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riverdawn

To be perfectly fair to Jonas, it's my understanding that the same is also true for Camilla Kerslake (only doing Cosette, with none of the ensemble tracks), which is why the reviewers have been able to comment on Lucie Jones' performance in the ensemble.

So it's not just Nick Jonas and his grand celebrity that are getting this treatment, but rather all (both?) of the people who are doing a short stint at the Queen's in preparation for the concert.
Quique

I was thinking--could it be they are too recognizable to appear as the many bit roles most are required to play? People specifically attending to see Jonas will get confused if they see him playing a random constable/Parisian citizen/and so on, so they keep them in their featured role and have another fill in for the other parts.

Ricky was mostly unknown in the U.S. so maybe that's why he was permitted to do all tracks?

I could be making this all up, btw.
mastachen

beyondthebarricade wrote:
What. I don't think it's fair at all for Nick to just extend his contract according to his whim and fancy, especially when it was already agreed that Alistair comes back in next week. It's almost like having no respect for normal contracts, and goodness, no respect for the show. Just because he's this big star doesn't exactly mean he can turn everything topsy turvy and get away with it. I feel bad for Alistair, now.


Whether it's fair or not, this happens all the time, so it's not just a Nick Jonas thing.
Violet

Not doing the ensemble parts underlines that this time in Les Mis is nothing more than a rehearsal for the concert. There's no point in them rehearsing the ensemble parts because they won't be doing them when it comes to the concert.

It's a shame for Alistair, and not very fair for the London production and those who have bought tickets expecting to see a traditional West End production, to have Nick's rehearsal time extended. However, for the sake of the concert it is probably a good thing. From what I've heard, Nick will benefit from it - as would most actors to be fair.
The Very Angry Woman

Quique wrote:
I was thinking--could it be they are too recognizable to appear as the many bit roles most are required to play? People specifically attending to see Jonas will get confused if they see him playing a random constable/Parisian citizen/and so on, so they keep them in their featured role and have another fill in for the other parts.


I think that's actually why Melba Moore didn't do the ensemble tracks, so that could also be a legitimate factor here (although getting him ready for the concert sounds much more likely to be the case).
Quique

mastachen wrote:
beyondthebarricade wrote:
What. I don't think it's fair at all for Nick to just extend his contract according to his whim and fancy, especially when it was already agreed that Alistair comes back in next week. It's almost like having no respect for normal contracts, and goodness, no respect for the show. Just because he's this big star doesn't exactly mean he can turn everything topsy turvy and get away with it. I feel bad for Alistair, now.


Whether it's fair or not, this happens all the time, so it's not just a Nick Jonas thing.


Being an ardent original production fan myself, it feels strange not feeling the same way others do over all this Jonas business. But this is one issue I don't see as inconsiderate, uncaring, or dismissive of the powers that be; it's what usually happens and is to be expected when a high profile individual does theatre. It's not that I'm applauding or shrugging my shoulders at it either but it seems out of place to feel slighted or highly upset. Not saying it's wrong, just unusual (and a waste of energy), I guess.
The Very Angry Woman

Hmm:

At the Saturday matinee Mr. Jonas appeared to blend in easily with the ensemble; his first entrance was brief and, indeed, almost easy to miss, and there were no screams from the girls in the audience (though they did make their lung power known after each of his songs).

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/theater/07jonas.html?_r=2
Eppie-Sue

They're presumably talking about the short entrance in Look Down when Enjolras and Marius appear very quickly at the front for a second before going to the back of the stage and climbing up to the bridge. Alistair is definitely doing the whole ensemble track.
Quique

^ Where have you been, girlie? Razz Come back and post those long-ass London reviews. I miss them.
mm10

Quique wrote:
^ Where have you been, girlie? Razz Come back and post those long-ass London reviews. I miss them.


