The storyline, originally written by Frenchmen Alain Boubil and Claude-Michel Schönberg but famously adapted by Cameron Mackintosh, hit the Benedum stage from February 4th-9th and flooded downtown Pittsburgh with an energy from continents away.
The Engineer who ran this brothel of a place- was played by the dynamic Red Concepción who was nothing short of the crowd's favorite. Concepción has a knack for delivery- whether dancing, singing or speaking, it's like he has some instinctive comedic compass that tells him exactly how to deliver a line, turn an inflection, shimmy his shoulders, squeak his words, and ultimately, leave a crowd breathless. He was truly a comedic relief everyone anticipated on seeing.
Emily Bautista played our beloved Kim- whom you couldn't help but fall in love with. When she sang, you felt every single emotion. She had a way of making the beautiful melodies that spilled from her lips sound like unspeakable grief, barely contained fury, or overwhelming panic in protection of her child. She sang and spoke all at once, it was magnetic and moving. She stole the show. We cared for her, were protective of her, rooted for her. She was us and we were her- hoping, wanting, fighting, navigating, fending and loving hard.
Soon after meeting her love interest Chris, played by the ever talented Anthony Festa, who sang just as powerfully and emotionally charged as Bautista, we were introduced to Kim's old betrothed whom she thought died in the pillaging of her old village. He arrived at the wedding ceremony for Kim and Chris (a beautiful moment of being even more deeply engulfed in the breathtaking nuances of this town and people's culture). He held Chris at gunpoint, ready to kill for the love he envisioned, the happy ending he promised to her father.
Though everyone left unscathed and the fiancé fled, the bullets to be dodged were far from gone. Upon attempting to move Kim from Saigon to America, the army was called to evacuate and the two lovers were lost from each other in the confusion. With no numbers to call or address to write to and no way of knowing if the other was alive, they were separated for years.
Three years later, we find Chris in an Atlanta apartment, remarried and Kim homeless....with a child. Now, not only was the Engineer a gift to the show, but also an essential tool in the progression of the storyline. He was found by the ex-fiancé now turned Army Commissioner and recruited to search for Kim or risk persecution. He delivered- he always does. Upon finding out Kim had a child that would ruin the perfect image of their happy ending and his reputation, he attempted to execute the child. Kim got to him first though, killing every trace of her past life. She teamed up with the Engineer to either get themselves to America or Chris to Saigon. Plot twist- the child is Chris' and he doesn't know.
Oddly, someone is looking for them from the land of the free as well- it's John (J. Daughtry), Chris' friend and fellow Marine. Daughtry is a secret weapon. He's wonderful at his delivery and an unexpected powerhouse vocally. His solo came in the Second Act where he sang of how the abandoned children in Vietnam left in the devastation of the war's casualties are just as much America's children- America's responsibility. Daughtry belted out the notes so amazingly, soulfully and sincerely, your hands wanted to raise as though in church. Audience members fought the urge to give him a standing ovation.
In pursuit of justice, John finds that Kim has a child and brings it to the attention of Chris. They make a trip out with his wife (who knew nothing of her husband's time in Vietnam except the name "Kim" he'd shout during his night terrors) and plan to meet the child and Kim. The Engineer, eager for his big break, treats the moment as a business transaction instead of a delicate reunion and rushes Kim to his hotel room instead of waiting for Chris' arrival to the brothel as John promised. She meets the wife- who she never would have imagined existed in her hopes for a reunion that kept her fighting all these years. Heartbroken, she begs they take her son and flees.
Still in love with her but in denial, Chris lies to his wife and says he wants to continue in their marriage. They decide to take home the child and leave Kim behind. The exchange happens, and with the gun Chris left her years ago for her own protection, Kim takes her life. Yet, though the ending was bitter, matched by the belt of absolute grief emitted by Chris, the memories of an incredulous night linger with me to this day.
Incredulous. Simply put, Miss Saigon was an incredulous performance. It has built a legacy for itself so that when you hear the name, you're flooded with the awe of your first encounter and run to see what new wonder they've added since your last visit. Bravo to all. What an unforgettable night.