Student version of 'Miss Saigon' debuts

There's a 16-foot statue of Ho Chi Minh, a '56 Cadillac convertible and a flying helicopter -- it could only be "Miss Saigon."

Actually it's "Miss Saigon School Edition," which makes its debut this weekend in the new Lowden Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts. The theater is at the corner of Ninth Street and Clark Avenue.

More than 200 students are involved in the show that differs from the original production with a new script and orchestra parts.

A modern adaptation of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly," the musical is set in Vietnam War-era Saigon and involves the romance between an American soldier and his Vietnamese girlfriend.

Performances are at 7 p.m. today and Saturday with other performances Feb. 8-10 and 15-17.

Tickets are $18 and are available at the Academy box office or by calling (800) 585-3737.