'MISS SAIGON' Wonderful portrayals highlight love story

One of the most dramatic scenes in the play is the fall of Saigon.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- "Miss Saigon" played to a crowded house Monday night at the Edward W. Powers Auditorium. The love story, played out in song, between a Marine and a Vietnamese girl, is set against the harshness of the Vietnam War.
The audience met a shy Kim, wonderfully portrayed by Jennifer Paz, as she arrived in Saigon in 1975 after her village has been burned and she has seen her parents become "bodies without faces."
She has found herself at Dreamland, a sleazy bar run by a man called "the engineer" since he orchestrates many things. The innocent Kim was only chattel to the engineer, and "The Transaction" selection revolved around who will pay the most to have her. Chris, a Marine, saved Kim from a life of prostitution but ended up sentencing her to a life of longing for what she can't have. But the two fell in love, as the chaos of the war swirled around them.
Stage presence
"The Transaction" and "The Telephone Song" showcased the singing abilities and stage presence of Chris, played by Alan Gillespie; John played by D.J. Oliver; and the engineer, Johann Michael Camat. Camat was simply wonderful. Playing a cad, he was deliciously bad and played that to the hilt.
The duets by Paz and Gillespie were nicely done; her voice, which easily reached high ranges, was the perfect complement to Gillespie's strong vocal performances.
Interrupting the love story between Kim and Chris was Thuy, a Vietnamese man to whom Kim was promised. He wanted to possess her more than love her, and she couldn't return any feeling toward him -- which infuriated him. Thuy, played by Tadeo, turned in a strong performance.
Highlights
One of the most dramatic scenes in the play is the fall of Saigon, when the embassy is stormed by Vietnamese longing to leave the war-torn country. The helicopter animation, as it landed and took off, offered a fleeting chance at hope, then a chilling feeling of being left behind. It was well done.
Another dramatic turn is the song "Bui-Doi" by Oliver and the ensemble. Photos of Vietnamese children, fathered by American soldiers, were flashed on the stage backdrop. This scene also complemented the song "You Will Not Touch Him," in which Kim defended her son, Tam, played by Jonathan Wade.
The war tore the couple apart and Chris went home to the United States and his wife. He eventually returned to Vietnam with his wife, Ellen, after telling her about his relationship with Kim. What follows is tragedy and heartbreak, but also a new beginning. The engineer, as usual, wrapped up the show with his thoughts in song on "The American Dream."
The set was simple but clever in design. Colored lights against a black backdrop gave the illusion of city lights.
"Miss Saigon," an updated version of Puccini's "Madama Butterfly," was created by French composer Claude-Michael Schonberg and lyricist Alain Boublil after they were inspired by a news photograph of a Vietnamese woman giving up her child to an American serviceman.
X"Miss Saigon" will be presented at 7:30 tonight at Powers Auditorium. For tickets call the box office at (330) 744-0264.