Miss Saigon Theatre Royal Plymouth Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Linda Curtain

What better way is there to beat off those winter blues and escape the endless rain than a visit to the Theatre Royal Plymouth, which this week welcomes the return of the much loved musical Miss Saigon. The revival of this iconic musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg is sure to delight Theatre Royal Plymouth audiences during its two week visit.

Loosely based on Puccini‘s Madame Butterfly the story follows Kim – a young Vietnamese woman who – while working in a bar at the end of the war in Vietnam – falls in love with GI Chris. The fall of Saigon however ensures no happy ending as Chris was evacuated back to the United States, leaving a distraught Kim in Saigon.

Arriving at the very busy theatre last evening, we quickly passed through the security checks and made our way to the auditorium. Right from the start the atmosphere in the theatre was intense with an impressive opening set. The dynamic lighting and use of projections on the front curtain immediately captured the chaos which rained over Saigon.

Throughout the production, George Reeve’s projections and Bruno Poet’s lighting certainly added another dimension to the show. The atmosphere they created was amazing and added so much visual drama. The set designs by Andrew D Edwards were brilliant. The revolving stage was used to full effect and scenes were slickly changed with props just seeming to disappear from view.

Each actor played their part brilliantly. Julianne Pundan as Kim had the most amazingly clear vocals. Her resilience shone through as she lived every emotion. Jack Kane as Chris was charming and sensitive – he seemed to mature through the story and the chemistry between him and Kim was so strong. A brilliant casting.

Seann Miley Moore shone in the role as Engineer. A very entertaining character whose theatrical, camp air added a comedy element to the story, especially in the memorable ‘’American dream’.

The iconic helicopter evacuation scene was slightly different in this production but nonetheless so impressive portraying the chaos and devastation of the moment. With the careful use of lighting, sound and projection, you could almost feel the helicopter overhead as you sat in the auditorium.

There were so many outstanding moments captured on stage from the distressing fall of Saigon to the harrowing singing of Bui-Doi by Dominic Hartley Harris as John. Every cast member gave 100% to the production.

Musical director Ben Mark Turner ensured that that the numerous songs were all delivered with such emotion – Kim and Chris‘s rendition of ‘The Last Night of the World’ was one of the highlights of the show.

The choreography by Chrissy Cartwright and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille was slick and well executed. Producer Michael Harrison and Director John-Pierre Van Der Spuy have certainly secured another hit version of the iconic Miss Saigon.

A heartbreaking story based on reality which was delivered with such emotion by an outstanding cast.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £55
Miss Saigon is at Theatre Royal Plymouth from 17th – 28th February 2026
For more information or to book tickets visit www.theatreroyal.com