Overview
Synopsis
Miss Saigon is an epic, stunning adaptation of Puccini’s opera, Madame Butterfly, by the writers behind Les Miserables. Reframing Puccini’s story by setting it during the Vietnam War, Miss Saigon is a powerful and poignant tale of love in a war-torn country. In the dangerous days before Saigon’s fall in 1975, Chris (an American GI) and Kim (a destitute Vietnamese orphan working her first night as a prostitute) fall in love. When the city falls, the lovers are forced apart, and each must find their own way, alone. When, years later, Chris is able to return to Vietnam, he brings with him an American wife. Kim, who has waited for Chris, has raised their son, Tam, who is “bui-doi”-- a term for a child conceived during the horrors of war. With so much devastation behind them, Kim and Chris must decide how to move forward. Miss Saigon is a tragedy of massive proportions: passionate, profound, and heart-wrenchingly honest. With a sung-through score and tour-de-force roles for actors, Miss Saigon is a theatrical experience that will stay with you for years to come.
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Context
Coming off the success of Les Miserables, their first musical collaboration, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil turned their focus to another epic historical landscape for their second project: the Vietnam War. Their musical, Miss Saigon, is an adaptation of famous composer Giacomo Puccini’s opera, Madama Butterfly, reconceived in the context of 1970s Saigon, during the Vietnam War. Like Puccini’s opera, which centers around the romance between an American lieutenant and a geisha,
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Act One
It’s April 1975 in Saigon, Vietnam; near the end of the Vietnam War. Backstage at Dreamland, a Vietnamese bar, club, and sometime-whorehouse, the Engineer (who owns Dreamland), introduces the bar-girls to their newest cohort: 17-year-old Kim, an orphan who escaped her hometown after seeing her family massacred (“Opening Act I”). All the bar-girls are eager to impress the American GIs, who they hope will help them escape Vietnam. The Engineer, himself, is eager for a visa, hoping
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Character Portrayals
See StageAgent members who have performed roles in Miss Saigon.
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Songs
Act One
- Overture/Opening Act I -- Gigi, Kim, The Engineer, and Bar Girls
- The Heat Is on in Saigon -- Soldiers, Bar Girls, The Engineer, Kim, John, Chris, and Gigi
- The Movie in My Mind -- Gigi, Kim, and Bar Girls
- The Transaction -- The Engineer, John, Soldiers, Chris, and Kim
- The Dance -- Kim, Chris, and the Engineer
- Why, God, Why? -- Chris
- This Money’s Yours -- Chris and Kim
- Sun and Moon -- Chris and Kim
- The Telephone Song -- Chris and John
- The Deal -- The Engineer and Chris
- The Wedding Ceremony -- Gigi, Kim, Bar Girls, and Chris
- Thuy’s Arrival -- Thuy, Chris, and Kim
- Last Night of the World -- Chris and Kim
- The Morning of the Dragon -- Soldiers, The Engineer, Two Guards, and Thuy
- I Still Believe -- Kim and Ellen
- Back in Town -- The Engineer, Kim, Thuy and Soldiers
- Thuy’s Death -- Kim and Thuy
- If You Want to Die in Bed -- The Engineer
- Let Me See His Western Nose -- The Engineer and Kim
- I’d Give My Life for You -- Kim
Act Two
- Bui Doi -- John and Male Ensemble
- The Revelation -- Chris and John
- What a Waste -- The Engineer, Hustlers, Tourists, John, and Kim
- Please -- John and Kim
- Chris Is Here -- The Engineer, Kim, Club Owner, and John
- Kim’s Nightmare -- Thuy
- Fall of Saigon -- Soldiers, Kim, John, and Citizens
- Sun and Moon (Reprise) -- Kim
- Room 317 -- Kim and Ellen
- Now That I’ve Seen Her -- Ellen
- The Confrontation -- Chris, Ellen, and John
- Paper Dragons -- The Engineer and Kim
- The American Dream -- The Engineer
- Finale -- Full Company
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Key Terms
An adaptation is a reworking of a story from one medium or cultural context into another, such as turning a novel into a play or updating a classic play’s setting. Adaptations often reinterpret themes, characters, and style for new audiences. They can range from faithful recreations to bold reimaginings.
A large-scale musical with elaborate staging, global appeal, and strong branding, such as *Les Misérables* or *Phantom*.
Spectacle refers to the visual elements of a production that create wonder and excitement through design, movement, or scale. This might include elaborate costumes, dazzling choreography, special effects, or impressive sets. Spectacle often heightens the theatrical experience by leaving audiences with vivid visual impressions alongside the story and music.
