Miss Saigon
Costume
1989 (made)
1989 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Theatrical costume worn by Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer in Act I of the production Miss Saigon, designed by Andreane Neofitou, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1989.
Miss Saigon, a musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, directed by Nicholas Hytner and designed by John Napier (set), Andreane Neofitou (costumes) and David Hersey (lighting), was produced by Cameron Mackintosh at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, on 20 September 1989 where it ran for ten years. Jonathan Pryce created the role of the Engineer in this production and controversially (as he was not Asian) when the production transferred to Broadway.
Miss Saigon transposed the narrative of Madame Butterfly to the final stages of the 1955-75 Vietnam War. In designing the costumes Andreane Neofitou drew on documentary sources; photographs and film footage and worked closely with costumiers, Bermans and Nathans, who made all the non-uniform costumes. The Engineer, Tran Van Dinh, was a half-French, half-Vietnamese greasy and engaging pimp, the owner of the Saigon bar and brothel Dreamland, and the performance was highly praised. Reviewing the production in the Financial Times (21 September 1989), Michael Coveney wrote that the Engineer was ‘coruscating well played by Jonathan Pryce. Pryce has several big moments as he hitches his escape to the dollar democracy like some oleaginous, limber-limbed hood-eyed emcee from Cabaret.’
Photographs showing Jonathon Pryce wearing both costumes appear in the original souvenir programme of Miss Saigon at Drury Lane. The Act I costume shows The Engineer before he has made it rich.
Miss Saigon, a musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, directed by Nicholas Hytner and designed by John Napier (set), Andreane Neofitou (costumes) and David Hersey (lighting), was produced by Cameron Mackintosh at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, on 20 September 1989 where it ran for ten years. Jonathan Pryce created the role of the Engineer in this production and controversially (as he was not Asian) when the production transferred to Broadway.
Miss Saigon transposed the narrative of Madame Butterfly to the final stages of the 1955-75 Vietnam War. In designing the costumes Andreane Neofitou drew on documentary sources; photographs and film footage and worked closely with costumiers, Bermans and Nathans, who made all the non-uniform costumes. The Engineer, Tran Van Dinh, was a half-French, half-Vietnamese greasy and engaging pimp, the owner of the Saigon bar and brothel Dreamland, and the performance was highly praised. Reviewing the production in the Financial Times (21 September 1989), Michael Coveney wrote that the Engineer was ‘coruscating well played by Jonathan Pryce. Pryce has several big moments as he hitches his escape to the dollar democracy like some oleaginous, limber-limbed hood-eyed emcee from Cabaret.’
Photographs showing Jonathon Pryce wearing both costumes appear in the original souvenir programme of Miss Saigon at Drury Lane. The Act I costume shows The Engineer before he has made it rich.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 7 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
|
| Title | Miss Saigon (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Silk jacket, synthetic fabric trousers, chiffon shirt and 'snakeskin' leather belt with brass buckle |
| Brief description | Theatrical costume worn by Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer from Act I in the production Miss Saigon, designed by Andreane Neofitou, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1989 |
| Physical description | Theatrical costume worn by Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer in Act I of the production Miss Saigon, designed by Andreane Neofitou, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1989. The entire costume consists of a purple silk jacket, matching purple synthetic fabric trousers, a 'Hawaiian'-style short-sleeved chiffon shirt, 'snakeskin' leather belt with brass buckle, and pink and white chiffon long-sleeved shirt. The costume includes a spare short-sleeved and a spare long-sleeved shirt. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Jonathan Pryce |
| Summary | Theatrical costume worn by Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer in Act I of the production Miss Saigon, designed by Andreane Neofitou, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1989. Miss Saigon, a musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, directed by Nicholas Hytner and designed by John Napier (set), Andreane Neofitou (costumes) and David Hersey (lighting), was produced by Cameron Mackintosh at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, on 20 September 1989 where it ran for ten years. Jonathan Pryce created the role of the Engineer in this production and controversially (as he was not Asian) when the production transferred to Broadway. Miss Saigon transposed the narrative of Madame Butterfly to the final stages of the 1955-75 Vietnam War. In designing the costumes Andreane Neofitou drew on documentary sources; photographs and film footage and worked closely with costumiers, Bermans and Nathans, who made all the non-uniform costumes. The Engineer, Tran Van Dinh, was a half-French, half-Vietnamese greasy and engaging pimp, the owner of the Saigon bar and brothel Dreamland, and the performance was highly praised. Reviewing the production in the Financial Times (21 September 1989), Michael Coveney wrote that the Engineer was ‘coruscating well played by Jonathan Pryce. Pryce has several big moments as he hitches his escape to the dollar democracy like some oleaginous, limber-limbed hood-eyed emcee from Cabaret.’ Photographs showing Jonathon Pryce wearing both costumes appear in the original souvenir programme of Miss Saigon at Drury Lane. The Act I costume shows The Engineer before he has made it rich. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.3671:1 to 5-2015 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | December 22, 2015 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
