Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...“Miss Saigon” requires a Chris who’s a match for Kim in ardor and strength. O’Brien, who inherited the role at the last minute, after Jason Michael Evans developed vocal problems, is still feeling his way: His portrayal comes across as too bland and boyish. An actor needs to muster sufficient intensity to convince us Chris is a man of war and, yes, that he’s that into Kim. (Chris Sizemore, as Chris’s Army buddy John, and Erin Driscoll, as Chris’s stateside wife, Ellen, provide solid support.)"
DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended
"...The heat is on in Saigon! It’s the last night of the world and it’s burning up fast at Signature Theatre as they blast open their 2013/2014 season with the rarely produced Tony Award-Winning Musical, Miss Saigon. Directed by Eric Schaeffer with Musical Direction by Gabriel Mangiante, conducting 15 excellent musicians, this tragically beautiful tale of life at the end of the Vietnam war in the city of Saigon is erupting to life with one of the most epically stunning female leads in the area."
Baltimore Sun - Recommended
"...This revival has the potential to develop more cohesion and force, but I'm not convinced that "Miss Saigon" will ever turn out to be a profound work of musical theater. "
Variety - Highly Recommended
"...The first-rate cast is led by Diana Huey as the “Madame Butterfly”-inspired character Kim. A relative unknown, the Japan-born, Seattle-based actress impresses with her soaring soprano and convincing innocence. The role of the conflicted U.S. Marine Chris is in capable hands with tenor Gannon O’Brien, while Thom Sesma drips with insincerity as the suave hustler known as the Engineer, reprising a role he played during the show’s second national tour in the mid-1990s."
MetroWeekly - Somewhat Recommended
"...Still, all of that can’t cover up the fact that Miss Saigon is not, at its core, the best musical ever. It’s not even particularly great. It’s just too melodramatic and predictable, especially in Act 1, to win those kinds of superlatives. Neither the story, based on Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, nor the music is very original, and the degree of gee-whiz spectacle, of style over substance, makes you think Schönberg and Boublil – who worked on the English lyrics with Richard Maltby Jr. – took it fairly easy in writing this, their follow up to the mega-hit Les Misérables. Late in Act 2, the Engineer (a convincingly showy Thom Sesma) sings of “The American Dream,” a wonderful ditty that’s a response to the American horror story that was the Vietnam War, and our leaders who sold us false hope there."
WeLoveDC - Recommended
"...There may not be any helicopters or other big show spectacles in this production of Miss Saigon, but Signature shows that it can pull out as many stops as possible in giving the audience a larger-than-life experience on stage. However, until the entire cast can reach a consistent level, the show feels incomplete."
Washingtonian - Somewhat Recommended
"...Is there enough relevant material in Miss Saigon to appeal to a contemporary audience? Possibly not. When the Engineer bemoans his birth to a race that “thinks only of rice and hates entrepreneurs,” it’s hard not to snigger, although Christopher Mueller’s Thuy does bear more than a passing resemblance to a certain North Korean dictator in his military uniform. Given the enormous breadth of talent Signature has at its fingertips, and given its commitment to showcasing brand new work, it’s a shame the company decided to kick off its new season and dedicate so much of its budget to such a tired old workhorse."
Washington Blade - Recommended
"...But the best scenes of Signature’s “Miss Saigon” take place in Saigon’s sleazy hooker bar Dreamland and (later) a similar joint in Bangkok. It’s in a dimly lit, alcohol-fueled Dreamland that war-weary Marines and desperate Vietnamese civilians come together against a backdrop of feverish partying. And it comes off splendidly in Signature’s not huge MAX Theatre."
ShowBizRadio - Highly Recommended
"...Emotions and intimacy rule, rather than the physical rendering say of a helicopter in the physically bigger stage productions that many may remember. The set design by Adam Koch takes the audience into the humid far away even before the curtain rises. The audience is further immersed into this journey by Matt Rowe’s detailed sound designer and Chris Lee’s lighting."
DramaUrge - Highly Recommended
"...Director Eric Schaeffer's production, the largest - about 35 actors and musicians with an equal number of creative and production people - in their history, is indeed a spectacle, but a spectacle in the best sense. Scenic designer Adam Koch has fashioned a full metal jacket experience, replete with fuselage in the foyer, gossamer-green "foliage" netting, and all weather, military-industrial barroom set. A number of arresting stage accouterments are slid or dropped into the scenes to approximate the shock and awe of a big theater showing. If this isn't enough, you could make the case (and I would) that music and masterful orchestration are worth the trip alone, along with the flamboyant and intricate staging. Then there are the impressive performances - singing, acting, and dancing are all of a high caliber, individually or in consort with the committed ensemble. "
MD Theatre Guide - Somewhat Recommended
"...Signature has a good go at it, but it has a lot of moving parts and clashing genres to contend with. Technically, it is their most daunting show yet—calling for special adaptable sets that work for several locales— from the steamy Saigon “Dreamland” and the American Embassy to various street scenes. Already uniformly dark, the theatre is cocooned in parachute camo green down to the curtains. Seamless transitions do keep the show crisp."