I like Jon Jon Briones as The Engineer and his version of The American Dream was fantastic in Miss Saigon when I saw it at the Prince Edward Theatre in London in a matinee performance on Thursday the 2nd of July 2015
Jonathan Pryce is great but Jon Jon Briones just takes the role and runs with it. He manages to blend this charismatic sleaziness with a sense of desperation.
I have always preferred the original cast over the others. Not saying that the others are not good enough. However, both Pryce and Briones were able to deliver the humor to me vividly.
Jonathan Pryce and Jon Jon Briones are by far the best in terms of vocal and acting. Leo Valdez is fine but he has too much focus on vocals… I'm sorry but I have to say this, more than half of these folks who got casted as the Engr are Filipinos. Amazing!
The performance of Leo Valdez in Manila, which is on RU-vid, is the funniest incarnation of the engineer that I've ever seen and Cameron Mackintosh agrees. I don't like the newer production because the engineer has a switchblade and acts way too mean.