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Joining Hearts in a War’s Underbelly
By ANITA GATES
Published: July 17, 2009
“Miss Saigon,” now in a poignant if not transfixing production at the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts, appeals in different ways to different theatergoers. For some, the high point is the entrance of the whirring helicopter in the fall-of-Saigon flashback. For others, like me, the moment of bliss is the Engineer’s amorous encounter with a Cadillac convertible, brought on by longtime lust for every big, flashy, shiny thing the United States stands for.
In Patchogue, the car fans are out of luck. Raul Aranas does a fine job as the Engineer, an imaginative, enthusiastic pimp in wartime Vietnam. But when it comes to the character’s frequently showstopping second-act number, “The American Dream,” he has to show his passion without benefit of a car hood to pounce on. The Engineer, a role originated in London and New York by Jonathan Pryce (Mr. Aranas replaced him on Broadway in 1994), isn’t crucial to the operatic plot of “Miss Saigon,” but he represents the heart — or rather the sleazy heartlessness — of the time and place.
This is a romance, inspired by “Madama Butterfly,” about Chris (Scott Laska), a clean-cut young Marine, and Kim (Alex Lee Tano), an innocent young Vietnamese villager flung into the big-city sex trade. When they meet at Dreamland, the raucous Saigon nightclub-brothel, it’s love at first sight. After Chris struggles with his horror over Kim’s situation (“We could be in the sack/For what it costs me to buy a Big Mac”), they join hearts, move in together and plan a future.
So how does it happen that when 1978 rolls around, Chris is back stateside with a pretty American wife (Mary Mossberg) in a jersey wrap dress, and Kim is in a Bangkok dive with her little boy? The second act reveals the answer and sets a reunion in motion, one in which everyone behaves nobly and everyone’s heart is broken.
“Miss Saigon” won Tony Awards in 1991 for its stars, Mr. Pryce and Lea Salonga, and ran for nearly 10 years on Broadway, but it never produced a hit song. “The American Dream” achieves its own kind of greatness, but you’ll probably never hear it on “American Idol.” Otherwise, Claude-Michel Schönberg’s music and Richard Maltby Jr. and Alain Boublil’s lyrics make pleasant but undistinguished tunes.
They also tend to be excellent showcases for powerful theatrical voices, and the Patchogue production has more than its share of those. Mr. Laska and Ms. Tano, who was also in the show’s Broadway production, harmonize beautifully in the ballad “The Last Night of the World.” Ms. Mossberg’s big number is “Now That I’ve Seen Her,” a reaction to meeting her husband’s onetime lover. Collin Lyle Howard, as Chris’s Marine buddy John, shows off a booming, affecting voice in “Bui Doi,” a lament for the Amerasian children conceived in war and left behind.
In general, the choreography of this Gateway Playhouse production is stylishly done by Bob Durkin, who also directed. In one of the ensemble’s numbers, graceful red ribbons are soon exchanged for automatic weapons. These group efforts work well. But when the action moves to Bangkok, supposedly the red-hot capital of sex tourism, the young women gyrating in their go-go dancer cages seem awfully tame. I’ve seen sexier moves done by high school cheerleaders with Mom and Dad looking on proudly from the bleachers.
The matinee last Saturday had a bit of extra drama. Early in the first act, the theater’s fire alarms went off (maybe someone was trying to make the Saigon nightclub a little too smoky?) and the theater had to be evacuated. But after firefighters checked things out, the show went on. And to the cast’s credit, all it took was one line from the Engineer — “O.K., everybody, back to work” — and we were transported back to 1970s Vietnam. Now if he could only remind producers that “Miss Saigon” was never meant to be squeaky-clean family entertainment.
“Miss Saigon,” by Alain Boublil, Richard Maltby Jr. and Claude-Michel Schönberg, is at the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts, 71 East Main Street, through July 25. Information: (631) 207-1313 or gatewayplayhouse.com.
'Miss Saigon' just as strong in second Gateway staging
By LEE DAVIS
Published: July 14, 2009
Dear old David Belasco. Where would we be if he hadn’t decided to dramatize John Luther Long’s short story “Madame Butterfly?”
No Puccini masterpiece. No “Miss Saigon,” the modern musical masterpiece by the “Les Miz” boys, Alan Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg. Answer: We’d be at quite a loss in all three cases, for the romantic tale of the innocent Asian victimized by the casual westerner remains touching and tragic and real, no matter the form or the year or the location.
