Invited| Review by Stephen Stokoe
Photo Credit: Danny Kaan Photography
Miss Saigon | Newcastle Theatre Royal | 21st October 2025
I was delighted to be back at Newcastle’s iconic Theatre Royal for a significant theatrical event in the north east. As the opening venue for the new Michael Harrison in association with Cameron Mackintosh production of Miss Saigon. As the literature says ‘The Legend Reborn’ and it certainly is in this lavish and technically superb production.
Attention to detail is clearly evident even as you enter the auditorium with a soundscape of helicopters circling as the audience takes to their seats and the stark black show logo emblazoned on the gauze, sets the scene perfectly.
The show begins in the final days of the Vietnam War which spanned in excess of 19 years as the anti-communist squaddies are letting their hair down in a bordello called Dreamland in the capital of Vietnam – then called Saigon.
Visually, this opening is terrific with a gauze and video wall showing bombs exploding and aircraft heightening the tensions between the local population and the invading troops but also giving a sense of the futility of war and the desperation of those engaged in this bitter and long conflict between pro- and anti- communist allies.
The set and the costumes (Andrew D, Edwards) are nothing short of superb and elevate (in some cases literally) this production into something very special indeed. Some of the directorial decisions (Jean-Pierre Van Der Spuy) are inspired and I think that the more rounded and believable characters in the story are what sets this production apart from previous iterations.
Miss Saigon is essentially a tragic love story set against the backdrop of a particularly gruelling war in which our hero Chris (Jack Kane) meets Kim (Julianne Pundan) and falls in love. Unfortunately for them both this happens just before the US Army abruptly pulls their troops out of the country leaving the star crossed lovers on different continents. The story continues with the aftermath and how all the characters deal with the consequences of the extraction and the end of the war.
We then jump three years. Chris is suffering from PTSD (which is carefully and sensitively approached in the direction), he is now married to Ellen (Emily Langham) who is oblivious to the reasons but not the effects of her new husband’s torment. Meanwhile, Kim has given birth to Chris’s son, Tam (Ella Thai Vuong), and is hiding out and desperately trying to avoid capture.
There are two, depending on how you look at it, villains of the piece. First there is Thuy (Mikko Juan), an idealistic young man betrothed to Kim by their respective parents some time before the musical is set. Thuy is very much on the communist side of the war and seeks to reunite with his childhood fiancé. Then there is The Engineer (Seann Miley Moore), a despicable and thoroughly nasty piece of work who exploits the war years for his own financial gain as the manager of Dreamland and his band of local call girls and lady boys to satisfy the sexual appetites of the invading marines.
Aside from the other girls in Dreamland and the squaddies vying for some loving, there is also the cool head of John (Dominic Hartley-Harris), Chris’s marine buddy who tries to keep his feet on the ground after he floats off in a fantasy of love and April moons.
Suffice it to say, none of these characters have much of a smile on their faces when the story concludes. The fact that this production does not glorify or seek to hide the horrors of war is one of this revival’s greatest achievements. There is a sense of desperation, of futility, and of pain. The characters, on the whole, are not good or bad, they are human which really adds to the realism.
Before I mention some of the individual performances, I would like to touch upon about the finale. This is obviously the climax of a sorry tale and not everyone gets out of the show alive. While is it beautifully directed and staged (especially the girls of Dreamland returning to frame the devastating scene) I felt on both times I watched the show, that there seemed to be something missing. I could not quite put my finger on what it was because visually it is absolutely stunning. And then it came to me. I was not crying, as I had at previous viewings of the show in past years. I think, for me, in this production Kim is given authority to make her own decisions especially after her chance meeting with Ellen. In this, along with her imposing presence during the subsequent quartet, she loses her innocence and, from my point of view my sympathy for what unfolds. It does not quite hit the spot emotionally for me, as the story comes to a brutal end.
I mentioned Ella playing the adorable role of Tam. This important role is also shared by seven other young actors who are Samantha Reese Camiguing, Kasey Mingo Cinesse, Cleo Chow, Lucas Minton, Theo Domingo Torres, Robyn Ferraris-Villapa, and Evie Wong Oram.
There are some amazing performances on the stage in this production. As I mentioned the whole creative team needs to be applauded for the rounded and believable characters that has not always been the case in previous iterations of Miss Saigon. Juan, as Thuy, strikes a tormented figure torn between his values and politics and a genuine affection for the young Kim with whom he was arranged to be married. Juan’s interpretation is powerful yet vulnerable and his vocals are simply outstanding. Langham offers a thoughtful and measured Ellen (quite often a lost or under developed character) and gives her, as the Americans would say, a lot of spunk. Kane is very easy on the eye as Chris and sings the part beautifully and with a great deal of emotion. Pundan, as Kim is every part the innocent flower you want this tragic country lass to me and the pair of them together sing exquisitely. Bartley-Harris as the level-headed John is absolutely perfect. His effortless transition between hot-heated squaddie to bui doi activist is a joy to watch. His comic timing when he is trying to get his love-struck buddy back to base is absolutely brilliant. That one line will stay with me. His lead on the song Bui Doi was one of the best I have heard ever since the show’s 1989 debut.
Last, but in no means least, what can I say about Seann Miley Moore as ‘The Engineer?’ It is as if this multi-talented artist was meant to play the role. The way his character interacts with everyone else is nothing shy of inspirational. His effortless facility to express power or subservience is brilliant. He skips along the fine line of cheerful malevolence via tortured vulnerability via an impishness of a maniacal psychopath that is just perfect for the character. This is, indeed, a character who would smile graciously at you while stabbing you repeatedly in the back. Moore’s largely solo turn in ‘American Dream’ should be used in theatre schools as a masterclass in story telling through song and action.
And yes, there is a helicopter. I have so say that although I welcome this addition since I saw the show earlier in the run, I did miss feeling the wind of the propellers which I found a particularly nice touch.
There are many highlights I could point to in this production but I cannot leave this review without talking about the lighting (Bruno Poet) who like his surname tells stories, not with words but with lights. Look out for ‘Sun and Moon’ which is simply magical but also the transition into the ‘ghost’ scene which in its apparent simplicity is simply genius. Then there is the choreography (Chrissie Cartwring and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille) particularly during ‘The Morning of the Dragon.’ This is simply breath-taking; there is no other phrase for it.
The orchestra led by musical director Ben Mark Turner are superb and I was particularly gratified to see and hear a song played on a solo saxophone on stage. Nice! I have not been able to fit any of the incredibly hard working ensemble into this review but your efforts did not go unnoticed so a collective and hearty cheer to every single one of you for a job done superbly.
Ever since it was announced that the Michael Harrison was bringing the revival of Miss Saigon to his native Newcastle I have been like a kid anticipating Christmas. This show in absolutely no way disappoints. It is wonderfully performed, it is imaginative, it takes the source material of the shows that have preceded it and takes it to… Dreamland. Superb.