I agree - I have been having withdrawal symptoms from lack of reviews. Laughing
jeanette_1832

mm10 wrote:

I agree - I have been having withdrawal symptoms from lack of reviews. Laughing

I second that. Smile
PureDiamondLight

I agree - but not purely for the reviews... I'm just thinking it would be nice to see Eppie-Sue back again. Smile
pastaeater

PureDiamondLight wrote:
I agree - but not purely for the reviews... I'm just thinking it would be nice to see Eppie-Sue back again. Smile


Agreed.
Eppie-Sue

Um. Thanks guys, but after everything that went down, I don't think this is the right place anymore, as touched as I am. We'll wait and see, it's rather personal. Besides, I can't offer you any reviews right now anyway, sorry. Maybe someone else can...
Elbow

I intend to post another review in the next couple of days for those interested - I saw the new cast again with the new addition of Norm Lewis (who I really liked) last night and I definitely have some thoughts to post.
Quique

Hmmm, don't enjoy the implication that my comment towards Eppie-Sue was purely to fulfill a personal need, and not actually about her at all. It's safe to take what I said at face value, PureDiamondLight. Razz

No biggie. But it's the third in a month. Grr.
pastaeater

Elbow wrote:
I intend to post another review in the next couple of days for those interested - I saw the new cast again with the new addition of Norm Lewis (who I really liked) last night and I definitely have some thoughts to post.

Looking forward to this! Very Happy
hilz_72

pastaeater wrote:
Elbow wrote:
I intend to post another review in the next couple of days for those interested - I saw the new cast again with the new addition of Norm Lewis (who I really liked) last night and I definitely have some thoughts to post.

Looking forward to this! Very Happy


I'll second that Very Happy
Elbow

Right, this'll be quite a short one.

I have seen the new cast three times now, and mostly, I really like them. There are a couple of new bits I'm really not so sure about but mainly it's all good.

I still find Chloe Hart a bit hard to listen to. "shrill" really is the perfect way to describe her voice, but the main thing I can't stand is what she has been directed to do on the barricades, before The Final Battle. Obviously, she has taken over from Laura Medforth in the crying, but she is doing it so loudly. On Wednesday she sort of went "ArrrghhsobsobOHGODNOsobsobWAIL" The "Oh God no" was really too much, it stands out in an entirely bad way.

Jay Bryce continues to be quite awesome, and in my last review I got it wrong, it is not him who is Fantine's first... "customer" but Scott Garnham.


When I went on Wednesday there was a huge blooper, in the shape of NO SCENERY for Look Down/The Robbery/Stars. I think one side of it came slightly out, and the other not at all. It was INCREDIBLY awkward. No one knew what to do really. I was ever so surprised they didn't do their usual curtain down and "due to technical difficulties" announcement, but no, someone clearly was in a rush to get home so it just carried on, with the cast just wandering round the stage vaguely in the same position that they would have been in HAD there been any scenery on the stage. Killian and Nick Jonas delivered their lines from the middle of the stage, Samantha's "It's the police" etc. was delivered from stage right because there was nowhere else for her to go... and um... yes, the lines after Stars were awkward because Gavroche and Samantha just had to walk onto the stage to deliver them. Luckily,. however, equilibrium was restored for Red and Black and the scenery came on. And may I say just how enthusiastic Killian is getting. It's excellent to watch.

I'm liking Samantha Barks a lot, but she is a very modern Eponine. I don't like her 100% and yet, I can't entirely put my finger on what I don't like about her. Maybe it's the slight presence of riffing and the slightly OTT acting in On My Own? I do like her a lot though.

