This isn’t sponsored post.
BrumHour saw Miss Saigon at the invite of The Alexandra.
For Brum Radio’s Interval Theatre, Julianne Pundan spoke about playing Kim in this new UK Tour. Listen below:
By Dave Massey.
This production contains strong language, misogyny and themes of suicide.
Miss Saigon at The Alexandra: Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐A stunningly beautiful production.
Directed by Jean-Pierre van der Spuy, music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr.
Set during the Vietnam War, Miss Saigon is the story of Kim (Julianne Pundan), sex trafficked into prostitution and thrown into a culture she has previously been protected from. She encounters Chris (Jack Kane), a US Army Officer, who realises she is unprotected in her situation and offers her an escape. But the ravages of war split them up, and Kim stays with her pimp manager (Seann Miley Moore), who becomes softer to her plight.
Miss Saigon has always seemed like a massive show poured into spaces, and this tour is no exception. Redesigned for a new set of theatres, it reconfigures the pace and style of this big production, and for those with solid memories of the other versions, it might have to try and measure up. But for me, the intimate spaces and rotating floor allowed a new look at the mechanics of this story.
Projection, lighting and a stunning soundscape all add to the West End vibe of this powerhouse show.
Julianne Pundan is so good as Kim, belting out vocals when needed and vulnerable at the right moments. Jack Kane plays Chris with ease, showing how out of depth he is half way across the world. Seann Miley Moore steals every single second he is on the stage, brash, cheeky and sweary throughout with huge vocals to match.
A beautiful retelling, Miss Saigon is at The Alexandra until 29th November. Book tickets here: atgtickets.com/shows/miss-saigon/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham.
