Thank you---that's exactly why I went to the trouble of searching through several tapes (VHS and Hi8) to find Lea Salonga performing all three endings, then posted them in a single video---I wanted them to be handy so that I and anyone else interested would be able to listen to them back to back and compare.
@@auroraspiderwoman5886 Thank you so much for all of the historic uploads as always. I know requests are annoying but thought it wouldn't hurt to ask... I've never seen this 1991 OBC video. Is there any world you'd upload "I'd Give My Life For You" since it's cut off from the London 1989 video recording? Thanks so much again for your consideration!
I hadn't realized there were so many versions of the final song. I loved watching this video and enjoyed all versions. Lea is also sublime in all of them.
Actually some songs were revised like "Please" that replaced "Too Much For One Heart" which is a solo of Kim. There's also "Kim's Escape" a solo song after killing Thuy.
I like The Sacred Bird the most, because of the reprise of I'd give my life for you. I also like This is the Hour very much, because I think it captures everything Kim is feeling at that moment. Little God of my Heart is beautiful too.
There's a 50% chance that the kid in the second version is my brother. I followed in my brothers footsteps when he left the show and played Tam as well. It's interesting how they changed it almost 4 years into the Broadway run. When I first started in 1993 it was "Little God of My Heart" and I remember when it was changed to "The Finale" in 1994 which is the version that most people are familiar with. What a blast from the past! Thanks for posting!
How lucky are you to have Lea Salonga sing to you nightly?!?!? What fond memories you must have! And your brother? Please tell me you do remember a little bit of it?...
+Brian Mulligan I spent almost 5 years of my childhood with the show so I remember A LOT! Whenever I'm back home in NYC, I always drop by the theatre and have mini reunions with my former cast mates.
Melanie, I am pretty sure that is Philip Kong playing Tam. While I probably wouldn't recognize him today (26 years later!), I do recognize him at 5 or 6!
How can this woman be so talented? I really want to be in music theatre and the more I sing, I find myself imitating her technique, her vibrato and mouth placements. She's simply amazing!
I personally prefer the original sacred bird ending. "Take one last look at me, don't forget what you see..." it's just so sad. Also I prefer Now that I've Seen Her to Maybe. Wonder why they changed it! Still love every bit of it nonetheless.
Funny you say that because I just listened to Now that I've seen her and Hellen clearly says "I don't hate her." and "my husband I must know" clearly insinuating that her husband was at fault.
The issue with sacred bird is it gives away the ending- she sings she would give her life for him. At least with This is the Hour, when she kills herself it's still a shock (for those who are new to the show)
@@arcana1973 actually both songs have the same meaning. "Take one last look at me, don't forget what you see, for now you must move on" of Sacred Bird and "Look at me one last, don't forget what you see, one more kiss and then say goodbye" from This is the hour reprise.
Arcana73 actually the effect of letting the audience know she's gonna die is that they will have a hard time digesting it so that the reaction from Chris will be more heart wrenching. It's kinda like anticipation to see what the reaction will be for a slow burn.
i love the sacred bird ending so much but the lgomh ending gives me such chills. also, i know it's not exactly consistent w kim's character, but the fact that kim sounds so firm and instructional in its beginning has such, from an asian's perspective, an asian mom flair to it. it's adorable
Agreed. I also love the staging of the original london version where she hides behind the curtain and they all come in and find Tam alone before she kills herself. I guess the broadway staging of her sending him to the Engineer before hiding was meant to be symbolic of her sending him to live with his father and her letting go but there is something about the London one where she dies as they are coming and they find Tam while probably thinking where is Kim before they hear the gun go off that just seems more tragic and in tone with the show.
As the cliche goes, the original is always and may I add the foremost the best! No matter how many Kim will emerge there is only one Kim and she is no other than Lea Salonga. Miss Saigon is Lea Salonga and Lea Salonga is Miss Saigon.
barbie ken Eva’s still in the show you probably saw Lianah she’s Kim on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons unless you saw the UK then it was probably Sooha Kim or Joureen
Sacred Bird #1 is my favourite, the ‘I can’t go along, one last look at me, then say goodbye’ sounds just self-centred and heedless of the pain her death would cause him, whether she’s watching or not, any child wants to keep their mother.
lea is just so awesome. from 8:40 on is just a total treat; such great quality and clarity in her voice. she's not just the best kim (and I always love all the kims i've seen), but one of the best musical singers ever to me.
