Last autumn, a theatre company of British east and south-east Asian artists voiced its objection to the staging of Boublil and Schönberg’s Vietnam war musical for its racially reductive stereotypes. Miss Saigon’s producers defended it as an opportunity to reframe the material in a fresh way.
There are many positives in their shiny and accomplished crowdpleaser but this is more of a tweak than a rigorous reimagining. Directed by Robert Hastie and Anthony Lau, it is presented as “the first non replica production” of the musical since its 1989 premiere, with lyrics “modified in collaboration with the show’s original writers”. But the story of Vietnamese “bargirl” Kim (Jessica Lee), who falls fatally in love with Chris (Christian Maynard), an American GI posted in Saigon, feels much like the musical we know, complete with stereotypes. A thoroughly diverse cast has been employed but can casting make the story’s racial stereotypes less problematic? Not always in this case.
