The incessant whirring of motor blades as exhausted American GIs are winched into a helicopter from the roof of the US embassy in Saigon marks a defining moment in history.

A sense of urgency is heightened by the hordes of desperate Vietnamese clamouring to escape the hell they had all shared.

Although I had experienced the same intensity at a West End production of Miss Saigon over two decades ago, the technical ingenuity and intensity left me breathless.

The abandonment heralded the end of the Vietnam war which had relentlessly raged for twenty years, spilling over to Cambodia and Laos.
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Amid the horror springs a romance between Kim, a 17-year-old Vietnamese girl forced to work in a nightclub and Chris, an American GI.

A wheeler-dealer, known as The Engineer, introduces the star-crossed lovers. Openly gay, corrupt, crude, and charismatic, he runs the ironically named Dreamland nightclub - a magnet for American GIs and Vietnamese sex workers.

An indomitable force who owns the stage from the outset, The Engineer obsessively plots to acquire a US visa and escape his squalid life of small-time hustling.

The extremes of human nature are also on show and his manipulative and scheming nature contrast starkly to the innate goodness and caring nature of Chris and Kim in particular.

Thrown together for a short period, they create a slice of heaven in a living hell. A sensory shrine of vibrant lanterns symbolizes a beacon of hope against the blackness that envelops them.

A frenzied call for Chris to evacuate separates the lovers and Kim is abandoned in a new nightmare against a brutal communist backdrop. She embarks on a quest with her three-year-old son, Tam, to be reunited with him.

If the first act does not astound you, I guarantee the second act will blow you away.

A tear-jerker of monumental proportions, Miss Saigon is a story of fortitude and the extremes to which people will go to protect their loved ones.

The cast are consummate performers - multi-faceted Filippino, Seann Miley Moore as The Engineer, is world class. His energy could light up Manilla and his flamboyant rendering of ‘The American Dream’ denotes theatrical brilliance.

High praise for Julianne Pundan, who makes her professional as Kim in Miss Saigon and Jack Kane as Chris. Memorable performances also include Dom Hartley-Harris as John a fellow GI who is Chris’s best friend, Emily Langham as Ellen, Ace as Gigi and Mikko Juan as Kim’s cousin, Thuy.

Produced by Michael Harrison in association with Cameron Mackintosh, the lyrics of Boublil and Schönberg’s legendary musical include The Heat is On, The Movie in My Mind, and Last Night of the World. The orchestra, led by Ben Mark Turner, is outstanding.

Directed by Jean-Pierre van der Spuy, Chrissie Cartwright and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille jointly choreograph the show. Andrew D. Edwards is Set and Costume Designer, Bruno Poet Lighting Designer and Sound Design courtesy of Adam Fisher.

Miss Saigon reduced me to tears for many reasons - the futility of a war which claimed an estimated 3.4 million military and civilian deaths, leaving behind terrified Vietnamese who had supported America, to an uncertain future.

A painful reminder of the human cost of conflict and the monumental sacrifices made for love; it is a true tour de force.

Tickets
Miss Saigon plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday, October 25, 2025. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

For information on the UK tour where venues include the Palace Theatre Manchester, the Leeds Grand Theatre, and the Bradford Alhambra, visit https://miss-saigon.com/