By Ann Bistolfo and Amanda Bistolfo

Anticipating opening the paper and finding Bev Sykes’ usual utilitarian Music Circus review, plodding through the plot and naming the actors, we herewith offer the type of commentary for “Miss Saigon” that we might hope to find in The Enterprise.

It is no “Les Misérables” and it is not “Madame Butterfly.” It is “Miss Saigon,” a poignant and passionate look at the experience of an American GI and his Vietnamese lover; an important work on its own. The show runs at the Music Circus through Sunday. Do not miss it. Who knows when and where you will find a production of “Miss Saigon” as excellent and powerful as this one.

Written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, who also gave us the enormously popular “Les Miserables” and the equally unknown “The Pirate Queen,” “Miss Saigon” is based on Puccini’s masterpiece of doomed love, “Madama Butterfly.” It ran for more than 4,000 performances on Broadway in the 1990s.

That the show never received the epic acclaim of “Les Miserables” is not for lack of emotional resonance. Certainly, for Americans, our Vietnam involvement is as capable of creating a connection as a mini-revolution in France. The music of “Miss Saigon” is not as cohesive or as masterfully orchestrated as that of “Les Mis.” Nor do we find the consistency of character development needed for a classic: One character has too much stage time while others are left hanging.

The show unfolds in 1975 Saigon, in the last weeks and hours of the American presence there. You only need to know the significance of that time and place in history; the story is simple enough. If you have never seen the show, knowing plot details will only detract from the dramatic punch of the events.

The title character of “Miss Saigon” is Kim, played by Ma-Anne Dionisio, who is absolute perfection in this role. She is every bit the delicate young beauty, yet conveys almost frighteningly well the force of her passion. Her singing voice can be equally lyric or huge, with a rich belt and shimmering head voice that remain strong through every note of this lengthy, challenging role. She even does us the favor of clear enunciation.

Eric Kunze, known to Music Circus audiences for his roles as Che, Jesus and Joseph (and a good-looking hunk who probably will play 30-somethings for three decades) is perfectly cast as the GI Chris. His impressive vocal chops never cease to amaze. The combination of dead-on pitch, powerfully resonant yet sweet tone, and surprisingly nuanced and natural acting confirm why he made it to Broadway so early in his career, and why the Music Circus should hire him every chance they get.

Top billing for “Miss Saigon” goes to Kevin Gray as The Engineer, the sleaze who attempts to manipulate Kim and Chris for his own benefit. The Engineer gets a lot of stage time, but either the creators misjudged the historical significance of this hustler or they, like the audience, became too involved with the story of Kim and Chris to try to make us somehow care about the Engineer.

Gray, who has loads of “Miss Saigon” credits, including the complete cast recording, plays his part with energy and flair. He may have played the role a little too often and gotten sloppy, though, forgetting that we don’t know the lyrics as well as he does. He sprays out too many words without their rightful consonants, and it takes a lot of concentration to understand half of what he says.

A huge contributor to the show is Josh Tower as John, Chris’ fellow GI. He brings just the right intensity and concern both for Chris and for the “half-breeds” who are the tragic result of the American occupation. His song, “Bui Doi” is one of the best and most moving of the show.

We also must mention Michael K. Lee as Thuy, Kim’s betrothed. He is the villain here, but (Stanford grad that he is) Lee also lets us see that Thuy is doing what was expected of him, and could perhaps care for Kim.

Kudos to the lighting and sound crew for bringing a truly convincing “helicopter” to the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

For anyone who remembers Vietnam, and perhaps especially for those who only know the era from their history books, this production of “Miss Saigon” brings the personal tragedy of the time to life. Tuesday was the fullest opening night we have seen in two years. Get your tickets while you can, and bring tissues.

— Ann and Amanda Bistolfo of Davis are die-hard Music Circus fans.

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