Another opening, another show
By : Justyna Wrobel
International theater productions have generally passed Warsaw by. While theatergoers in London's West End are treated to the latest full-blown productions of "Napoleon" and "The Witches of Eastwick," Varsovians have had to dance to their own tunes. But next month the capital will play host to one of the biggest musical hits of the past decade the popular Vietnam War drama "Miss Saigon."
The epic, set in the U.S.-backed Saigon of the 1970s, will take center stage at Warsaw's Roma Musical Theater on Dec. 9.
While it's hoped Polish audiences will warm to the fanfare which includes a helicopter and realistic fire fights one man in the wings will be watching the show with more than just a keen interest in history and musical theater.
For Wojciech Kepczynski, Roma's director, "Miss Saigon" is the result of years of hard work to bring big budget musicals to Warsaw. He's the first person to admit that there's a lot riding on this production. It could decide whether or not other huge musical epics so beloved by Western audiences are imported to Poland.
Kepczynski has been in charge of the Roma theater since 1998 after moving from the Jan Kochanowski Theater in Radom. His previous work (at Roma) has included the successful staging of George Gershwin's "Crazy for You" and "Peter Pan," by Janusz Jozefowicz and Janusz Stoklosa. But in a major theatrical coup for Kepczynski, he persuaded Cameron Mackintosh, a promoter and the owner of the rights to "Les Miserables" and "Phantom of the Opera," to stage "Miss Saigon" in Warsaw.
Kepczynski had first tried to buy the rights to "Miss Saigon" while he was working in Radom. "He (Mackintosh) turned me down," Kepczynski said. "It (Radom) was too small and the audience for such a show needed to be about 1,000 people."
It was when he started as director of Roma that he saw his chance to again try to bring a big budget production to Poland. "Mackintosh quickly took the decision to start talks on the license," Kepczynski said. That was two years ago, and the all-important license was finally secured last August.
"Miss Saigon" first premiered on the world stage 11 years ago at the Royal Drury Lane theater in London and since then about 30 million people have watched the musical in 12 countries.
"If 'Miss Saigon' works (in Warsaw) it would be very important for musicals in Poland," said Marek Szyjko, deputy director of Roma. He said that although Kepczynski had brought "Crazy for You" and "Peter Pan" to the stage, "Miss Saigon" would be the highlight of his crusade to bring musicals of the highest caliber to Poland.
Szyjko said that if the production of the Vietnam War epic is successful, other mega productions would likely follow. "If 'Miss Saigon' works, we'll get them."
Janusz Stoklosa, a composer of smaller Polish productions "Metro" and "Peter Pan," said "Miss Saigon" would be the acid test for future international big budget productions.
"It is possible if 'Miss Saigon' is commercially successful," Stoklosa said. "And owners of authors' rights like Cameron Mackintosh would like to see their productions on a market like this."
Musical gamble
For Stoklosa, making musicals of "Miss Saigon's" size are always a gamble. "I hope that the undertaking will work because musicals are difficult," he said, adding that the biggest worry is whether Polish theatergoers will warm to this kind of production.
"The question is whether 'Miss Saigon's' label as one of the world's most successful musicals will be sufficient to encourage a large audience at the box office," Stoklosa said.
He said one of the main concerns is whether the Vietnam War is relevant to Poles: The Asian character of the musical is a challenge.
"If it turns out to be a success, it will prove that these types of musicals can be staged here. And the artistic value of all these titles, protected by license conditions, cannot be overestimated."
Licensing conditions were the subject of serious negotiations between Mackintosh and Kepczynski. Their agreement allows Mackintosh to keep an eye on the production from the translation to advertising and marketing.
"The talks were difficult and certain ideas were rejected," said Kepczynski, adding that Mackintosh will control everything including signing off on the casting, the choreography and the musical director. "Video cassettes constantly went back and forth between London and Warsaw," Szyjko said.
Even the advertising posters were required to have the same theme as the original, with a helicopter and the face of a Vietnamese girl in the background, Szyjko said.
"All these conditions are included in the license and that will work well for the musical," said Rafal Delekta, the musical director at the Gdynia Musical Theater.
