Miss Saigon: 25th Anniversary Performance [DVD]

Despite valid criticisms of not enough wide shots, muted colours and a myriad of other little nit-pickings by other reviewers, this DVD of a live performance of Miss Saigon is in fact a remarkable achievement and brings this brilliant musical to life in the comfort of your own home!I've given up going to the cinema because as another reviewer said, the noise of popcorn being chomped and drinks slurped is off putting - to me this situation has become intolerable!I saw the original version at Drury Lane in 1989 which was ground-breaking at the time and ran for 10 years. 25 years later this re-vamped production opened at the Prince Edward Theatre and took London by storm again, only this time it was more gritty and real - brutally so in places. This special performance celebrating 25 years, together with a special Gala Finalé featuring the original cast which is the icing on a very special cake is something to treasure.If I was in a state when I came out of Drury Lane, I was an emotional wreck when I left the Prince Edward after the last preview of this production! I can honestly say this filmed performance had me in tears! Of course I have to repeat my well-worn description of the scene that set(s) this musical apart : The arrival of the helicopter, the ensuing panic and it's departure, has to be the most unsettling yet ultimately thrilling spectacle ever placed before a theatre audience. The sequence in this film is even more powerful than I remember!Enjoy this and have tissues at the ready!HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.UPDATE JULY 2017:The UK Tour of this production has opened in Leicester to great acclaim and will play major dates well into 2018. The Broadway revival with stars from the Prince Edward show has proved the biggest success of the current season!All casts, technical staff, designers, resident and touring directors are to be congratulated along of course with Sir Cameron Mackintosh for making the whole thing happen again!!THANK YOU!

Inspired by "Madam Butterfly", this portrayal of doomed love is transferred to the disaster of Vietnam - in 1975 American forces only too eager to get home. In the midst of a brothel's turmoil, marine Chris meets its new arrival Kim. Immediately they are attracted. Emergency evacuation will soon tear them apart. What next for them both, not to mention the son that results?Here is a souvenir of the 2014-16 production, complete with a Disc1 bonus of what followed the final gala performance - original 1989 cast enthusiastically joining the celebrations.Those expecting an analysis of the powerful music numbers and performances need to seek elsewhere. Forgive me for simply focusing on a production that held me rapt all the way through - from the chaos of the opening (this depicting how overwhelmed Kim must have been on arrival at the brothel) right up to the moving climax. The three leads are great, especially Jon Jon Briones as wily, opportunistic The Engineer.A highlight? Jon Jon Briones' rendering of "The American Dream". Compare this with Jonathan Pryce's version in the bonus. Both are superb - scathingly contrasting current life sleaze with the lucrative far sleazier one that awaits in American where materialism is all.Icing on the cake? A second disc full of features showing how the 2014 production came to be.Musicals are part of Cameron Macintosh's DNA - most of his productions legendary, celebrationary extravaganzas even more so. Here is another that does all concerned proud.

This is actually miss Miss saigon in DVD filmed live with wonderful photography and sound. music and lyrics of Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil are very emotional, and the staging is fantastic. Eva Noblezada and Alistair Brammer perform the rols of Kim and Chris wonderful, but i was impressed most by Jon Jon Briones as the Engineer and Kwang-Ho Hong who perform the roll of Thuy with a wonderful tenor.Though this version is fantastic it is not like watching the musical live on stage because there are lots of closeups and medium shots especially in the epic parts like The fall of Saigon, and the enormous parts as The Morning Of The Dragon and The American Dream. because of that you can not see the whole beautiful stage and staging in those parts.but still it does not effect the enjoyment of this wonderful version of the musical. and it is fantastic to see the face expression of Jon Jon Briones. especially in the American dream where he is being filmed as a comedian, a chanson singer or a grate actor ( like he really is).i really recommend this version of the musical. it is worth buing and worth watching. more then once.

I recently bought the DVD of Miss Saigon which was a live version of the show. I had seen Miss Saigon in London when it first came on the scene many years ago and it had been a real favourite of mine and left a lasting impression, so I did not think that anyone else would be able to compete with that. Well I have to say that I was thrilled with this version and so glad I purchased it. The songs are just as beautiful, the storyline just as impressive and the acting superb. I so love it that I have watched it 3 more times since purchasing it and it has been added to my favourite collection. Lots of people have commented on Lea Salonga who was in the London show and yes she was excellent as the main character, but this cast are wonderful and I would strongly recommend that if you love musicals this is the show for you. I ordered from Amazon and it arrived quickly as usual and I shall be watching this over and over again which is why i give it 5 stars.....

This is the best film production of a stage show I’ve ever seen. Professional and perfect. The actors are superb and you’re transported to the theatre – something I’m missing a lot during Covid. Do yourself a favour & buy this DVD, or buy it for someone else. Knowing the story will help but it’ll be a wonderful viewing for a Miss Saigon newbie. Oh my, and the gala special with the one & only Lea Salonga is epic! Thank you for creating this DVD, I love it.

Justo lo que quería.

Schöne Erinnerung

Slightly disappointed that my copy was not a Blueray like everyone else’s seem to have been.While I do think that it’s well done, you really don’t get the feel of it being a theatrical production on stage. Yes the large chorus numbers show full stage shots but the rest are very much shot from onstage and meant more to be film like.The one thing I remember most about the original production, this one was directed and choreographed by the original choreographer, was there was often action happening around the scenes. It gave the feel that “Saigon never sleeps at night.” You don’t see that in this filming because the shots are often closeups with no idea of what is happening on the rest of the stage.I did like the modernizing of the show and it’s new design, even though you really couldn’t see the whole picture 98% of the production. But I’m bias as a set designer for theatre and know that everything from the set to lighthing of the whole stage sets the mood since you can’t always see the actors clearly in the theater.The one thing I was really unhappy with was the photo montages that were put over the overture and at the beginning of the nightmare. There are things happening onstage to get you into the show and the nightmare but they were completely left out because they inserted photos.Anyway, it’s still well worth the purchase price since you can’t really find it easily to own as your own copy.

Parfait. Excellente captation du spectacle

See and hear this extravaganza in your own home. Fantastic performance. Very good recording. I do prefer the original Lea Salonga recording on CD. I have both.This is the next best thing to seeing the musical live. Go get folks ! Get both !