Miss Saigon (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets

"'Miss Saigon' is as mechanically melodramatic as any theatrical potboiler from the early 20th century...It’s not as if such stories don’t still have the power to stir suspense and tears. But this eventful, sung-through production out of London, directed by Laurence Connor, feels about as affecting as a historical diorama, albeit a lavishly appointed one. This despite the hard and dedicated work of its earnest cast."
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"It’s less a song-and-dance affair in any recognizable sense than it is an ’80s summer movie, weighed down with ridiculous special F/X...Boublil’s lyrics are awfully leaden and generic, and Schönberg churns out predictably pseudo-Asian passages throughout the score—pentatonic patterns, flutes and plucked strings—the musicological equivalent of yellowface...Diversity on Broadway should be celebrated, but give actors of color characters we all can care about."
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"In condemning the exploitation of the Vietnamese while in alternate breaths exploiting them for Broadway-scale titillation, the show tries to have it both ways...It’s one thing to dramatize the degradation of women; it’s another thing to wink while doing it...The unrelieved hyper-emphasis of Laurence Connor’s direction basically squashes whatever might be good in 'Miss Saigon'...I am also sorry to report that the helicopter looks like a manatee."
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"Sure, it's a brash, broad-strokes saga with questionable racial and gender representation and a taste for salacious vulgarity. But although director Laurence Connor has adhered to the basic contours of the original, his grittier approach exposes teeth in the material that I don't recall previously being so sharp...Noblezada is a legitimate discovery, just as Salonga was the first time around...This is brawny, crowd-pleasing entertainment."
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"The show is completely sung-through, which was common in the ’90s but feels a bit dated today. Further, much of those songs are sweeping, melodramatic ballads...Eva Noblezada is probably the show’s biggest wow (sorry, helicopter)...In general, this new iteration has a more appropriately gritty feel than the show had in the ’90s, from the physical set to the portrayal of Americans and the consequences of war. Still, it’s a pretty darn schmaltzy show to begin with."
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"Classy revitalization of an old, presumably boring property that proves to have plenty of life in it yet. The upscale revival should bring a tear to old-timers with romantic memories of the original schmaltzy score, while titillating newbies...The production values alone are a jaw-dropper...And just wait for his big getaway in 'The American Dream,' a show-stopper—and a career-maker for Briones."
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"It’s an opera for the tone-deaf: The dramatic gestures are broad and banal, and the faux-rock songs are exercises in louder-is-betterness whose tunes go round and round in tight little circles of melodic monotony. As for the lyrics, by Mr. Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr., they’re by turns tawdry and trite...While 'Miss Saigon' has a can’t-miss plot—it’s as potent today as it was for Puccini—the score, at least to my ear, is unendurable."
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"This production is sensational in every way: visually and sonically (often painfully so). Most important, it’s brilliantly cast...'Miss Saigon' is a show that eats its cheesecake and has it too, like a skin flick that runs a banner at the end promising to donate proceeds to a home for wayward girls...The show’s high point, 'The American Dream'...is more chilling than I’ve ever seen it...The production’s other big discovery is Eva Noblezada...Noblezada radiates conviction."
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"Making lots of noise but managing to say precious little...All-too-mechanical revival...There’s still bracing romanticism in the score...But...you’re conscious of an absence. That would be the missing ingredient of outsize performances, to match what is supposed to be a politics-infused love story of epic scale...They come across less as people than as war-story archetypes. Lacking incisive emotionality, the plot rolls along flatly."
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"This bracing new production from London reminds that whirlybirds can’t whip up emotions. Only good actors can do that. The revival has plenty of them...Noblezada impresses Kim. She sings from a deep well of emotion and gets under your skin...Briones brings sleaze and sly humor to the role...His gritty take on 'American Dream' is a highlight. Too bad he’s also saddled with a gratuitous 'Make American great again' line. It mars the show's otherwise fine-tuned return."
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"'Miss Saigon' is more relevant and heartbreaking today than when it premiered on Broadway in 1991...As directed by Laurence Connor, this solid and satisfying revival builds on the extraordinary visuals, nonstop adrenaline, sweeping emotions and pulsating musical score that characterized the original production while adding an unmissable brutality and grittiness...Briones, Noblezada and Brammer are giving high-intensity performances that stand on par with their predecessors."
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"'Miss Saigon' soars to the rafters...Director Laurence Connor has darkened the tone considerably...Casting is key in this production...Young Eva Noblezada, discovered while in high school, is quite a find with the instincts of a seasoned veteran and the vocal range to match. With Alistair Brammer as Chris, the doomed lovers raise tragedy to epic proportions...This is a most worthy revival, and now, minus the controversy, fans are free to re-live the thrill."
