Customer Reviews

The Making of "Miss Saigon"

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As some of the reviewers below have pointed out, this DVD is primarly about the auditions for Miss Saigon, and in that sense it is merely a "tease" for those of us craving to see the actual musical on DVD. And while it is exciting to see Lea Salonga audtion and be selected for the lead role, it is overall a very disappointing DVD because of what it is not. I cannot understand why Miss Saigon, one of the greatest musicals ever, has never been filmed for DVD release. Perhaps if the recent DVD release of the musical Chess (another fantastic musical) with Josh Groban is successful, someone will release this outstanding musical for the enjoyment of generations to come.

Almost two decades after the creation of Miss Saigon, the DVD version is finally released. Well, it was worth the wait... Just like the VHS, this is a documentary on THE MAKING OF, and does not include much footage from any of the productions.

Actually a behind the scenes look at one of the best musicals. Starts when the producers are searching for the lead singer Kim; the Vietnamese girl. Auditions were conducted in New York, later In Hawaii and finally in the Philippines where Lea Salonga (Kim) and Monique Wilson (Mimi) were selected. Scenes of the staging, coreography and rehearsals have been included which do not contribute much to the documentary.

Fortunately, there are some scenes that make this production very valuable including the earliest rehearsals of Salonga, Wilson and Jonathan Price (who played then the Franco-Vietnamese engineer). Some songs vary considerably from the Broadway production. As well, this documentary includes scenes that never made it to Broadway and others with different lyrics; the originals.

A few minutes (too few perhaps) are dedicated to actual footage of the original London production ending with The Fall of Saigon (with an helicopter on stage) and The American Dream (platinum hair girls and the twenty foot long Chevy). Overall this is an excellent production with good quality of video but poor audio. Nevertheless, is highly recommended to every fan of Miss Saigon.

The documentary itself was very informative and it's interesting to me how a production materializes. I just wished they would've added interviews of principal cast members, producers, writers and director since the DVD was produced some ten years or so later. Otherwise, it was still interesting to me.

A great "must have" for Miss Saigon fans. Very moving in places. Pity there is not enough of the actual final production...hopefully a full "version" of the stage production will eventually be released. (Can't wait!)

Very disapointed. Not what the name implies. It is in fact all about the auditions. Very little or nothing about the making.

This is a DVD for fans of the Broadway show Miss Saigon and/or folks who are curious about the process.

I just love the music and the play but was disappointed in this DVD. It didn't show enough of the film. I believe it wa about 1 hour long. I wish you would produce Miss Saigon on a DVD itself.

If you are busy like I am, perhaps occasionally you don't rush a newly purchased DVD into the player when you first get it. Both copies of this DVD failed to play properly on my Dell desktop although they played well on my laptop and the TV/DVD with some minor skips at start up. A copy I bought over a year ago and gave away did not have any defects. Its a wonderful musical and story. Buy, enjoy, but check it when you first get it befor the trial time lapses.

I saw this when it aired on TV originally and I seem to remember other scenes from it (My mom had taped it for me so I watched it over and over)... Including when Lea Salonga was told she got the lead role of Kim and seeing her reaction and all... I guess I should try and dig out that VHS tape! I love Lea's voice... and still listen to the cd.

Kudos to the entire cast. Well done.

Lea Salonga was born to play Miss Siagon--and the role of Kim. Her Tony Award was well deserved--ditto to Jonathan Pryce!

This was a neat documentary. It showed interviews with the creators and cast; the cast meet and greet; first days of rehearsals; the beginnings of stage production; singing rehearsals with a live orchestra (though limited, it was really fun to watch!); and the whole process it took to prepare for the London premiere. There was excellent behind the scenes footage; it showed how much effort, manpower, and time was needed for the production of a big staged musical. Even though I really enjoyed this DVD, it just wasn't enough! In fact, it just left me wanting more!!!

I can't believe there isn't a DVD (or better yet, a BLU-RAY) Concert of Miss Saigon--like Les Mis. For posterity sake, Mackintosh should release the musical with the original London cast! Although the original London cast recording is great to listen to and always brings tears to my eyes, the imagery is not fully appreciated compared to a live stage musical. The documentary provides just snippets of the preview and of opening day, so viewers who haven't seen this musical in full may feel cheated. I do!

Hopefully, one day the musical will be released--with more extra features and behind the scenes footage!! That's what fans want, because this DVD by itself is not enough! Although if you're a fan of Miss Saigon, I would recommend that this DVD be added to your collection. It's still entertaining to watch--especially during Lea's intensive auditions, singing rehearsals with the live orchestra, and months long prep for opening day. Further, it's a revealing process of how stage musicals are made.