Miss Saigon (tour)

Note: The cast has changed since the writing of this review. For current cast details, please see the Miss Saigon listing entry. If you have seen the current cast and would like to share your views please go to the user reviews section.

Piere Loti has a lot to answer for. His novel, Madame Chrysantheme, about the romance between a Japanese Geisha girl and a French naval officer, has provided no end of inspiration. At the turn of the last century, it spawned - all care of different artists - first a short story, then a stage play and, most famously, an opera, all bearing the title Madame Butterfly.

Many decades later, the story struck a chord with Alan Boublil and Michel Schonberg who gave it a new name and updated the action to 1970s Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City where a Vietnamese girl falls in love with an American GI. And thus was born Miss Saigon, the stage musical which became a decade-long fixture (closing in October 1999) at the West End's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

In fact, this show with its spectacular, big-budget set design was such a Drury Lane fixture that many doubted it could ever be moved elsewhere, and certainly not made mobile enough for touring. But now an all-new touring production, directed by Matthew Ryan, is exactly what we've got. And although this tour is slow-moving on the road - its first engagement in Manchester running to a lengthy seven months - I'm happy to report that there's nothing sluggish or in any way sub-standard about it.

The show might have had an even longer run in Manchester, if not for the decision to delay the original opening date in order to accommodate the hectic schedule of Leo Valdez. Thankfully, the Filipino actor - who reprises his role as sleazy pimp The Engineer, which he played in the West End, Australia and the Far East - proves to be worth the wait here in Manchester. His character seesaws between emotions - at once cruel then funny but always highly engaging in his dogged pursuit of the streets-are-paved-with-gold American Dream.

Other casting coups include Joanna Ampil and Niklas Andersson, both also reprising their West End roles. As the doomed lovers, Kim and Chris, they complement each other well. Ampil's performance is particularly powerful; her depiction of Kim's desperate struggle to survive the aftermath of war will tear your heart in two. Another outstanding performance is turned in by Kingsley Leggs as John. His conflicting fears and concerns - in both trying to assist the Bui-Doi orphans and do his best for Kim, Tam and Chris - are touchingly conveyed.

John Napier's famous set designs retain the power to amaze. From the poor, filthy shacks and brothels to the expanse of Ho Chi Minh City and, yes, that helicopter, they succeed beautifully in conjuring up an exotic and tumultuous world. The effect is heightened by lighting courtesy of David Hersey and sound by Andrew Bruce. And then there are Andreanne Neofitou's stunning costumes - a staggering 375 in total - all faithfully recreated.

All this, plus musical numbers such as the haunting "Last Night of the World" and the exciting "The Morning of the Dragon", combine to produce a sumptuous and spellbinding spectacle of grand proportions. I defy anyone not to have a lump in their throat or a quick dab with a tissue.

- Val Bennion (reviewed at Manchester's Palace Theatre)