The main cast of the musical Miss Saigon.
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Kim
Played by: Lea Salonga, Eva Noblezada.
A seventeen-year-old Vietnamese orphan who's taken in by the Engineer to work at his nightclub, where she eventually meets the love of her life, Chris.
- Asian Babymama: Shortly after Chris is forced to leave Kim behind during the fall of Saigon, she ends up bearing their son, Tam, and has to raise him on her own.
- Big "NO!": She lets one out after she shoots and kills Thuy.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: She dies in Chris's arms after she fatally shoots herself. To make matters worse, this is the first time that they've seen each other in three years.
- Foreshadowing: "I'd Give My Life For You", where she vows to her son that she'd give her own life to ensure his protection and happiness, subtly alludes to her eventual suicide, which was indeed for the sake of her son.
- Expy: Of Cio-Cio San from Madame Butterfly.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Pay attention to the music that plays just before Kim fatally shoots herself. It's the same music from Act I when she sings "I have had my fill of pain, I will not go back again, I would rather die."
- Heartwarming Orphan: She's a recently orphaned girl who becomes the beacon of light for Chris's dark, war-ridden life.
- The Hero Dies: She dies at the very end of the show.
- Heroic Sacrifice: To ensure that her son can get a better life with Chris and Ellen in America, she kills herself to spare the family of any burden.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: In name only. She isn't presented as being particularly sexualized; in fact, her appeal to Chris seems to be more on the grounds of Nature Adores a Virgin.Kim: I'm seventeen, and I'm new here today
The village I come from seems so far away
All of the girls know much more what to say,
But I know: I have a heart like the sea
A million dreams are in me!
Chris: Good Jesus John, who is she? - I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: She only commits suicide because she believes its best for Tam's future. She also puts aside her own feelings for Chris and allows him to remain Happily Married with Ellen.
- I Will Wait for You: Even after being separated from Chris for three whole years, she maintains her undying loyalty for him, and firmly believes that he'll return to her someday.
- The Lost Lenore: She becomes this for Chris after the two are separated.
- Mama Bear: She's highly protective of her son, and will do anything to keep him safe. This is best exemplified during her confrontation with Thuy; after he comes at Tam with a knife with the intent of killing him, she shoots Thuy in the back with Chris's gun, killing him.
- Virgin in a White Dress: She sports a long white dress when she's first introduced (symbolizing her innocence and virginity).
- Wartime Romance: Her relationship with Chris.
The Engineer (Tranh Van Dinh)
Played by: Jonathan Pryce, Jon Jon Briones
The sleazy businessman that employs Kim for his dirty nightclub, "Dreamland". He longs to leave the "greasy" slums of Vietnam and make it big in America.
- All Men Are Perverts: It pretty much comes with the job. One of the tour productions features a unique animated sequence during "The American Dream"; said sequence depicts an animated Engineer giddily inflating the Statue of Liberty's breasts.
- Anti-Villain: He's corrupt, greedy, and an overall unpleasant guy, but he still manages to be a sympathetic protagonist that just wants to leave his harsh home and pursue a new business in the United States.
- Boomerang Bigot: He refers to Tam as a "half-breed brat" even though he himself is half French.
- Cigar Chomper: In the revival.
- Disappeared Dad: Explains in the opening lines of "The American Dream" that his father did not stick around for long at all.
- Eagleland: His main goal is to come to the Land of Opportunity and strike it rich with his nightclub business. His Eleven O'Clock Number, "The American Dream", further shows just how glorious he thinks his new life in America will be.
- Eleven O'Clock Number: His final song, "The American Dream", is the musical's big showstopper. Jazzy music, a huge ensemble of dancers dressed in stunning suits and dresses, a big can-can that closes off the song, it's a Broadway-style showtune at its finest.
- Expy: Of Goro.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He's only ever referred to as the Engineer (except in "Morning of the Dragon", where's he's referred to by his real name, Trahn Van Dinh).
- Half-Breed Discrimination: He's half-Asian and half-French, and it's strongly implied that he treated poorly because of it. Even his new employer in Bangkok constantly berates him, calling him a mere "half-breed".
- He hypocritically displays this attitude towards Tam as well.
- Honest John: A textbook example. He's a greedy, yet charismatic scumbag that's constantly trying to make a quick buck.
- "I Want" Song: "The American Dream", where he expresses his dreams of making it big in the U.S.A.
- Large Ham: He's the most over-the-top character in the cast, and because of this, he essentially becomes the show's main source of comic relief.
- Lovable Rogue: Sure he's a scoundrel, but he's so charismatic that you can't help but like him.
