| Did you know... | - Miss Saigon has been performed in 18 countries, in nine different languages. It has won 30 awards and been seen by over 31 million people worldwide
- It will be one of the largest touring productions in the UK, with a company of more than 50 actors and musicians
- The set is an entirely new design which vividly recreates the streets of Vietnam and Bangkok, including the memorable final helicopter flight from the roof of the American Embassy
- Animation is used in two scenes, with the visuals for American Dream created by the internationally famous political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe
- To achieve the most authentic look possible, bamboo to dress the set has been specially imported from Indonesia, based on a recommendation from the bamboo specialist at the Eden Project in Cornwall
- The costumes are replicas of the original London production designs, with specially woven silk is used for the Au Dai (the dresses the character Kim wears)
- The GI costumes are authentic American Army surplus, they wear bullet proof flack jackets and the helmets are made of real metal
- Forty-nine deactivated M16 guns and AK 47 and other hand-guns all authentic to the Vietnam War, are used in the show. They are stored and transported in locked metal cabinets
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Miss Saigon is set to be one of the biggest and most dramatic theatrical experiences to be seen in Norfolk this year. After more than two years in the planning, 10 trailers, each more than 40 feet long and packed with the set and props, arrived at the Norwich Theatre Royal over the weekend. A team of more than 50 technical staff are on hand to install the show ready Tuesday's opening night. The first national UK tour of Miss Saigon, producer Cameron Mackintosh has developed a new design concept with set designer Adrian Vaux and director Mitchell Lemsky. Using cutting-edge visual techniques, the show recreates the streets of Vietnam and Bangkok, including the memorable final helicopter flight from the roof of the American Embassy. "It's hugely important for us to be able to bring such a high quality, important musical to Norwich. We're really delighted to be part of the tour," said Jane Walsh, press and programming manager at the Theatre Royal. "In recent years we have done particularly well with longer run productions such a Cats, Doctor Doolittle and Jesus Christ Superstar. I think this builds up confidence for us and producers that the people of East Anglia will support us," she added. The show Set in 1975 during the final days of the American occupation of Saigon, Miss Saigon is an epic love story about the relationship between an American GI and a young Vietnamese woman. Kim is working in a Saigon night club, owned by a notorious wheeler-dealer known as The Engineer. John, an American GI, buys his friend Chris the services of Kim for the night - a night that will change their lives forever. Steven Houghton takes the lead role of Chris. He told bbc.co.uk/norfolk the show is demanding in many ways. "For a singer you get such a great range of songs, it's more demanding than any other show that I've done. There's lots of high notes, lots of shouting, it's very physical. There are lots of different levels to this character – it's just a great role to play," he said. Many know Steven Houghton for his TV roles in London's Burning and Bugs, but he's no stranger to musical theatre having performed in Children Of Eden, Martin Guerre, Kiss Me Kate, Cats and many other shows. "I've done four Cameron shows, but I hadn't auditioned for Cameron's posse since Martin Guerre. I wasn't that interested in doing it [Miss Saigon] to be honest," said Steven. "When my agent first mentioned it I thought I'm not sure, but he said 'Just go and sing to put you face in', so I did. The next day, Trevor Jackson the casting director then offered me the job. It's one of those roles I'd always wanted to do, so I went for it and did it. "I'm the first person in this country to have done Chris for eight shows a week. Normally one person plays Chris five nights, the other three. I'm the first person to have done eight - foolish me! It's really, really tiring," he added. This history of Miss Saigon
 | | Jon Jon Briones as The Engineer |
Sixteen years ago Cameron Mackintosh premiered Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's epic musical at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Overnight it became a legend, running in London and on Broadway for more than 10 years. Seen by more than 31 million people worldwide, to date, it has grossed more than £950m at the box office. Speaking to the BBC Norfolk website, Cameron Mackintosh said he wanted to produce Miss Saigon, right from the outset. "When I heard the first draft of the first act in spring 1986, I knew I wanted to do it – but I thought it was a very a dangerous subject. Being a big musical it had to be entertaining - but being about a contemporary and terrible war, I knew it had to be truthful," said Mackintosh. "Most musicals are set safely in fiction, or in the 19th century – or both. Very few are based on real life stories, so I thought even if we pulled it off, it wasn't likely to have more than a two or three year run. The fact it became the longest running musical at Drury Lane and seen around the world is a surprising delight to me. "All great theatre stems from the writing as far as I'm concerned. What is rewarding for me is being part of the writing of a musical, how we tell a story. The story and the characters are as important to me as whether the music is dramatic and tuneful. "Then seeing it all come together, seeing an audience respond in the way I do to a great performance, is fantastic," he added. Success of Saigon The current tour of Miss Saigon has been on the road for around eight months - to great critical acclaim. Actor Steven Houghton admits, he's not quite sure why the show works as well as it does.
 | | Kim and Chris |
"Who knows - it's got a fantastic score, a moving story and it was written in that era when everything was big. Some things take off, some things don't – but this is a very dramatic piece," he said. Steven is no stranger to the county, having performed in a number of productions here in the past, including pantomime at the Norwich Theatre Royal. "I've been to Norfolk a few times and I really know the theatre and the people well. It's nice to see some friendly faces," he said. Taking a gamble Jane Walsh of the Norwich Theatre Royal said that careful consideration had been given to bringing the show to Norfolk. "Obviously with a production of this calibre the costs are high, but we've always been confident that we would cover the costs. I don't think anyone who sees it will be in any doubt about it being worth every penny and we're actively looking at continuing to bring big shows to Norwich," she said. Theatre impresario Cameron Mackintosh is delighted to be bringing the show to the county - despite the risks. "It's a gamble to bring it to Norwich and it's impossible for us to make any money with it being sold out, not with a cast of 40 and an orchestra. But it's a real pleasure for me to have one of my shows in that theatre," he said. Miss Saigon runs at the Norwich Theatre Royal from Tuesday 5 - Saturday 30 April, 2005. For more details call 01603 630000. - Parental or teacher guidance is recommended as Miss Saigon contains scenes which may be unsuitable for children under 13. Children under 5 will not be admitted.
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Photo credit: Michael Le Poer Trench | 
