See it if You want your thoughts challenged, in an unusually structured play.
Don't see it if I understood what the play was trying to do but didn't think it necessarily achieved its goal
See it if It was really a refreshing take on the themes attached to Miss Saigon and Asian stereotypes, challenging them through comedy.
Don't see it if You are put out by quick motion on the stage, flashing lights or are uneasy with derogatory language, it is in the title after all.
See it if for the reasons the title has the words Fuck and Miss Saigon in it
Don't see it if You don't fancy sitting about for a long LONG time. First part is great, second part really really drags Read more
See it if you're familiar with depictions of Asians in storytelling and want to see something provocative
Don't see it if you're unfamiliar with existing tropes, or simply looking for escapism
See it if You want a modern day take on the absurdities of western musical theatre's perspective of Asian cultures.
Don't see it if You're expecting more than a Fringe style show.
See it if you enjoy plays with ideas; you enjoy being challenged
Don't see it if you prefer to go to the theatre for pure feel-good entertainment
See it if you want a creative, energetic exploration of Asian and Pacific stereotypes in film and theatre
Don't see it if you prefer traditional plays which follow one timeline, this play deliberately doesn't do that. You find exploring race issues uncomfortable Read more
See it if You want to be comfortably moved out of your comfort zone and itching to see something new
Don't see it if You're not prepared to confront a multifaceted harsh truth about how Asian culture has been treated in the theatre Read more
“All in all, if the production was trimmed just a little, it would assert itself seamlessly. The absence of an interval helps, but, as it is, it’s slightly too repetitive to be perfect.”
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“The way Lee nails these damaging stereotypes and the fetishistic colonial fantasies that underly them is savagely funny the first time round. But the repetitions and the relentlessly acid tone soon show diminishing returns...Lee’s play is emblematic of a certain kind of American drama which uses sledgehammer emphasis to make historically marginalised communities feel ‘seen’ while allowing white theatregoers to feel comfortably guilty.”
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“It’s easy to applaud the point of view while simultaneously wishing for more commitment to an actual play and not to an exercise in score-settling that, in an intriguing irony, owes its very existence to the kind of show that it proceeds to savage...As it is, you leave this production impressed by its argument even as you wonder about the play Lee, in less purely reactive form, might go on to write.”
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“It’s a tough ask for the performers, who have to deliberately play stereotypes, but the smart decision here is to do it sincerely. No winking to the audience, just committed, straight acting which makes the takedown all the more damning.”
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“We do get this repetition of the same scene playing out in a slapsticky, satirical style, an approach that begins to feel a little like a student production so, so keen to make its point that it wears rather than stings.”
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“Truth be told, the title of this play is more shocking and confrontational than its content, but that may well be the point. ‘Untitled m*ss s**gon play’ doesn't seem to have been written with any malice or to launch an attack on the classics it takes aim at – instead, it wants to remind us just how awful it is that so little variety in stories for Asian leading actors has been allowed.”
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“ ‘untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play’ is surprisingly funny and utilises satire to further its agenda...However, the piece also tackles the issues of imperialism, racism, and misogyny almost until the final moments when it fails to find a wholly conclusive ending. Despite this, the play still packs a punch and this bold and unapologetic piece will make you laugh, think, and wonder why these stories were left unchallenged for so long.”
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