When I was a student in London I saw all the big musicals, but for some reason I missed Miss Saigon which was smashing box office records at the time.
Thankfully legendary impresario Cameron Mackintosh and Michael Harrison have joined forces to bring this sung through musical about the Vietnam war back on the road, exactly 50 years after that bloody conflict ended.
Given the perilous state of the world reviving a musical based on Puccini’s Madame Butterfly about the cost of war is really timely. Like most musicals the narrative is driven by a love story, but the tale of GI Chris falling in love with a seventeen-year-old bargirl Kim being exploited by an odious pimp The Engineer in war torn Saigon is far, far gritter than most musicals. Years later Chris finds out his lost love has had his child, but his return to find Kim in Bangkok ends in tragedy.
This was Les Mis creators Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil’s next big hit and has the same sprawling story and grandiose score. My tip is even if you are a musical theatre veteran read the synopsis as it’s a complicated book, and despite Adam Fisher’s pin sharp sound design it could be hard to follow if you don’t pay attention.
Miss Saigon is an epic show reflected in Andrew D Edwards’ big set that has echoes of Communist North Vietnam, which he cleverly uses to move smaller sets on and off to take us from a seedy Saigon club to the intimacy of the bedroom where Chris and Kim consummate their love. And a couple of marines even take a helicopter ride.
Schonberg’s score is equally huge taking Miss Saigon nearer the realms of opera and it benefits from Stephen Metcalfe’s new orchestrations, played beautifully by the orchestra under Ben Mark Turner’s baton. Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr’s lyrics have the odd clunky rhyme, but every word is sung in clear diction throughout serving a story that has more than a nod to Puccini.
Unusually choreography is shared between West End veteran Chrissie Cartwright and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille who offer a number of big set pieces, including an intricate Viet Cong marching routine delivered by the uniformly excellent ensemble
Playing the amoral pimp The Engineer is a tricky role, but the wonderfully flamboyant Seann Miley Moore was born to play him. The former X Factor contestant digs beneath the sleazy charm of a born survivor to find the real man, and leading the ensemble through a gloriously over the top version of The American Dream is a masterclass in musical theatre.
It is scarcely believable that Julianne Pundan is making her professional debut as Kim because she is such a tiny vocal powerhouse with an incredible range capable of switching from the tender I’d Give My Life For You to the punchy ensemble piece, The Movie In My Mind, where the bargirls dream of a better life. Her love for Chris played by Jack Kane is believable and he offers a moving rendition of Why God Why?
Not many big musicals explore challenging issues like people’s exploitation in war zones, PTSD, prostitution and geopolitics explored by characters who have few redeeming features. Miss Saigon may be one the darkest musicals, yet because of a great score delivered by a top class cast it is a show that wasn’t just crossed off my bucket list, but will live long in the memory
Miss Saigon is at Leeds Grand until Saturday 13th December. To book www.leedshertitagetheatres.com or 0113 2430808.
Reviewer: Paul Clarke
Reviewed: 3rd December 2025
North West End UK Rating: