As a 'New Gen audience member' (i.e. someone who wasn't around to experience the original production), I didn't know a great deal about Miss Saigon before I saw the show, apart from it having ties to Les Miserables and being based upon Madame Butterfly. I went into the theatre half-anticipating another entertaining night at the theatre, but came out finally understanding why Miss Saigon has remained so present in cultural memory even years after it was last seen on a West End stage.

There are two things which make Miss Saigon so much more than just another night at the theatre - firstly the story itself and secondly the brilliant set design used to bring it to life in this new production by Cameron Mackintosh.

The story itself takes the basic plot of Madame Butterfly - US soldier falls in love with an Eastern prostitute - and transports it to the gritty (and often surreal) surroundings of the Vietnam War. Any romance played out against such a backdrop is bound to evoke so many of the juxtapositions of human life - love versus hate, surplus versus famine, wealth versus poverty ' that it becomes more than a playwright's literary device, it's almost an archetype that stems from the earliest age of human existence and resonates with any audience member, no matter their age. Forgive me, I seem to have gone all Theatre Studies 101 on this review - but it's purely because I was so taken by the story, despite already knowing its basic outline and setting and this, as I have mentioned, has a lot to do with the set design used in this production.

You've got to hand it to Cameron Mackintosh, he sure knows how to pick a winning creative team. And with Miss Saigon, he's got the formula just write to keep the musical engaging for modern audiences, true to the original for the traditionalist, and with just the tiniest touch of big-impact effects to give even the toughest critics something to Wow about.

I'm talking here about the helicopter scene of course, a brilliant moment which somehow blends hi-tech effects and drama so seamlessly that you don't feel like you're being tricked into getting worked up over either. It really is one of the show's most impressive features - that is, alongside the amazing songs, the gritty scenes of poverty, the neon streets of Thailand, the impeccable casting, the dancing and, well, I could go on but I think you get the picture. Miss Saigon is one of the best things out on the West End currently, and a brilliant chance for a new generation to experience a musical classic that more than lives up to the success of its predecessor.

Audience
The story deals with quite a few adult themes - including prostitution, sex and violence - and so would not be suitable for younger audiences.

Great night out: A visual feast of incredible costumes, sets and affects

Morning after effect: Trying to dance like The Engineer's amazing 'go go' dancers

Recommend to friends: Already have!

See again: Definitely

Best bit: A tie between the helicopter scene and the garish street scenes of Bangkok