Miss Saigon 🚁

#PRInvite #Gifted | God, the tension is high as 'Miss Saigon' arrives in Aberdeen. It could be your last shot to see this blazing production in the Granite City, with limited tickets left. Read the full review below.

Star rating: ★★★★★

Spring is on its way, the temperature is slowly rising across Scotland; but the heat is on in Saigon. After concluding its West End run at the Prince Edward Theatre in 2016, ‘Miss Saigon’ has embarked on its first major UK and Ireland tour since 2018. It has landed with brute force in Aberdeen this week for an almost sold out run at His Majesty’s Theatre. Prepare to be blown away, with audiences getting to see the critically acclaimed musical on their very doorstep before this same production returns to London’s West End next year. This is the legend reborn: creative new staging, subtle lyrical alterations and a remarkable fresh cast make seeing ‘Miss Saigon’ this week more favourable than the American Dream.

‘Miss Saigon’ is the lungs of musical theatre, penned by Boublil and Schöenberg of ‘Les Miserables’. Premiering nine years after, ‘Miss Saigon’ never achieved the permanence of its predecessor, but enjoyed ten years in London and on Broadway, and many productions around the world. It is a real pleasure to see the show return to UK stages, and we should feel especially privileged that the show has toured to us here in the Granite City. 

Aberdeen hasn't seen any version of ‘Miss Saigon’ staged here professionally since 2006, so with it being part of a fantastic line up celebrating 120 years of His Majesty’s Theatre, many Aberdeen Performing Arts’ patrons can connect with one of the big musical giants for the first time. It’s a more modern, and digestible, piece in comparison to the sheer amount of music in ‘Les Miserables’, but ‘Miss Saigon’ has the same incredible musical intricacy and storytelling. The pay-off is similar too: when the music swells, you can truly feel it in your bones.

Though I have enjoyed what 'Miss Saigon' has had to offer since my days at school, what I experienced last night exceeded all my expectations. I vaguely remember watching the professional recording of the show with the original cast in my teens; but returning to the material as an adult gave me a greater understanding - and though it would have been great for the show to play here again sooner, I'm really glad it kept me waiting that bit longer.

Approaching the end of the Vietnam War, a young Kim is selected to work in a Saigon bar run by The Engineer. She meets an American G.I. and accidentally falls in love with him, until they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. Unknowing that he has fathered a son, Chris must fight against the Vietnamese whilst Kim journeys abroad to find her way back to her love - encountering her own struggles along the way. With all great stories of war, ‘Miss Saigon’ doesn’t shy away from complex relationships and barriers to reconciliation, highlighting the characters impacted by the actions and consequences of war back home.

Whilst this iteration of the show opens 50 years after the Fall of Saigon, it’s also particularly poignant to arrive at our local theatre this week following further outbreaks of war around the world.

Despite being a historical piece, ‘Miss Saigon’ has been reborn for 2026 by producer Michael Harrison who vowed to ‘create a platform that allows this piece to breathe’ with a fresh look. Its contemporary staging in this tour is first-class, with an impressive industrial set married with floor lighting and projections. The production also tours with a revolve, allowing His Majesty’s Theatre to offer a taste of the West End with a spinning stage. It’s captivating, and absolutely stunning to analyse the design during the show’s quieter moments.

The projections, designed by George Reeve, cleverly amalgamate graphic design with what looks to be historic footage from the war. This holds a mirror up to the fact that though audiences get to enjoy a beautiful production now, the inspirational root of the show was a destructive and shattering case - claiming the lives of over three million Vietnamese and sixty-thousand US servicemen. It’s the perfect depiction of how art and atrocity can be so interlinked.

The Fall of Saigon spanned almost twenty years, following World War II later in 1954. Whilst the writing glosses over any historical reasoning, it encourages everyone to read up about how the Vietnam war led to a reshaping of American identity and disillusionment known as ‘Vietnam Syndrome’. Saigon eventually collapsed in 1975, where 7,000 Americans and South Vietnamese were evacuated in an atmosphere of panic and desperation.

The production is staged by Jean-Pierre Van Der Spuy at the helm as Director, alongside Chrissie Cartwright and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille with choreography. The bold new staging was a perfect presentation of selective suspension of disbelief. The moments of the show where set could be used helped the production feel grounded; but when the story couldn’t rely on physical pieces, the lighting design by Bruno Poet allowed room for our own imagination to fill in the blanks - and this is where it felt most gritty.

Despite this technique being used at several points throughout, fans of the show might be most amazed when the famous helicopter sequence materialises in a sensational moment which lands on our local stage.

There were only some moments in the show I felt this didn’t quite work. Though artful and resourceful, a sequence including the Vietnamese flag felt cheap against a production such as this - and removed a sense of clarity from the action, replacing it with ridiculousness. Though I suspect the staging will remain the same when it transitions back to the West End - this is the one area of the show I would personally choose to revise.

‘Miss Saigon’ tours with an orchestra of fifteen, boasting its size with an extended pit, and proving why live music cannot be beaten. I was glad to see no cost-saving measures here, and noticed that the band were lit throughout the entire performance, putting the music and orchestrations at the beating heart of this new edition of the show.

Leading the show is the unrecognisable Seann Miley Moore as The Engineer. Moore is exceptional in his delivery and serves charisma with an arsenal of charm. The Engineer has been gradually reimagined throughout the years, becoming the ‘embodiment of queer Asian excellence’. Though Moore has collected a range of theatre credits, you may remember him from his time on The X Factor ten years ago. Moore’s performance of ‘The American Dream’ is a highlight, elevated by brilliant staging, lighting and costuming in this new interpretation of the song.

Jack Kane is Chris and Julianne Pundan is Kim. Both performers effortlessly move between each challenging number with ease, getting to deliver some of the show’s most famous songs: ‘Why God Why?’, ‘I’d Give My Life For You’ and ‘The Movie in My Mind’.

Kane and Pundan are joined by Emily Langham as Ellen, who delivers a heartbreaking rendition of ‘Maybe’. Dominic Hartley-Harris is a vocal powerhouse as John, captivating audiences with ‘Bui Doi’. Mikko Juan is Thuy, and his character is particularly haunting, accentuated by the clever use of lighting and sound.

Also featured in the cast, amongst a large talented ensemble, is Owen Johnston who many may recognise from ‘Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream’. 

The touring cast is completed with a band of child performers aged 5 and 6, set to appear as Tam. ‘Miss Saigon’ refuses to shy away from the deaths of Vietnamese children due to the war, and how young lives can pay the ultimate price for war crimes around the world.

This is the hour. ‘Miss Saigon’ is not to be missed at Aberdeen Performing Arts this week. With a handful of performances left, you can catch the sacred bird if you are lucky enough to get one of the last remaining tickets. With limited opportunities to experience the musical, and a touring standard this rare - you’d be a fool to miss a spectacular production I’m sure I’ll replay like a movie in my mind.

Credits

Instagram links: @theatregramuk, @aberdeenperformingarts, @misssaigonuk

Review by Joel Simpson cc: theatregram@gmail.com

Production photos supplied by Aberdeen Performing Arts