Broadway In Kaneohe

Astory of love, war and ultimate sacrifice, Miss Saigon is considered perhaps a stand-alone production - one of the best in musical theater history.

This legendary musical is among the longest-running of all time, and starting Oct. 3 it comes to Windward Community College’s Paliku Theatre under the direction of local theater icon Ron Bright.

With a talented local cast, Miss Saigon is a modern-day adaptation of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, telling the tragic tale of a doomed romance between an American GI, Chris, and a Vietnamese bar girl, Kim.

“When I first saw the production in New York, I was so totally moved by the music and the story line - talk about tearing the heart strings!” Bright says. “I love stories that deal with the human heart.”

Bright himself has touched the hearts of many and has played a major role in creating the theater scene on the Windward side.

“What can I say?! It’s been an amazing ride,” says Bright, whose bubbly personality is infectious to everyone he meets. “I started at Castle (High School) never anticipating I would be so involved in the art. What means more to me than anything else is how much I have touched the lives of so many people who have gone on to theater-related occupations, both locally and abroad. There’s a real sense of gratification there.”

Bright has directed an abundance of productions at Castle during his 50-year career. Yet he has always wanted to direct Miss Saigon, because he served 35 years in the military and lived through the Vietnam War.

Also, many of his former students have gone on to star in professional productions of the show, whether it be on Broadway or part of the U.S. National Tour. In fact, three cast members - Michael Scott Bright, Ron’s son, who plays Chris, Jade Stice who plays Ellen (the American wife of Chris), and Jade Anguay Bright (Michael’s wife), choreographer and dancer, all have ties to professional productions and are thrilled to be back for the debut of Miss Saigon at Paliku.

“It’s wonderful to be back with my ‘family’ again - right where it all started,” says Stice who was part of the Broadway ensemble and understudied as Ellen, and also was part of the first national tour.

“Boo (Mr. Bright) is so encouraging and he is able to bring new things to the show. We (Mike Bright and I) have seen and done it so many times that it is refreshing to work with new direction and new inspiration for the scenes.”

And although Broadway is currently miles away for Stice and the rest of the cast, Bright ensures there is no shortchanging anything: His standards are high, expecting and achieving nothing but the best.

“People will be immersed in what I consider the best in theater. I think people will go away having an experience they will not soon forget,” he says. “Everything in the Broadway production is in this one, from the dances, to the helicopter, to the Cadillac car. But what I think will be the most memorable is the connection between the star-crossed lovers. This is a well played-out love story. You start to identify with the characters right from the start. You empathize, you laugh, you cry,” says Bright.

“We have a wonderful cast, all very committed and absolutely loving what they’re doing.”

Punahou sophomore Brittany Browning has the lead role of Kim.

Other cast members include opera performer Kawika McGuire as Chris’ Marine friend John; stage veteran and children’s book author Leonard Villanueva as The Engineer; glee club director at Kamehameha Schools Les Ceballos as Thuy, the spurned suitor of Kim; and Erin Wong as Gigi, the bar girl. Wong was seen recently by Honolulu audiences as Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

As an 11-time Tony Award nominee, Miss Saigon originated as a West End production by Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil. Schonberg reportedly gained inspiration for the play through a photograph in a magazine.

According to Schonberg, the photo depicted a Vietnamese mother leaving her child at a departure gate at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, where the child’s father, an ex-GI, would be able to provide a much better life for the child. And while audiences enjoy this heartfelt story on stage, we mustn’t forget that a circumstance such as this is painstakingly all too real.

“The story of Kim in Miss Saigon was not unusual at all,” Stice says. “Lives were tragically and magically changed because of the conflict in Vietnam and our involvement there.

“These (Kim and Chris) were just two people who fell in love, and their love story affected the lives of so many others,” Stice adds.

“We have a great responsibility for all those whose lives were touched by Vietnam, to tell the story honestly and to do it justice in every show. It will be rewarding to share this story of love and war with Hawaii audiences.”

Costumer Evette Tanoue also shares this belief, saying Miss Saigon is not only a “play” but a story that has historic meaning about a country and its people.

In an effort to ensure absolute authenticity, Tanoue traveled to Vietnam for a week, specifically Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), and purchased dozens of hand-sewn costumes for the cast. She returned with three overflowing suitcases.

“Because I have a background in fashion design, I always walk a fine line between showmanship and authenticity,” Tanoue explains. “I did not want to disrespect the Vietnamese, so I have tried really hard to stay true to them.”

And with a first-class orchestra under the musical direction of Clarke Bright, also Ron’s son, expect to hear the proper “Asian sounds” as well. Clarke has been working on the score for two months now, transposing a score for a 40-piece orchestra into one that can be played by a group of 14 professionals.

As for Ron Bright, he believes this is the best show Paliku has ever done. In fact, he admits it’s probably the best show he’s ever done, for that matter.

“I never feel tired! I always feel charged at each rehearsal,” Bright says. “I like to feel what the performers are feeling - I move with them, I sing with them, I live their roles vicariously. I’m there to charge their batteries. We bounce off each other!”

Bright only hopes the pure emotions he experiences with each and every show will resonate throughout the audience.

“The charge, the adrenaline rush, the satisfaction of being a part of something successful - especially when the entire company feels the same euphoria - is something I can’t get enough of,” Bright enthuses. “I will be at every performance, like I’ve been all my years, living the experience over and over - and I’ll probably cry every night.

“Theater is so great, he adds. “Create ... imagine ... make-believe. It’s so special.”

Miss Saigon will be presented Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. Oct. 3-26. Tickets cost $30 for adults; $26 for seniors (62 and older), military and UH faculty and staff; and $20 for students through age 26. Tickets are available now and may be charged by phone by calling 235-7310 or visit www.eTicketHawaii.com.

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