Boublil and Schönberg’s legendary musical is being regenerated by Wallsend-born West End producer Michael Harrison, in association with the ever-influential Cameron Mackintosh. Reflecting on the first non-replica version in 2023 at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre – which featured a female Engineer – Harrison promised that this would not be a radical reimagining but a revival encouraging the audience to see the familiar in a new light. The result is precisely that; a production that feels both faithful and fresh, grounded in its history yet tuned to the sensitivities and sensibilities of today’s world.
The story, inspired by Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, remains heartbreakingly familiar. Seventeen year old Kim (Julieanne Pundan in a stunning professional debut) flees her village following a raid and arrives in Saigon where the opportunistic Engineer (Seann Miley Moore) employs her at his nightclub. She falls in love with American G.I. Chris (Jack Kane) and as the Vietnam War collapses around them, love and survival are thrown into chaos in a story of separation, resilience, faith, and ultimate sacrifice.
The new set and costume designs by Andrew D Edwards, along with choreography by duo Chrissie Cartwright and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s, is dynamic and breathes new energy into the show. Even the “iconic” helicopter sequence, possibly one of the most talked-about in musical theatre history for groundbreaking thrills, has been given a smart, impactful makeover for touring (although a quicker exit would tighten the sentiment without tipping into spectacle for spectacle’s sake).
While the emotional power of Miss Saigon has always rested on its sweeping romantic tragedy, this revival, directed with a sure hand by Jean-Pierre van der Spuy, ensures it foregrounds the moral and human cost of war, with lyrical edits and staging choices speaking to a more modern awareness in a stunning, socially conscious revival that dares to feel.
Gone are the bikinis, replaced with costumes and choreography that highlight the exploitation and horror rather than the spectacle, hammering home the show’s devastating commentary on trauma, displacement, and the long shadow of Western imperialism. The updates overall are hugely impactful and ground the production, although the power of John’s “Bui Doi” is diminished slightly with this updated staging.
At the heart of this production, though, is the revolutionary casting of a redefined Engineer. Seann Miley Moore, the Filipino-Australian singer and performer, delivers a mesmerising, magnetic, and unapologetically queer interpretation of the role. Their Engineer is not just a sleazy opportunist caricature but a flamboyant embodiment of selfish ambition – a queer Asian powerhouse slithering amongst the shadows as he manipulates all. It’s a reading that both honours the original and reframes it through a contemporary lens, adding layers of complexity to gender and identity that feel organic rather than performative.
Other performances also shine, from Pundan’s embodiment of Kim and Emily Langham’s considered Ellen to Kane’s damaged Chris and Dominic-Hartley Harris’ altered John, and the ensemble work is precise and kinetic, using every inch of the set to immerse us in the chaos and heartbreak.
Strategic lighting (Bruno Poet) partnered with stunning illustrative projections (George Reeve) brings a cinematic texture. Silhouettes haunt the stage like ghosts of memory and glimpses of action provide emotional depth, with the revolve-and-split-level staging transporting the audience into a world teetering on the edge of collapse with frenetic action amidst moments of intimacy, ensuring we witness the scale of suffering the story demands.
More than 30 years after its debut, Miss Saigon continues to evolve, and this revival proves its chilling contemporary resonance. The audience cannot escape the parallels between this story, 50 years on from the Fall of Saigon, and today’s conflicts; the displacement, the misogyny, the exploitation, the loss of human dignity. Amid the showmanship and extraordinary voices, the production never lets us forget the cost of war and the fragility of hope. A faithful yet fearless revival for a new era.
Miss Saigon is at the Playhouse Theatre until Saturday 1 November.
Tickets here.
© Lindsay Corr, October 2025.