RoZsa Horvath
As an educator, director, and designer at Pierce College, I am appalled, saddened, and upset at the cursory and dismissive review that was allowed to be printed of our summer production of Miss Saigon.
What kind of knowledge, experience and background does this “reviewer” have in Theatre Arts to be allowed to be published in a newspaper that now can be read by thousands on the internet? I hesitate to say “critic” for that would imply expertise and deep knowledge of the subject of his review, and obviously this person lacks both. Does he have any idea of the complexity and technical requirements of this show and how amazingly difficult it is to produce? Obviously not! Did this reviewer do his research on the play to find out that it was also about our country’s involvement in the Vietnam War and it’s resultant horrors? Obviously not!
There were over 300 “cues” (where something happens with lights, sound, special effects, or set) in two and a half hours, and yet not one word is mentioned of the marvelous way all this was handled, mostly by the actors who were also singing, dancing, and acting at the same time.
This was the most technically difficult show we had ever produced, and it matched many a Broadway production with lot less help and funds that Broadway productions have at their disposal. The amazing job done by the Lighting Designer , Johnny Bradley, the Projection and Video designer, Lianne Arnold, is not even hinted at, and their work therefore is totally dismissed. There were over 200 costumes in the production, yet my work as Costume Designer, is never mentioned. Yes, there were a few problems with sound, but it was miniscule compared to the entirety of the production. This is “live” theatre after all, and we can’t stop the show to fix things during a performance.
Forty people were in the cast, one of the largest cast shows in the history of our department’s producing, and yet only four people were mentioned, totally dismissing the amazing ensemble numbers with thirty people in unison, singing and marching, and flipping guns or ribbons at the same time, and even a dancing dragon. Does this reviewer realize the amazing amounts of rehearsal that went into this to make it happen? Not to mention the choreographer’s art in this, so easy to find her name in the program, Denise Gibson, is almost criminal. He does mention that there were “a few strong actors,” but only names one. The story of Miss Saigon could not be told without the characters of Ellen, played by Katie Watts, or John, played by Donovan Weir, or Thuy played by Joseph Andreas, or all the girls and soldiers, and Viet Cong surrounding Kim, etc. etc. etc.
In my thirty years of being a theatre professional and educator at Pierce, I have never observed the standing ovations that every single show of this production received. That kind of reaction is rare, and cherished by all involved, especially the director who made all this happen, without whose guidance, talents, research, choice of play, untold amounts of auditioning and rehearsals, the production would not have happened! Did this reviewer look in the program and realize that the director, Gene Putnam, was also the one who designed the marvelous and ingenious and varied sets, props? No mention of the director/set designer’s art anywhere in the article. I guess he must think that shows just create themselves without anyone at the helm and that sets just rise up out of the stage floor!
The dismissive and nasty attitude displayed toward those singled out, again illustrates lack of knowledge, understanding, humility and kindness, which I believe every judge must have. The entire show is sung. There is no spoken dialogue. The actress playing Kim has the most songs. There was no “constant crackling” in her voice, as I was there also on opening night. Given the amount of songs she has to sing, the nerves of opening night, and whatever physical challenges she may have been dealing with, she was absolutely amazing! I teach in my Introduction to the Theatre class, that a critic must look at an entire performance and not dwell on minor mishaps unless their abundance obscures the total picture: a lesson your reviewer must learn.
I invite Anibal Ortiz to take my above mentioned class, so that he may learn more about the art of Theatre and Criticism, and realize that theatre is the work of many magicians, and it is much more difficult to create than to criticize. True critics don’t display their cleverness at the expense of the artists!
RoZsa Horvath, Professor of Theatre Arts, Costume Designer for Miss Saigon
