Miss Saigon flies into Harvey Auditorium - by Danetta Bramhall
As I sat in the dark, I could hear the helicopter coming. The noise rose in intensity and screams could be heard. Two headlights dipped into view as the 'copter slid sideways through the smoke toward the landing pad. Uniformed soldiers hurried up the ladder into the belly of the 'copter and it quickly rose and flew off into the night. Then I heard the orchestra music swell and remembered...I was sitting in Harvey auditorium in Bakersfield, California. It was the opening night of Miss Saigon and I had just watched a scene depicting the fall of Saigon during the Vietnam War. It was a scene I was very familiar with but still, I found myself captivated.
For 3 weeks I had a bird's eye view from backstage as actors, musicians and stage crew rehearsed. For nearly 20 years I have worked in one capacity or another in the local community theater scene and this play was one of the most difficult that I had experienced. Difficult for the actors in that there are no "spoken" lines, everything is set to music. And, difficult for those that work behind the scenes. Take that helicopter for example. It is a full-size replica that is hung in the wings above the stage. When it enters, it "flies" in a very precise, carefully planned route, barely missing by inches backdrops both on and above the stage to land precisely on the landing pad that is only inches wider than itself. Yet, the stage crew working at Bakersfield Music Theater pulled it off so professionally the audience alternately gasped and cheered. For a few minutes at least, they had suspended their disbelief and were in the streets of Saigon.
This wasn’t the first time I have seen this little community theater group create magic. Literally. Last year they performed Disney's Beauty and the Beast and made cartoon characters come to life. The candlestick spoke in a French accent, the bedroom dresser sang an aria and the plates and silverware danced their way into the audience's hearts. A few years ago they performed Cinderella. The magic makers backstage managed to turn a pumpkin into a coach and mice into horses all in full view of the delighted audience. How did they do that? They did it with talent, hard work and a passion for local musical theater. Yet these are people just like you and me. They have day jobs and choose to give their evenings to the theater in the hope that they can entertain and... make magic.
If you have never seen Miss Saigon, I highly recommend it. If you don't usually go to musicals, GO to this one. If you are child of the 60's and remember watching the Vietnam War on TV, GO. It will make you remember a different time with all of its bittersweet memories. If you are a young person who thinks of Vietnam as something that happened a long time ago, GO. You will find yourself identifying with the emotions of a sometimes forgotten time. This show has something for everyone: star-crossed lovers, hookers and pimps, soldiers and guns. When you watch a Vietnamese pimp roll around on the hood of an authentic '59 pink cadillac while singing about his "American Dream" you can't help but laugh out loud. When you hear the final gunshot your hand will go to your mouth.
But don't take my word for it. Go to Harvey Auditorium Saturday night or Sunday afternoon this weekend and see for yourself.
(Go check out Starz Dinner Theater or Bakersfield Music Theater--they'll get you tickets - N.L.)
For 3 weeks I had a bird's eye view from backstage as actors, musicians and stage crew rehearsed. For nearly 20 years I have worked in one capacity or another in the local community theater scene and this play was one of the most difficult that I had experienced. Difficult for the actors in that there are no "spoken" lines, everything is set to music. And, difficult for those that work behind the scenes. Take that helicopter for example. It is a full-size replica that is hung in the wings above the stage. When it enters, it "flies" in a very precise, carefully planned route, barely missing by inches backdrops both on and above the stage to land precisely on the landing pad that is only inches wider than itself. Yet, the stage crew working at Bakersfield Music Theater pulled it off so professionally the audience alternately gasped and cheered. For a few minutes at least, they had suspended their disbelief and were in the streets of Saigon.
This wasn’t the first time I have seen this little community theater group create magic. Literally. Last year they performed Disney's Beauty and the Beast and made cartoon characters come to life. The candlestick spoke in a French accent, the bedroom dresser sang an aria and the plates and silverware danced their way into the audience's hearts. A few years ago they performed Cinderella. The magic makers backstage managed to turn a pumpkin into a coach and mice into horses all in full view of the delighted audience. How did they do that? They did it with talent, hard work and a passion for local musical theater. Yet these are people just like you and me. They have day jobs and choose to give their evenings to the theater in the hope that they can entertain and... make magic.
If you have never seen Miss Saigon, I highly recommend it. If you don't usually go to musicals, GO to this one. If you are child of the 60's and remember watching the Vietnam War on TV, GO. It will make you remember a different time with all of its bittersweet memories. If you are a young person who thinks of Vietnam as something that happened a long time ago, GO. You will find yourself identifying with the emotions of a sometimes forgotten time. This show has something for everyone: star-crossed lovers, hookers and pimps, soldiers and guns. When you watch a Vietnamese pimp roll around on the hood of an authentic '59 pink cadillac while singing about his "American Dream" you can't help but laugh out loud. When you hear the final gunshot your hand will go to your mouth.
But don't take my word for it. Go to Harvey Auditorium Saturday night or Sunday afternoon this weekend and see for yourself.
(Go check out Starz Dinner Theater or Bakersfield Music Theater--they'll get you tickets - N.L.)
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Friday, April 08, 2005.
You can leave your response.
I served as a marine rifleman in Viet Nam, 1968-69. I’ve read much Viet Nam war literature and published a collection of war poetry, On The Way to Khe Sanh, (three of which appeared in The Iowa Review, Spring 2005), and a memoir, Nam Au Go Go - Falling for the Vietnamese Goddess of War.
I want to pass on a heads up about Nam Au Go Go – Falling for the Vietnamese Goddess of War, which is available on the web.
My book is different. It talks about something no one I can find has written about - what violence does to war fighters. How, if combat soldiers and marines see too much, do too much, they can cross a threshold into an adaptation to violence and become addicted to it. When your emotional self is killed off by the insanity of war, survivors of this addiction have a hard time re-connecting with society. Combat is a one-way door. Once you go through, you cannot go back. You are changed.
Find Nam Au Go Go on booksellers’ websites.
e: jacolesdad@comcast.net
leave a response