THEATRE RESPONSE: MISS SAIGON

On Thursday night I went to see Broadway By The Bay's preview performance of Miss Saigon and it is one of BBBAY's best productions ever. I find myself feeling some of the same things I felt when I went to see Grand Hotel recently- the production was first-rate but the show itself didn't really get to me. In Miss Saigon's case, even though there are some beautiful songs (The Last Night of The World, Sun & Moon) I felt that some of the music was too pretentious (not to mention the fact that I heard bits & pieces of Les Mis throughout) especially in ballads that ended on a soft note, then you'd hear this enormous ending that didn't really fit - but that's just me and my picky self.

Overall I found the production itself to be inspiring. My friend Paul Araquistain is simply mesmerizing as The Engineer - you see the complete journey he goes on throughout the piece. Paul is not just an amazing performer but such a sweet person and I love great things happening to great people. I predict that Paul will add another Bay Area Theatre Critics Award for this performance only this time as leading actor.

Catherine Gloria, a newcomer to BBBAY has an a amazing voice that had such beauty & control - she was a delight to hear. When I first saw Noel Anthony as Chris I thought he was too old for the role but that thought left me right away because he was very committed to his role. His rendition of "Why God Why" was spectacular.

My beloved Robyn Tribuzi who confessed to me that she reads this blog =+) did an outstanding job with this piece. This was her first solo choreographing effort for BBBAY and she right outdid herself. I told her I was so proud of her and I really meant that.

Mark Hanson's musical direction was superb - the score is mostly sung, Michael Ramsaur who is a genius provides beautiful lighting design and kudos to director Alex Perez & BBBAY for tackling such a technical show - with huge sets & a frickin' helicopter!

There were also some fellow friends of mine in the cast: Cyril Cooper, Danny Harper, Larry Quinto, Eric Ribeiro & Francesca Camus.

It is no secret that I will forever be a fan of BBBAY - they have given me some amazing opportunities and everytime I go there I feel like I'm home especially after seeing Robyn, Mark, Brooke Knight, Matt Mattei, Berle, Tony Zelaya, Lisa Cross, Angela Nutman- well it was a wonderful night.

I highly recommend you see this production.