As hit musical Miss Saigon rolls into Edinburgh, the cast and crew reveal what it takes to put on big-scale production

ONE of the theatre events of 2018 is sure to be Miss Saigon’s month-long residency in Edinburgh.

Since opening in 1989, the show has become one of the best-loved and most successful musicals of all time.

Set during the last days of the Vietnam War, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil’s story of a doomed romance was their second major success following Les Miserables.

As the Cameron Mackintosh-produced show prepares to open at the Festival Theatre on Wednesday, we speak to 10 members of the cast and crew to discover what it takes to put on a production of this scale.

Claude-Michel Schonberg (co-creator, co-writer and music)

I had long thought of doing a modern day version of Madame Butterfly but didn’t know when or where it would happen.

I was looking through a magazine one day while working in America and happened upon a picture of a mother and daughter at the departure gate of Saigon Airport. The young girl was around 11 and was going to America to join her ex-GI father.

You could tell from their faces that they knew this was going to be the last time they saw each other. It was heartbreaking and, as a father, it affected me.

I imagined Butterfly in the last days of the war, when only 2000 soldiers were in Saigon, and the young GIs falling in love with the Vietnamese, and from there I began researching the Vietnam War.

Red Concepcion (actor – The Engineer)

I come from Manila. Last year, people from Cameron Mackintosh’s team came over to hold auditions and I attended. Going along every day for two weeks was gruelling but also exciting, and I secured the role of The Engineer.

I like to think of the character as a really slimy cockroach who manipulates, tricks and bullies, doing anything he can to survive.

But he’s also very charismatic and funny, meaning the audience don’t know whether to love or hate him.

I’m the only character to break the fourth wall and interact with the audience. I have a good rapport with them and different crowds react in their own way each show.

Craig Forrest-Thomas (wigs and make-up)

I’m from Perth originally and went to the theatre a lot as a kid.

I loved musicals as well as the make-up and special effects in films, but I didn’t think it was something I could do until I saw a course at Clydebank College.

We have a four-person team working on Miss Saigon.

We care for 58 wigs and come in every day at least four hours before the show to prepare them. They’re all real hair, so we need to wash them, set them on rollers, bake them in the oven and style them.

A lot of girls use their own hair, so we also have to take care of that. The main character of Kim has seven hair changes during the show.

James Lovett (stage manager)

I came straight from Mary Poppins and the scale and challenges of both are similar.

There are lots of heavy scenic elements in Miss Saigon, including the famous helicopter scene.

It looks fantastic but no show is just one thing, though set-wise it’s a big part of it.

Part of my role is to make sure the show looks like it did on opening night and ensure it continues to run smoothly.

Gavin Tsang (swing/dance captain)

Being dance captain means I maintain the choreography.

On top of that, I cover for both the Asians and GIs if someone is ill or on holiday. I cover 90 tracks in all.

I started dancing at 18, a late age. I was 16 when I took part in an am-dram production of Grease and that made me want to pursue this as a career, so I went to Merseyside Dance and Drama Centre in Liverpool.

I’ve done a lot of cruise ships and performed at the Royal Albert Hall, but this is my first tour.

Tom O’Brien (resident director)

I was there for the set-up of the tour, working with the main director. Now I travel to each venue to maintain the show creatively, artistically and emotionally.

I also audition local children, who are an integral part of the show.

We will cast 8-12 kids and there will always be two at each performance.

They are so young and it’s quite traumatic what they have to go through in each show, so we make sure they are enjoying it.

I’m looking forward to coming back to Edinburgh, as I cut my teeth at the festival 10 years ago. I’ve been there a few times and it was great to have two shows there in 2016.

Joreen Bautista (actor – Kim)

I auditioned in Manila just for the experience – I didn’t expect any of this. Call back after call back followed, but when I was offered the part I was filled with doubt as I had been up against some amazing people and I was just 17.

This is my first time away from home. I had to adjust so much in the early days – I usually don’t cook or do my laundry, so it was a big adjustment.

I feel I’ve really grown as an actress and as a person.

I’m scheduled to play Kim twice a week but I’m always on standby. Before every show I have to be emotionally and physically prepared to deal with the story, because it’s a rollercoaster.

James McKeon (musical director)

From a conductor’s point of view, there is a huge range of styles in Miss Saigon, from big rock numbers to it almost being like conducting an opera by the end.

The story goes at breakneck speed and the music reflects that.

The flashback sequence is a big block of complicated music.

We have eight Asian flutes and we also have 77 different percussion instruments.

The percussionists actually have their own separate room because they have so many instruments!

Katy Kettleborough (head of wardrobe)

We have five full-time members of the team, as well as nine dressers and laundry people local to each venue.

There are 38 in the cast, who have around six-to-eight costumes each.

There is a quick change area off to the side of the stage known as Wardrobe Village, where we quickly help the cast in and out of their costumes.

Each cast member has a coolie hat from Vietnam and the GI boys wear original helmets and flak jackets that were used in action.

There’s a kilo of beading on each bikini and 75 stones on each leg of tights.

It’s full-on but really good fun.

Neil White (right) manager of Miss Saigon

Neil White (company manager)

This month marks my 30th year in theatre and I’ve been a company manager for 17 of those.

I’m there to make sure everyone is looked after and turns up on time, as well as other duties like schedules and payroll.

The touring company has 90 people and we also have the local kids at each venue. It’s massive.

We have 10 nationalities involved, with a lot of people a long way from home, so we need to be mindful of that.

This isn’t just the West End production, it’s the Broadway version.

A lot of touring shows say “direct from the West End” when they’re not, but our show is at least two or three times bigger than anything else currently on tour.

Miss Saigon, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Wednesday, until Feb 17.