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Posted on Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 5:57 a.m.

Ann Arbor Civic Theatre takes on 'Miss Saigon' (and its helicopter)

By Jenn McKee

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Amy Robbins and Nick Rapson star in Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's production of "Miss Saigon."

photo courtesy of Ann Arbor Civic Theatre

Wendy Sielaff, director of Ann Arbor Civic Theatre’s new production of the hit musical “Miss Saigon,” confessed that she’ll probably be barred from uttering the word “helicopter” around her husband for quite a while, if not permanently.

“My husband builds all my sets, … and he’s come the closest he could get to building a Huey in our garage,” said Sielaff. “It’s been a 4- or 5-month project. He welded the frame together, put mesh over it, then put a skin on it to cover the mesh—it’s just layers upon layers upon layers. … It’s really taken a village to get this helicopter ready.”

A helicopter that transports Americans out of Vietnam, just before the fall of Saigon, is indisputably the show’s trademark—and a primary reason why many theater companies back away from staging “Miss Saigon,” despite its strong box office track record.

But this technical hurdle never gave Sielaff pause. “’Miss Saigon’ has been on my bucket list since the rights first became available,” she said. “It was just never the right time before, or it wouldn’t get chosen.”

Based on Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly,” “Miss Saigon” tells the story of an impoverished Vietnamese showgirl, Kim, who falls for an American GI named Chris during the Vietnam War. When the Fall of Saigon tears the two apart, Chris makes a new life for himself in America while Kim struggles to raise Chris’ son by herself.

“Miss Saigon” has a book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, with music by Schonberg, and lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. (Boublil and Schonberg were the creative team behind another durable hit, “Les Miserables.”)

So what is it about the show that hooked Sielaff?

PREVIEW

”Miss Saigon”

  • Who: Ann Arbor Civic Theatre.
  • What: Set in Vietnam near the end of the war (and based on Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly”), “Miss Saigon” tells the story of Kim, an impoverished Vietnamese showgirl, and Chris, an American GI, who fall in love as the world around them collapses. Book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg; music by Schonberg; and lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.
  • Where: Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 N. University Ave.
  • When: Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., June 9-12.
  • How much: $17 on Thursday; $22 Friday-Sunday ($20 for seniors, $12 for students). Call 734-971-2228 or visit www.a2ct.org.
“It’s the story,” she said. “I love the story of that mother-son relationship. That’s what really moves me. Yes, Kim and Chris fall in love, and that gets most of the attention, but the love Kim has for her son, and what she’s willing to do for him, is what really moves me. … I cry a lot at rehearsal.”

Helicopters and teary outbursts aside, Sielaff reports that the show has come together pretty easily—even from the sometimes-tricky starting point of casting.

“We’ve got an amazing Asian cast for the show,” Sielaff said. “ … You’re always worried, no matter what you’re casting, if you’ll be able to cast your show. … And I did need a special cast of specific descent. But they came out for auditions, and came out in droves, so there was lots of talent to choose from.”

When it came to costuming the actors portraying American Marines, meanwhile, Sielaff’s designers refused to dress them in camouflage garments, since their research revealed that although Army servicemen wore camo during the Vietnam War, Marines wore “Marine green.” (“They took this seriously,” Sielaff said of her designers. “ … They felt like, if we’re going to do this, let’s do it right.”) Plus, a cast member who’d taken a fight choreography class at Wayne State University provided some advice and instruction to other actors (“Those theater majors come in handy sometimes,” said Sielaff).

So all these key elements seem to be coming together to make one of Sielaff’s theater dreams a reality. “If you’re directing a show just because, that’s going to be apparent,” said Sielaff. “But if you’re really passionate about a show, that excitement just pours out of you in rehearsals. The cast picks up on that passion, too, and hopefully it’s reflected in their performances.”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.