Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Batcherlor, B. & Stoddart, S. (2007). The 1980’s. Westport, Conneticut: Greenwood Press.

This  is a helpful book that explores all of the happenings of the 1980’s from politics to popular entertainment. The

most interesting factor is the popularity of war films, especially the Vietnam War. Miss Saigon premiered in 1989 and is

essentially about the Vietnam War. I feel there are connections to other popular enterainment during this time in the

creator’s decision of recreating this century old opera into a musical about Vietnam.

Boublul, A. & Schonberg, C.M. (1988). Miss Saigon: A Musical [CD]. USA: CML.

This two-disc CD soundtrack from the original show will provide me with audio insight to accompany the visual aids I

have found throughout my research. The music expresses the emotion and meaning that the creators wished the show

to convey and it will increase my understanding of the work and the additional reading materials of my research.

Degabriele, M. (1996, November). From Madame Butterfly to Miss Saigon: One hundred

years of popular orientalism. Critical Arts: A South-North Journal of Cultural & Media Studies, 10(2),

105. Retrieved September 17, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

This article is a perfect match for my research because the author explores the ever changing production and

compares it to the 100 years of a changing society and cultural. The author covers in detail each evolution of Miss

Saigon and the public responses to the changes. The author incorporates historical, social, and cultural elements in the

changing of the show.

Gänzl, K. (2001). Miss Saigon. In The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre (2nd
Ed.).New York : Schirmer Books.

This musical encyclopedia includes valuable information on Miss Saigon that includes a brief synopsis, original cast,

and description of the premiere in London. It is an introduction that is able to lead to other sources through cast,

creators and crew. The premiere is an important factor because it begins the following years of success for Miss Saigon.

LeLieuvre, R. (1998, February). `Goodnight Saigon’: Music, fiction, poetry, and film in readjustment

group counseling.Professional Psychology: Research & Practice, 29(1), 74. Retrieved September 17,

2009,from Academic Search Complete database.

The above article was fascinating, although not directly related to Miss Saigon. It is a psychology article in which

Vietnam Veterans go through therapy that uses tools such as music, poetry, and film based on the war. The members

of the group would listen to songs such as Billy Joel’s “Goodnight Saigon” or watch films such as “Good Morning,

Vietnam,” and then share how these representations of the war made them feel. The shared feelings ranged from

hopelessness to new found awareness. I found this particularly cool because part of my theory on why Miss Saigon was

written in 1989 was to assist veterans in recovering from or simply facing their memories. I have said many times that

a production of this proportion can not be shown the day after the incident because those involved are still living it.

The question I propose, is this type of media helpful years later in allowing those to come to grips with the past? After

reading this article, although some negative feelings emerged from participants, I feel that war films/productions not

only educate those unaware of the severity, but also assist those who are lost in mixed emotions about their own

memories. If this is true for the other war based media, I can draw my conclusions that Miss Saigon also had similar

effects.

Pao, A. (1992). The Eyes of the Storm: Gender, Genre and Cross-Casting in Miss Saigon. Text and

Performance Quarterly, 12(1), 21-39. http://search.ebscohost.com.

This is a very “heated” article that argues the ups and downs of casting for “Miss Saigon.” Interesting enough, Pao opens

the article with quotes from an outraged New York Times in reference to the premiere in New York. I found that there

was controversy over the part of the engineer and that it has been argued that over time cacausions have been able to

cross over and play all racial charachters when there are clearly roles intended for other cultures. She expresses that

other cultures are not at that liberty and are basically forced to play their stereotypical part, starting with Kim. Her

charachter originates from the century old concept that Asian women are not only exotic and mysterious, but

maternally devoted.This casting argument has given a new spin to my research and I am interested to explore the

different roles at different times and who played them.

Vermette, M. (2006). The Musical World of Boublil and Schönberg. New York: Applause

Theatre & Cinema Books.

Margaret Vermette organized a collection of interviews with the creators of Miss Saigon. The entire book is a never-

before-seen look behind the scenes of all the Boublil and Schönberg creations. There are at least fifty pages of

information on Miss Saigon including a direct detailed account of the show’s creation from beginning to end,

controversy surrounding the show, and historical perspective from Boublil and Schönberg.