Customer Reviews

The Complete Recording of Boublil & Schonberg's Miss Saigon

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As a die-hard fan of the OCR, I was thrilled to find this full recording, since I knew many of the bridges between songs and some lyrics were deleted due to their length. With the full score and lyrics, songs like "The Morning of the Tiger" and "The American Dream" remind the listener of the visual spectacle that made each song so memorable, and the dialogue sung by Kim and Thuy in the prelude to "This is the Hour" is more haunting and sad than any duet between Kim and Chris.

Pity the souls who have had to replace Lea Salonga, whose angelic but tough performance set the standard for Kim. Joanna Ample has a lovely voice, but why on earth did she overenunciate certain syllables, and why did her "accent" come and go, to the point of distraction? Then there is the horrible male cast. Kevin Gray (Engineer) and Peter Cousens (Chris) whine and shriek their way through the songs, and Hinton Battle's (John) over-the-top but brilliant brimstone and treacle performance seemed out-of-place next to the weak vocals of Gray and Cousens. The only improvement on the new disc is Charles Azulay, who gives Thuy a more empathetic voice (and the added lyrics provide some explanation on his and Kim's past).

Overall, buy the OCR for the performances, but get this as a companion piece for the full score and added lyrics, to get the full feel for the Miss Saigon experience.

I have owned the OLC of Miss Saigon for a long time now, and i thought that it was fantastic, and i still do, but the complete recording is also just as good, and includes the entire score. Earlier this year i was lucky enough to see Joanna Ampil playing Kim in Manchester, England, as she does on this CD. At first I was worried that her voice was a little deep, but she manages to act through her voice and the finished performance is one which can very nearly challenge Lea Salonga's portrayal (but not quite 'cause Lea's is perfect!).

Reviews I have read of this album are really anti-Peter Cousens, and although his voice can be a little annoying (... and Australian??) at times, the portrayal is still good.

Kevin Gray as the Enginner is a very good casting decision, as he captures the essence of the sleazy pimp in a similar way to both Jonathan Pryce of the OLC and Leo Tavarro Valdez of the UK Tour.

Ruthie Henshall is a brilliant Ellen, and the variation in her voice is one of the best that I've heard, especially in The Confrontation.

Hinton Battle (Who won a Tony for his 'John') is another good choice...

Charles Azulay possesses the power and presence to play Thuy very well, as he does on this album, and although he seems to sound a little too American this is a believable performance of the role.

In short, this is a very good Miss Saigon album, but I would advise you to buy the OLC as well as this, as songs such as 'I Still Believe' have never sounded as good as the original.

After listening to this recording of one of my favorite musicals of all time, I was thoroughly disappointed, but I did like a few of the things about it. We'll begin with its good points. First, it contains virtually all of the score, so one can listen to it from beginning to end and have a good idea of what is going on in the show. The original London recording only contains "highlights," if you will, of the entire show. Also, this recording gives its audience a better idea of what the show is like today, as it has been changed a great deal since the time it was originally recorded by the stunning London cast.

With that said, I would not recommend this to anyone who hasn't first heard the London recording. All three principal characters have their faults and do not live up to their predecessors. Joanna Ampil is at a great disadvantage in this recording; it is hard to live up to the almightily perfect Lea Salonga, who originated (and won a Tony for playing) the role of Kim. Ampil has a pretty voice but her rather deliberate enunciation becomes annoyingly unrealistic after awhile, and she lacks the heartwrenching emotion that Salonga always possesses in everything she's in. Chris on this recording is not as good as the original Simon Bowman, his voice is nicer but he has trouble staying on pitch (he's continually flat). He also enunciates words very dramatically and unrealistically. Kevin Gray does a good job as the Engineer; he makes a good impression of being the slimy creature that he is supposed to be portraying, but is still not quite as good as the original Jonathan Pryce's (Tony-winner for the role). All in all, the three principals do not live up to the emotion or vocal talent that the original three possess.

On the other hand, the secondary characters of Ellen, John, and Gigi are all portrayed very nicely on this recording. Ruthie Henshall's Ellen is pure and she hits both the high and low notes with grace, while still keeping intensity, something that the original Claire Moore doesn't achieve quite as well. Hinton Battle's John (Tony-winner for the role) is very nice with his rock-gospel style, which provides emotion that the original Peter Polycarpou seems to lack at times. And Sonya Swaby, even in her cameo role, makes a nice appearance as Gigi.

The orchestration in this recording is nowhere near that of the original recording, and often sounds too deliberate and emotionless. The background ensemble, the chorus line, also sounds emotionless at times and it's a bit too obvious that it was recorded in a "studio." (Hence, "studio" cast).

