'Note perfect' Miss Saigon brings The X Factor to Cardiff
Seann Miley Moore leads the cast of Miss Saigon as The Engineer as the tragic love story arrives in Cardiff
I've finally got to watch Miss Saigon on stage for the first time and it's definitely one not to be missed.
The sung-through stage musical is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera Madama Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover.
Created by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and produced by Cameron Mackintosh - the trio best known for the musical Les Misérables - the show is equally as epic, poignant and bruising, charting the last days of the Vietnam War
The audience is introduced to 17-year-old Kim, who is forced to work in a Saigon bar run by a notorious character known as The Engineer.
Kim meets and falls in love with an American GI named Chris, but they are soon torn apart by the fall of Saigon - with the soldier having no idea he's fathered a son.
In this touring production, Julianne Pundam plays Kim, a powerful young woman trying to negotiate an impossible situation.
Julianne's stunning voice is crystal clear, bringing so much poignancy to ballads including I’d Give My Life for You and I Still Believe, which showcased dramatic irony as she sang it alongside Chris’ new wife, Ellen.
Jack Kane plays the tortured Chris and his portrayal of a torn and troubled GI is entirely believable as is his rushed romance with Kim.
It feels so natural that they are in love and so heart-wrenching that the are ripped apart so brutally.
However, it is former X Factor and The Voice Australia contestant Seann Miley Moore, who plays the enigmatic Engineer, that gets the final bow and the standing ovation of the night.
Their iconic performance of The American Dream is a standout moment as well as the the incredible staging, the fantastic cast and the brilliant orchestra.
Not a foot was wrong, a bum note hit, a poignant moment missed, proving that this tragic love story lives on and make sure you bring a tissue along with you for the gripping finale.
Miss Saigon is at Cardiff's Wales Millennium Centre until June 6