Western Playhouse, a summer theatre company at Missouri Western State University, presents the critically acclaimed epic musical “Miss Saigon” July 4-13 in the Potter Hall Theater.
“I wasn’t that familiar with ‘Miss Saigon’ when we began talking about producing it this summer, but when I heard the soundtrack, I immediately fell in love with it,” said Tee Quillin, assistant professor of theatre and cinema and artistic director of the Western Playhouse. “It’s a powerful story with compelling music and staging, and we’ve put together an amazing cast. I believe audiences will be moved by the production.”
“Miss Saigon” is a retelling of the Puccini opera “Madame Butterfly,” with the setting relocated to 1970s Vietnam as American involvement in the Vietnamese War is ending. A young American soldier meets and falls in love with a young Vietnamese girl but is forced to leave her (and their unborn child) behind when the U.S. Embassy in Saigon is evacuated. Three years later, he returns to Asia for a reunion with his war bride and the son he’s never met. The musical ran for more than 4,000 performances in London’s West End and another 4,000 on Broadway.
Show times are 7 p.m. July 4, 5, 6, 12 and 13, and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 7. Tickets are $21 plus tax. Western Playhouse is pleased to offer free admission to all military veterans and active-duty personnel. Tickets are currently for sale online at www.westernplayhouse.com. They will also be available by phone at 816-271-4452 or in person at the Potter Hall Theater Box Office.
Quillin will direct the production. Mark Pennington, teacher at Central High School, serves as musical director. Mark Cabus, director of education at Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta, is stage manager.
Western Playhouse was founded in 2012 as a unit of the Western Institute at Missouri Western. It is a resident summer theatre company utilizing professional actors. The actors will arrive in St. Joseph in early June and rehearse daily to prepare for the production.
“Miss Saigon,” with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. and Alain Boublil, adapted from the original French lyrics by Alain Boublil, additional material by Richard Maltby Jr., orchestrations by William D. Brohn and originally produced on the stage by Cameron Mackintosh, is licensed by Music Theatre International by arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh Ltd.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.