It's Thursday, and theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Tom in the studio with another of her weekly reviews of the region's thespian offerings. Today, she spotlights the new traveling production of Miss Saigon, on stage now at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.
From the creative team behind Les Misérables, Miss Saigon tells the story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim (played by Emily Bautista). In a brothel/bar run by a notorious character called The Engineer (Red Concepcion), Kim meets an American G.I. named Chris (Anthony Festa), in an encounter that will change their lives forever. This multiple Tony Award-winning musical -- which premiered in London in 1989 and ran for nearly 10 years on Broadway after its 1991 opening -- features music by Claude-Michel Schönberg with lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. and Alain Boublil. The new North American Tour production at the Kennedy Center -- reprising Miss Saigon's legendary spectacle, a cast of more than 40, and a score that includes Broadway hits like “Last Night of the World,” “The Movie in My Mind,” and “The Heat Is on in Saigon” -- is directed by Laurence Connor.
Recommended for age 12 and up. Please be advised that this production contains strong sexual content.
Miss Saigon continues at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC until Sunday, January 13. Ticket and performance info here.
