A visceral, heart-punching epic that stays with you long after curtain call.
Dark, devastating and unflinchingly emotional, ‘Miss Saigon’ is most definitely not your typical all singing, all dancing, highly sparkly musical. Instead, it’s a hard-hitting spectacle that digs deep into human resilience and the cold, all too common pain of love, war and survival. Despite its intensity, the show has enough outstanding qualities within it that you remain engrossed in the drama throughout.
Inspired by John Luther Long’s story ‘Madame Butterfly’, ‘Miss Saigon’ follows the doomed love story of Kim, a young Vietnamese girl forced into a kind of survival after the fall of Saigon and the death of all her relatives, and Chris, an American soldier whose sudden forced extraction from Vietnam shatters both of their lives, with devastating, permanent consequences.
Created in 1989 by the legendary duo Schönberg and Boublil (the same team behind Les Misérables) Miss Saigon instantly became one of the most talked-about musicals in the world. Known for its sweeping score, its controversial subject matter and that iconic helicopter scene, the show has been produced globally for decades. Each revival seems to hit a little differently, reflecting how war, displacement and political upheaval continue to haunt the modern world. This current touring production embraces this legacy fully, honouring the original, while adding its own powerful, contemporary edge.
This cast is phenomenal. Julianne Pundan as Kim delivers a performance of astonishing delicacy and force. Her voice is breathtaking; air-soft in the high notes and beautifully rich in the very lowest depths of the female range. She captures Kim’s innocence, hope, and ferocious willpower so honestly that you feel every tremor of her journey.
Jack Kane as Chris also shines, portraying a man torn between duty, guilt and a love that arrives too suddenly and leaves too painfully. His emotional arc is clear and well-drawn, though the initial romantic moment between him and Kim felt extremely rushed. Their chemistry deserved a longer pause, a stillness akin to West Side Story’s iconic ‘Dance at the Gym’ scene, where the world falls away, leaving only the two behind. Here, that moment flashes past too quickly to land its full impact.
The absolute star of the stage, however, is undoubtably Seann Miley Moore (of X- Factor fame) taking on the iconic role of The Engineer. He is wicked, selfish, hilarious and utterly compelling, often all in the same breath. His energy is electric and the audience know it (and so does he!). The standing ovation from him at the end said everything. It’s a masterclass in how to play a morally questionable character and still have the crowd eating out of your hand.
A very special mention must go to the young actor, Lucas Minton, who plays Tam, Kim’s son, whose innocence adds devastating weight to the story. His quiet presence tugs at the heart with uncompromising honesty, and his performance in such a hard- hitting show is a testament to his outstanding professionalism.
Hearing a full live orchestra, under the direction of Ben Mark Turner, a rare and glorious luxury. The score has moments of brilliance, especially the lyrical magic of ‘The Last Night of the World’ in Act One and the beautiful Act Two solo sung by Ellen entitled ‘Maybe’. However, some songs feel less memorable, and the constant half spoken/half sung recitative can become overly repetitive, lacking the melodic skill of Les Misérables. There is an operatic weight to the storytelling, and a little more spoken dialogue might have added clarity and emotional grounding.
If you’re a lover of Les Misérables, this is absolutely your next must-see. While Miss Saigon is less musically catchy and structurally thinner, it remains a colossal piece of theatre with enormous emotional and historical weight. Productions of this scale, especially ones that tour, are rare. This might be one of the only opportunities audiences have to experience it live (and to witness that helicopter scene in all its
devastating power).
This is not cheerful Christmas viewing. It is not comfortable. It is not easy. But it is essential. Miss Saigon forces us to confront the brutal human cost of war, reminding us that behind every political conflict lies the suffering of families, lovers and children who never chose the fight. The Vietnam story may be decades old, but its echoes are painfully present in today’s world.
Perhaps that is why this production matters now more than ever; it asks us to look, to feel and to remember. Don’t forget your tissues.
https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/miss-saigon-2025
Photography by Danny Kaan.
