what rally made the show work on stage was Hytner's direction.

[RW3]

Posted: 11/22/13 at 9:14pm

^Laurence Connor

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/22/13 at 9:21pm

The director of Phantom and Les Miz's new productions, right? Oh dear.

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 11/22/13 at 10:42pm

In 1989 Lea Salonga was not then equipped to handle extended runs because Repertory Philippines did not stage open ended productions so Salonga was not prepared for that. Kim is a full two octave singing role - no one has ever come close to Salonga's low E in the reprise of SUN AND MOON - and for someone who had very little formal vocal training, it caught up to Salonga. Thankfully she saved her voice and career and still sings beautifully. Even better now when she was 17. The first time I saw the show in 1991, it was very jarring to hear how resonant Salonga's voice had become compared to how she sounded in the OLC where she was singing way too much in her throat and hadn't yet found the right way to place her voice in a way that really worked for her.

ETA: I'm almost positive that Monique Wilson was originally credited as a Kim understudy but performed more when Salonga was out of commission because of her voice problems. After Salonga returned, I think that's when the show began alternating Kims.

The new Kim sounds like she should be able to sing more than 4x a week. Won't that affect her being considered for the Olivier?

Updated On: 11/22/13 at 10:42 PM

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 11/23/13 at 5:38am

Its expected to be the UK touring version from a few years back, but with some tweaks. Its not expected to be a whole new production. Cameron has hinted as much

[Wildcard]

Posted: 11/23/13 at 12:34pm

Monique was credited as a Kim alternate, not understudy. Jenine Desiderio was first understudy

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 11/23/13 at 11:11pm

Was this the arrangement since the show opened or did it happen months after September 1989?

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 11/24/13 at 8:54am

The lead went to my daugher's HS (NorthWest School Of The Arts) in Charlotte NC. The school also had a former student (Charles Osborne) who recently was understudy this year for the Off-Broadway Show "Forbidden Broadway". This young man also was in the Barry Manilow show "harmony" in Atlanta.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 11/24/13 at 8:56am

RW3- The young lady is a senior at Northwest School of the Arts. See link below.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/11/22/4489180/northwest-school-of-arts-student.html#.Uo_qKo3PHy8

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/24/13 at 3:49pm

I think it's a tough role, sure. She's got a lot of big numbers, but she doesn't have any big sustained notes a la Wicked or Evita. It's more of an acting role than anything. I think you could cute some of the notes, etc, for the emotion of the scene. But moments like when Kim and Ellen meet, and Kim is screaming, that's tough to do. It's tough to scream in a healthy way, and I would imagine at 17 you don't quite understand your voice, etc.

And if this is a rehash of a touring production, then who cares anyway? It's not a totally new production. It's just another revival done on the cheap to make some money for the producers. The new Les Miz was totally by-the-numbers and I expect the review to reflect that on Broadway.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/24/13 at 5:40pm

Ripped, absolutely agree. I don't know why fans are getting so excited about this. At this point, to me (and I admit to not following it closely,) much like Phantom and Les Miz' tour, it sounds like a downgraded production, by a no-name touring director, that only really is justified if the excuse is (and this was what were said about the Phantom and Miz tours) that it can now play in cities it couldn't before -- not the West End.

Opinions on the merits of huge megamusicals aside -- it seems disingenuous to see Cam Mac go on about how brilliant these new productions are, when he was one of the producers who back in the '80s made a big point about how the production of his shows shouldn't be downgraded for other productions. I mean, it's not like the tickets are any cheaper (?)

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 11/24/13 at 7:30pm

Even if Kim doesn't sing as many high notes as Elphaba, which at this point is just a riffing role, and Eva, the sustained and legato singing for Kim is still taxing to perform 8x a week. I disagree that Kim is more of an acting role. It's definitely a singing one just by the very nature of the musical being sung through. I've seen Kims who could emote but sang subpar and they really ruined the show.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 11/25/13 at 7:59pm

Right you are, EricMontreal

Watch:

http://youtu.be/L4cjZKBPX0M?t=43s

Sir Cameron, is that you??? XD

"Exploitation of success." Couldn't have said it better myself!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/25/13 at 8:07pm

Compared to Elphaba it def is an acting role. Evita is tough, though. But there's a reason 17 year olds aren't playing that role.