The current production of “Miss Saigon” by the Gateway Playhouse in the 1,200-seat Patchogue Theatre is a repeat of its spectacularly successful mounting of the show in 2003. This year’s spectacle is as eloquent and gorgeous as the Gateway original, and enjoys the triple advantage of two repeat leads—Alex Lee Tano as Kim and Raul Aranas as The Engineer—and the inspired direction and choreography of Gateway icon Bob Durkin.
The transplant by Mr. Boublil and Mr. Schonberg (with an assist from Richard Maltby Jr.) of “Madame Butterfly” from Admiral Perry’s incursion into medieval Japan to the American involvement in 1970s Vietnam is a valid and valiant one. It works naturally, boosted by a surging and richly melodious score, adequate lyrics, and an arc of a story that sweeps the audience smoothly into its multiple levels, from clashes of politics and tradition to the human toll brought on by these collisions.
Mr. Durkin keeps the stirring, multi-locale story moving with sweet fluidity and variety and sensitivity to its tragic elements, and Andrew Graham’s musical direction is varied and sure and at times thrilling.
Michael Anania’s setting is a feast for the eye (and, yes, includes the famous helicopter evacuation of Saigon) and Doug Harry’s roving and multi-hued lighting design is loving and mood enhancing.
The large ensemble is electric and exciting and able to ring the rafters. Six-year-old Dakota Asuncion is adorable and heartwarming as Tam, the child of Chris, the American Marine, and Kim, his misused young Japanese bride. Allen D. Wong, as Thuy, the commissar who tries to claim Kim, is rock solid and formidable. Collin Lyle Howard is warm and substantial and rich of voice as Chris’s buddy John.
Mary Mossberg, whose vibrant singing lit last year’s “Will Rogers Follies” at the Gateway, does as much for “Miss Saigon” as Ellen, Chris’s American wife. She makes of the second act’s wistful “Now That I’ve Seen Her” a poignant moment.
Scott Laska turns Chris into more than a pleasure seeking marine. His is a finely shaded performance that gives dimension to the character, and his duets with Kim, “Sun and Moon,” and “Last Night of the World,” are gloriously sung.
Raul Aranas, in the forcefully cynical role of The Engineer, is magnetic and marvelous, and more than worthy of the cheers he brought about on opening night. His first act number, “If You Want to Die in Bed,” is delivered with bitter humor, and his 11 o’clock number, dragged in regardless of the plot obviously by original director Nicholas Hytner to give Jonathan Pryce his Tony-winning moment, is given a show stopping, brutal and devastating delivery by the fiercely talented Mr. Aranas.
In 2003, in Patchogue, Alex Tano removed and replaced all memories of Broadway’s Lea Salonga as Kim, the tragic heroine of “Miss Saigon.” She does the same and more in 2009. Currently one of Korea’s most popular singers, she was Gateway casting director Robin Joy Allan’s dream choice to repeat her first starring local appearance. But Ms. Tano was booked solidly in Korea for the summer—until the North Korean missile crisis happened.
So it took an international incident to free up Ms. Tano to re-create the role of Kim in Patchogue, which she does, with heartrending sensitivity and a glorious, multi-mannered voice. She only has to stand on stage to shine. Luckily for Gateway audiences, she does far, far more than this.
Once again, the Gateway has brought in a must-see musical, a spectacle for the eye, the ear and the heart. It continues every night but Monday and in several weekly matinees through July 25 at the Patchogue Theatre. The box office number is 286-1133.
Miss Saigon comes to Patchogue
By JENNY O'SULLIVAN
Published: July 10, 2009
Miss Saigon opened this week at Gateway Playhouse's Patchogue Theater and you do not want to miss it. This production easily rivals any Broadway show and for half the cost. You do not want to miss this timeless classic playing in our own backyard.
The story follows the tragic love story of the beautiful and innocent orphan, Kim and the frustrated American soldier, Chris. Kim played by Broadway veteran Alex Lee Tano and Chris played by Scott Laska both had stunning powerhouse voices that had a tenderness and humanity to them that they touched every member of the audience. With this quality the audience truly cared about their characters and were therefore on the edge of their seat with anticipation wondering the destiny of these lovers,through all the obstacles and complications they encounter throughout the show.
The show wouldn't have been as remarkable without the talent of this entire cast. Vocals were always on point and well executed harmonies were soothing to the ears. The bargirls and soldiers gave us an all too scary reenactment of a probable night in Vietnam. The audience could feel the desperation of the Vietnamese to get out of the hell they were living in and the eagerness the soldiers felt to go back home, all thanks to the wonderful ensemble work by the cast. Raul Aranas, another Broadway veteran, was exceptional as the engineer bringing a dark sense of humor to this otherwise serious storyline. His performance of "The American Dream" was one of the most memorable performances of the night. Allen D. Hong's tremendous acting and vocal skills had everyone feel for his character of Thuy. Truly a haunting performance.
