Tissues in hand, hundreds wept and cheered for "Miss Saigon" in the Main Stage Theater at the Center for the Arts Saturday and Sunday.
The emotionally charged story is timeless and powerful, managing to take each audience member back to a time and place of war, destruction and heartbreak - Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
Larger than most CFA productions, the set of "Miss Saigon" was dazzling, adding to a Broadway caliber performance.
Chris, a marine, and his friend John spend one of their last nights in Vietnam before the American withdrawal. The scene is set in a sleazy club where John buys a bar girl, Kim, for Chris. Although Chris is not entirely comfortable with this type of behavior, he senses innocence in Kim and spends the night with her.
Laurie Cadevida (Kim) and Alan Gillespie (Chris) did a surprisingly effective job in portraying their immediate and deep love for one another, both needing and wanting to save each other in a time of tremendous turmoil.
Cadevida's voice, comparable to Lea Solanga, who originally played Kim in both the London and Broadway casts, was powerful and spellbinding throughout the entire story, helping to convey her character's conflict.
Gillespie, however, came up a little short of Broadway standards throughout much of the show. Even to the untrained ear, his voice often sounded flat, as if he was enduring physical pain as opposed to the emotional pain one would expect. Although he did a decent job portraying his heartbroken character, a certain romantic quality was lacking in his performance, especially in contrast to Cadevida's.
One especially gripping scene was found in "Bui-Doi," which recollected the true story of orphans left behind by the Vietnam War. With powerful vocals by the male ensemble lead John (D.J. Oliver), songs evoked support for the children that were left behind.
In keeping with the original production, Big League Theatricals displayed real photographs by Kenneth Hoffman from the late '60s and early '70s of poor Vietnamese orphans.
The production was supplemented with a brilliant supporting cast, including Oliver, Eymard Meneses Cabling, Mario Tadeo and Kelly Wilson. Cabling, "The Engineer," is essentially a pimp obsessed with becoming American. He serves as comic relief with foul gestures and a crazed fascination for Uncle Sam.
Kelly Wilson left the audience wishing her character, Ellen (Chris' wife), had a larger role with her dazzling vocals in "I Still Believe" and "Now That I've Seen Her." "I Still Believe" is the most renowned song in the musical and Wilson's powerful duet with Cadevida was equally unforgettable.
Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Sch?\0xA6nberg wrote "Miss Saigon's" original script and musical score in the '80s, under the direction of Cameron Mackintosh. After spending over ten years playing in London as well as on Broadway, the show has been seen by millions of people worldwide on various theater company tours in dozens of different countries and languages.
Big League Theatricals has been producing a tour of "Miss Saigon" for three consecutive seasons under the direction of Mitchell Lemsky. The predominant U.S. tour, on its way from coast to coast, made its way to Buffalo this weekend.
Although many audience members may not have noticed, there were several lines and even entire songs that were changed from the original script. Most alterations were well done, with particular consideration given for the original, though it left seasoned fans wondering why they were necessary.
Aside from small criticisms from aforementioned seasoned fans, the production was brilliantly done, with amazing sets and costumes. The refreshing use of a live pit orchestra and a cast that had the CFA audience reaching for tissues made for an unforgettable experience.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