The theater in Gdynia is one of the most well-known musical stages in Poland. The Mackintosh-owned "Les Miserables" was first performed at the theater in the 1980s. Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, the small-budget provincial production was the first of Mackintosh's licensed properties to be performed in the communist bloc. It lasted until September of this year, Delekta said.
But back in the 1980s, the theater had help securing the license from Mackintosh by the Author's Association (ZAiKS). This association protects a creator's rights and deals with licenses for international theater productions.
ZAiKS said Mackintosh's company broke off contact two years ago, saying it only wants to deal with theaters in the future. "The agency prefers to make deals with theaters directly," said Malgorzata Stanczyk at ZAiKS. The association said it was the first time a foreign agency had rejected any cooperation with the association.
Homegrown talent
Stoklosa, together with choreographer Janusz Jozefowicz, has run Studio Buffo in Warsaw for the past few years. Nine years ago they staged a production of their own musical, "Metro," which has since become one of the most successful Polish musical hits. This year they celebrated its 1,000th performance. Last year, the musical was transferred to Moscow, where it has since had more than 100 performances. "Metro" has also been staged on Broadway and is currently being adapted for the U.K. market.
"'Metro's premiere in Birmingham is planned for July next year and we are in talks for a production in Plymouth," Stoklosa said.
But "Metro" was not the only production that became a success for Jozefowicz and Stoklosa. "Peter Pan" has had 120 performances at the Roma theater so far. Stoklosa and Kepczynski both said its success is indicative of Poles' love of musicals.
Stoklosa is currently working on his next musical, which will be based on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." It will be written in the aftermath of "Metro's" Moscow success.
"It was ordered by the Russians, who wanted to have something written especially for them," Stoklosa said, "because they know that it attracts people who have money."
"And we have also been guaranteed the stage in Roma," he said. Stoklosa predicts the premiere of the new musical will probably be in 2003.
He said the main problem affecting musical and theater production in Poland is money. "Conditions are good, but there's no money," Stoklosa said.
While "Miss Saigon" is the second of Mackintosh's musicals to be staged in Poland, Polish theaters have a tradition of staging the world's most famous musicals.
The Chorzow Musical Theater, for instance, is famous for "Cabaret," "Fiddler on the Roof," and "Jesus Christ Superstar." Gdynia's theater also has "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Hair," and "Scrooge."
"Titles such as 'Jesus Christ Superstar' or 'Hair' are being played in the provinces and are successful, but only at a provincial level," Stoklosa said. He added that provincial productions do not translate into money-spinning successes. "The musical is a business. It means money for investments and getting a return later on," he said.
Mackintosh sees "Miss Saigon" at the Roma as what show business is all about making money. Szyjko said he would be receiving "average" royalties for the performances.
So to make ends meet, Mackintosh has ordered 80 performances a year of "Miss Saigon" at the Roma during its three-year license. The big budget production is also a challenge in terms of the money needed to produce it. While at zl. 2.2 million ($488,000) "Miss Saigon" is the most expensive theater production so far, the problem of finding the money to sponsor it has been solved by BRE Bank and a private co-producer, Prywatna Korporacja Inwestowania.
"The co-producer may not want to make as much money as Cameron Mackintosh does," Kepczynski said. "But at least they want to get their deposit back."
"While 'Miss Saigon' is indeed the greatest theater production in Poland," Szyjko said, "buying the license wasn't the most expensive element of the musical production."
Szyjko said that the main cash outlays went for sets and equipment. "The scene of the helicopter landing was about 15% of the budget," he said. "The landing takes only two minutes of the whole performance," Szyjko said. Also throughout the course of the show the sets have to be changed about 30 times.
Before "Miss Saigon," Polish musical sets had not been very complex. "For this performance we had to make substantial purchases," Szyjko said. "After all it is not possible to show the helicopter landing or a Vietnamese street without good equipment."
While sets and other sophisticated machines cost about 45% of the budget, the advertising campaign cost about 10%.
The Roma theater has about 1,000 seats available for each performance. "With 1,000 seats, attendance has to be high to start getting money back," Szyjko said. "We hope that at 90% capacity we will get returns."
Szyjko said only time would tell if Warsaw and Poland buy what the whole world has already been buying for years.
