When I arrived at Eisenhower Auditorium for the opening of Miss Saigon last night, I was pretty anxious.

This was my first experience with the show, and I did not know much about it. There are the plain facts: It was written by the same guys who did The Phantom of the Opera; it's based on the book that also inspired Puccini's Madame Butterfly; it is a tragic love story that takes place at the end of the Vietnam War.

These facts are all well and good -- so are the rave reviews from friends who have seen other productions of Miss Saigon -- but I was super-excited when I saw the signs taped to the doors of Eisenhower Auditorium that said, "There will be Cigarette Smoke, Strobe Light, Gunshots, and Dry Ice Fog in this Performance."

Now that's the kind of thing that makes me smile. I had high hopes that, in case the play itself left me bored enough to watch what was going on in the wings instead of on the stage, these magical elements would have the power to retain my MTV-bred attention.

As it turns out, the fun distractions mentioned on the signs had no such power and actually paled in comparison to the talent of the cast.

From the show-opener "The Heat is on in Saigon," the singing, dancing and acting made me pay attention.

Some scenes in the first act limped along because of the complete lack of chemistry between the star-crossed lovers, Kim and Chris, played by Jennifer Paz and Alan Gillespie. The two actors sing beautifully through their cheesy-romantic love songs, but they lack the compatibility necessary to carry the plot.

Another problem with Kim and Chris is their characters are rather unlikable until the second act. Kim, while trying to save her son, shoots her cousin and ex-fiancé in the back, killing him. If she had shot him in the chest, I would not have had a problem with it -- but in the back?

Meanwhile, the audience does not find out the circumstances around Chris' abandonment of his true love until the second act, making it difficult to comprehend his marriage to another woman in America. Developing sympathy for either Kim or Chris poses a bit of a challenge.

Two actors were the real stars of the show: Jonathan Wade, who plays Tam, Kim and Chris' son, and Jon Jon Briones, The Engineer. Wade's silent, 5-year-old presence dominated the stage the few times he appeared. Briones' exuberance as a sleazy pimp made him an audience favorite.

"The American Dream," The Engineer's imagination-come-to-life dance sequence, sparkled as the high point, with animated choreography and humor that were lacking for most of the show.

From there, the mood nosedives, but the drama of the final scene was carried superbly by Paz, Gillespie, Briones, Wade and Wallace Smith, who plays Chris' friend John. This is the only scene where Paz and Gillespie actually seemed comfortable together on stage -- which is rather ironic, because one of them is dead.

Overall, it was a good show. For anyone who missed opening night, Miss Saigon is in town for another three nights.