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"The show retains everything that made it noteworthy in the first place: Schönberg's ear-worm melodies, a massive ensemble of attractive dancers, and a helicopter landing onstage...Connor has opted for the more-is-more approach...When you look beyond the hulking scenery and 'American Idol'-style glory notes, you can see 'Miss Saigon' for what it really is: a bruising indictment of American self-pity in an age in which we still control the lion's share of wealth and power."
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"True to its operatic source, the sung-through drama of 'Miss Saigon' is better conveyed via its sweeping, power-ballad-driven music than by its lyrics...Nevertheless, strong performances keep the proceedings stimulating, particularly that of Jon Jon Briones, especially charismatic as The Engineer...Powerfully voiced Eva Noblezada combines sensitive nobility and naiveté as Kim, and Alistair Brammer's rocker-belting Chris effectively displays the steady growth of PTSD."
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“Schönberg's score is unfailingly melodic, but it doesn't add the requisite gravity and dramatic heft to such potboiler plotting. This is not for lack of trying…The lyrics are distressingly generic. It doesn't help that the characters are mostly one-dimensional and prone to dramatic flip-flops…Still, if you're a fan of ‘Miss Saigon,’ this is a first-class revival, both in terms of its cast and production values.”
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"The most mega of megamusicals. For this mounting, though, the writers and director have striven to strip everything but the helicopter of that 'mega' status. And without it, not only does 'Miss Saigon' not work, it barely registers...Connor's sluggish staging, when it's not overly obvious hits the brakes on an evening that ought to be in near-constant acceleration...Then there are the performances, none of which rises above adequate...Their concerns become inconsequential...So does the show."
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"The new 'Miss Saigon' is as hypnotic in its storytelling as it is overwrought in depicting its small tale of five people caught up in events beyond their control. As one might expect from one of the blockbuster British musicals, everything about it is huge. Luckily time has made its underlying theme of the fate of refugees caught up in war both relevant and immense too."
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“This blockbuster is bulletproof against critical assaults on its...mawkishness, racial stereotyping, melodramatic overkill, and substantial lack of comedy...Still...it's hard to deny the show's ability to zing theatregoers' hearts...Briones, who's played the Engineer in multiple productions, captures his treacherous survivalist instincts without losing audience sympathy. He helps make this an entertaining, if unexceptional, revival of a show whose problems have become more apparent with age.”
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"The helicopter may not be completely the real thing but with the help of lighting and strong fans, it's still pretty amazing...Using that spectacle factor and the quality of the singing as a baseline to judge whether 'Miss Saigon' holds up, the answer is 'yes.' This is the biggest, most spectacle-rich show in town...Noblezada sings with enough feeling to touch even the most cynical members of the audience...Current events make this new production as sadly timely as it is entertaining."
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"The story packs an unavoidable emotional punch, even if you do see it coming, largely due to the performance of Ms. Noblezada...She simply nails all of it...Briones is doubtless giving the best performance of his long career...The large cast is uniformly excellent...The design elements are appropriately impressive...The pop-rock score is sometimes tepid and often repetitive, but when it has to soar it does so, usually on the wings of Eva Noblezada’s beautiful soprano voice."
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"Stunning performances from the entire cast make this revival pure Broadway joy...The effects of the U.S. war in Vietnam are tangibly felt...There is no doubt this revival of 'Miss Saigon' is a hit. With a top-notch cast, dynamic visuals, and a story that speaks to the complexities of the American Dream, this classic will definitely be beloved by a new generation of theatergoers."
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"This latest incarnation is a bit grittier, but is still charged with enough theatrical panache to satisfy the tourist trade...Director Laurence Connor stays on course, but occasionally lapses into derivative scenarios...The result is a mediocre production, waffling between dirty and gritty, and polished and sensational, never committing to either. What is a good reason for this revival is the discovery of Eva Noblezada who brings her endless vocal range to Kim."
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"Connor directs the cast with high stakes, amplified to reach the last row of the balcony. But within this amplified reality, Noblezada can carry your heart in the palm of her hand...You’ll feel like you’ve gotten your money’s worth with 'Miss Saigon‘s' flashy production design. But once you’ve left the theatre and the stage goes dim, it will be 'Miss Saigon’s' haunting score and timely reflection on how war impacts the human spirit that will stay with you."
