GREATER Manchester welcomed Miss Saigon with rapturous applause last night.

The stunning production which has delighted audiences throughout the world has finally premiered in the North-west.

And was it worth the wait? You bet it was!

The musical has the same writers, and production team as Les Miserables, which has already established itself as a massive hit in Manchester for several years.

Although the two shows are set worlds apart from one another, they share the same sense of drama which, with their energy, sets them apart from most other stage musicals.

The music and lyrics are dramatic and emotional. They have the ability to make the audience laugh in one moment and cry the next.

The choreography was dramatic and the big numbers performed with the whole ensemble were so very effective, that they sent a tingle down your spine.

It would be impossible to knock down any of the performances in this faultless and talented cast. Joanne Ampil was wonderful as the vulnerable yet determined Kim while Niklas Andersson was equally as powerful as her long lost American soldier Chris.

Leo Tavarro Valdez was quite brilliant as Engineer, a character which had the ability to endear one minute, and repulse the next.

Kingsley Leggs' strong performance is also worth mentioning.

I could go on . . . and on -- Nicky Adams as Ellen, Robert Vicencio as the dark Thuy . . . the costume, the orchestra, the lighting . . .

This is a show with a world class pedigree -- and on last night's performance it is easy to see why.

Beverly Greenberg