One of the 'Big Four' musicals of the 20th century, Miss Saigon, is set to land in Hong Kong in May. The other three world famous musicals are Cats, The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables.
Written by Alain Boubil and Claude-Michel Schonbery, Miss Saigon is set during the days leading up to the American evacuation of Saigon - now Ho Chih Minh City in Vietnam. The story revolves around Kim, a young Vietnamese woman who works in a local bar called Dreamland. She falls in love with Chris, a US Marine, who she meets at a beauty contest organised by the owner of the bar, the 'Engineer'. When Saigon falls, the old city disappears and Kim is pregnant with Chris' child.
The musical will be staged at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre from May 18. It is being put on by IMG. The group's director of arts and entertainment for Asia and Australia, James Cundall, said the cast would be made up of actors from around the world, including London's West End and New York's Broadway.
The entire set would be brought to Hong Kong, including the famous helicopter.
'The helicopter is two-thirds the size of a real one. It will be difficult to transport, but will make the show more exciting.'
The production is looking for two local children to take turns playing the role of Kim's son. Since there is no script for the character, Mr Cundall said they would be looking for a cute child, not necessarily a native English speaker. Details will be released later.