Alain Boublil - Miss Saigon (Original 1989 London Cast)

It's probably best known for raising the stakes for 1980s blockbuster shows by landing a helicopter on stage, but Miss Saigon is also a good show with good music. As a follow-up to their international smash Les Misérables, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg (with an assist from Richard Maltby Jr.) adapted the tale of Madame Butterfly to the Vietnam War, realized here by the original 1989 London cast. While it may seem overheated at times, the despair and passion fit the tragic story, and Schönberg's pop-flavored style receives its most appropriate setting. Leading the cast are Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer (a Eurasian character whose casting generated some controversy when the producers wanted to have Pryce, a Caucasian, reprise the role on Broadway), Lea Salonga (in her first major role) as the young Vietnamese bride, Simon Bowman as her lover, and Claire Moore as his American wife (and a young Ruthie Henshall as one of the sweaty bargirls). The songs include the bawdy opener "The Heat Is on in Saigon," "The Movie in My Mind," "Why God Why," the romantic duet "The Last Night of the World," the female duet "I Still Believe," the male chorus number "Bui-Doi," and the Engineer's mocking "The American Dream." The booklet includes photographs and full lyrics. It's also available in a 58-minute highlights version. --David Horiuchi Amazon.com

Great CD, just a little disappointed

I love Miss Saigon, but I bought this CD just because of Lea Salonga. I really love her, but I was a little disappointed in this performance. I watched her in Miss Saigon in 2001 and thought she was amazing. She sung the songs with much more power. I thought she was good in the CD, but not great. She was only 18 when she recorded this CD. I guess it was a mistake thinking she sung as well as she does now. I did love the CD, though, and I'm happy I bought it. The reason I keep listening to it is for the great songs and story. They lyrics really are amazing. April 16, 2008

Service from Amazon

Great service. Product arrived 8 days earlier than promised. Well packaged and postage costs were reasonable. would buy from Amazon again. Cast not as good as the original Taped Set which features some of the original Australian Cast. This one was produced by Festival Records in Australia in 1995, Featuring Joanna Amphil and Peter Cousens, and is the best version I have heard. If anyone has a CD of this version I would love to purchase. Patricia
January 26, 2008

i wish i could go back

The 1989 Original London Cast Recording of Miss Saigon is absolutely amazing!!! I have never seen the show, but I have wanted to for a long time - I was actually supposed to see it with my family when I was about 12, but I ended up being sick so they went without me (and unfortunately, it is now no longer on broadway). Listening to this soundtrack, however, I feel like I am there. The music is so powerful and captivating. (And thankfully, the cd insert provides the storyline with the lyrics so I was able to understand what was going on when things were not exactly clear - I listened once through without looking at the cd insert and it was amazing, but then I listened again following along and it was even more amazing.) The storyline is heart-wrenching and powerful (very classic of Alain Boubil and Claude-Michel Schonberg (at least in my opinion)), and it is brought home with the passion in the voices of the cast. It made me wish I could take a time machine to London in 1989 so I could see this live. I am now still praying that there will be a revival on broadway (and I can only hope that there will be a cast even half as amazing as the original london cast). October 8, 2007

One for my generation

When I was a kid, Mom used to put on the soundtrack of Oklahoma!, turn it up loud, and clean house while she sang along. Eventually, my brother replaced her music with West Side Story... and then one day my daughter introduced me to the music of Miss Saigon and Les Miserables. I love both equally, though I can't say I'd ever clean house while listening; the music here is so deeply moving in terms of subject and lyric that I usually end up just sitting, staring, listening. And I've never even seen the actual production.... August 20, 2007

brilliant, moving and a true classic

personally, i feel that lea salonga is the one of the greatest vocalists of all time. her brilliant voice has a purity and emotion that is unsurpassed. so naturally i had to buy miss saigon (her debut and first lead). the musical itself is a semi-modernization of madame butterfly (it takes place in saigon, viatnam in the 1970's) it chronicles the romance of a US GI (simon bowman) and a 17 year old viatnamease prostitute (salonga).

the music itself isn't the most memorable ever heard by any means. but it is still beautiful and evocative. the music is slowly flowing and utilizes asian influences and sounds to add authenticity to make certain songs truly shine. "the morning of the dragon" really works well because of these aspects.

most of where this cast recording succedes is because of the vocal performers. they bring emotion to every song that allow listeners to trully be drawn in. these performance help make this a greatly subtle anti war musical. we are against the vietnam war because we sympathize and empathize with these trajic characters and how horrible their lives have all become.

JONATHAN PRYCE - pryce's voice is perfect and he makes the engineer perfectly sleezy and easy to hate. his songs are all, well just sleezy. we grow to hate him and the way that he has preyed on girls such as kim

SIMON BOWMAN - bowman is impressive as chris. rather than become a bland character or stereotyped hero, chris is a tortured soul by the end of the piece. he's emotional and we see how he is torn between his own country and his love for kim. later on of course this inner conflict becomes quite obveous and throughout we feel for chris and easilly see how his experiences tortured him.

LEA SALONGA - salonga won the olivier award, tony and drama desk award for her portrayel of kim. and she certainly deserved it all. salonga goes from neive in the beggining to pained throughout the musical. her performance is so heart breaking on "i still believe" and "i would give my life for you." "this is the hour" is the most emotionally charged song i have ever heard and salonga delivers beautifully. her always emotional voice really pulls the character off.

all in all, everything comes together perfectly to make this a beautifull but heartbreaking musical. listening to this is painfull and certainly can be difficult, but every second of it is completely worth it. "this is this the hour" and "the fall of saigon" are moving to the point of tears. all of the performers deliver brilliantly emotional performances that make this the most moving, and touching musical i've ever heard. no one can go wrong with this one. August 17, 2007

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