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Manufacturer Description

Miss Saigon rather surprisingly turns out to be a tour de force for its star, Jonathan Pryce. In the midst of Boubil and Schönberg's "girl-meets-boy-with confused-emotions-in-Vietnam" rewrite of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Pryce's Engineer's bright tenor provides a nasty yet humanely pragmatical focal point for more logically tuned minds. Daring to tackle the controversial theme of doomed lovers during the misguided American war efforts, Miss Saigon was a thematic and stylistic breakthrough of the 1980s, just like Jesus Christ Superstar had been in the previous decade. But the lyricist, Richard Maltby, previously a young man with alleged off-off-Broadway street cred, could only do so much with Boubil's French original platitudes--it is Schönberg's music paired with producer Cameron Macintosh's storyboard vision that secured the deserved success of Miss Saigon. On this complete recording, an orchestra on form shows off William D. Brohn's skilful orchestrations, and a fine ensemble supports Lea Salonga's tender yet determined Kim. And in the male camp, apart from the prancing Pryce, Peter Polycarpou (John) is crystal clear as the struggling American marine soldier, curbing all tendencies to over-emotionality. --Yngvil V.G.

It's probably best known for raising the stakes for 1980s blockbuster shows by landing a helicopter on stage, but Miss Saigon is also a good show with good music. As a follow-up to their international smash Les Misérables, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg (with an assist from Richard Maltby Jr.) adapted the tale of Madame Butterfly to the Vietnam War, realized here by the original 1989 London cast. While it may seem overheated at times, the despair and passion fit the tragic story, and Schönberg's pop-flavored style receives its most appropriate setting. Leading the cast are Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer (a Eurasian character whose casting generated some controversy when the producers wanted to have Pryce, a Caucasian, reprise the role on Broadway), Lea Salonga (in her first major role) as the young Vietnamese bride, Simon Bowman as her beau, and Claire Moore as his American wife (and a young Ruthie Henshall as one of the sweaty bargirls). The songs include the bawdy opener "The Heat Is on in Saigon," "The Movie in My Mind," "Why God Why," the romantic duet "The Last Night of the World," the female duet "I Still Believe," the male chorus number "Bui-Doi," and the Engineer's mocking "The American Dream." The booklet includes photographs and full lyrics. It's also available in a 58-minute highlights version. --David Horiuchi