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"The ballad-heavy score remains, for the most part, slightly soporific; the Vietnam-era-set libretto is both melodramatic and sometimes offensive, and Connor’s direction favors assaulting the senses whenever possible. That means the helicopter is bigger and more realistic than before. And the first act somehow seems livelier, in part due to its complete lack of subtlety. But the only real reason to even consider seeing this show are the outstanding performances from the three leads."
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"The production’s impressive visual spectacle, lively staging and crowd-pleasing vocal calisthenics cannot completely mask a script that leans heavily on emotional manipulation and one-dimensional storytelling...Perhaps a miraculous cast could take such blunt-force emotional instruments and soften them into credibility...If the new 'Miss Saigon' is powerful, it’s because of the powerhouse singing...In fairness, the revival delivers on the thrills that its fans are surely expecting."
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“Ms. Noblezada’s has a gorgeous voice, but her chemistry with Mr. Brammer lacks the sense of love and betrayal needed to keep us on the edge of our seats. The emotional intensity just seems lacking and ‘Miss Saigon’ no longer seems epic. Bob Avian’s choreography lacks the luster the original had…If you have never seen this show, you will be entertained, but if you saw the original you will be underwhelmed, for the heat is gone in 'Saigon.'”
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"Here it comes again just about exactly 26 years after its first landing. It huffs and puffs and settles itself awkwardly but tenaciously...Throughout, everything possible to be done to overwhelm the patrons has been done. So congratulations of a sort go out to Connor for directing with power...As to the performers: Briones is a marvel. He’s a reason to see this bloated whip-up. Noblezada, Brammer and Clarke are all fine, but curiously, their singing is pitched at a strange adolescent level."
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"Once again the music is merely loud when it needs to be affecting...Rather than giving us an impression of the repressive regime, director Laurence Connor and choreographer Bob Avian turn these songs into typical Broadway showstoppers...If only the songwriters had recycled more from Kander and Ebb...The lyrics by Boublil and Matlby Jr. can be summed up in their creation of a character named John. He isn’t named Bruce because Bruce doesn’t rhyme with Saigon."
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"Eva Noblezada has an enormous, poignant strength and a piercing voice that can delicately float as confidently as it blasts. Alistair Brammer has the voice, the jaw and the muscles of a gentle American giant...The story feels more urgent amid renewed refugee tragedies and our consciousness of the sex trade. And the narrative—helped by unusually graceful lyrics—almost distract from the generic Euro-pop ballads and anthems that sound like many we’ve heard before."
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“Is it good? By no means. But it is big and happily boasts a lead actress who with better material might just become a star. The story is over-heated nonsense, but then so is most opera…The sense of the creative team rehashing what worked before in ‘Les Miz’ is palpable...The tunes are almost astonishingly bad from start to finish both in words and music and all the spectacle in the world can’t hide that…Still, spectacle there is, put across by an able cast."
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"Just as dated and uncomfortable as it was when the show first ran from 1991-2001—if not more so...Director Laurence Connor’s production is like that friend who, when conversation turns to touchy or taboo subjects, winds up anxiously shouting exactly the wrong thing when they’re not quite sure what to say. This is not to say the leading players aren’t belting their hearts out...We’re left to question why it’s returned as though it never left, without anything more to say."
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"Just how can you make the sexual, romantic, emotional and financial exploitation and abuse of a vulnerable Vietnamese woman into a barnstorming theatrical night out? This reporter could not see it; others around him, very visibly and audibly, could. Briones and Noblezada are the evening’s astonishing powerhouses...They soar, perhaps award-winningly, above the bizarre material they have to perform. The fault does not lie with them, or the wonderful orchestra and musicians."
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"An elaborate staging, which at times vies for attention with the talented cast...Briones is the focal point of this 'Miss,' part-character and part-narrator, emceeing his way across Asia with gyrating hips and snarky asides...Noblezada is effective...The helicopter scene remains phenomenal...My issues with 'Miss Saigon' aren’t deal-breakers: the orchestrations sometimes unintentionally subvert the presence of the actors. And the initial bond between Kim and Chris isn’t sketched out enough."
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“With its lush and melodic score, ‘Miss Saigon’ remains an ambitious and stunningly effective musical even as it also borders on the overwhelming. It has been seamlessly and extravagantly directed for all its sentimental worth by Laurence Connor…It can’t be overstated how beautifully the petite Noblezada, as the doomed Kim, touches us with her sensitive performance and her clearly spun, octave-vaulting soprano voice…An admirable and affecting musical.”
