The Story of Miss Saigon

Rating:
Summary: Pure Propaganda
Review: "The Story of 'Miss Saigon'" by Edward Behr and Joseph Steyn is, quite simply, a work of propaganda. This is true not only because the purpose of the book is to persuade the reader to buy a ticket to see the stage musical "Miss Saigon," but because the book tells an egregiously one-sided account of the 1990 controversy over the casting of white British actor Jonathan Pryce as the musical's Vietnamese male lead, the Engineer. In the summer of 1990, "Miss Saigon's" powerful British producer, Cameron Mackintosh, wanted to cast Pryce as the Engineer -- Broadway's first Asian-male lead (non-supporting) role in 15 years -- without seriously considering any Asian actors for the part. Actors Equity, the American stage-actors' union, denied Pryce a visa to play the role, citing the paucity of lead roles for Asian American actors and Mackintosh's refusal to audition any in good faith. Rather than take the matter to arbitration, as was his option, Mackintosh indignantly accused Equity of "discriminat[ing] against Mr. Pryce on the basis of his race" and canceled the Broadway production, which had already amassed a then-record $25 million in advance ticket sales.

By vetoing Pryce for "Miss Saigon's" Asian-male lead, Equity hoped to call attention to a simple fact: Asian American actors do not have equal opportunities to play lead roles in the U.S. entertainment industry. White actors have always been allowed to play lead Asian roles -- from Charlie Chan to "The King and I" to "Kung Fu." Recognizably Asian actors, by contrast, had never been considered for white leads, and Asian lead roles are extremely rare. However well intended, casting Pryce as the Engineer would only perpetuate this racially discriminatory double standard. Pryce had many other opportunities to play lead roles; Asian Americans actors -- because of their race -- did not.

Although Mackintosh justified the casting of a white actor as the Engineer by saying that the character was of mixed Asian and European ancestry, nowhere in "Miss Saigon's" original London libretto is any reference made to his Caucasian background. In fact, the logic of the plot requires him to be 100% Vietnamese. So, many believe that the Engineer was labeled "Eurasian" solely to accommodate a white actor in an otherwise full-blooded Asian lead role.

In its chapter about the casting controversy, "Calamity and Catharsis" (written by Behr), "The Story of 'Miss Saigon'" does its best to demonize Equity's veto of Pryce and, in doing so, obscure the entertainment industry's historical discrimination against Asian American actors. For example, Behr attributes the objections against Pryce's casting to a "hard-core...radical fringe," when in fact, opposition to the casting of a white actor in a rare Asian lead was broadly supported by Equity's minority constituents. Behr refers to those opposed in principle to such biased casting as the "anti-Pryce" lobby, as though their objections were a personal attack upon this individual actor. And anticipating future arguments against affirmative action, Behr disingenuously accuses the non-white actors of "introducing the notion of racial privilege [for minorities] under the guise of multi-racial equality." The idea that *Pryce* might be racially privileged -- that he would not have had the opportunities to become a star on the London stage if he hadn't been white -- never occurs to the author.

Granted, the "Miss Saigon" controversy also raised the issue of Cameron Mackintosh's right of free speech. But this could have been negotiated with the actors' equal-opportunity rights in the arbitration process, an option that Mackintosh *chose* not to exercise. And while it's important to protect a producer's right to free expression, the entertainment industry is also a business, and as a business, it has the responsibility to make sure that arbitrary obstacles do not keep any particular group (in this case, Asian Americans) beneath a glass ceiling. "The Story of 'Miss Saigon'" twists itself into knots in an effort to obscure such issues. A few months after the dispute was settled -- and it was decided that Pryce would open the role of the Engineer on Broadway -- the New York City Commission on Human Rights held hearings on the subject of racism in casting and concluded that there was "widespread discrimination" in the entertainment industry. These hearings were held in direct response to the "Miss Saigon" controversy and its outcome, but Behr doesn't acknowledge their existence. To do so would have undermined his highly biased, circumscribed argument.

Discussing the "Miss Saigon" dispute in the New York Times on August 26, 1990, African American actress Ellen Holly talked about the times when she was forced to surrender roles because of *her* race, but no one stood up for her. She wrote: "Racism in America today is nothing so crass as mere hatred of another person's skin color. It is rather an affliction of so many centuries duration that it permeates institutions to the point of becoming indivisible from them. Only when the darker races attempt to break out of the bind -- and inconvenience whites in the process -- do whites even perceive racism as an issue. Only when a white is asked to vacate a role on racial grounds does the matter become a front-page issue....That, of course, is the blatant hypocrisy that infects this whole issue. Nonwhites are forced to give up parts on racial grounds in the back alleys, behind the barn and inside the closet, and no one could care less."

I'm glad that..."The Story of 'Miss Saigon,'" is now out of print. For a more accurate picture of the casting controversy, see the chapter "Gangsters, Gooks, Geishas, and Geeks" in "Asian American Dreams" by Helen Zia.