The set was exquisite and brought both Saigon and Bangkok to life. And yes, the helicopter does land. Fantastic lighting, sound effects and construction on the helicopter couldn't have made it seem any more real. The musicians of this production also deserve credit for the beautiful music executed. Every aspect of this show made me forget that I was in Patchogue and not on Broadway.
I highly recommend going to see Gateway's Miss Saigon, playing now through July 25th. Call 631-286-1133 for information.
Pop star back in 'Miss Saigon' at Gateway Playhouse
By STEVE PARKS
Published: July 14, 2009
The last time Gateway Playhouse produced "Miss Saigon," President George W. Bush had just declared, "Mission accomplished." Now, six years later, as Americans wind down their front-line role in Iraq, "Miss Saigon" returns with its tragic tale of another interminable war - Vietnam.
Two leading players from 2003 return for an encore. Alex Lee Tano played Kim, the orphan who falls in love with an American GI, on Broadway and on national tour. She's cast opposite Raul Aranas, who's made a career of playing The Engineer in "Miss Saigon," from Broadway to Bellport.
Tano, as she's known in musical theater, said this is her last time as Kim. First, it was never her ambition to become an actress. She's a pop star in her native South Korea, where she's known by her real name, Sojung Lee. Secondly, she said, "It's time to retire" from the role. Although she could pass for 21 (younger with stage makeup), Kim is supposed to be 17 when we meet her.
So, when Gateway invited her back for their latest "Miss Saigon," she said no. But a sagging economy and threats from its neighbor to the north led to the cancellation of her tour behind "Chopin and the Girl" - the CD cover featuring a leggy Lee in a black mini-dress. She called back and flew to JFK for the second week of rehearsal. With the familiar faces on the set, "It's like I was here yesterday."
We chatted with Tano and her "Engineer," Aranas, during a lunch break.
To Tano: Did the North Korean missile launches have anything to do with your tour being canceled? No, it's the economy. It's like when people in Korea heard about swine flu, they thought if they came to New York they'd die. Only people on the outside think it's dangerous in South Korea.
To Aranas: Do you think "Miss Saigon" is more relevant now in a time of war - two wars, actually - in Asia? Yes, especially now. It's a man's kind of musical. I love playing the villain and trying to find something redeeming about him. It's like playing Richard III or Iago [in "Othello"].
To Tano: Would you consider another musical? No, I only came back to do "Miss Saigon" - and then only for Gateway.
WHAT Gateway Playhouse production of "Miss Saigon," by Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Richard Maltby Jr.
WHEN | WHERE Daily except Mondays through July 25, including several matinees, Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts, 71 E. Main St.
INFO $50-$56, gatewayplayhouse.com, 631-286-1133
Miss Saigon a riveting, stunning hit
By JESSIE BIELE
Published: July 16, 2009
The Gateway Playhouse celebrates its 60th year with a revival of its most requested production, Miss Saigon. Alan Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg's modern adaptation of Madame Bovary tells the story of two star-crossed lovers in 1970s Vietnam, where U.S. military forces were fighting during the Vietnam War. Love, passion, violence and the American Dream drive the plot of this classic West End musical.
Kim is a 17-year-old Vietnamese orphan who starts working as a bar girl, and she falls in love with Chris, a jaded U.S. soldier. After the pair bonds, Chris is forced to leave Kim behind when the U.S. military leaves Saigon. As the show progresses, Chris and Kim live their separate lives on two different continents, but will these lovers ever reunite?
Raul Aranas and Alex Lee Tano reprise their Broadway roles as the Engineer and Kim, respectively. Aranas" performance delivered a lively and exuberant portrayal of the Engineer, staying true to his Broadway roots. Understudy Sacha Ikira delivered a wonderful performance of the role of Kim, reflecting Kim's naivet' and how her maturity evolves throughout the show.
This particular revival of Miss Saigon is riveting, emotional, and absolutely stunning. This young cast benefits greatly from its fresh talent and energy. The dance numbers are choreographed and executed with the utmost precision from the company. There are plenty of touching moments throughout the show, especially "Kim's Nightmare," a flashback to when the U.S. troops (and Chris) left Saigon. You'll want to arrive with plenty of Kleenex, especially if you're seeing this show for the first time. Bottom line: You don't want to miss this show, especially if you want to see a classic with a great soundtrack and a deep plot.
Miss Saigon runs at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts until July 25. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.gatewayplayhouse.com or call the box office at 286-1133.
