I caught a performance of Miss Saigon last night - yay! I love that show and hadn’t seen it in five years, so I was all excited and into it. I absolutely adore theater and had such a good time seeing it. I went with my sister, and during the Fall of Saigon sequence, she whispered to me “Didn’t they used to have a real helicopter?” I said no, thinking she meant didn’t they used to have a real full-sized helicopter, and after hours spent devouring the internet for all things Miss Saigon when I was 16, I knew the helicopter they used was 3/4 scale. I was kind of surprised it didn’t show John and Chris getting into the helicopter and flying away this time, but hey, it’s a different tour and I guess they just staged it differently.
Cut to the car ride home.
Sister: “Are you sure they didn’t have a real helicopter last time? I can’t believe they just showed a video of one this time.”
Me:
Sister: “Why did they have to use a video projection this time anyway?”
Me:
I was in shock. I had **no idea ** that it had only been a video projection of the helicopter. Sure, I thought it looked a little different, and I thought it seemed kind of dangerous when it came right at the audience hurtling at a super fast speed, but I had **no freaking idea ** it was only a projection. I feel so stupid! I used to be totally obsessed with theater and Miss Saigon and I knew every last detail of the show, and they fooled me last night! I’m no longer a genius of musical theater, I’m an average Joe(sephine) theater-goer. I am so embarrassed.
But hey, if anyone else is up for some Miss Saigon chat, sounds good to me Has anyone else seen this new helicopter? What are your thoughts on it or the show in general?
I’ve seen both the old touring company with the “real” helicopter and the new touring company with the projected one. I thought both versions of the show were good and was a little surprised when I saw the second one. From what I had read, it was really cut back as far as sets and “production” were concerned and there were really only a few moments where I could tell. Overall, it was still (more or less) the same show with the same set-up. They were just missing some minor stuff (i.e. the helicopter, the Ho Chi Minh statue, the car at the end), but the actual SETS were very similar to before. So it was noticeable for about ten total minutes of the show, really.
While it was really cool to see the “real” helicopter onstage (and the projected one looked really cheesy at my show in Chicago), it’s not really quite as cool as it sounds. The only really cool part was that they had fans blowing air around that gave the feel of having an actual helicopter landing.
But, like I said, both versions were good. I still like the original ending (The Sacred Bird) a hell of a lot more than the one they ended up with. They should have just changed the lyrics and kept the music the same.
I’ve only seen the London production, but I hated the helicopter anyway. I’d rather they just implied its existence. Video projection, eh? I wonder if they use that in the high school productions now.
I actually preferred the projected helicopter in one way: it actually gives the illusion of leaving the building and flying away (whereas the model chopper just elevated into the rafters). While the touring production didn’t have the Uncle Ho statue, it did have a really cool puppet show (a dragon gobbling an American tiger as memory serves). The only thing I really missed was the Cadillac from heaven during the “My American Dream” number (which even without the Cadillac I thought they could do more by way of an Americana montage).
Is Jon Jon Briones still with the show? He was in the “low rent” tour I saw but was the best Engineer I’ve ever seen. (He reminded a lot of an Asian Sammy Davis Jr. in appearance and dance moves.)
Hijacking Spoiler Question:
In your opinion, was Kim a prostitute in Bangkok or just a dancing girl? I’ve heard both.
Hijack 2: I have an interesting story about the last time I saw Miss Saigon (if interesting only to me).
Has anyone else seen this new helicopter? What are your thoughts on it or the show in general?