The “Heat Is On” with Red Concepcion as the Engineer in “Miss Saigon” at the Segerstrom Center

Red Concepcion brings the heat to Miss Saigon

By Lynda Lacayo

The legendary Cameron Mackintosh’s “Miss Saigon” is on tour with all the splendor of its Broadway revival. It’s winging its way to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts on October 1, 2019 with sensational pageantry, including the helicopter landing on stage and an international cast of 42 multi talented performers. Among the outstanding company is Red Concepcion leading the first-rate company as ‘The Engineer.’

It’s been 28 years since “Miss Saigon” first appeared on Broadway and its producer Cameron Mackintosh says of the once controversial show about war and love “it is still relevant today because of the tragic love story at the heart of the show and innocent people being torn apart by war all over the world.”

“Miss Saigon” is the story of a young Vietnamese woman, Kim, who is torn apart by the war and forced to work in a bar owned by a cunning character known as the Engineer. She meets and falls in love with an American soldier, Chris. They are ripped apart by the fall of Saigon. Pregnant with Chris’s son, she endures hardships until eventually, with the help of the Engineer, she and her son flee to Bangkok. Much like the Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly” upon which the musical is loosely based it is the tragic tale of doomed romance between an American lover and a blameless Asian woman.

Philippine actor Red Concepcion, who landed the principle role as the Engineer, had never seen the show prior to landing the part. He explains “Miss Saigon is has been really big in the Philippines since forever because the very first Kim, Lea Salonga, is Filipino. As a child I grew up listening to its music with my family who had the very first cast cassettes. We would play the tapes, but because I was a kid we’d skip over the Engineers parts, the lyrics aren’t exactly kid friendly.”

Because of his background, Concepcion auditioned believing he was familiar with the story. But he was surprised and a bit overwhelmed with the importance of his character. He says “On the first day of rehearsals, Kim, and I, with a couple of others, were asked to just sing through the show. I was really in shock because I didn’t realize how big the role of the Engineer was. I thought ‘OMG,’ how am I going to do this? I had my head in my hands during break, thinking I won’t be able to do this but it turned out to be a plus that I wasn’t familiar with the scale of the character. I was able to take a fresh look at the Engineer and create my own take on him. It’s such a great role and I’m having fun playing the Engineer.

The Engineer is pivotal to the plot of “Miss Saigon.” As Concepcion says “The Engineer serves a lot of archetype roles. He’s the narrator and antihero, although I don’t see him as a villain but more as a product of war and the ways in which it pushes people into what they eventually become. Yea, he’s the bad guy who does some unsavory things and makes unscrupulous choices because that’s all he knows having come from the background of life in a war-torn county. I feel the real villain is war. It changes people. The show is still so impactful because it’s a good reminder of the perils and evils of war. Audiences are reminded to do anything they can to make sure that it never happens again.”

The Engineer is sleazy and cunning, corrupt to the core, yet he’s somehow likable. Concepcion wrestled with how to make the Engineer simpatico for audiences. He says “The Engineer is such a despicable character that making him likable was one of the challenges I had approaching the role. Sure audiences are supported to hate him but also to like him. I was juggling how to navigate this and realized he’s a charlatan. He swindles people with the tools at his disposal, wit and smarts, using charm and charisma to manipulate others. When you meet someone who’s charismatic and funny they disarm you, winning your trust. And that’s was my way into his character. I justify his being likable and such a horrible character simply because it’s just who he is.”

Concepcion as the Engineer, host/pimp and employer of Kim and other down on their luck ladies, has mastered his role receiving accolades from critics. It’s been said that he steals the second act when he sings “American Dream” with sly cynicism and ribald humor. Another critic claimed “Conception’s Engineer is irremissibly charismatic and endearing, despite embodying the most craven and vile opportunism.”

The Engineer may be a callous scoundrel but Concepcion does relish playing him. He says “One of the neat things about playing the Engineer is that I get to wear some really fancy clothes, he’s got a lot more stagger and style than I do. It’s fun to wear the purple jacket with all the bling. When I’m in his shoes I put on his persona. The best part of being him on stage is I have some lots of active numbers. My favorite is ‘American Dream.”

The lyrics to “American Dream,” although outside the kid zone, contain some of what he considers his best lines. But it’s the beautiful duet “I Still Believe” sung by Kim (Emily Bastista) and Ellen (Stacie Bono) that touches his heart. For Concepcion, every scene, song and energy fueled dance numbers are highlights of a visually glorious show.

However, the most memorable moment, for me, in last Century’s “Miss Saigon” was when the three ton Helicopter with a blade extension of 19’8” in diameter lands on the stage to evaluate American troops. The tempestuous scene, in which chain-link fences separate Americans from Vietnamese, freedom from unknown mayhem, is heartbreaking. The musical revival continues to wow audiences with a life-sized helicopter swooping to the rescue of the troops. And it’s just as tear-jerking. Concepcion cautions “bring a box of tissues or lots of hankies.”

“Miss Saigon” is filled with epic emotions while delivering all the grandeur and spectacle of Broadway. And because it speaks to far-reaching issues of immigration, the subjection of women, war, and America’s place on the World stage, it is still relevant in the 21st Century.

The American cultural memory of the Vietnam War is complex. In pop culture it symbolizes American culpability.  Grittier and more honest, Director Laurence Connor latest re-incarnation of “Miss Saigon” arrives at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts “Miss Saigon” opens on October 1, 2019. For tickets and information: online SCFTA.org. The Box Office, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa; or phone (909-866-6939). Hours are 19 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily.