Before Miss Saigon there was Madame Butterfly and before that there was Madame Chrysantheme, this is the evolution of a romance that underwent a metamorphosis to suit its place in history.The first was written by Pierre Loti (Madame Chrysantheme, 1887) in which the idea was based on the mystery of the Orient after a treaty with Japan in 1854 that opened a window of opportunity for travelers. Having been to Japan while in the naval service, Loti chose Japan as the backdrop for his story. The main character, also named Loti, is in search of a temporary wife while he is in Japan and makes a deal for Okikusan to be his “spouse.” The romance is short lived and produces a child, although Loti communicates his dislike for her and the Japanese in general. Loti eventually leaves Japan and there is a tantrum thrown by Okikusan over his departure, but when he returns for a forgotten item, he finds her in high spirits awaiting her next prey.
In 1898, John Long alters the story into Madame Butterfly which places heavier emphasis on the child born to this mismatched pair. Long’s reasoning for the change is that his sister had met the real version of this love child and the tragic story of his mothers shame and unsuccessful suicide. This was the story base adapted for theatre by David Belasco except the suicide was no longer a failed attempt. The premiere in 1900 and following shows were a success and then reborn as an Opera by Puccini in 1904. Like the metamorphosis of the story, the man character undergoes an emotional makeover in the Opera in which he is softened and holds less prejudice for Japan. The story survived many changes and even became a movie starring Cary Grant in 1932. Its final transformation took place in 1989 in the form of Miss Saigon.
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon was written by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil in 1989. It was written a little over a decade after the Vietnam War which was still heavy in the hearts and minds of Americans. While researching war epics and other entertainment as well as remembering shows I have seen with horrific war undertones, there have not been many that were produced the day after the war. The world needs time to heal and does not need a production that mimics what they are living. The Vietnam War was nearly twenty years long, extremely controversial, and had many fatalities. The world has never fully recuperated and even I, in my late twenties, lost my favorite uncle who was a Vietnam Veteran decades after the war, but at the age of 47. Many people were never the same after the war and it continues to plague the minds of Americans. Some find solace in a production that relives the heartache of devastation, but also the relief at the end of a war.
This production emphasized the terror of nations and two opposites that found comfort in love. The lovers meet the day that Saigon fell, one being a US Marine and the other an innocent forced into a life of prostitution by circumstance, the failure of their future is apparent to all, but them. The dust of warfare has yet to settle and the world is not ready for a courtship like theirs. The end of the musical is as tragic as the end results of the war, but it emphasizes that little good was born out of this evil time. The son born to the wayward lovers represents new life and hope of not one body, but of human kind and the future appears brighter then the darkness of two prior decades.
Miss Saigon, as of this year, is the 10th longest running Broadway Musical. The reasons for being written in 1989, like many other post war productions, are to not only lighten the weight of some hearts, but to educate those who are unaware of the effect this had on a nation. A musical about a tragic love affair during a time of darkness entertains and educates that there was far more invested in this then just politics. People were at stake and those who survived had inner scars unimaginable to those of us who were not. I will never fully grasp the pain caused by this abomination or any other, but this one hits a little closer to home.
(Dedicated to Thomas Black, may he rest in peace.)
For others interested in checking out Miss Saigon today, there is a fantastic UK site devoted to this musical production:
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