Mikko Juan Archives - North West End UK

22Jan

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Miss Saigon – Hull New Theatre

The musical, Miss Saigon, has been watched by over 33 million worldwide. You can add probably a few more thousand on to that figure, if Wednesday night's attendance of the show at Hull's New Theatre is anything to go by. The place was packed. Miss Saigon is in the city as part of a major UK and Ireland tour and relates to events during the last days of the Vietnam War, in 1975, exactly 50 years ago. As soon as the opening stage screen, depicting a huge sacred bird, rose, it was non-stop drama all the way. Many theatre productions now have glorious video backdrops which, brilliantly, showcase much of the story that there would be no time to explain in words. And this production was no different with opening images of bombing, fighter aircraft et al showing us the horrors of w...

Miss Saigon – Palace Theatre

The 2025 tour of Miss Saigon has descended upon Manchester’s Palace Theatre, a moment I approached with a mixture of excitement and nerves. This musical is, without question, my unrivalled favourite of all time. Having seen it over 50 times, I know the script, staging, and emotional landscape inside out. So, would this new version soar like a phoenix… or fall short? Miss Saigon follows Kim, a young Vietnamese girl forced to work in a Saigon bar after losing her family. There she meets Chris, an American soldier, and over one night their lives become bound by a powerful, unexpected love. When Saigon falls, Chris is airlifted out in the chaos, unaware that Kim has survived and is now raising their son, Tam. Determined to protect her child at any cost, Kim endures years of hardship while C...

Fester – The Cockpit

Fester is a new devised physical theatre performance based on the story of Gretchen from Goethe's Faust. Produced by Halfpace Theatre, a new company dedicated to new work and devised theatre created by artists of underrepresented backgrounds, the show was performed at the Cockpit Theatre during the Camden Fringe. Devised by a majority migrant and marginalized gender team with Megan Brewer’s direction and Daria Vasko’s design, the show offers a playful and powerful reinterpretation of Goethe’s seminal work told through the lens of its titular female character, Gretchen. With strong performances by the ensemble and an intriguing design, this show leaves us with many reflections about the representation of marginalized individuals by drawing our attention towards the character of Gretchen and...