Diary of a marriage: Like Puccini's "Madame Butterfly", the story is based on the French novella "Madame Chrysanthème" by Pierre Loti: the naval officer, who was stationed in Japan in 1885, kept a diary of his marriage to a Japanese woman, which he published two years later. The story was regarded as a key text on Western attitudes towards Japan at the turn of the 20th century.
Countless awards: "Miss Saigon" won over 40 awards: two Olivier Awards, the annual British Theater and Musical Award, which is considered the highest award in British theater, and in the USA three Tony Awards and four Drama Desk Awards (a New York theater award). After Cameron Mackintosh's revival, "Miss Saigon" received numerous other theater awards.
Sounding skulls: The 38 performers come from ten nations around the world. Emotions are provided by the 15 musicians, including Asian flutes, the conductor and a total of 77 different percussion instruments. These include unusual pieces such as drums made from skulls, ankle bells, singing bowls and Thai cymbals.
Heavy load: It takes 22 hours to dismantle the show. Then all the material is loaded into 16 articulated lorries - each 14 meters long - to transport them to the next venue - then it takes another three days before the show is up again. 100 helpers are deployed for set-up and dismantling.
Quick changes: Kim's hair stylist has to be quick: her hairstyle changes seven times during the performance. Her own hair is used for this. The other actresses in the show also change their costumes 16 times. These include the bikini from the "American Dream" scene, which is covered in a kilogram of glass beads.
Authentic helmets: The protective vests and helmets are original and were used in the war. The straw hats are also genuine: they are either made in Vietnam or Thailand.
