“Miss Saigon tugs at the heartstrings while dazzling the senses.” ?San Antonio Express

“A triumph and shattering experience . . . moves one to tears and also fills the heart to burst.” ?John Tinker, Daily Mail, London

“The show is already a legend.” ?Newsweek

“Musicals come and go — this one will stay.” ?London Sun Times

Colorful words of praise overflow out of the press release for the Madison debut of one of the most popular musicals of all time. On October 15, theatergoers in the Madison area will get their first peek at the Broadway masterpiece Miss Saigon.

From Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, the writers of another Broadway great, “Les Miserables,” which graced the Madison Civic Center stage only a year ago, “Miss Saigon” has been wowing audiences for years. The show is currently the sixth longest running show in Broadway history and one of the most successful productions ever. The Madison Civic Center welcomes the newly conceived touring production, produced by Big League Theatricals, to the Madison stage this month.

“Miss Saigon,” known to many as the “classic love story of our time,” is set in 1975 during the last days before the American evacuation of Saigon. Chris, an American G.I. stationed in Saigon, reluctantly visits a nightclub in order to escape his thoughts of the danger lurking in his future.

There, Chris becomes entranced by one of the nightclub girls, Kim, whose innocence intrigues him. After an evening together, they profess their love for each other. But with the fall of Saigon looming in the near future and an unexpected arrival of Kim’s fiancé, a man to whom she is betrothed but does not love, the perfect love story is set into complete disarray. The two young lovers are torn apart by the “fortunes of destiny and held together by a burning passion and the fate of a small child.”

The show contains some of the most well known Broadway musical songs of our time, including “The Last Night of the World” and “Why God Why.” Its melodies soar, and its lyrics capture the heart of the story.

“It is not the typical musical,” said Civic Center publicist Tina Frailey. “It is not a song-and-dance show, much like some of the productions that have been coming to town. Rather, it is about real issues and heart-breaking and honest emotions.”

Miss Saigon will run at the Madison Civic Center Tuesday, October 15 through Sunday, October 20. This long weekend of shows, eight in all, is one of the longer runs that the Civic Center has seen for its Broadway series.

“We expect it to do well,” said Frailey. “It is a magnificent show. It has an enormous set and an amazing production aspect — the story is truly enhanced by everything that is put into the stage production.”

Broadway’s darlings have become a common occurrence the past few years on the Madison Theater scene. With last year’s impressive line-up, including “Les Miserables,” “Footloose,” “Titanic” and “Cabaret,” among others, and this year’s stellar line-up, including “Riverdance,” “The Show,” “Saturday Night Fever” and the much-anticipated “Rent,” the Madison Civic Center and its theatergoers have a lot to look forward to.

“Miss Saigon” is no exception. And with the renovations and remodeling of the Arts District on State Street, a multi-million dollar project entitled the Overture Project, the theater community can only continue to grow in the future, drawing bigger productions and bigger crowds along the way. University students should take advantage of the opportunity of the Civic Center’s Broadway productions coming to town.

According to Frailey, “We have been trying to get a better outreach to UW students, with postings at the Red Gym and other on-campus sites. We are also encouraging rush tickets (tickets sold the day of the performance at cheaper prices) to students who do not necessarily have the finances to afford Broadway-show prices.” Students should check local newspapers the day of the show or call the Civic Center ticket office at 258-4141 to find out whether rush tickets will be available for that evening’s show.

“Miss Saigon” makes its Madison premiere Tuesday October 15 at 7:30 p.m.; running through Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, October 18 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, October 19 at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, October 20 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

No matter if you’re a theatre lover or not, this show is guaranteed to warm the heart and transport the mind to a time when love above all else could make or break the world. This musical masterpiece has captured hearts around the world, and without a doubt will leave a lasting impression with its visit to the Madison stage.