Miss Saigon UK Tour 2025. Julianne Pundan (Kim) & Mikko Juan (Thuy). Photo – Danny Kaan.
Miss Saigon, The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham.
Opening in 1989 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane Miss Saigon ran there for ten years. It has since played Broadway, worldwide productions, numerous tours, and West End & Broadway revivals.
Billed as “The Legend Reborn” this is a brand new production which also marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam war – America’s longest and most controversial conflict.
Written by Boublil & Schönberg this was their second hit musical following Les Miserables.
Based on Puccini’s Madame Butterfly it similarly tells a tragic story of of a doomed romance between an Asian woman an an American man. The setting is changed to 1970’s Saigon during the Vietnam War. This is also almost opera as it is completely sung throughout.
Kim, a seventeen year old Vietnamese girl is forced to work as a bar girl at “Dreamland”, a sleazy dive, with other girls that are down on their luck. She is played with beautiful delicacy and innocence by Julianne Pundan – who also has a beautiful and powerful voice.
Chris (a very strong performance from Jack Kane), a US marine is in Saigon (soon to return to America) and is in Dreamland with other soldiers the night that Kim starts working there. They are literally thrown together and their ill-fated romance begins.
He wants to save her but fate has other ideas. Their story is based on many real life instances during the Vietnam conflict. It’s perfectly played by both. It’s touching, emotional, and believable.
Seann Miley Moore as absolutely sensational as The Engineer – the sleazy hustler who runs Dreamland. His voice is phenomenal and his stage presence is electric. He had the audience in the palm of his hands throughout. It’s almost as if the role was written for him.
A special mention should also go to Dominic Hartley-Harris who plays John (another marine and Chris’s friend) who gave a fantastic vocal performance of “Bui Doi”.
The whole cast are wonderful though and gave the whole show the energy and emotion required.
The set is extremely effective with its interchangeable facets creating the setting and mood of the location,
It is also beautifully orchestrated (led by Ben Mark Turner).
An outstanding new production of an outstanding piece of musical theatre, and a perfect tribute to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
A musical masterpiece.
Oh, and take tissues!
5 stars. Just epic.