Rating:
Summary: Pure Propaganda
Review: "The Story of 'Miss Saigon'" by Edward Behr and Joseph Steyn is, quite simply, a work of propaganda. This is true not only because the purpose of the book is to persuade the reader to buy a ticket to see the stage musical "Miss Saigon," but because the book tells an egregiously one-sided account of the 1990 controversy over the casting of white British actor Jonathan Pryce as the musical's Vietnamese male lead, the Engineer. In the summer of 1990, "Miss Saigon's" powerful British producer, Cameron Mackintosh, wanted to cast Pryce as the Engineer -- Broadway's first Asian-male lead (non-supporting) role in 15 years -- without seriously considering any Asian actors for the part. Actors Equity, the American stage-actors' union, denied Pryce a visa to play the role, citing the paucity of lead roles for Asian American actors and Mackintosh's refusal to audition any in good faith. Rather than take the matter to arbitration, as was his option, Mackintosh indignantly accused Equity of "discriminat[ing] against Mr. Pryce on the basis of his race" and canceled the Broadway production, which had already amassed a then-record $25 million in advance ticket sales.

By vetoing Pryce for "Miss Saigon's" Asian-male lead, Equity hoped to call attention to a simple fact: Asian American actors do not have equal opportunities to play lead roles in the U.S. entertainment industry. White actors have always been allowed to play lead Asian roles -- from Charlie Chan to "The King and I" to "Kung Fu." Recognizably Asian actors, by contrast, had never been considered for white leads, and Asian lead roles are extremely rare. However well intended, casting Pryce as the Engineer would only perpetuate this racially discriminatory double standard. Pryce had many other opportunities to play lead roles; Asian Americans actors -- because of their race -- did not.

Although Mackintosh justified the casting of a white actor as the Engineer by saying that the character was of mixed Asian and European ancestry, nowhere in "Miss Saigon's" original London libretto is any reference made to his Caucasian background. In fact, the logic of the plot requires him to be 100% Vietnamese. So, many believe that the Engineer was labeled "Eurasian" solely to accommodate a white actor in an otherwise full-blooded Asian lead role.

In its chapter about the casting controversy, "Calamity and Catharsis" (written by Behr), "The Story of 'Miss Saigon'" does its best to demonize Equity's veto of Pryce and, in doing so, obscure the entertainment industry's historical discrimination against Asian American actors. For example, Behr attributes the objections against Pryce's casting to a "hard-core...radical fringe," when in fact, opposition to the casting of a white actor in a rare Asian lead was broadly supported by Equity's minority constituents. Behr refers to those opposed in principle to such biased casting as the "anti-Pryce" lobby, as though their objections were a personal attack upon this individual actor. And anticipating future arguments against affirmative action, Behr disingenuously accuses the non-white actors of "introducing the notion of racial privilege [for minorities] under the guise of multi-racial equality." The idea that *Pryce* might be racially privileged -- that he would not have had the opportunities to become a star on the London stage if he hadn't been white -- never occurs to the author.

Granted, the "Miss Saigon" controversy also raised the issue of Cameron Mackintosh's right of free speech. But this could have been negotiated with the actors' equal-opportunity rights in the arbitration process, an option that Mackintosh *chose* not to exercise. And while it's important to protect a producer's right to free expression, the entertainment industry is also a business, and as a business, it has the responsibility to make sure that arbitrary obstacles do not keep any particular group (in this case, Asian Americans) beneath a glass ceiling. "The Story of 'Miss Saigon'" twists itself into knots in an effort to obscure such issues. A few months after the dispute was settled -- and it was decided that Pryce would open the role of the Engineer on Broadway -- the New York City Commission on Human Rights held hearings on the subject of racism in casting and concluded that there was "widespread discrimination" in the entertainment industry. These hearings were held in direct response to the "Miss Saigon" controversy and its outcome, but Behr doesn't acknowledge their existence. To do so would have undermined his highly biased, circumscribed argument.

Discussing the "Miss Saigon" dispute in the New York Times on August 26, 1990, African American actress Ellen Holly talked about the times when she was forced to surrender roles because of *her* race, but no one stood up for her. She wrote: "Racism in America today is nothing so crass as mere hatred of another person's skin color. It is rather an affliction of so many centuries duration that it permeates institutions to the point of becoming indivisible from them. Only when the darker races attempt to break out of the bind -- and inconvenience whites in the process -- do whites even perceive racism as an issue. Only when a white is asked to vacate a role on racial grounds does the matter become a front-page issue....That, of course, is the blatant hypocrisy that infects this whole issue. Nonwhites are forced to give up parts on racial grounds in the back alleys, behind the barn and inside the closet, and no one could care less."

I'm glad that..."The Story of 'Miss Saigon,'" is now out of print. For a more accurate picture of the casting controversy, see the chapter "Gangsters, Gooks, Geishas, and Geeks" in "Asian American Dreams" by Helen Zia.

Rating:
Summary: A standing ovation!
Review: Miss Saigon fans will not be disappointed by this pictured-packed, thoroughly written work. (And this is a keeper for Lea Salonga fans, too.) The format is akin to the more accessible "Phantom of the Opera" books -- in fact, I cannot understand why the publisher doesn't have stacks of "The Story of Miss Saigon" sitting beside the coffee mugs and T-shirts at theater gift shops in London, on Broadway and at the tour stops. Amazon's Out of Print Search Service also rates a "10" -- quick, helpful and very reliable.

Rating:
Summary: Youthful, Vibrant and Passionate
Review: On the odd occasion, the artistic world welcomes a book portraying any number of angels taken from a piece of brilliant music theatre. This is such a book. On this rare occasion, it would be appropriate to state that the production of "Miss Saigon" is worthy of a beautiful cultured book to be written about it. Possibly the most elegant layout you're ever likely to see in a documented book that can be used for pleasure or reference.