Cameron Mackintosh announces UK Tour of new production of Miss Saigon
Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Miss Saigon will begin in Plymouth in July 2004 as part of an extended UK tour.
The recent enormously successful two year tour, based on the original London production of "MISS SAIGON" closed last December, having broken records at the six largest theatres in the British Isles and Ireland.
Many other UK cities have long wanted to stage Miss Saigon, but for this to happen a completely new design had to be created, as the original production could not fit on their stages. Cameron Mackintosh has already developed a hugely acclaimed new production of the show in America which is able to play varying sized auditoriums in a tour which has been so successful that it is now booking into its 4th year.
This new production has been put together with Director Mitchell Lemsky and Designer Adrian Vaux adapting Bob Avian's brilliant choreography . Using cutting edge visual techniques, it vividly recreates the streets of Vietnam and Bangkok, including of course the memorable final helicopter flight from the roof of the American Embassy. The internationally famous illustrator Gerald Scarfe has also joined the design team to create his own inimitable take on the famous show stopping production number, the American Dream.
Cameron Mackintosh says, "It is a back-handed compliment, which is a testament to the strength of the show's material, that the audience and critics reactions have acclaimed other new productions as equal to or surpassing the original. However this was no surprise to me as I vividly remember the final run through of the original production at Sadler's Wells rehearsal room in London where actors working with a few hand props performed the show with such passion and dramatic effect. When we came to the famous helicopter scene, Claude-Michel Schönberg just banged the top of the piano and made a helicopter sound and I knew then that however the story would be staged it would always retain its extraordinary emotional power. Whether or not you have seen my original production, I am quite sure you will be knocked out by this new presentation".
The new Miss Saigon will be the largest touring production in the UK, with a company of over 50 actors and musicians.
Miss Saigon has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg with lyrics by Richard Maltby Jnr and Alain Boublil, adapted from original French lyrics by Alain Boublil.
This production of Miss Saigon is directed by Mitchell Lemsky. The choreography is by Maggie Goodwin with additional choreography by Geoffrey Garratt, based on the original musical staging by Bob Avian. It is designed by Adrian Vaux with costumes by Andreane Neofitou, lighting by Jenny Kagan and sound by Andrew Bruce and Nick Lidster. Orchestrations are by William David Brohn.
Set in 1975 during the final days leading up to the American evacuation of Saigon, "MISS SAIGON" is an epic love story about the relationship between an American GI and a young Vietnamese woman.
Fourteen years ago Cameron Mackintosh premiered Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's epic musical "MISS SAIGON" at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane and overnight it became a legend, running in London and on Broadway for over 10 years and in major capital cities around the world, becoming one of the most successful musicals in modern history.
Since its London premiere in 1989, "MISS SAIGON" has become the third most successful musical in the history of British theatre and the longest running show ever to play Drury Lane. It has been performed in 18 countries, in nine different languages, has won 29 awards and been seen by over 31 million people worldwide. To date it has grossed over £950 million at the box office around the world.
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