Now, Norm Lewis. I really like him. He is unlike any Javert I have ever seen. His approach is so entirely different. On paper, he is not my sort of Javert at all and yet, I loved him. He could not be more different from HPJ, seriously. He acts a lot, with his face, voice and body and is actually a very likeable Javert, which I suppose is sort of a critisism because Javert should probably be more cold and guarded over his emotions and yet, I adored his performance. Oh! and he hit the low "chaaa-aain". OH OH and he walked on after the sewers, unlike HPJ�s out of breath run. Yay. Also, I think his Javert is going to work FAR better with Bowman's Valjean, because he actually acts. HPJ and Bowman contrasted so much that it just didn't work (in my opinion, anyway.) The only bit that made me go o.O was the last couple of lines of his suicide that he takes up an octave and then sort of screams out the "Ooooon". I am not sure about that, it was mainly shock more than anything. I'd never heard that live before and it really surprised me. He has a love strong rich voice though, and Stars was awesome.

Only other thing to add that I can remember (I have seriously forgotten half of what I was going to write, there are more little changes I was going to write about, but other than Martin Ball having a new wig in the wedding scene, I cannot for the life of me remember.) is that you HAVE TO WATCH GAVIN AND SIMON IN MOTH. Seriously. Could not stop laughing. Just brilliant.

EDIT: OH ONE MORE THING! I meant to say, I am pretty sure Nick Jonas went to the Sim school of acting. Yes, I am actually refering to the computer game. He moves like a Sim! His arm motions! Everything! You know when there's a fire and the Sim jumps about a bit going "Oooh arr D: ", forgets and then repeats the whole thing? THAT'S HIM. Not that I want to be mean to him in anyway. He seems very sweet and he's only 17, but his Marius is a Sim.
Orestes Fasting

LOL I wish I could've seen the no-set Look Down! I know it's horrible to get all excited when theatrical catastrophes happen, but, well, it's fun to watch when things get shaken up.

I adore Norm Lewis and think he was completely miscast as Javert, but even miscast he does a great job. He is incredibly warm and nice in person and it comes through onstage as Javert being the Good Cop who's just trying to do his job. It's not Javert and it shouldn't work, but it does.
pastaeater

Really enjoyed the review Elbow - great to read a few more details about the new cast.
Any more reviews out there??!
Quique

pastaeater wrote:
Any more reviews out there??!


SHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Shocked

Asking such things is forbidden! You'd be deemed a filthy London-review whore. A review-crone. Slut. Thenardiess, who cares NOT about anyone/anything more. Twisted Evil
Eppie-Sue

That was completely unnecessary now, wasn't it?
Quique

Don't take it seriously/personally. It was in jest.

And you need to stop lurking in the shadows and post! You are part of this community whether you like it or not (meaning: you are missed). Razz
hilz_72

I'm going to see the show in London on Saturday night & although I'm still relatively new to Les Miserables, I hope to be able to do some kind of review Smile
jeanette_1832

James Smoker posted on his Twitter:
Quote:
Will be storming the bishopric as well as the barricades today. A-stressin' and a-blessin'.

Guess that means Gavin James's off and he's playing the bishop and Combeferre. Don't know who's covering Montparnasse though.

@hilz_72 Looking forward to the review. Wink But most of all, enjoy the show.
Eppie-Sue

Pretty sure he is not playing Combeferre. The Bishop, yes, but just like Thomas, who had the very same track in these cases, I'm sure he'll be Montparnasse and Bahorel for the rest of the show and a swing will be in Gavin's track in every scene after 1815 (before that in James Smoker's track).
jeanette_1832

Eppie-Sue wrote:
Pretty sure he is not playing Combeferre. The Bishop, yes, but just like Thomas, who had the very same track in these cases, I'm sure he'll be Montparnasse and Bahorel for the rest of the show and a swing will be in Gavin's track in every scene after 1815 (before that in James Smoker's track).


Oh, I see. Thanks for clearing that up. Smile
mm10

I�m just back from a trip to London and Bristol so I�ve seen both shows � London and the tour (more about the tour later but a bit lost for words at the moment!)

