How in the light of one night did we come so far?

Source: Miss Saigon 25th Anniversary (2016) (imdb.com)

Last night was a very special night for any Miss Saigon fan, as it was the night the 25th Anniversary Gala was beamed into cinemas across the country!!!
Now I did manage to catch the show last year in London before it closed, which you can read about here, and it will be embarking on a 2017/2018 tour - but of course, I was NOT going to miss this!!
The screening was filmed mostly in 2014, the year in which Miss Saigon celebrated its 25th Anniversary.

As I saw the show after the cast change, this was my first opportunity to see the original revival cast (despite having their voices captured in the cast recording), so I will not be going into Jon Jon Briones' Engineer or Hugh Maynard's John here, although I will say they were both just as brilliant as the first time, and focusing on the clips of real Bui Doi during that song made it incredibly moving; instead, I want to focus on the cast who I didn't get to see.

For this cast, there was nowhere to hide while being filmed, and there wasn't anybody who I didn't enjoy, but I do want to focus on 2 people: Eva Noblezada as Kim (I didn't get to see her last time) and Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi. It is ironic that I am pairing these 2 ladies together; as not only are they currently co-starring in Les Mis at the moment, but they will also be transferring with the show to Broadway next year (along with Briones). Their duet, Movie In My Mind, was simply breathtaking. Both of their vocals are incredible and it was the first moment in show when you really get the scope of the piece, and see the hell that these prostitutes were living in; not to mention a lot of close ups (a trend which carried throughout the piece) including the tears on Gigi and Kim's faces - you wouldn't have got that from the back of the stalls! Go, while only having that number and The Heat Is On to really shine, was phenomenal, particularly the bitterness when she realised the "Miss Saigon" name was rubbish (to put it mildly). Noblezada meanwhile has a mountain to climb every night, and her journey as Kim truly is heartbreaking.

The other major thing I really wanted to talk about, as I have already seen it on stage itself, is how the production worked as a cinematic screening - and that what it is: cinematic, grand, big. It did not feel like the final performance RENT (which is well worth a watch by the way), when you knew it was a piece of theatre and you felt the audience atmosphere. This was the closest I have seen a screening to looking like an actual film; in fact, you would sometimes forget it was a performance, particularly if there is a longer section before the clapping would start (and then you would go "Oh yeah!").

I also want to finally touch on the subject matter, which is the Vietnam war and its aftermath. Miss Saigon is a coincidentally and unfortunately-relevant piece, and the piece would be dotted with images and footage from the time, upping the seriousness of it. I have already mentioned it in relation to Bui Doi, but there was more than that, including right at the beginning in relation to Kim fleeing her village, of the fall of Saigon just before the nightmare scene, and most movingly of all, of Vietnamese refugees fleeing on boats to Bangkok (just like Kim, the Engineer and Tam). If there was any way to make Miss Saigon even more moving, this is how you do it!

If you didn't manage to see it last night, it will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray soon, so put it on your xmas list - and while on topic, the another amazing production I caught in London last year, Gypsy starring Imelda Staunton will be released next month, so add that too.

Back to Saigon, the evening finished with the special gala ending, featuring Lea Salonga, Simon Bowman, Jonathan Pryce and the original 1989 cast was played. If you cannot wait for the disc to come out, you can find the ending on YouTube, so hopefully, that will tie you over... Either way, if you are a Miss Saigon fan in any way, shape or form, you need to see this!!