Cameron Mackintosh's 'new' production of Boublil and Schönberg's legendary Miss Saigon is commencing a UK National tour in July 2004.
Boublil and Schönberg's soaring score and story are the same as the famous original production with a new breath-taking design developed to suit many more theatres in the UK.
Why is it 'new'?
The first national UK tour of Miss Saigon, based on the original London production closed last December, after a hugely successful run in the six largest venues in the British Isles and Ireland, as these were the only venues that could fit the original design.
This new production can play the many cities in the United Kingdom that would never have been able to accommodate the original production.
Cameron Mackintosh developed a new design concept with set designer Adrian Vaux and director Mitchell Lemsky which is able to move quickly to most reasonably sized theatres while still spectacularly realising the storytelling of Boublil and Schönberg's musical.
The 'new' production of Miss Saigon
The new design will encompass some exciting innovations for the stage.
Using cutting edge visual techniques, this production of Miss Saigon will vividly recreate the streets of Vietnam and Bangkok, including of course the memorable final helicopter flight from the roof of the American Embassy.
The internationally famous illustrator Gerald Scarfe (designer for Pink Floyd's The Wall and Disney's Hercules) has also joined the design team to create his own inimitable take on the famous show stopping production number, the American Dream.
The history of Miss Saigon
Fourteen years ago Cameron Mackintosh premiered Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's epic musical Miss Saigon at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane and overnight it became a legend, running in London and on Broadway for over 10 years and in major capital cities around the world.
Since its London premiere in 1989, Miss Saigon has become the third most successful musical in the history of British theatre and the longest running show ever to play Drury Lane. It has been performed in 18 countries, in nine different languages, has won 30 awards and been seen by over 31 million people worldwide. To date it has grossed over £950 million at the box office around the world.
Suitability
Parental or teacher guidance is recommended - Miss Saigon contains scenes which may be unsuitable for children under 13. Children under 5 not admitted.
Synopsis
Set in 1975 during the final days of the American occupation of Saigon, Miss Saigon is an epic love story about the relationship between an American GI and a young Vietnamese woman.
Kim is working in a sleazy Saigon night club owned by a notorious wheeler-dealer known as 'The Engineer'. John, an American GI, buys his friend Chris the services of Kim for the night. That night will change their lives forever.
Three years later, the US Army has fled Saigon. Chris has returned to America and is now married to Ellen, an American women. He believes that Kim is dead. However Kim has left Saigon and is living in poverty with her three year old son, Tam in Bangkok. Chris finds out that Kim is alive and has bore him a son and so returns to Asia in search of Kim and Tam.
When Kim learns that Chris is in Bangkok with his new wife all her hopes to be reunited with him disappear. She is desperate for her son to have a future in America with his father and will make the ultimate sacrifice to achieve this.
