REVIEW: MISS SAIGON @ THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH

🎭 Miss Saigon

📍  The Lyric, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2TR

🗓 Wednesday 18th February 2026

⭐️ 4 Stars

POWERFUL AND ATMOSPHERIC

A sweeping, sorrowful saga, MISS SAIGON is a hymn to the destructive power of warfare, both to a culture and for the individuals entrapped.  The opening projection sequence encapsulates this perfectly with blurred monochrome images of Vietnamese culture blasted off screen by helicopters and explosions. 

The show is set in 1975, as the Vietnam war is ending. The structure of the city now broken, Saigon is a hotbed of desperation and immorality. Homesick American forces, looking for respite from the unimaginable horrors they have witnessed, flock to brothels for drugs and sex. In one such we find Kim a 17-year-old orphan who watched her family die in an attack on her village. Left with few options, she flees to the city only to be dragged into this seedy world by the unscrupulous Engineer who sees her innocence as a valuable commodity amongst his whores. There she meets and falls in love with a young GI called Chris. Promises are made then war intervenes. 

Julianne Pundan as Kim is wonderful, she portrays the mixture of innocence and resilience so well. Alongside her, Jack Kane’s, Chris, war weary but decent and kind-hearted, the sort to make a mother proud. Together they make a couple with whom their audience engage with hope.  The absolute scene stealer of the production, however, must be Seann Miley Moore as the sexually ambiguous, greedy fixer who will stop at nothing to gain an American visa. Despite being a truly reprehensible character, Miley Moore creates an amusing, almost relatable persona. His performance of “The American Dream” dazzles.  

As you would expect from the writers Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boubil, who brought the world Les Misérables, the music is expressive and emotive. Ranging from tender and beautiful to harsh and unforgiving, it demands much of the cast as it sweeps across continents. That said I find the ‘sung through’ element a little clunky and uncomfortable in places. My personal favourite number in the show is "Bui Doi", beautifully performed by Dominic Hartley-Harris as John. It is a recognition of the miserable lives of the children the GIs left behind, rejected by both cultures. 

Under the direction of Jean-Pierre Van der Spuy the combination of Andrew D Edward’s versatile set and Bruno Poet’s filmic lighting creates a dynamic backdrop to the theatricality of the show. There are delicately beautiful references to the old Vietnamese culture held in stark contrast with the hell hole of the stricken Saigon. The portrayal of the Fall of Saigon and the rise of Ho Chi Minh City with its chilling, macabre military figures sends shivers down the spine. 

A tale as old as time itself, MISS SAIGON continues to entertain and break hearts and is at Theatre Royal Plymouth until Saturday 28th February. Click here for tickets.

Rosie Sharman-Ward

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Miss Saigon was gifted by Theatre Royal Plymouth who invited me to watch the show on behalf of Pink Prince Theatre in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST LIST:

Seann Niley Moore as The Engineer; Julianne Pundan as Kim; Jack Kane as Chris; Dominic Hartley-Harris as John; Emily Langham as Ellen; Mikko Juan as Thuy; Ayn Ferrer as Gigi; Samantha Reese Camiguing as Tam 

Ensemble: Jamil Abbasi; Aaron Aisoni; Daniel J Brian; Luoran Ding; Aaron Gonzales; Ben Fenwick; Owen Johnston; Evita Khrime; Caleb Lagaya; Rayhan Lee; Zina Lin; James Mateo-Salt; Shania Montevalde; Riko Nakazono; Julius Sahr; Tonny Shim; Aaron Teoh; Bea Ward; Aimee Yue; Carmen Zhu 

RUNNING TIME (approx):

2 hours 35 minutes, including interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Pyrothechnics (simulated firearms); Tobacco depiction; Strong language (derogatory / coarse); Adult scenes (violence / wartime); Nudity; Loud music; Flashing lights; Smoke and haze

AGE GUIDELINE:

14 +

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