Flexing the English Muscles

I saw Miss Saigon at University High last night, where the theatre is always good. During the drive home, Dad and I talked about the function of the Engineer. Why is he the lead male role? Why would they put so much focus on this one character, who (at least in this particular production) was primarily the comic relief?

Here are some thoughts:
- In a show as heavy (depressing) as Miss Saigon, the audience needs comic relief, and quite frequently. Imagine jumping from Kim killing Thuy, to Bui-Doi, to the Fall of Saigon, to Chris finding out there's a kid, to Kim finding out there's a wife, to Kim killing herself. Imagine sitting through that one after the other without the interjection of commentary and humor by the Engineer.
- He provides a glimpse of the mindset of those in Saigon who aren't falling in love at the time. He is an exaggerated character who communicates to the audience the utter desperation of those in his situation, and the hope they have for America. I suspect the authors intended for his songs to be heard with irony, since his image of America is more dream than reality, and since he will most likely never get there anyway.
- Kim needs him. She is a passive character, allowing things to be done to her, rather than doing them for herself. In the opening scene, the Engineer discovers her and gives her a job, the other girls put her in a dress and make her up, John buys her for Chris, Chris takes her to live with him, etc., etc. Without the Engineer, Kim wouldn't get anywhere, the story wouldn't move on, and we'd be dealing with a dead Kim by the end of Act I.

I don't really like the Engineer. His music is only okay, and many of his songs feel as though they were shoved in there as buffers between all of the songs in the Kim-Chris-Ellen story. Heavy with synthesizers and generally staccato, the music clashes with the epic orchestrations of the main story.

Anyway, I'll keep thinking about it. I'm still recovering from "Arsenic and Old Lace," so my brain function isn't up to its normal capacity. If you have an opinion, chime in! I'm dying for some intelligent debate!