Miss Saigon opened on Broadway in 1991, and opened a revival on Broadway in 2017. I was lucky enough to get tickets for my birthday and see this amazing show. Miss Saigon tells the story of an American soldier, Chris, in Saigon during the Vietnam war. He falls in love with a Vietnamese girl, Kim, who he meets in a strip club. His friend John calls him crazy, but Chris insists he loves Kim and wants to take her home with him to the U.S. Unfortunately, they can’t escape together and Chris is forced to leave Kim behind, without knowing she is pregnant with his son. Three years later, we see Chris is now married and Kim is homeless with her young child.  When Chris finds out about his child, everything changes. This breathtaking, beautiful, tear-jerking show kept me on the edge of my seat.

Plot: 5/5

After learning about the Vietnam war in history class, it was very interesting to see another side of it. Although it is not a true story, the show was based on the reality of the impregnated Vietnamese women following the war. I can’t speak for the whole audience, but I was rooting for Chris and Kim to be together. While they were apart, I was constantly in suspense. The plot was overall very interesting.  

Songs: 5/5

The music for Miss Saigon, by Claude-Michel Schönberg, was absolutely amazing. The lyrics did a good job in telling the story, and the music was so powerful. My favorite songs were “The Heat Is On,” “You Will Not Touch Him,” and “I’d Give My Life for You.”

Dance: 4/5

When there was dancing in the show, it was impressive. Some of the actors did flips and other tricks that were enjoyable, but only a few songs had corresponding dances. Because a few scenes took place in the strip club, dancing choices were limited in those songs. In other songs, the characters were standing together or walking, instead of dancing. I love seeing musicals with good dancing, so I was hoping for a little more.

Acting: 5/5

All of the actors in this show were so incredible! I could feel their emotions and power towards their characters all the way in the balcony. I think Chris, portrayed by Alistair Brammer, and Kim, portrayed by Eva Noblezada, were especially impressive in the performance I saw. I believed that after just meeting each other, they were in love. All of the acting in the show was very good.

Set Design: 5/5

I was very impressed by the set design, and all of the different pieces that went into every song. One of the coolest thing was during the song “Kim’s Nightmare (Fall of Saigon 1975),” which was a flashback to Chris leaving Kim. They had a huge helicopter with the Marines in it moving above the stage. It started with the shadow of the helicopter and the load noises of the blades, and then all of sudden there was a helicopter! It was very cool, and the rest of the set design was impressive as well.

**SPOILER ALERT**

Ending: 2/5

Personally, I hated the ending. Chris and his wife, Ellen, come to Vietnam to see the child and Kim, but before Chris can see either of them, Ellen and Chris decide they can’t take the child away from his mother. They also decide they can’t bring Kim because she is still in love with Chris, and Chris thinks he doesn’t love her back. Clearly, Chris and Kim should be together with their child, but of course that didn’t happen. When Kim finds out they are leaving, she kills herself. I understand that Kim killed herself so that Chris and Ellen would take the son to have a better life, and she thought this was her best option as a mother. The reason the ending didn’t get a 0/5 was because some people may have found the ending touching that Kim did that. Not being a mother myself, I can’t put myself in her shoes.

Overall: 26/30

Despite the ending, the show was absolutely amazing and I would definitely recommend it. The revival closes on January 14th, 2018.