RGS Worcester pupils took to the stage to deliver five "captivating" performances of the musical ‘Miss Saigon School Edition’.

The show was staged at the school's performing arts centre to packed audiences.

"The pupils approached the production with sensitivity, commitment and dedication in telling this tragic story," a spokesperson said.

During rehearsals, to engage with the challenging themes, the pupils worked with West End actors to gain insights into the roles.

The play opened with the image of American Marines serving in Vietnam before returning to the United States.

The main characters included year 13 pupils Catherine Broadbent playing Kim, Charlie Raven as Chris and Callum Lockett as ‘The Engineer’.

Kieran Lilley, year 11, took on two roles as Chris’s friend, John, and as Kim’s cousin, Thuy, with exceptional skill.

Sasha Penlington, year 11, played Chris’s American wife, Ellen, with a composed performance.

"Catherine’s portrayal of a mother defending her child was incredibly moving; it left many audience members in tears," a spokesperson said.

Reuben (aged five) and William (aged eight) who took it in turns to play Kim’s son, Tam, and won the audience’s hearts.

‘Dreamland’ in Vietnam was juxtaposed with the stark contrast of the militaristic choreography of the soldiers celebrating the reunification of the country.

Bella Gray, year 12, was Gigi and sang and led the dance routines. The final ensemble piece was ‘The American Dream’.

The stage crew worked hard to cleverly switch staging from a colourful dancehall, to the stark military evacuation of troops through to the stars and stripes setting of a US home.

Jilly Witcomb, director of drama, said: “I am so proud of the cast and crew. This is a sophisticated and emotional production which deals with complex issues, and the pupils did this maturely and sensitively.”

John Pitt, head of RGS Worcester, said: “This is an ambitious production for a school given the key themes of the play. Many congratulations to the pupils and to the drama and music department, with our expert choreographer.

"A production on this scale requires lots of work behind the scenes so thank you to everyone for your hard work and commitment to the arts.

"With the creative arts thriving at RGS Worcester, it is lovely to bring together so many talented pupils and staff and also to have pupils from local state schools including New College Worcester in the audience.

"It was very moving to see their pupils’ full engagement with the performance.”