Paliku Theatre's blockbuster production of “;Miss Saigon”; succeeds on every level—cast, costumes, choreography, scenery, musical direction and lighting—so it's no surprise that director Ron Bright caps it with a final scene that sears the emotions and underscores the full tragedy of an ill-fated wartime romance.

Chris screams in torment, realizing too late what Kim meant to him, as she makes the final sacrifice and dies in his arms. Other characters look on from a distance: the couple's son, Tam; Chris's buddy, John; the Engineer, who saw the couple as his ticket to America; and Ellen, the woman Chris married after he returned to America. All are connected to the lovers' tragedy in one way or another.

Michael Bright (Chris) and Brittany Browning (Kim) are a perfect fit as the lovers. He brings the poise and experience of a professional to his performance; she is a 15-year-old Punahou sophomore making her community theater debut. Their work together illuminates every facet of the relationship with crystal clarity. We see Kim, scared and vulnerable in her first night at a bar, blossom as a woman in love. By the end, she becomes capable of doing almost anything after Saigon falls. As Chris struggles to make sense of Vietnam, he discovers instead the answer to his dreams in Kim. When he loses her, he is cast adrift.

When “;Miss Saigon”; was presented by Army Community Theatre in 2005, the ending was bowdlerized to present Kim's suicide as a convenient solution to an American couple's problem rather than the devastating end to a love affair. Chris, his American wife and son walked off into the sunset together as Kim lay dead. This time, we're seeing the story as the playwrights intended. The tragedy is as all-encompassing as the war itself. No one escapes unscathed.

Bright and Browning share credit with musical director Clarke Bright for making “;The Last Night of the World”; the romantic highlight of Act I, as their glorious duet is perfectly supported by the orchestra. Each have stellar numbers elsewhere: He early on with “;Why God Why?,”; she with “;I Still Believe,”; “;You Will Not Touch Him”; and the tragically prophetic “;I'd Give My Life For You.”;

Leonard Villanueva as the Engineer plays the cynical opportunistic hustler with a delicious blend of comic vulnerability and menace. He emits plaintive rat-like squeaks while being beaten in Ho Chi Minh City and literally makes love to the car of his dreams as he gives a show-stopping performance of “;The American Dream.”;

Kawika McGuire (John) address a darker side of American culture with his powerful rendition of “;Bui-Doi,”; the song that decries America's policy of ignoring the children fathered by our military personnel. Les Ceballos (Thuy) combines a powerful voice and commanding presence in defining Thuy as a man with legitimate grievances—and, ultimately, as another victim of the conflict.

Jade Stice, another cast member with professional credits, does everything she can with the underwritten role of Chris' American wife. Stice makes each of her vocal numbers count in amping up the emotional pressure. But the only way to legitimize her role as more than an impediment to the lovers' reunion would involve altering the story once again.