- Lovable Traitor: He pledges false allegiance to Hồ Chí Minh in order to save his own skin, but in reality, he couldn't care less for his own country.The Engineer: But men will always be men.They washed out my brain,I'm still who I am.Deep inside, I know what I knowwherever I go, I speak Uncle Hoand think Uncle Sam!
- Son of a Whore: He's the son of a Vietnamese prostitute and a French tattoo artist.
- Summon Backup Dancers: During "American Dream", he brings out an entire ensemble of stunning women and well-suited men for the dance number.
- Villain Song: "The American Dream". His Act 1 solo, "If You Want to Die in Bed" (in which he details his "every man for himself" view of the world), qualifies as well.
- Villain Protagonist: He's not a complete villain per se, but he's still a slimy hustler that's only out for himself, and he just so happens to be the third most prominent protagonist under Kim and Chris.
- Would Hit a Girl: He isn't afraid to slap around the ladies he employs.
- Yellowface: A particularly infamous example. In the original production, white actor Jonathan Pryce played the role, and initially sported makeup to make him appear more Asian
◊. This sparked some strong controversy with the show for a while.
Chris Scott
Played by: Simon Bowman, Alistair Brammer.
A young American Marine who was stationed in Saigon. He eventually falls in love with Kim after a chance encounter with her at the nightclub.
- Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Played With.
- Reversed: He's the one who moved on, while Kim was the one who stayed faithful.
- Justified: He thought she was dead, a reasonable conclusion under the circumstances.
- Subverted: Guilt left him in bad shape—The Mourning After lasted for more than a year, he suffers from nightmares, and has problems confiding in Ellen about the trauma he went through.
- Adaptational Heroism: He's much nicer that his Jerkass Madame Butterfly counterpart, Pinkerton. For a start he actually loved Kim, unlike Pinkerton who merely was playing with Cio-Cio-san's feelings and had always planned on remarrying in America. Chris only remarries because he thinks Kim is dead.
- Big "NO!": His final line in the show (and to an extent, the final line in the show), after Kim dies in his arms. This is intended to closely mirror Kim's Big "NO!" after she kills Thuy.
- Catapult Nightmare: He bolts upright in bed after yet another bad dream about Kim.
- Chekhov's Gun: His own gun, which Kim keeps even after his departure, is the same gun that she uses to kill Thuy, and eventually herself.
- Foreshadowing: Some of his nightmares seem to foreshadow Kim's eventual fate.Chris: You don't know, John, these nightmares, the things that I've seen.I have seen her face burned, seen her shot with my gun.
- Expy: Of Pinkerton, as mentioned above.
- Heroic BSoD: After he leaves Kim behind during the Fall of Saigon, he ends up suffering one that lasts an entire year. According to John, he was so emotionally wrecked that he didn't speak with anyone during that time.
- Love at First Sight: He falls in love with Kim after a slow dance and a single night in bed. He actually struggles with the fact that he fell in love right when he's supposed to leave Vietnam.Chris: Why God? Why this face?Why such beauty in this place?I liked my memories as they were,but now I'll leave remembering her.
- The Lost Lenore: He's deeply affected by his separation from Kim, to the point of him having constant nightmares about her being hurt or killed.
- Manly Tears: The stage directions call for him to sob when Kim dies in his arms.
Thuy
Kim's cousin, who was intended to marry her after their parents made a Childhood Marriage Promise for the two of them. He eventually becomes an officer for the country's Communist government, and uses his power to get to Kim and resurrect their betrothal, whether she likes it or not.
- Adaptational Heroism: The revival portrays him as a more sympathetic character, and it really shows. He can't bear to watch Kim get beaten by his men, and when he eventually confronts her and Tam, he's more devastated than he is truly hateful. When Kim threatens him with a gun, it appears that he wants her to shoot him, as he couldn't stand to live with the knowledge of her relationship with Chris, among other reasons. Even when he's about to kill Tam, the teary-eyed look on his face shows that clearly doesn't want to do it, he just feels that he has to.
- Alas, Poor Villain: His death is depicted as a very tragic, emotional moment (especially for Kim), and in the revival, its made even more poignant due to his more sympathetic nature.
- Composite Character: He's a combination of Prince Yamadori and the Bonze from Madame Butterfly.
- Childhood Marriage Promise: He's betrothed to Kim thanks to an arranged marriage that their parents planned when they were younger. Because of this, he does not take it lightly when he discovers that she loves another man.
- Dies Wide Open: How he dies, according to "Kim's Nightmare". "This is the face you saw that day. Staring at you with open eyes..."
- Evil Sounds Deep: Depending on the actor, he sometimes has a deep authoritative voice, despite being a tenor. At one point, he was played by Korean actor Kwang-Ho Hong, who's well-known for his baritone singing voice.