Although Miss Saigon is a great musical and can hardly be ruined by any means, the problems with this recording are numerous and aren't easily overlooked. All in all, the London recording is leaps and bounds better than this, but it does have its good points.

To be honest, I was rather disappointed when I first heard this recording. In fact, my friend who was listening to me even told me to ask for a refund. But after listening to it for a while, I kind of got used to it so I am beginning to appreciate the good points of this recording.

The good points:

1) You get to see the changes the music has gone through. The ending was different in the OLC. Some lyrics have also changed. This is the more recent version of the recording so this is what you will hear in the theatre.

2) All the scores are here so you can understand the story more.

The casts:

Kim: Joanna Ampil is excellent as Kim but not as excellent as Lea Salonga. I LOVE Lea Salonga and I think she will always be THE Kim. Joanna is excellent but she sometimes have funny accents and doesn't feel as natural and flowing as Lea sometimes. However, I think she sounds more determined than Lea, especially when she was facing Thuy in "You will not touch Him". If you can forget about Lea while listening to this recording, you will appreciate the beauty of Joanna's voice.

Chris: Simon Bowman is definitely better than Peter Cousens as Chris. I am rather disappointed at his duet with Joanna and his solo "Why God Why?". He sounds rather flat and lacks the emotion as the young and confused Chris who was in love during the Vietnam War.

John: I had expected Hinton Battle to be really good so I was rather disappointed. I have recently went to see MS in Southampton and I found THAT John in the UK tour better. This recording is only interesting because you can hear the new Bui Doi song but otherwise in my opinion the OLC John sings better. In fact, I am wondering how he can get the Tony Awards when much talented actors like Colm Wilkinson could not.

Ellen: Ruthie Henshall is excellent as Ellen because she has a younger voice as Chris's wife. Also, she puts in a lot of emotion. But I still prefer Claire Moore. Ruthie Henshall seems to lose her "American" accent which makes this role less realistic.

Thuy: Charles Azulay is excellent as Thuy and so is Kevin Burns in OLC, though Kevin Burns' voice sounds more "evil" and "tough" so maybe it suits him a bit more.

The Engineer: Kevin Grey is as excellent as Jonathan Pryce in the OLC. He sounds really "stupid" and it makes all the songs he is singing very funny and entertaining. The Engineer at the present UK tour is also very good (who is Junix Inocian who also played in the OLC as a marine). Kevin Grey sounds really desperate in the "What a Waste" scene when he is trying to attract tourists and he really put in the emotion.

My conclusion is that if you want to truly appreciate the beauty of this recording, you should get this recording before you get the OLC. Once you get the OLC, it is difficult not to keep comparing it to the OLC, which is 5 stars+++. There is not one cast I do not like in the OLC. But if you are only going to get one recording, then get the OLC. Afterall, the missing parts in OLC is worth it for its excellent casts. But if you are a fan of MS, you should really get both recordings!!

Featuring new, never before recorded segments of Broadway's smash-hit musical Miss Saigon, the Complete Symphonic Recording pales in comparison to the Original London Cast album primarily because of a cast (culled from the various productions world wide) that fails to mesh.

Particularly disappointing is this recording's Chris (Peter Cousens) who lacks both the pathos and the passion needed to justifiably sing the role of a young, confused and infatuated GI. Joanna Ampil, who voices the female lead Kim, eerily sounds like the originator
Lea Salonga; she however is greatly encumbered with diction problems and lacks Salonga's iron-butterfly characterization.

If for anything, this recording is redeemed by a sharper ensemble, and by the casting of Kevin Gray and Charles Azulay for the parts of the Engineer and Thuy, respectively. Gray is as vocally engaging as Jonathan Pryce (the original Engineer) is visually captivating.
His lines are delivered crisply and bitingly -- sans the
British accent that had been distracting to hear (for a Eurasian role) in Pryce'performance. Azulay's Thuy is no longer caricature (Keith Burns of the Original London Cast was pure evil). He sweetly sings
unrequitted ballads to Kim which, in this recording,
sound sappier than Ampil and Cousens' warbling.

