Oh man, how excited am I for a Miss Saigon movie?! I will be so sad if this doesn't happen. Miss Saigon is one of my favorite shows, and the first time I saw it (the U.S. tour six years ago) was one of the most incredible theatregoing experiences I had. Even though I knew it was based on Madame Butterfly, I was so immersed in the show the ending shocked me, and I couldn't believe it was over. That's the only time I've ever felt a show had more to say in terms of plot, and I totally thought there was a whole other act--that's how badly I wanted to know what happened to the Engineer.
I also think Miss Saigon is perfect for film . It feels extremely cinematic anyway ("The American Dream," hello!), and I think the added realism of film--namely, having a realistic setting instead of sets on a stage--will ground the story in the grittiness that's there, but not always noticed. Big, spectacle-driven musicals aren't generally my thing, but certain stories need to be told on a large scale, and Miss Saigon is one of them (offhand, two others are Ragtime and Sunset Boulevard). I've seen a small production of Miss Saigon and was thrilled to see how effective it was, but this is a big story with big emotions during a hugely powerful time with characters who do rash, crazy things, and film can capture that incredibly well.
At the same time, I hope a film version conveys the intimacy of the piece. At its core, Miss Saigon is a character piece for me; it's hard to care about the show if you don't care about Kim and/or the Engineer. I think a smart film adaptation would balance the show's grandness with its passionate and complicated characters, similar to how the Sweeney Todd film did--and, I'd argue, Dreamgirls to an extent. Spectacle and substance aren't mutually exclusive, and a well done Miss Saigon film could be proof of that.
And really, when you get right down to it, seeing "You Will Not Touch Him" on a big screen will be amazing.
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As I commented about my love for Miss Saigon on another post of yours, it's no surprise that I too am very excited about this. Have you started thinking about casting wish lists?
ReplyDeleteAlso, have you heard that the revival of Ragtime is taking a small scale approach?
Right now I'm still dreaming of Lea Salonga, which I KNOW will never happen (and probably shouldn't, if I'm honest with myself, because of her age). I would also love to see Johanna Ampil, but again...not likely. Although, I wonder about Jenna Ushkowitz. She's certainly young enough, but Glee hasn't showcased her enough (well...at all, really), so I don't know if she'd be right.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've heard that and I'm so happy about that! The two productions of Ragtime I've seen were minimalist, actually, so a small-scale Ragtime is all I know. As much as I would love to see Ragtime in its large-scale glory, I'm glad the revival isn't trying to replicate the original on that front. Especially since so many people seeing this Ragtime have seen the original one.
I am dying to see this movie. (And Ragtime, for that matter - I've heard this production really makes Mother the center of the show, which is how I think it should be.)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, if Christiane Noll were playing Kathleen, I'd think she should be the center of the show, because holy God that woman. We need to figure out when we're seeing Ragtime, because I can't take not seeing it.
ReplyDeleteAre you coming to my concert Sunday? And by "my concert" I mean "the concert I have one song in."