Search - Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil :: Miss Saigon (Original 1989 London Cast - Highlights)

The highlights version of the two-disc set of Miss Saigon's 1989 London cast gives you 58 minutes (out of the original 107) and most of the best moments of the score. Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's setting of Madame Butterfly in the Vietnam War includes beautiful and passionate music, most notably the bawdy opener "The Heat Is on in Saigon," "Why God Why," the romantic duet "The Last Night of the World," the female duet "I Still Believe," the male chorus number "Bui-Doi," and the Engineer's mocking "The American Dream." Time constraints, though, forced the elimination of "The Movie in My Mind," the wedding ceremony ("Dju Vui Vai"), and the revealing "Now That I've Seen Her," as well as much of the music that carries the plot forward. Casual listeners, therefore, might be satisfied with these highlights, while those who want to relive the show will need the complete recording. The booklet includes production photos and full lyrics. --David Horiuchi