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"Back on Broadway in all its breathtaking pop opera glory…Masterfully directed by Laurence Connor, the company of more than 45 performers realize in enthralling terms the epic proportions of this tale of love torn asunder...The principals from the West End company head the cast with extraordinary performances, making sure that the 'Madame Butterfly'-inspired story remains a heart-breaker for the 21st century."
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"Stuffed to the gills with prostitutes, refugees, out of wedlock pregnancies, suicides, and lascivious Mormons...this show crams far too much material into its two and a half hours. There is hardly enough space to breathe, let alone feel."
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"The new revival of 'Miss Saigon'...is lavishly produced...And I must have really gotten old because I enjoyed it a lot more than in '91, when I found it screechingly cheesy. This time, there are still some clunky lyrics and also people belting songs while writhing in melodramatic anguish. But the story grabbed me...As the dramas unfurl, Laurence Connor’s direction keeps things swirling, with some dazzling set pieces, including Jon Jon Brione’s brilliant turn as the Engineer."
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"Never much rises above the level of hummable schmaltz. Yet if 'Miss Saigon' hasn't necessarily refined with age, this is nonetheless a handsome, accomplished production—an artful application of lipstick on a pot-bellied pig. The director, Laurence Connor, does an exceptional job moving the more than three-dozen actors across a busy, sometimes cluttered set, and he keeps a firm grip on the potentially confusing story line...You could do a lot worse for a night out."
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"The spectacle still impresses. There's the lush orchestration...; a ferocious paean in dance and song...; and, of course, the helicopter...The standout in this show, though, is Eva Noblezada as Kim...She isn't matched by the more opaque performance of Alistair Brammer as her lover Chris, though perhaps his part is just underwritten...But one doesn't go to 'Miss Saigon' for a tight narrative. It's an evening of big Broadway, with music that will move you and set pieces that will thrill."
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“Epic visually but very thin on story line…The score never lives up to the magnificence of ‘Les Misérables’...As for Jon Jon Briones as the Engineer, I honestly have no idea what he is conveying…Totally lacking in personality, charisma and style...Ms. Noblezada is enchanting as Kim, but Mr. Brammer lacks the passion that tortures Chris for having left Kim behind…Its direction by Laurence Connor is listless and aimless, no real vision or structure to it.”
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"The helicopter that descends from the rafters, like the rest of this elaborate, overblown production, is bigger but not better than the 1989 London and 1991 New York originals...'Miss Saigon' is a big-budget musical and it shows...Alistair Brammer and newcomer Eva Noblezada sing commendably, but their acting lacks real drama. The only really theatrical performance is that of Jon Jon Briones who brings an over-the top, creepy, carnal, sleaziness to the role of Engineer."
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"Though Connor may have be going for a more gritty, dark, and most importantly, accurate portrayal of the Vietnam War, he certainly missed the mark...Did the actors not portray the emotion of the piece enough? Maybe. Is the show poorly written? Probably. Did the director not emphasize the right moments or execute a new vision? Absolutely. If there is anyone to blame for this revival being lackluster, still racist, and not very different from the original, it’s the director."
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"As a primer on the megamusical...'Miss Saigon' has just about every ingredient required: high emotion, universal themes, hummable songs, visual enormity, dazzling and often mechanized spectacle...A nobly committed cast...Megamusicals in general just don't do it for me, but that's not to say that the production isn't done very, very well. If you like shiny romantic sappy bigness and don't mind two-dimensional characters that threaten to dip into stereotype, the show just might be yours.”
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"The stakes never feel raised, the urgency never feels palpable and any improvements in text or pacing are so subtle that they're basically invisible. If anything, the helicopter serves as a reminder of Cameron Mackintosh's mantra of style over substance...The voices are exquisite...At its core, the show remains a piece with a few great songs but not much else...The feeling isn't that of how much we love the show, it's more of, why did we like it in the first place?”
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"This play is often hokey and not very satisfying. The best parts are terrific production numbers about real events...They could have been an exciting focus. Instead, we see what eventually becomes the tedious story of the desperate prostitute dancers and the clean GI...This show could have been an important political moment. But, unfortunately, when politics meets soap opera, soap opera wins. The show now seems sentimental, dated."
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“I found the love story of Kim and Chris to be less and less interesting. It is without question beautiful music song by song – but there is so little story/character development that you really never get to know them – especially Chris. They almost become a bit of a vocal event. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Engineer and his story line…The snide, sarcastic side in me revels in the Engineer and his dream of pimping out all the USA.”
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