- Love Makes You Evil: His Childhood Marriage Promise being broken by Kim and Chris's relationship is ultimately what pushes him off the deep end.
- Kissing Cousins: He's Kim's cousin, as well as her husband-to-be.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: He shows up in Act Two as a ghost in Kim's nightmare, personifying her inner guilt and haunted past. He angrily tells Kim that she can never escape her crime, and that it will follow her until she herself faces judgement.
- Voice of the Legion: As a ghost, he sings in a chilling distorted voice that gets more menacing as the song goes on.
- Villain Song: While the song doesn't focus on him specifically, he does take part in "Morning of the Dragon", which serves as the Viet Cong's marching song.
- Would Hit a Girl: He willingly allows his soldiers to beat up Kim, in order to show her how much power he really possesses.
- Would Hurt a Child: He attempts to murder two-year-old Tam with a knife, believing that a bastard son would disgrace their family name.
- You Wouldn't Shoot Me: When Kim threatens to shoot him after he comes after Tam, he exclaims, "You don't know how to kill!" Then she pulls the trigger...
- Yellowface: Like the Engineer, he was originally played by a Caucasian actor (Keith Burns) wearing Asian makeup. In all subsequent productions, he's played by an Asian actor.
John Thomas
Chris's closest Marine buddy, who's thoroughly responsible for pairing him and Kim together on the night that they met. He's a major Jerkass at first, but his traumatic experiences in war managed to change him for the better, and he eventually takes part in charity organizations for Vietnam's bụi đời.
- The Atoner: After the war, he learns to atone for his (and his country's) actions by participating in charities for Vietnam's abandoned Amerasian children.
- Cannot Spit It Out: He has trouble telling Kim that Chris eventually married another woman after seeing that her bright optimism and strong feelings for him haven't changed.
- Character Development: John seems like an apathetic callous asshole (verging on Sociopathic Soldier) in Act One, but once he gets back to the US he deeply regrets his actions - and by extension the entire USA's actions - in the war, becomes involved in charity organizations as a result, and effectively becomes The Atoner.
- Expy: Of Sharpless.
- Race Lift: He was white in the original production, but nowadays, he's typically played by black actors.
- Token Black: He's essentially the only black character in the main cast (although not at first).
Ellen Scott
Chris's wife, whom he subsequently married following his return to America.
- Adaptational Villainy: A slight case. She isn't necessarily a bad person, but her reluctance to take Tam is a complete 180 from Kate, who promised to love Butterfly's son as if he were her own. Most productions end with her, after Kim's suicide, accepting Tam as her own child. The revival ends with her walking towards him, picking him up, and wrapping him in a comforting embrace, immediately taking on the role as his mother.
- Expy: Of Kate.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: It's heavily implied that she has one with Chris, as he "spoke to no one for a year" and she's been married to him for two.
- Love Triangle: Type 4. She struggles with the fact that her husband has a child with another woman, and ponders on whether their marriage even meant anything at all. When she gives Chris the choice between her and Kim, he ultimately chooses her.
- Race Lift: She's usually portrayed as a white blonde or redhead, but towards the end of the show's first Broadway run, she was played by Margaret Ann Gates, who is Asian, resulting in a likely example of the Replacement Goldfish trope—it now seemed as though Chris married Ellen only because she reminded him of Kim, rather than to move on with his life.
Gigi Van Tranh
One of the Engineer's most popular strippers, who's crowned "Miss Saigon" at the start of the show. She very much hates her job and her current life, and wishes to escape to America to start anew.
- Alpha Bitch: She shows some shades of this towards the new girl, Kim, but progressively grows to care for her as time passes.
- Broken Bird: She's a hardened stripper that's been constantly abused by her boss and customers. Her goal in life is to leave her dirty career behind and raise her own family in New York.
- Expy: Of Suzuki.
- Minor Character, Major Song: Despite only appearing in the first half of Act One, she gets her share of the spotlight with "Movie in My Mind", in which we learn about her inner struggles and desire to live a normal, happy life in America.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: We never see her again after Act 1, and her fate following the Fall of Saigon is left ambiguous.
Tam
The two-year-old son of Kim and Chris, who is born shortly after his father leaves for America.
- Abandoned War Child: He's left under the care of his mother after Chris is forced to evacuate the country.
- Cross-Cast Role: Since he's only a toddler and never speaks, he can be played by both male and female child actors.
- Expy: Of Dolore.
- He Who Must Not Be Heard: He never speaks in the show.
- Son of a Whore: His mother Kim conceived him during her time as a prostitute.
