If you've enjoyed 'Les Miserables' at the cinema recently or have been lucky enough to see it performed at the theatre, it's likely that you will enjoy the musical show 'Miss Saigon', which was written by the same composer and lyricist.
Strode College students are staging this ambitious musical production at Strode Theatre from 26 February to 1 March; it is one of the first few amateur productions of the show which only became available last summer.
'Miss Saigon', produced originally by Sir Cameron Macintosh, is based on Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly. It tells the story of a doomed romance in 1970s Saigon between a Vietnamese bar girl and an American lieutenant serving in the Vietnam War.
Highlights of the show include the evacuation of the last Americans in Saigon from the embassy roof by helicopter while a crowd of abandoned Vietnamese scream in despair, the victory parade of the new communist regime, and the dream-like sequence when the Vietnamese imagine living the 'American dream' which is performed as a Hollywood style song and dance number.
Charmaine Bray, Lecturer in Performing Arts at Strode College and director of the show is anticipating an exciting and moving night's entertainment. She said: “Miss Saigon is a thought provoking and dramatic musical drama. It is a wonderful show to watch and a fantastic and challenging show to perform, particularly as there is no dialogue only song, and our student band will be performing the whole show live.
“Our annual musical is a cross college production which is open to all students as an enrichment activity. Students and staff are working really hard to deliver a quality production and there will be a lot of talent on stage, behind the scenes and in our band. Strode Theatre is a great performance space which enhances our productions enormously; we're looking forward to a wonderful show.”
Ellie Curtis, aged five, a member of Razzamataz performing arts school in Street, will be joining the Strode students on stage as the character Tam, son of Kim the Vietnamese bar girl. Ellie is taught at Razzamataz by Strode student Ollie Perry who plays John in the show. (See list of Principal characters below.)
It is widely reported that Cameron Macintosh is planning to revive 'Miss Saigon' for the London stage in 2014, and that the show will be turned into a film following the recent success of 'Les Miserables'.
Tickets for Strode's 'Miss Saigon' can be booked online at www.strodetheatre.co.uk
or call the Strode Theatre box office on: 01458 442846. Ticket cost £10, £8 full concessions and £6 for Strode staff and students.
Principle characters and performers in Strode’s version of 'Miss Saigon':
- Kim - played by Hannah Press (Tues and Thurs) and Camilla Webber (Wed and Fri)
- Chris - played by Joe Martin (of Wells)
- John - played by Olly Perry (of Street)
- Thuy - played by Dan Prince (of Yeovil)
- Ellen - played by Lauren Wittleton (of Glastonbury)
- Engineer - played by Connor Williams (of Wells), Wed and Fri and Sam Rich (of Beaminster) Tues and Thurs.
Photo: Strode students rehearsing for 'Miss Saigon' which opens at Strode Theatre on 26 February and runs until 1 March. Left to right: Kim played by Hannah Press, the Engineer played by Connor Williams, Thuy played by Dan Prince, John played by Matt Townsend and Chris played by Joe Martin.