If you've never been to Palo Alto, like me, you have a reason to go. If you've never seen Miss Saigon, like me, you have a reason to go. If you've seen Miss Saigon and have been waiting for a theatre company to do it again, your wait is over, now go. I'm going to do it, I'm going to use the cliche..."run don't walk", or perhaps in today's plugged in era, log on and use your keyboard shortcuts, to get your tickets to this phenomenal production. Immediately I forgot I was at a local theatre company, and was transfixed by the production elements and the raw talent on stage. I found myself immediately pulled in to the story, the drama, the humor, the love and the heartache that is Miss Saigon. Katherine Dela Cruz shines as Kim. Kim is a woman holding on to a dream that is no longer a reality, dreaming of a better life for her son and longing for the love, the husband, she lost during the war. Dela Cruz portrays the role with such seamless ease and emotion, you find yourself in the audience sharing her loss and heartache. Danny Gould has the voice of a seasoned pro. I couldn't believe what I was hearing when he sang. Just listen to him sing "Why God Why", my favorite number from the first act, and you'll be a fan as well. It's a shame Chris doesn't have more songs in the show, because I wanted to hear and see more of Chris/Gould. You do get to see more of him in one scene, and, I won't lie, he's easy on the eyes. Brian Palac provides the comic relief as the Engineer, plotting and scheming to find his way out of Vietnam into America. Lindsay Stark rounds out the standouts in the show as Ellen, Chris' wife in the years following the Vietnam War. Ellen is another role I wish were bigger, only because Stark has a beautiful voice and left me wanting to hear more out of her. "I Still Believe", the duet between Kim and Ellen is one of the many highlights in the fist act. A story as emotional as Miss Saigon does not have the big song-and-dance finale usally found in musicals. Saigon does offer "The American Dream", perfectly directed and performed here, giving us that 'feel good' number of the show before the heart tugging finale. To any theatre fan: You need to see this show. Miss Saigon runs until May 12, 2013. You can get tickets by visiting http://www.paplayers.org/ This is a trip you'll definitely want to take!
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