`Miss Saigon' brings lavishly tragic tale of the tolls of war to Civic Center
The abhorrent and unabating collateral damages of war are luridly explored in theater impresario Cameron Mackintosh's lavish revival of the musical “Miss Saigon.”
“Les Miserables” masterminds Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil adapted the doomed romance of Giacomo Puccini's opera “Madame Butterfly” into a tragic tale of the Vietnam War, and “Miss Saigon” has many of the same hallmarks of “Les Miz”: Both are showy stage spectacles that run about three hours with intermission as well as sprawling sungthrough narratives in which the music, emotion and volume of every number has been cranked to 11 and stays maxed for the duration.
For the 2017-18 Broadway revival that spawned the current national tour, Mackintosh spearheaded an extravagant, spared-no-expense restaging that features elaborate sets and costumes, immersive projections and the smashing helicopter landing during the trademark fall of Saigon set piece that did not disappoint during Wednesday's performance at the Civic Center.
With her big voice and steady stage presence, Emily Bautista makes a compelling lead as Kim, a South Vietnamese country girl who reluctantly goes to work in a Saigon bar and brothel after her parents are killed in a firebombing. Run by a sleazy hustler known as The Engineer (scene stealer Red Concepcion), the dive caters primarily to American servicemen in the waning days of the Vietnam War.
Accompanying his pal John (J. Daughtry) to Dreamland, good-hearted G.I. Chris (Anthony Festa) falls in love with Kim and the feeling is mutual. But Chris' wellintentioned plans to take her back home with him to the United States are thwarted by the chaotic fall of Saigon.
Per usual for a Mackintosh production, the entire cast and creative team are top-shelf. Epic songs give the performers plenty of chances to show their skills, particularly their powerful pipes, but after a while the nonstop bombast starts to wear.
“Miss Saigon” dramatically illustrates that the devastation of war goes far beyond bullets, bodies and battlefields. The musical shows that war all too often turns boyish soldiers into broken men, women into commodities and children into orphans, scarring lives long after the so-called peace has been declared.
The language, violence and sexual content make “Miss Saigon” suitable for adults only. Performances continue through Sunday at the Civic Center. For tickets and information, go to www. okcbroadway.com or call 594-8300.