Thirty-five years since its debut, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil's Miss Saigon has firmly positioned itself as one of the most beloved musicals to grace stages worldwide.
That the Cameron Mackintosh production of Miss Saigon lands in the Philippines once more and is met again with great excitement and anticipation makes a lot of sense.
Read: What you need to know about Miss Saigon in Manila: tickets, schedule, cast
The truth is few stage musicals resonate with Filipinos as deeply as Miss Saigon.
Certainly, the setting in Southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam, and the portrayal of Western men as saviors — a theme heavily criticized and scrutinized by left-wingers then and now — strike a chord with the Filipino audience.
But more than that, Miss Saigon, as far as many Filipinos know, will forever be linked to Lea Salonga, whose riveting performance of Kim in the musical's debut run in 1989 won her the Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award.
Read: Lea Salonga reiterates artists' need to protect their boundaries
Needless to say, Lea, through Miss Saigon, put Filipino theater talents on the map, paving the way for more artists from the country, or those with Filipino lineage, to get noticed on the international stage.
A CLASSIC REVISITED
The latest production of Miss Saigon has Manila as its latest stop courtesy of GWB Entertainment, GMG Productions, and Opera Australia after premiering in Sydney, Australia.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) had the chance to watch the performance during its gala night on March 26, 2024.
Read: Ice Seguerra, Christian Bautista, Jamie Rivera, Jenine Desiderio rave about Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is based on the 1904 opera Madame Butterfly by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini about a US naval officer and a geisha in Nagasaki, Japan, and their ill-fated romance.
Claude and Alain tweaked the story, focusing on Vietnam at the height of the polarizing Vietnam War and featuring an American soldier and a young and orphaned village woman who got separated as the war came to a close.
Filipino-Australian actors Abigail Adriano and Seann Miley Moore headline the cast of the latest rendition of Miss Saigon, with Abigail portraying Kim and Seann taking on the role of the Engineer.
They are joined by Nigel Huckle as Chris, Sarah Morrison as Ellen, Lewis Francis as John, and Filipino theater actress Kiara Dario as Gigi.
The curtain raiser, "The Heat Is On In Saigon," burst onto the stage with electrifying energy, introducing the main characters in one dazzling swoop.
One after another, the familiar tunes in Miss Saigon's canon flowed seamlessly as the narrative moved on.
It's fascinating how music from popular stage productions instantly resonates, evoking a sense of familiarity even for those who have never watched the performances in the past.
And no music from Miss Saigon is more distinct than the moving "Sun and Moon," which sets the tone for the romance between Kim and Chris.
Abigal and Nigel delivered the number with passion and control, giving the song the right emotional weight reflective of their circumstances.
Amid the chaos, Abigail and Nigel, embodying Kim and Chris, found solace in their intimate world, full of hope and love, unaffected by the uncertainty of tomorrow and the repercussions of a senseless war.
But it was in the solo numbers where Abigail's talent really stood out. Her voice was strong and crystal clear in the songs "I Still Believe" and "I'd Give My Life for You."
As Kim, Abigail captured the character's emotional journey, transitioning from a naive young woman forced into prostitution to a deeply smitten lady, and ultimately to someone scarred by life and the injustices of a flawed system that marginalizes ordinary citizens with no influence and wealth.
Meanwhile, Seann was the showstopper, skillfully fleshing out the Engineer's deplorable and opportunistic personality brought by his obsession to gain a visa to the USA.
Seann's take on the Engineer, a pimp actually, embodies a multifaceted character: charming, humorous, despicable, and cunning all at once.
Just as even a narrow glimpse of redemption may be anticipated, he seamlessly reverts to his true nature, with Seann masterfully executing the transition without missing a beat.
Visually, Miss Saigon is a grand treat loaded with production design highlights including the giant and imposing head image of Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, the glitzy likeness of the Statue of Liberty during the Engineer's "The American Dream" number, and the bright signs that imply the red-light neighborhoods of Saigon and Bangkok.
The scene where the American troops were scampering to leave Vietnam as Saigon fell featured a full-scale replica of a military helicopter complemented with loud swirling sounds and lights for excellent effect.
It was no wonder the crowd erupted with applause during and after the intense, dramatic scene that sealed the star-crossed fate of Kim.
STILL RELEVANT AND COMPLICATED
Miss Saigon has earned both the admiration and disgust of various groups and individuals since the beginning.
On one hand, it makes for a wonderful musical stage production given its rich emotional elements.
It intertwines romance, the forbidden sort cinematically due to the stark disparity between the lead characters, with a narrative backdrop set against a historical event considered one of the most futile wars in human history.
From the get-go, Miss Saigon is at the receiving end of accusations of being "sexist," "racist" and "misrepresenting women and Asians" among others.
In today's "woke" times, those criticisms look more glaring and spot on.
Many continue to rail about the depiction of third-world citizens regarding foreigners, particularly Westerners, as saviors and one-way tickets for greener pastures.
While all these are valid, one can also argue that these characterizations, no matter how painful and uncomfortable, mirror real-life struggles that persist in society.
Try as they might, present and future producers and writers of Miss Saigon are constrained by the limits of adaptation and the inevitable scrutiny of critics.
Such is the reality of working with established materials, whether in film, literature or on the stage.
Miss Saigon will continue to grapple with these problematic elements for years to come, as long as there are reruns to be staged.
But putting aside these challenges, this latest revival of Miss Saigon showcases the enduring magic of the material and how it continues to excite and dazzle audiences across continents, even after more than three decades.
The heat is still on for sure.
Miss Saigon runs until May 12, 2024, at the Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City. Tickets can be purchased via Ticketworld.
Read the Miss Saigon review of Allan Diones: Seann Miley Moore steals the show as "EnginQueer" in Miss Saigon