Customer Reviews

Making of Miss Saigon [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great documentary, although it seems a little short
(well not actually at
75 minutes) because its the only thing in the tape. It would be better if the
documentary is just a bonus feature with the complete Miss Saigon musical as the main feature.
Let's just wait for that one since Miss Saigon already closed on Broadway.

I was expecting a lot of Lea Salonga footages, but when I watched it, well there are lots of
great footages, but not to the amount I was expecting. Almost about 20 minutes of the
video is about the different women who auditioned for the role of Kim.
After being shown various places where they held auditions, Philippines finally
lit up the screen with "jeepneys and tricycles", my hope country,
and I just cant believe that something unbelievable has happenned here. Then there came
Monique Wilson and Lea Salonga, their showdown isn't as exciting as I expected. But it's
perfect when Lea first appeared in the screen where she asked Schonberg's autograph, and
then he (Schonberg) sang Sun and Moon for Lea to learn, and then the most beautiful thing
happenned, the very first rendition of Lea Salonga of "Sun and Moon", she sang it
BEAUTIFULLY!!!

But the thing that I am most disappointed is they didn't show their announcement that
Lea got the part, it would be very nice to see that moment. They just showed a writing
in the screen that Lea was offered the role of Kim after 3 days of rehearsals. Lea also
sang I'd Give My Life for you, Movie in My mind, and Too Much for one heart (didn't make it
to the final cut though) in her audition scenes.

What has been shown next are the reheasal footages which are truly a delight to see.
Lea Salonga reheasing the "This money's Yours" song, "This is the hour" of the cast,
choreography of some of the song numbers.

Then the very first public preview came, they only showed the first part of "Sun and Moon"
which in my opinion is the most beautiful version I have ever heard, better than the
cast recording. Then the actual premiere came and it's nice to see when Cameron
Mackintosh hugged Lea to say good-luck. They showed the Americanm Dream. Sadly they didn't
show too much of the "Fall of Saigon" with the now famous helicopter scene.

The show received a rapturous applause in its final bow and sadly only Bowman, Salonga, and
Pryce were shown bowing, but one of the best parts of the video followed, we are given the
view inside the curtain, so the moment the curtain fell, we can see
the whole cast jumping and celebrating and shouting about their very first performance.

I recommend this to all Lea Salonga and Miss Saigon fans, I am quite certain that you'll
enjoy this video, but other than those I stated I think you won't be getting the
same impact than those who are Lea and Miss Saigon fans.

I have quite a few comments after having watched this video at least 10 times (I've had it for years now). I think it is interesting to see bits and pieces of what contributes to making the "Miss Saigon" production. It's exciting watching the cast sing with the orchestra for the first time. Also, watching Lea Salonga nervously sing through Sun and Moon never fails to give me chills. What a sweet voice! However, the video showed too many auditions, and I am disappointed the video did not show the auditions for Simon Bowman, Jonathan Pryce, and Claire Moore. This definitely does NOT subsitute for watching "Miss Saigon" on stage. But it is a "documentary" video that is must have for Lea Salonga fans/"Miss Saigon" fans.

I applaud the including of footage where Salonga gets yelled at, and of the producers in disagreement. Instead of simply making it a publicity tool, this video really lets you in on the tension and labor involved in a mega production. It makes you appreciate the pains taken in searching for Miss Saigon. Great humorous moments come when the male creative crew sings mostly off-key to demonstrate the songs! However, very important aspects are missing: there is a severe lack of interviews with other leading cast members such as Lea Salonga, Monique Wilson, Simon Bowman, Claire Moore, and Jonathan Pryce. It's not everyday that they get to be the original cast of a huge scale musical like this. How do they feel? What are their hopes, frustrations, expectations? We don't know. Aside from a tiny fragment featuring Salonga and Wilson giggling over what they think they're in for, viewers are left to wonder the excitement and tension felt by these two very young and talented performers.

I don't know why I love MISS SAIGON, it's a tragedy that is so poignantly written that I sob every time I see it or listen to the music. But it is firmly attached to my heart as my favorite musical. And yes, I am obsessed; I have the playbills (both London and America), the CD's, the brochure-book and the hardback book. I even bought "Mr. Producer." so I could see Lea Salonga sing the songs that made her famous. I was so excited to discover a videotape was also made of the Making of Miss Saigon. Trust me, it's wonderful! It shows the genius creators Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil developing the story. But the best part of this video is the hunt for MISS SAIGON. It's reminiscent of the search for Scarlett, isn't it? Discovering both Lea Salonga and Monique Wilson must have been better than winning a lottery for the entire creative team. It certainly was a collaborative effort as even Cameron Macintosh was involved from the very beginning (as witnessed on this video). Now I want them to make the movie!

It's just amazing to see the beginning of what turned out to be one of the most popular musicals of all time. It shows how the production team looked everywhere for their asian female lead, who needed to be between the ages of 17-20, charming on stage, capable of singing european music, and had "lungs of steel." They even give us a bit on the final call back audition with a showdown between Monique Wilson and Lea Salonga, both of whom I'm sure, gave the production team quite a difficult decision as of who to cast. Then they go on to giving us info on things like set design, costume, rehersal process, and even how they came up with the infamous Miss Saigon logo. It's very exciting to watch. By the end, we as the outsiders feel as if we too have traveled along with them during the entire process, and it gives us a feeling of accomplishment...like we want to be up on that stage at curtain call taking a bow along with the cast:) END

I loved this video! I am a huge theater buff, who's been in quite a few plays and to see all of the elements come together for one of the greatest shows ever, rocked! I always wondered how they found Lea Salonga, who I adore, and I loved seeing all the drama and tension that goes into making a show. I have to say, I was a tad dissapointed that they didn't show more snippets of the show, but the parts they do show I loved. I would have liked to have seen more of Simon Bowman (the best chris ever!)but overall, I loved the movie, and like I was there.

It is a magnificent theatre documentary experience ! From the conception to the staging --- will leave you breathless. It might even make you work hard to make it to the cast. A moving theatre work of this century.

This was an amazing documentary! I would suggest that all Broadway fans buy this video for your viewing pleasure. Some of the events in the movie include the auditions of some of the other girls (not cast in the production at all) sounding good and sounding awful! But it doesn't compare to Schonberg teaching Lea (pronounced Leh ah, which I thought it was Lee ah), a final version of SUN AND MOON. It was neat! Also neat to see the cast meeting for the first time and going throught the rehearsal process. It is worth every penny! It is such a neat behind the scenes look at history in the making!

This was very informative and enlightening when it came out. Now that the show has successfully gone beyond the decade mark, it's time to produce an updated version. Miss Saigon remains as one of the most interesting and touching musicals ever produced and its fans deserve more!

A Gem! I watch it over and over again. Lea Salonga looks so cute during the audition. If you're a big fan of Lea, this one's for you.