The "Eat" is on in Saigon


Reviewed 10/1/04

And you thought Evita and Cats was daring for a dinner theatre production. Now Broadway Palm West tackles the racy, foul-mouthed tragedy of Boublil, Schönberg, and Maltby’s Miss Saigon. The fear of evisceration is natural after some of their previous mountings such as the gutted Annie. However, this time around, only gone are the references and curses utilizing the Divinity, replaced instead by the type of language you’d actually hear from soldiers, pimps, and prostitutes. The script is nearly perfectly intact, and the production BPW offers has some impressive points amidst a few missed possibilities.

Executive Chef Clifton Weir has returned to the practice of allowing the show’s theme to drive the meal offerings with a vengeance. Nothing Vietnamese graces the hot offerings, but the Asian influence is there nonetheless. The best of these was the Bourbon Chicken, which is a nice mix of tender chicken, water chestnuts, and other Asian vegetables. My companions also liked the Sweet and Sour Pork, but the Baked Pollack with Mango Sweet Onion Chutney was not particularly flavorful. As always, the carving table with Eye Round of Beef was the strongest option. The New Potatoes, Vegetable Egg Rolls, and Asian Blend Vegetables were light years better choices than the rather bland Chicken Fried Rice.

M. Seth Reines’ direction is solid. His pacing is deliberate and blocking solid. He is able to successfully bring the scale of the piece into a workable level for the space. His casting shows a few compromises, most that are understandable considering the requirements of the piece, but one or two are a bit inexplicable.

The best performance in this mounting is that of Seth Wyatt Kinney as The Engineer. He is a very strong singer, an excellent dancer, and his energy is electric as he zips around the stage fixing everything to lead him to his American Dream. His pacing drives the scenes he is in, keeping his work with those around him appreciably tense. There are two actresses playing the taxing role of the Butterfly Kim, and the actress on opening night, Akiko Hiroshima, is a strong presence with a beautiful, ethereal voice and the ability to call up the strength of her role. However, she is never able to connect with the distant Patrick O’Herron in the important role of G.I. Chris. They harmonize well, but it’s a stretch to call their work together chemistry. O’Herron simply is not in the scene as much as he should be. He seems distant and non-committal, even when he’s supposed to be at his most enamored. This all serves to undercut the power of many of the emotionally draining scenes. Tears flow for the doomed of this production, but more from a cerebral place than a visceral one.

The supporting cast is also mixed. Thomas Rainey does a solid job as Chris’ friend John. He, too, has a beautiful voice, but also lacks some stage presence. April Monte has a lovely voice but is a little more presentational than the others as Chris’ wife Ellen. The strongest is Josh Fesmire as the wrathful Thuy. He is a strong presence with a solid voice. There are four child actors (all averaging four years old) for the role of Chris and Kim’s son Tam. The opening night Tam, Alianna Joelle Yeneza-Wilson was the most adorable, effective, and well-behaved child performer I’ve seen in awhile.

The ensemble is also strong of voice but do not uniformly execute much of Dottie Lester-White’s generally imaginative choreography. The opera origins of this work seem to have been a stronger influence than its conversion to musical theatre. While their singing in “Bui-Doi” and their overall work on “The Wedding,” “The Morning of the Dragon,” and “American Dream” is strong, the all important fall of Saigon sequence lacked urgency and was subsequently a great disappointment.

The visual element is a great scaling that still supports the structure of this large musical. Russell A. Thompson’s lighting is the most dominant element, using colors and isolation spots to great effect. Christine Peters’ set is fluid enough to move across the various settings. Her choice to envision the fall of Saigon sequence is effective. John White’s costumes are very effective and surprisingly accurate in many cases. Dave Temby’s sound design did run across a few opening night hitches that will undoubtedly smooth themselves out through the long run. Excellent are the giant puppets used in both “The Morning of the Dragon” and the “American Dream” scenes. JR McAlexander’s orchestra is strong, though at some points overwhelmed some of the singers in their solos.

To purchase a copy of the London Cast Album or the London Cast Highlights Album from Amazon.com, click the graphics below.