Background

Question 1

What is the background?

Answer 1

Musical by Claude michel Schoenberg and Alain Boublil
Story of Madame butterfly - doomed romance Between an Asian woman and her American lover
Set in 1970’s Saigon in Vietnam at the end of the war
Opened in the west end 1989

Question 2

Who are main characters?

Answer 2

Kim - 17 year old girl orphaned working in Saigon bar
Chris - American GI leaving Saigon to return to USA
The Engineer - owner of the dreamland bar
Ellen - Chris’s American wife
Thuy (Kim’s cousin) - betrothed to Kim, Vietnamese army and govt
Gigi - stripper in the bar
Tam - Kim and Chris‘ 3 year old son

Question 3

Act 1 plot

Answer 3

As war ends - dreamland is busy, Kim’s first day.
US soldiers ready to party with the dancers.
Dancers compete to be Miss Saigon
Gigi wins and begs to go to USA
Chris falls for Kim, Thuy arrives and Kim doesn’t want thuy
Chris leaves Saigon without Kim
3 years later thuy finds Kim. Kim and Chris have a son and they escape

Question 4

Act 2

Answer 4

Chris returns to find Kim and tam.
Kim thinks Chris will take her to USA and doesn’t believe he is married to Ellen and then wants Chris to take tam to USA
When Kim realises she cant go to USA she shoots herself
The end

Question 5

Where does song appear?

Answer 5

Act 1 second song

Question 6

General structure

Answer 6

15 sections mostly refrains

Intro, 7 choruses, 2 verses, orchestral postlude and transition

Question 7

How would you compare these 3 songs:
‘At the end of the day’
‘Do you hear the people sing? (People’s Song)’
‘The Heat is on in Saigon’

Answer 7

All about struggle
People’s Song is before the struggle because it’s the excitement before the start of the struggle
The Heat is on in Saigon is after the struggle because it’s the excitement and relief after the struggle
At the end of the day is in the middle showing what the struggle is like