We have to admit to being huge musical theatre fans at East Midlands Theatre.com and have been in suspended anticipation of the cinema screening of the acclaimed West End production of 25th anniversary of Miss Saigon. The songs have been going through our collective heads for weeks. Today we finally got our ‘Saigon‘ fix at Nottingham’s Broadway Cinema. Was it worth the wait? Oh goodness me yes yes yes! Two hours away from mopping up the tears of sadness and joy we are already clamouring to buy the Miss Saigon: 25th Anniversary Performance [DVD]. It is available to pre-order now through the link above. Available from 24th October.

The filming style totally blew us away. It was like we were centre stage in the middle of the performance not as someone in the middle of the stalls of the Prince Edward Theatre London. Every finely drawn acting nuance of every performer was up on screen in acute detail. Excusing the radio mikes in evidence on all the performers’ heads  the detail in the filmed version show sweeps you away in the emotion of the piece even more than if you were gripping the edge of your West End price seat with the sweaty hands of an ardent musical theatre aficionado.

We witnessed some stunningly connected and emotional performances from Eva Noblezada (Kim)  Alistair Brammer (Chris)  Jon Jon Briones (Engineer) and Hugh Maynard as John. Maynard is currently wowing audiences as the first ever UK professional black actor to play the title role of Sweeney Todd at Derby Theatre and then Mercury Theatre Colchester.  Actress Rachelle Ann Go who plays Gigi is phenomenal in the strength of her performance. Laurence Connor’s direction is superb.

100% of our cinema audience stayed glued to their seats to witness the special finale that featured original cast members Lea Salonga, Jonathan Pryce and Simon Bowman as well as the creators Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schonberg and legendary producer Cameron MacKintosh. What an event! Somehow, even though the screening has happened UK and Worldwide it still feels like a special screening for a chosen few. You could have heard a pin drop from the second the film started to the point where one was  leaving the cinema as high as a helicopter leaving a war zone.

Reviewer: Phil Lowe

For 2017 MISS SAIGON UK TOUR DETAILS Click highlighted detail.