I sat in bed last night listening to the original London cast recording of Miss Saigon. It brough back a lot of good memories for me. This was one of the first cd's I ever bought in the early 90's. And it's the 3rd Broadway show that I saw. I had forgotten how really good this score is. It's got some excellent material in it for most of the characters. Lea Salonga is beyond brilliant as Kim. Jonathan Pryce is amazing as The Engineer even though he would never get cast in the role today. Claire Moore plays the character of Ellen, the wife of Kim's former lover and father of her child, Chris. After Ellen and Kim meet and have a confrontation, Ellen sings this song alone in her hotel room. The song was rewritten with the lyrics "now that I've seen her" replacing every place "it's her or me" was. I do not like that version. I think the song has now been replaced entirely but that's another story for another time.
I like this version because Ellen is caught up in a situation that she had no clue even existed just days prior to her being in Saigon. She is faced with this other woman in her husband's life and the fact that he has a child. In this song, she is building up the strength to force her husband to make a choice. I think it shows great depth of character. I can see how the song could come across as making Ellen look like a selfish bitch, but with the right direction and portrayal, which I believe Claire Moore does, it's really a very powerful piece from an extremely vulnerable woman.
Enjoy!
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