Review: Miss Saigon

Love in the shadow of the red flag
It’s been such a long time since the Vietnam War that for younger viewers, the background of the events of the musical Miss Saigon seems to be obscure. But for those who remember the bombing waves in North Vietnam in the late 1960s, the war propaganda of the time, and the anti-war demonstrations, the memories are awakened.
At its best, the United States had half a million men in Vietnam. The situation was clear: evil was in the north, good in the south. This is also the case with Miss Saigon.
The musical first takes place in 1975. It is time for the last days of the war, as the Communist forces are gaining control of more and more areas of South Vietnam and are approaching Saigon.
The fighting has brought crowds of refugees to the city, whose unrealistic hope is to get to safety in America. Bread is obtained where it is possible: by entertaining the soldiers of a foreign power. This is how Kim, a Vietnamese country girl, and Chris, an American soldier, meet each other.
Miss Saigon is handsome to look at: a misty river with its boats, the horrors of bombings, lush dances, waving red flags and, above all, a gigantic Buddha’s head buried in the ground, smiling as it watches the events. A helicopter will also be seen on stage. In real life, on April 29, 70 helicopters transported 1,000 Americans and 6,000 Vietnamese out of Saigon. Thousands remained, including Kim in the musical.
In these circumstances, love is as hopeless as it must have been between Finnish women and German soldiers in the country.
In Miss Saigon, the new power is angular marches, stern expressions and a handsome fire of ideology. In memory of the American, Kim has a little three-year-old son.
In the second act of the musical, the American conscience awakens to take care of the children left behind by the soldiers. You can guess that these so-called. The role of the Bui-Doi children has been easy in a country governed by the new power. However, Kim’s little one is doing well, as Chris has come to Bangkok with his American wife and finds his escaped lover with his children. One of the most hurtful scenes in the musical is the child’s separation from his mother.
Chris and Kim’s love story is at an impossible dead end, and Kim draws her own conclusions.
Miss Saigon moves emotions in many ways, especially when the volume of the song calms down a bit and the lyrics are easier to understand. The plot of the musical is already old, as the story of Madame Butterfly appeared as early as 1897. It was based on the popular novel Madame Chrysanthème, which tells the story of a French naval officer and a Japanese geisha.
Alain Boublil and Claude Michel Schoenberg, the creators of Miss Saigon the musical, were inspired to create their own version when they saw a photograph of a Vietnamese woman handing over her children to the Americans at the airport just a few weeks before Saigon surrendered.
It is worth watching and reviewing the history of Vietnam at the same time.
Marja Kuparinen
Miss Saigon. Directed by Georg Malvius. Helsinki City Theatre.