THE all-conquering film of Les Miserables is having a beneficial knock-on effect for York Stage Musicals.

From tomorrow, the society will present the York premiere of the School Edition of another Alain Boublil and Claude Michel Schönberg musical, Miss Saigon, in the year of its 25th anniversary.

Cast members George Stagnell, 18, Stephanie Bolsher, 17, and Ben Williams, 16, all from York, have noted the Les Mis factor.

“If I tell people I’m in Miss Saigon, often they say, ‘What’s it about?’, but once they know it’s by the same people who wrote Les Miserables, they’re really interested,” says Ben. “And I think it’s just as good: not quite as operatic but just as moving.”

French duo Boublil and Schonberg’s rock-infused adaptation of Puccini’s 1904 opera Madame Butterfly explores the impact of love, loss and the collision of cultures during the Vietnam War in its story of young Vietnamese girl Kim.

Fleeing her village after the killing of her family, she has no choice but to work in a sleazy Saigon nightclub owned by notorious wheeler-dealer The Engineer, and when American GI John (played by Williams) buys his friend Chris (Stagnell) the services of Kim for the night, it will change their lives forever.

So runs the musical tale that’s not as familiar as the ubiquitous Les Mis. “I knew little about it,” says George.

“It’s not been done professionally for a long time, and they’ve only just released the rights for the School Edition,” says Stephanie. “I think one of the Scarborough schools has done it so far.”

Did they know any of the songs before taking on their roles? Ben? “Last Night Of The World.” George? “Why God Why?” Stephanie? “I Still Believe.”

Now they are fully acquainted with the musical, they sing its praises. “I just think it’s a really moving story, based on true events in history not that long ago,” says Stephanie, a pupil at Queen Margaret’s School, Escrick, who will play Chris’s American wife, Ellen. “There are adult themes in it, so it can be quite shocking.”

“It goes into the nitty-gritty of their lives, both the Americans and the Vietnamese, not the fighting,” says George.

“It shows what went on in the background…” says Ben. “And the effects of that,” adds Stephanie.

Performing the School Edition of Miss Saigon finds the teenaged trio playing adult roles and handling adult themes. It does not unduly trouble them. “I’ve just drawn on emotions from own situations that I’ve been in,” says Stephanie.

“The emotions they experience don’t differ that much from those when you’re young, so you do your research on the show and get into your character, rather than being an 18-year-old boy from York,” says George, a final-year student at Tadcaster Grammar School, where his A-levels include theatre studies.

“I know it’s a cliché,” says Manor School GCSE student Ben. “But you just have to put yourself into your character’s shoes and play him.”

• York Stage Musicals presents Miss Saigon, School Edition, at Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from tomorrow to March 2, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Box office: York Theatre Royal, 01904 623568 or online at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk