There is a full moon in the sky - just as there was three years earlier. Apparently alone and abandoned, Kim sits in the slums of Saigon, which is now, three years after the hasty retreat of the Americans, renamed Ho Chi Minh City. But the 20-year-old Kim is only in Vietnam in body - in her mind she is with Chris, the love of her life, in America.

The first chords of "I Still Believe" are heard, and the spectators in the always sold out state theatre at St. Gallen feel countless shivers running down their backs. You can almost physically feel how much Kim longs for Chris, who had to leave her suddenly three years before. And only because Vietnam was at war at that time, and the Americans had lost control and had to flee. Chris, an American soldier, left in one of the last helicopters - and left Kim.

While Kim in Vietnam draws new strenth from her love for Chris, and the boundless confidence it gives, a woman stands at the window in far away America and looks at the night: Chris' wife Ellen.

With the positioning of this American scene on the side balcony high above the heads of the spectators in the orchestra seats, director Matthias David and his team could not have better visually expressed how far apart the worlds of Kim and Chris lie. But even if thousands of kilometres and a new woman stand between Chris and Kim, he has not forgotten her. In the dark, tormented by nightmares, he shouts Kim's name,- and looks for comfort in the arms of Ellen. But Ellen does not know about Kim, and implores her husband to trust her, and tell her what haunts him so much. Yet Chris remains silent, and in the duet, both Ellen and Kim assure Chris: "I believe in you".

A story which must end tragically. And yet, everything had started off so promising and romantically:
Saigon in April, 1975. In the Vietnamese brothel "Dreamland", the 17-year-old Kim is working her first evening. The Engineer, the owner of the bar and all-around entreprenuer, entreats his girls to make good business because he needs a visa to America, "his" country of unlimited possibilities - and this costs money.

But the girls as well, led by Gigi, dream their "movie in my mind". A dream of the American soldier who will take her to New York, and make it possible for her to live the life of a normal American middle class family. Is it naïveté? Or is this dream, the slightest chance of being able to leave the rough word of the soldier's prostitutes, a way to hold onto hope for a better life? The thing that will certainly remain with the girls is this "movie in my mind".

Life in Saigon, even as a prostitute in "Dreamland", is no fairy tale, and all the participants on and behind the stage are passionate in giving a detailed view of what Dreamland is about: Money, fun, and sex are more important than the value of the people. "Close your eyes and make it through" is the motto of the girls, as it is for the soldiers during the fights.

Disgusted with the situation, the GI Chris derives no enjoyment from the beauty pageant - until Kim steps into the spotlight. Chris only has eyes for Kim, who can likewise hardly turn away from the handsome Yankee. Here John, Chris' friend, has a hand in destiny: he buys Kim for a night and gives her to Chris. Nobody from the audience would like to be in John's shoes in this scene, as Chris' look in his direction could kill. But to keep Kim from trouble with the Engineer, Chris accompanies her, against his better intentions, into an adjacent room - a flying change of scenery thanks to the impressive scenery of Hans Kudlich connected with modern theater technology.

And, as must happen in a play, Kim and Chris spend the night together and fall in love. Chris, who has some experience with other girls, is emotionally overwhelmed by this. His "Why God, Why" on waking up comes from the bottom of his heart, and places his inner conflict tangibly close to the audience. Applause for the first scene took some time, but here it came naturally.

Kim tells her story, and gives Chris and the audience a picture of their future. A view which does anything but please Chris, and that Kim isn't fond of either. Spontaneously, he asks her if she could imagine a future for them together - and this question, along with Kim's positive answer, gives fate a crucial thrust. Like "sun and moon" the two are - and so well do Kim and Chris harmonize in this duet, that even the better-knowing spectactor hopes for a good ending for them both.

But the political times are bad, and the Vietcong casts its shadow over the fate of Chris and Kim. Chris must leave the country with the American soldiers - Kim stays behind, alone and pregnant. Only her belief in the fact that Chris will come back to her and their son Tam and take them so America gives this fragile woman the will to survive for three long years.

Moved by the picture of a child who is separated from his Vietnamese mother to live with his father in America, the authors, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, got the idea for "Miss Saigon". Borrowing from Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly", they created a story which has moved the world to tears since its premiere in London in 1989, but which inspires at the same time. The first Swiss performance adds to the success of the musical, perhaps also because is it is the first free production from the original staging. Technology is beautiful and good for director Matthias David, but it should not push the action and people on stage into the background. A tightrope act, taking into consideration that it is the first production to make such changes. But the public does not seem to miss what was included in other productions at all, because there are still standing ovations in St. Gallen weeks after the premiere.

But it is not only director Matthias David with whom the St. Gallen theatre has made a lucky choice, but also the entire crew, from scenery to costumes, and choreography, which bring "Miss Saigon" to life. The cast lends an intensity which provides the feeling for the spectator of being actually in Saigon, America or Bangkok - and not in contemplative Switzerland in a theater.

It is first and foremost Ruby Rosales, in the lead role of Kim, who pulls the audience members of all ages into her spell. Small and delicate, she fits the role of Kim perfectly. She is not only convincing as the shimmering girl in "Dreamland", but also as an intimidated child from the deepest Vietnamese province. Also, in Kim's later years, she convinces the audience of the fact that she has had to endure hardships through her years alone with her son Tam.

In real life, she definitely does not have to hide behind her colleagues. But it is not just externally that Ruby Rosales suits the role of Kim, she also has a vocal expressiveness that is impressive. Whether it is rage or sorrow, solitude or despair, joy or sadness - no matter what mood she wants to convey, or what volume she uses, the listener never wants the note to end. On the contrary. The fact that she can act as well is proven not only in her first night with Chris, but also in her nightmare scene, or the meeting with Ellen. Mimic, gesturing, and body language were always in harmony, so that it was a pleasure to experience Ruby Rosales on stage. With the actor playing Chris, Jesper Tydén, she found a common level, on which the courting couple could proceed effortlessly - and also vocally they harmonized in almost perfect form.

Jesper Tydén, likewise, convinced the public in St. Gallen with his very expressive voice that this was also his show, and the acting was always fitting, whether it was tender looks towards Kim (or the unforgotten glare towards John), the pleading facial expressions to Ellen, or the pure despair of his gesturing when he is forced to board the helicopter, or when Kim dies in his arms: in these things, nobody could play this role better. In the conflict of his biggest love and inner conflict, Tydén uses all facets of his voice, and masters every acting challenge of his role with bravado. Thank to him, Chris is not the "bad Yankee", but only a man of flesh and blood who made the mistake of giving a promise which he could not keep. And, beyond that, he left the audience believing it was only the circumstances that prevented him from fulfilling that promise.

Even if Ruby Rosales and Jesper Tydén with their leading parts were the centre of the action, the "Engineer", James Sbano, was the public's favourite on May 9th. Outwardly disgusting and slimy, he is totally the slippery eel which can adapt itself to the light and swim with the current - always the same in any direction. But, inwardly, as he lets the public know, he never gives up on his vision of the "American Dream". Full of cynicism and bittersweet humour, James Sbano embodies a character which one must like in spite of all his failings - and charges all of his scenes with electricity. Whether cursing, calculating or cunning, he is always the fox, which can take the best out of any situation. Or at least try to. He is the type who always lands on his feet. Perhaps that is the reason that Kim looks to him for help after she shoots her cousin in self-defence, in order to save the life of her son.

Vocally strong, James Sbano was also not shy on May 9th to include the audience in the first few rows in the events on stage. He used eye contact to bring the crowd into closer contact with the happenings on stage, and acted as a common thread through the whole story. Michael Kelly, as John, the black American soldier and friend of Chris, also got under the audience's skin. He plays the part of destiny twice: the first time when he buys Kim for the night, and the second when he informs Chris that he and Kim have a son, and persuades him to go to Bangkok, where Kim as fled. But it was not so much his function in the story that stuck with the audience for hours after the performance - rather, it was his performance of "Bui Doi". The song is dedicated to the half-blood children of American and Vietnamese parents, the so-called "Bui Doi". With support from the St. Gallen theatre choir, he gave an expressiveness with his voice that made every hair on the back of your neck stand up - and with the addition of the pictures projected on the wall of real "Bui Doi" children, goosebumps were inevitable. And those who could have shaken off the story of "Miss Saigon" were suddenly reminded that, although it is a fictitious story, it is also the innumerable reality. No surprise then that some were wiping their eyes, and the applause did not want to let the scene end at all.

The remaining ensemble should not go unmentioned: Lanie Sumalinog was a great Gigi, Kok-Hwa Lie as Kim's cousin Thuy had to die far too early for some spectators, but towards the end they got to enjoy him and his voice again as his spirit. Mary Harper as Ellen also brought a wonderful validity to the conflicts of Chris' wife - a masterly achievement if one considers that she had to take over the role at short notice. There was not quite the familiary between Ellen and Chris (compared to Chris and Kim) that a married couple should have, but this will certainly become stronger in future performances.

And Isabel Dan, Anna Koch, Anna Helsby, Patricia Opel-Portune, Damo, James de Groot, Sinaroth Jonathan Huor, Jason Jones, Jerôme Knols, László Pekár, Filip van Praet, Philipp Ranson, Pascal Séraline, Jojo Urquico, Radovan Vagac as well as Rico Villavert each created their ensemble roles so that the events on the stage were supported as best as possible.

"Miss Saigon" is, in any case, definitely worth the journey to St. Gallen - and all the following productions will have a difficult time to top this performance. Further information and performance dates can be found at http://www.theaterstgallen.ch

© by Stephanie Tatenhorst. Interview posted here with the authors' permission. It may not be reproduced without the written consent of the author. Original German text of this article can be found at thatsmusical.de.