Review: MISS SAIGON at Aronoff Center
The heat is certainly on in Cincinnati as the national tour of "Miss Saigon" plays at the Aronoff Center now through April 21. The tour is bringing the 2017 Tony-nominated revival to cities across the country with an electric cast and some of the most stunning technical elements audiences will see.
"Miss Saigon" begins during the last days of the Vietnam war. A seventeen-year-old girl, Kim has just started working in a bar when she meets a young G.I. sergeant, Chris. The two fall in love after spending one night together, but are torn apart as the war ends. Over the next three years, Kim and Chris continue to live separate lives, but the memory of each other always haunts them.
Emily Bautista (Kim) understudied the part in Broadway's 2017 revival before taking it on full-time for the tour. Bautista delivers a stellar and breathtaking performance as Kim. Her voice seems to float on the melodies effortlessly. She could sing the phonebook, and I'd be enthralled, so watching her perform the lush Claude-Michel Schönberg score with lyrics Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr. is a gift. Bautista's heartbreaking honesty is what makes the story so tragic. The audience sees her fight for her love and life throughout the whole play, even though she is handed challenge after challenge. The Act 1 finale, "I'd Give My Life For You," is a perfect example of Bautista's vocal abilities and raw acting coming together to give an award-worthy performance.
Bautista's chemistry with Anthony Festa (Chris) is nothing short of fire. From the moment the two lock eyes in the bar, the audience feels a connection between the two. Bautista's sweet and innocent portrayal of Kim pairs brilliantly with Festa's selfless and sensitive portrayal of Chris. Festa is everything one could dream of for a leading man, between his soaring voice and his superb acting. After their first night together, Chris laments about why Kim is being put in his life when he's almost done in Vietnam in "Why, God, Why." This was the highlight of the show for me. I had to scoop up my jaw from the floor after Festa blew the ballad out of the water.
Yet another highlight from the night was Christine Bunuan's (Gigi) solo in "Movie in My Mind." Bunuan begins the song and got mid-song applause after her solo was over. She carries herself with such power, and her voice is glorious. Bunuan continued to catch my eye every time she was onstage.
Now, let's talk about the technical elements, shall we? If you get the sponsored Aronoff ads on Instagram as I do, you've seen the videos of the helicopter in the show. It entirely lives up to and exceeds the hype. I gasped, but that's all I'll say so you can be surprised when you see it for yourself. The lighting in the musical is equally as beautiful. There are many other gasp-worthy moments because of lighting in conjunction with the gorgeous set.
Don't wait until the "last night of the world" to catch "Miss Saigon" at the Aronoff Center now through April 21. Half-priced tickets are available two hours before every show with a valid student/senior/military/teacher/first responder ID.
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