NATION : ‘Saigon’ Production on Again

The Broadway production of “Miss Saigon,” canceled because of a casting dispute over the race of the actors, will open next spring in New York as originally planned, the producer and actors union announced today.

Producer Cameron Mackintosh canceled the production, which had a record $25 million in advance ticket sales, after Actors’ Equity refused to allow British actor Jonathan Pryce to bring his award-winning role as the play’s Eurasian pimp, the Engineer, from London to Broadway.

Details of the agreement were not released, but the New York Times reported that Mackintosh may use two non-American Asian actors in the Broadway production for one year. Mackintosh also will agree not to use yellow-face makeup or facial devices designed to simulate Asian eyes in any American production and to make an effort to recruit Asian-American actors for lesser roles, the newspaper said.