Miss Saigon – the documentary
Miss Saigon, the hit musical which returned to the West End earlier this year, has been documented for television by Cameron Mackintosh, who has claimed it is the most “comprehensive” look at the staging of a West End musical. With more and more musical theatre hitting our televisions, be it through Billy Elliot live, the Olivier Awards or the ‘100 best musicals’ on a Sunday afternoon, it is encouraging to see further exposure of the industry.
Called The Heat Is Back On, the Miss Saigon programme will be released digitally and on DVD on 6 July, and charts the entire process of bringing the Boublil and Schonberg musical show back to London after a marathon 15 years. The programme tracks the 2013 auditions for the revival, including discovering the production’s lead Eva Noblezada, and covers rehearsals, the show’s design, previews and opening night. It also includes insights into changes that were made to the show since it originally ran, and how the helicopter featured in the musical was redesigned for the new production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOid83Iw4ME
The process has been tracked in its entirety, showcasing not only the musical, but also the hard work which goes into staging a production such as this. It was originally intended to be a 15 minute documentary that could be added on to a programme about the original West End show’s staging, however the wealth of footage meant the decision was made to produce an entirely new documentary.
In what is set to be a truly revealing documentary about putting on a major musical, it also demonstrates what an enjoyable process it was to restage Miss Saigon.