I would assume that once she starts doing the role 4x a week, she'll start to lose her voice. She doesn't sound like she's got the best training, but I also trust that the producers will get her a great voice coach, etc.

Sounds like they're going for a pretty bland cast/look for the show. Oh well.

[Dave19]

Posted: 11/25/13 at 8:39pm

I think the original production worked so well because of the small stages sliding on the real stage. Sets like "The heat is on", "Sun and moon", "Thuy's arrival/last nigt of the world", "Thuy and Kim", etc, all had intimate stages including floors, on which the action happened. That creates an intimacy that works really well for this show.

This feel was completely missing in the tour and the Dutch production.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 11/25/13 at 8:56pm

Just no pleasing you people sometimes, is there?

[My Oh My]

Posted: 11/25/13 at 9:03pm

That would be for people who aren't pleased with anything.

I was pleased with Saigon, Phantom, and Les Mis once upon a time. =)

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 11/25/13 at 9:11pm

"I was pleased with Saigon, Phantom, and Les Mis once upon a time. =)"

Well excuse me for having my own opinion and not considering these productions a "downgrade".

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 11/25/13 at 9:45pm

i just want the damn helicopter! none of this projection crap! haha

[Wildcard]

Posted: 11/25/13 at 10:10pm

Ditto. I want a non-projection helicopter. I'm fine with everything else.
I actually liked the revised Les Mis a lot. I did miss the turntable but I felt that the new production told the story better. Haven't seen the new Phantom yet but as long as the chandelier crashes again, I'd be fine with it.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/25/13 at 11:33pm

I think it would be fine if they just got rid of the helicopter or just a different effect. Having the projection just feels so... downgraded? I mean, every regional production has used a projection. This is THE big professional version, so it should be top-notch.

Any pics of the touring production this is based oN?

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 11/26/13 at 1:28am

the non equity tour is the only production i've seen use a projection... almost every regional and even high school productions I have seen used a helicopter!

anyway... i really hope this production truly isn't just a rehash of the current UK tour (and US non equity tour)... it would seem such a shame... while i didn't truly hate the production (in fact I quite enjoyed it and it proved that this show is really good) I just felt some of the direction was just ridiculous... turning Sun and Moon into some West Side Story balcony scene and then singing on a trash can... ugh... having Kim not wear Chris' tshirt for the rest of Act 1 which I felt just truly shows her belief that they will reunite and her love for him... the addition of Fifi, which I think I just hated that because Fifi sounds like they just had no interest in coming up with a name for the character... Tam's reveal of him hiding in some box, I mean it just seems weird the soldiers mess up that room and that little kid doesn't get scared or they miss him.. odd... the decision to make John and douche in Act 2... yet despite these, the whole was better then the sum of its parts.. I'm just hoping this is a newer and fresher take on it but I ain't holding my breath...

[Chowd95]

Posted: 11/26/13 at 4:21am

The post about the show being a number of smaller sets that slid into the main stage makes a good point. Most people remember the original production being a huge spectacle, and in some cases (the insane Bangkok set with all the neon and flashing lights that overloaded the senses, The Fall of Saigon with it's amazing, almost instantaneous changes of perspective, and The Morning of the Dragon sequence) it was. But a majority of the show took place on rather tiny sets involving a handful of people. The way it transitioned between those huge numbers then back to the really intimate scenes so quickly and seamlessly was really magical and made the show that much more epic. I hope this new production can bring back some of those feelings of wonder the original did.

[broadway86]

Posted: 11/26/13 at 9:52am

Yes, it's especially demanding when a stage actress is required to act. That's asking too much. They should hire different actresses for each scene, so the others have time for mental and physical therapy and plenty of rest.

And if she acts AND sings a high C, she should get six weeks off for her troubles.

Just did a spit-take. Thanks a lot.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/26/13 at 3:09pm

Would you consider Mamma Rose to be equally as tough? She has to delve into craziness and she belts some pretty big notes a few times through the show. It's a serious acting role and a serious singing role.