The first version is superior. Its sound had a foreboding tone of tragedy. Its music is closest or related to the songs before it. First inspiration is best. I don't know why it had to be changed. The other two versions seemed like a total different song from the whole play. This is why there are reprises, for continuity, fluidity. You can't introduce a new melody at the end. Jarring. The first version was more poignant, like everything is coming full circle, you know. It makes me so sorry why I didn't watch the first run.
You can certainly introduce a new melody at the end! What about "Make Them Hear You" in RAGTIME, "Free at Last" in BIG RIVER, and "Anything but Lonely" in ASPECTS OF LOVE, to name just three?
I love the madness the orchestra descends into at the end of Little God of My Heart.... and every other second of this entire video, and of the entire musical lol
My main problem with the changes is taking out the "The American Dream" instrumental from the original- to me, it was played almost "out of control"- and an "out of control" American Dream brings Kim to her decision.
Lyrics 00:00 Ending #1: "The Sacred Bird / I'd Give My Life For You (Reprise)" (Original West End 1989) From this picture I keep You, my parents, look out And you smiles show no scorn I am happy today For I know what to do And my heart is not torn Spirits know when to fly When it's time There's no reason to mourn For the great sacred bird is reborn From the ashes he'll rise And upon his wide wings I'll watch you from above I will never be far But my son, it's your turn To know your father's love I know now why I came To this earth It's so you find your place But for that I must leave your embrace You will be with your father now Give all your love to him When I am gone Take one last look at me Don't forget what you see For now you must move on You will be who you want to be You can choose whatever heaven grants As long as you can have your chance I swear I'll give my life for you No one will stop what I must do My son, I'll give my life for you 04:14 Ending #2: "Little God of My Heart" (Original Broadway 1991-1995) Tam, Tam, little god of my heart Now, Tam, you must do what I say Soon, Tam, soon your father will come Look, Tam, see how happy I am? He will come to take you home All I want for you, he’ll do You’re still mine But I can’t go along Please don’t ever be sad Though I seem far away, I’ll be watching you, too Now, big smile One kiss, one more Oh my son, oh my boy I dreamed your future, you will have it still They think they know how things must be They don’t see but they will Look at me one last time Don’t forget what you see Press your little hands to my face And bless my journey 08:00 Ending #3: "This is the Hour / Little God of My Heart (Reprise)" (Original Broadway 1995 - present) Now Tam, my big/brave boy Our long wait has ended Smile, Tam for you have a father at last He has come to take you home All I dreamed for you, he'll do You're still mine But I can't go along Don't be sad Though I'm far away I'll be watching you This is the hour I swore I'd see I alone can tell now What the end will/must be They think they'll decide your life No, it will be me Look at me one last time Don't forget what you see One more kiss and then say goodbye
Yeah I definitely agree, at first I found it off putting but then after some thought it became symbolically dark for me which is actually good. Maybe because the audience won't instantly get the symbolism of the song.
The original ending was best and the entire original show. Nothing needed to be changed, they should have kept it exactly as it was( hated that they changed Ellen/Kim song!) Didn't like second version at all and despite seeing it 5 times I never saw that version thankfully. Don't fix what isn't broken!!!xx
Sacred Bird was the best. The first change was boring me even though I knew I should be sad. The 3rd version was...good I guess but as someone else already said the haunting melody of Sacred Bird portrayed the best emotion for the situation. It's the only one that makes me want to cry and I don't cry easily especially when I know what's coming.
wh- WHY DID I WATCH THIS??? Just listening to the damn music makes me cry… Ending 2 and 3 made me cry more, but I think that's just because I wasn't used to them. In ending 1, I love how the reprise of 'American Dream' feels like a dark carnival pulling you into its neon embrace. Also, 2 and 3 have neat little callbacks to Kim's story that she tells Chris. 7:14 and 10:30 - "I have had my fill of pain" _bits of 'American Dream'_ "I will not look back again" 7:34 and 11:00 - "I would rather…" _musical noodling_
Singing, acting, moving from one place to another and doing all other things at once with not a single failed note. How can Lea possibly do it? Now I understand why she is such a legend in Broadway.
i think there's this many versions because the scene is the inspiration of the show, the pain of a mother to give the best life to her son, i loved Sacred Bird because of the reprise of IGMLFY, i'm in love with that song.