While some maybe enticed to buy this CD for the newly-recorded
songs and instrumentals, there is, disappointingly, not that many.
In fact this album bumps the aria-like "Sacred Bird" in favor of a
shorter, less-intense, untitled piece. The definitive Miss Saigon
soundtrack remains to be the Original London Cast Recording. END

I'll admit that when I got this set, I was a little unsure of what to expect. As a diehard MS and Lea Salonga fan, I thought no other recording would be as wonderful as the Original London Cast Recording. I'm happy to say I was wrong. This version, complete and full the way it should be, is every bit as good as the original. Joanna Ampil as Kim is spectacular, with such a strong voice and perfect emotions. I love her portrayal, and her voice quality. She is definitely in the same class with Salonga. Peter Cousens as Chris, although not Simon Bowman, still turned in a successful performance. Some of his emotions were weak near the end, especially in "The Confrontation", but he was true to the character in all other places. He gave the audience a colder view of Chris, by not even hesitating to leave Kim in Vietnam. This was not an unwelcome change. Hinton Battle as John was better than I expected. Some reviews I've read have bad-mouthed his performance, but I think he did extremely well. He reminded me of a voice coach I had, and that was cool. I love his "gospel" sound, as it has been dubbed. Ruthie Henshall as Ellen was my only real complaint. At times her voice came across as weak, but it could be just that the orchestrations were too strong. She is a fantastic singer, and I love her voice, but I think the accent threw off her performance. Kevin Grey, Toronto's own Engineer, was absolutely stunning! He is every bit as good as Jonathan Pryce, just as sneaky and underhanded and slimy. He is a true talent. But the big applause on this recording goes to Charles Azulay's portrayal of Thuy. Wow! What else is there to say? He was tender and sensitive, and sounded like he really loved Kim, that he wasn't just trying to claim her as a possession. That was incredible. Keith Burns's Thuy was ruthless and cold and heartless. I like this version much better. Azulay created a more relatable character, which was truly phenominal. Over all, I'd say the two MS recordings are on even par, so any true fan should have both. I don't think I could choose between them, except to say that this one is more complete. If that's what you like, definitely pick this one up. You'll be glad you did!

I bought this CD because I wanted to hear the tracks that were omitted from the OLC version. All in all, I love this version. But if one must compare it to the OLC, here's how it shaped up in my opinion:

The score backing the songs and the arrangements are far superior on this recording. Several songs become far longer and more elaborate on this recording than on the OLC (most prominent in my mind are the incredible versions of "Morning of the Dragon" and "The American Dream").

As for the cast, I still prefer Lea Salonga as Kim, although Joanna Ampil does a fine job. I just prefer the Salonga's voice quality. Unlike many others on this site, I like Peter Cousens as Chris. While he doesn't possess Simon Bowman's incredible voice, he is a much better actor than Bowman (I found Bowman in OLC's version of The Confrontation unintentionally hilarious) and I think he does a great job. Kevin Gray is a great Engineer. I love Jonathan Pryce immeasurably but let's face it, he was just a bit too British to pull off a realistic Engineer. Gray has a field day with this part and is delightfully sleazy throughout (particularly in What a Waste and American Dream). Ruthie Henshall is a good Ellen (and in my opinion, her Roxie Hart in the London revival of Chicago was the best ever. Absolutely stunning!) but nothing to write home about. I was kind of disappointed with Hinton Battle as John (I found myself a.)unable to understand him at times, b.)missing the OLC John, and c.)wondering how Battle won a Tony for this). Finally, Charles Azulay blew me away as Thuy on this recording. He is phenomenal, especially on The Guilt Inside Your Head. This recording's Gigi also has a slight edge on the OLC's.

All in all, this is a wonderful recording and well-worth owning!!

The best thing about this recording is that it's complete. And of course, this is Miss Saigon, one of the best musicals of all time, so nothing can really ruin it. But while the cast here is unquestionably good, there are also certain very annoying items. Among them is Joanna Ampil's very affected (fake)enunciation -- she seems to have forgotten that she's SINGING and not delivering a speech). Hinton Battle's distracting accent and inappropriate singing style (Bui-Doi is not an R&B or gospel number!) is another one. From Jonathan Pryce to Isay Alvarez, everyone in the original recording is leaps and bounds better than the ones here.

It's too bad that no complete recording was done with the original cast. Those who've seen Lea Salonga do the London, the Manila, and the different Broadway versions are very, very lucky!

Get this to have the "complete" version. For better singing quality and performances, however, listen to the Original London Cast version. I have both recordings and have seen five productions -- Lea Salonga remains THE "real" Kim!

What I like about this album is that it includes a lot of the music and numbers not recorded in the original release. What's great about the original album, however, is the topnotch cast (esp. Lea Salonga) that this one unfortunately doesn't match (though they're all really good).

Get the OLC if you just want to be introduced to this powerful musical, but get both albums if you want to enjoy it completely.