Miss Saigon (West End)
I was a stage management cover in early 1990 for the original London West End production Miss Saigon with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr and Alain Boublil opened at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on September 20, 1989. Loosely based on the opera Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini.
Produced by Cameron Mackintosh.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner with Musical Staging by Bob Avian, Scenic design by John Napier, Costume design by Andreane Neofitou & Suzy Benzinger, Lighting design by David Hersey, Sound design by Andrew Bruce, Orchestrations by William David Brohn, Musical Supervision by David Caddick and Martin Koch, Musical Direction and Conducted by Martin Koch, Stage Management by Simon Garrett, Sam Hunter, Joanthan Woolf, Dawn Eggleton, Ian Stephenson, Peter Wakeman and Covering Stage Management Toby Simkin. Sound by Steve Cooksey & Nick Lidster.
STARRING Lea Salonga (Kim – Mon/Tue/Fri/Sat) alternating with Monique Wilson (Kim – Wed/Thu, and Mimi / Go-Go Dancer), Jonathan Pryce (The Engineer aka Tran Van Dinh), Simon Bowman (Christopher “Chris” Scott), Peter Polycarpou (John Thomas), Claire Moore (Ellen), Keith Burns (Thuy), Isay Alvarez (Gigi Van Tranh), Dominique Nobles (Yvonne), Jenine Desiderio (Yvette / Go-Go Dancer), Pinky Amador (Bar Girl / Go-Go Dancer), Ruthie Henshall (Bar Girl), Suchitra Sen Sawrattan (Bar Girl / Go-Go Dancer), Shukubi Yo (Bar Girl), Antoinette Lo (Bar Girl), Claudia Cadette (Bar Girl), Johnny Amobi (Marine), Gerard Casey (Marine), Mark Carroll (Marine), Richard Calkin (Marine), Greg Ellis (Harrison / Marine), Andrew Golder (Estevez / Marine), Jimmy Johnston (Dragon Acrobat / Marine), Glyn Kerslake (Marine), Ray Shell (Travis / Marine), Michael Strassen (Weber / Marine), Louie Spence (Marine), Mark Bond (Shultz / Reporter), Robert Sena (Barman / NVA Soldier), Jon Jon Briones (Barman / NVA Soldier), Chooi Kheng Beh (Officer of the South Vietnamese Army / NVA Soldier), Junix Inocian (Pham / Hustler / Officer of the South Vietnamese Army), Miguel Diaz (Huynh / Hustler / Vietnamese Customer), Jay Ibot (Vietnamese Customer / NVA Soldier), Bobby Martino (Vietnamese Customer / NVA Soldier), William Michaels (Vietnamese Customer), Lyon Roque (Vietnamese Customer / NVA Soldier / Hustler), Andy Lanai (Mama San / NVA Soldier), David Platt (Tam), Wasseem Hamdan (Tam), Allen Evangelista (Tam), Victor Laurel (Assistant Commissar / Vietnamese Customer / Hustler), Nick Holder (Owner of the Moulin Rouge / Marine) and Tash O’Connor (Allott / Reporter).
Understudies included Ruthie Henshall (Ellen), Leo Tavarro Valdez, Jon Jon Briones, Jamie Rivera, Jenine Desiderio, Scott Anson and Alton Fitzgerald White
Act One
- Overture/Backstage Dreamland …. Gigi, Kim, The Engineer, and Bar Girls
- The Heat is On in Saigon …. Soldiers, Bar Girls, The Engineer, Kim, John, Chris, and Gigi
- The Movie in My Mind …. Gigi, Kim, and Bar Girls
- The Transaction …. The Engineer, John, Soldiers, Chris, and Kim
- The Dance …. Kim, Chris, and The Engineer
- Why, God, Why? …. Chris
- This Money’s Yours …. Chris and Kim
- Sun and Moon …. Kim and Chris
- The Telephone Song …. Chris and John
- The Deal …. The Engineer and Chris
- The Ceremony (aka Dju Vui Vai) …. Gigi, Kim, Bar Girls, and Chris
- Thuy’s Arrival (aka What’s This I Find?) …. Thuy, Chris, and Kim
- Last Night of the World …. Chris and Kim
- The Morning of the Dragon …. Soldiers, The Engineer, Two Guards, and Thuy
- I Still Believe …. Kim and Ellen
- Back in Town …. The Engineer, Kim, Thuy, and Soldiers
- You Will Not Touch Him (aka Thuy’s Death) …. Thuy and Kim
- This Is the Hour …. Chorus
- If You Want to Die in Bed …. The Engineer
- Let Me See His Western Nose …. Kim and The Engineer
- I’d Give My Life for You …. Kim
Act Two
- Bui-Doi …. John and Chorus
- The Revelation …. Chris, John, and Ellen
- What a Waste …. The Engineer, Hustlers, Tourists, John, and Kim
- Please …. John and Kim
- Chris is Here …. The Engineer, Kim, Club Owner, and John
- Kim’s Nightmare …. Thuy
- The Fall of Saigon …. Soldiers, Chris, Kim, John, and Citizens
- Sun and Moon (Reprise) …. Kim
- Room 317 …. Kim and Ellen
- It’s Her or Me …. Ellen
- The Confrontation …. Chris, Ellen, and John
- Paper Dragons …. The Engineer and Kim
- The American Dream …. The Engineer
- The Sacred Bird …. Kim
- This Is the Hour (Reprise) …. Kim
- Finale …. Chris and Kim