I like "Little God of My Heart." It's melody is haunting and doesn't sound like anything else in the show, however it is a bit anticlimactic. I kind of wish they would have just built on "Little God of My Heart" instead of just throwing it out altogether and putting in the finale that they presently use. "The Sacred Bird" is a beautiful song, but I was never fond of the "I'd Give My Life" reprise tacked on at the end.
Little God of My Heart (#2) has always been my personal fav. This is the ending I am most familiar with (having seen it performed 4x) despite the fact that the other two are available on cast recordings. LGOMH was used in several different productions around the world including my own fav, the massive 1993 Canadian production in Toronto, Ontario. I say "massive production" b/c they built a brand new, gorgeous 2000 seat theatre, The Princess of Wales Theatre (named after Princess Diana) specifically to accommodate Miss Saigon. I was *so* disappointed when they replaced LGOMH for a reprise of This Is The Hour because it's so incredibly redundant. LGOMH was hauntingly beautiful and stood out on its own musically as opposed to the bland reprise of This Is The Hour. How & why This Is The Hour is still in use to this day as Kim's final number in the show totally escapes me. I would *love* a clear audio recording of LGOMH and really wish they had recorded & preserved it on at least one cast recording. 😔
Sacred bird and also little god of my heart take away the surprise of her committing suicide. With this is the hour, you still have the suspense and shock when she shoots herself.
I saw Lea Salonga when she returned back to Broadway. She was amazing. My friend was in the ensemble and said she was a bitch to work with. I wish she would find original stuff to do cause she has the talent.
Alright everyone, say it with me, "Cameron Macintosh, DON'T MUCK WITH IT!!" Seriously, let's look at CamMac's track record: revamped Les Mis - not as good as the original, revamped Phantom tour - not as good as the original, revamped Starlight Express - not as good as the original, revamped Sunset Boulevard and revamped Cats... wait for it...not as good as the original. There appears to be a pattern here. As for Miss Saigon, using how much I cried as a measure, the revisions of Kim’s last song have oh so surprisingly continued the trend of the revamp not being as good as the original. IMHO ending #1 is better than ending #2 and ending #2 is better than ending #3.
Kaz Thomas I don't agree. Ending #3 is the most haunting as she explains to her son he has a father and that she can't be with him. But she holds the final power of decision for his life. Always gets me
I dont find it strange as the final ‘This Is The Hour’ version still contains lyrics from the original Little God Of My Heart version. “He has come to take you home.. All I dreamed for you, he’ll do… You’re still mine, but I can’t go along.. Don’t be sad, though I’m far away, I’ll be watching…” “Look at me one last time, don’t forget what you see…”
The second clip is 1991 original Broadway cast, and the original Broadway Playbill called it "Little God of My Heart." Maybe some of the comments posted here previously will be able to explain more.
Amazon UK. The blu-ray is region-free and should play anywhere. But I suspect that when the revival closes in NY, the DVD/BD will be released outside of the UK.
I laughed thinking of how many people where crying during these recordings (i was too before laughing so no judgement) edit: Those to men walking during a Miss Saigon finale are just sacrilegieous
here is a question seen the London one at the prince Edward theater and why do they call the ending to it Little God Of My Heart when it is the 3rd ending on this video or This Is The Hour
The ‘This Is The Hour’ finale still contains lyrics from the original Little God Of My Heart finale: Little God of My Heart (1990-1994) He will come take you home All I want for you, he’ll do You’re still mine but I cant go along Please don’t ever be sad, though I seem far away I’ll be watching you too… …Look at me one last time Don’t forget what you see… This Is The Hour (1994-current) He has come to take you home All I dreamed for you, he’ll do You’re still mine but I can’t go along Don’t be sad, though I’m far away I’ll be watching you… …Look at me one last time Don’t forget what you see… (though this last couple lines has a slightly different melody)
Lea grew musically in Miss Saigon. Before Miss Saigon, I can say she is a good singer but not an exceptional singer like her first Miss Saigon preview.
