Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s award-winning musical Miss Saigon will make its official premiere tonight at the Sydney Opera House.
Playing to roaring previews, the epic production has won 70 major theatre awards, including three Tony Awards and two Olivier Awards, is now thrilling Sydney audiences with an incredible Australian company of 42 performers, representing all corners of Asia-Pacific, and Miss Saigon’s renowned 4 tonne life-sized helicopter, for a strictly limited 7-week season.
Since it first premiered on the West End, Miss Saigon has been performed in 15 different languages, in over 32 countries and 350 cities. This new production features a full 25-piece orchestra and a sensational cast of 42 performing Boublil and Schönberg’s incredible score, which includes The Heat is On in Saigon, The Movie in My Mind, Last Night of the World and The American Dream.
Leading the stellar Australian cast is Seann Miley Moore as the Engineer, Abigail Adriano as Kim, Nigel Huckle as Chris, Kerrie Anne Greenland as Ellen, Nick Afoa as John, Laurence Mossman as Thuy, and Kimberley Hodgson in the role of Gigi.
“Miss Saigon looks at the complex nature of love, whilst set against the destruction and violence of war, and examining the aftermath it leaves. What I find particularly exciting is to see this story told by an Australian cast, audiences will be blown away by the exceptionally high standard of the performers in this new production”, said Opera Australia CEO, Fiona Allan.
The musical tells the story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim, who is orphaned by war and forced to work in a bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris, but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For three years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he’s fathered a son.
“Seeing our theatres come alive with some incredible performances is a testament to the hard work and determination of the industry bringing them to us. Having Miss Saigon at the Sydney Opera House is a coup for our city and the visitor and night-time economy in NSW,” said Minister for the Arts and Minister for Jobs and Tourism, John Graham.
Miss Saigon is presented by Opera Australia and Cameron Mackintosh and is supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.
Miss Saigon plays in the Joan Sutherland Theatre – Sydney Opera House until 13 October, before playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne from 29 October 2023. For more information, www.miss-saigon.com.au for details.
Image: The Australian production of Miss Saigon – photo by Daniel Boud