I had London booked before Nick extended so I wasn�t expecting to see him but I must say when I heard he was doing 2 more weeks I was very curious to see him. So to start we had the announcement that at tonight�s show the role of Marius would be played by Nick Jonas which of course got a huge cheer. Was proud of myself when a girl asked me if that was Nick Jonas of the Jonas brothers and I was able to say yes (seeing as how I had no idea who they were until a couple of weeks ago Laughing )

I'll start with Nick - he really was trying his best and there was something very likeable about him but his voice just wasn't strong enough and he was drowned out by everyone else even the girls. (Does make me slightly concerned abot how he will hold up at the O2 Confused ) I did like ALFOR as he seemed very awkward and I'm not sure if that was intentional but it really worked - like this girl was about to die in his arms and he'd no idea what to do. The only problem was that he was leaning over Sam the whole time so that his neck tie kept covering part of her face. Also I liked the fact that he took Sam�s hat off before he sang �there's something wet upon your hair�, Alistair never manages that and it always bugs me.

Sam I thought was great, her voice is lovely and I really liked her OMO and whilst her acting may not be as strong as Nancy�s her voice is better. She is certainly holding her own and in time I think she�ll be great.

Lucie was fine too but I felt she was at a disadvantage starting later than the rest and think she is still finding her feet. Her and Nick came in very late in the finale where Fantine reaches out to take Valjean�s hand so she had walked right past before they appeared so it was a bit like what did she do that for.

I loved Killian, thought he was like David without taking it just as far although I'm going to be perfectly honest and say that if I didn't know David had left I think I would have assumed it was him.

I have left Norm Lewis to last as I�m not quite sure what to say about him. I can't honestly say I liked or disliked him he was fine which is pretty much how I felt about HPJ but now in comparison I think I prefer HPJ just because his Javert was less likeable.
hilz_72

Just back from the show & I loved it! (This is my very first time seeing it in person)

@jeanette_1832: Thank you very much! I had a great time.


Just a few quick things to say, then I'll try and put together something a bit more detailed and sensible tommorrow:


Norm Lewis: started off ok but he got stronger as the show went on. You couldn't really hear him in One Day More where he joins in with everyone singing their own part at the end. I'll write more on my feelings about One Day More later when I go into more detail. Stars was great though.

Nick Jonas: seemed pretty awkward in parts, but it worked in well with the story etc... Empty Chairs at Empty Tables was ok, but a little too ballad sounding, but then I ruined any chance of liking anyone singing this song after seeing Tom Lucas/Lowe on youtube.

Sam as Eponine: her On My Own was good, it was quite moving & her voice was strong.

Lucie: was good as Cosette, I can't really say much else about her at the moment...

Lastly... Killian Donnelly: He was great, and has a very strong voice. He seemed to look like the leader of the students & like the one who was in charge. I can't say I have anything really to say except to gush a little about how good he was, and like but also unlike David Thaxton he was (in a good way)


I hope that's ok for now, I'll try and write something a bit longer and more detailed tommorrow night Smile
PureDiamondLight

Quique wrote:
Hmmm, don't enjoy the implication that my comment towards Eppie-Sue was purely to fulfill a personal need, and not actually about her at all. It's safe to take what I said at face value, PureDiamondLight. Razz

No biggie. But it's the third in a month. Grr.


uh... that was unintentional... all three from me, or just generally? that really was unintentional... sorry if that is the case! Smile

btw I haven't been able to get on MdN for weeks... since I posted that last comment, in fact. It just kept saying "Critical server error". Anyone else had the same problem?

Smile
l'ivrogne transfigur�

Yes - the whole site's been down. Hence lack of posts for last 10 or so days.
The site is being upgraded, and they might not bother importing all the old posts. We might sudenly lose everything here Evil or Very Mad
JointheCompany

does anyone know if Simon Bowman does the Sat. Matinees? I've seen Les Mis twice now and got Jonathan Williams. Now he is excellent but I am really intrigued to see Simon Bowman's portrayal.
Eppie-Sue

Technically, his contract includes all matinees. However, ever since he was off for about eight weeks due to illness in March/April/May, he has continually been on/off. He wasn't there for cast change at all for example. The last time I saw the show was that date, so I can't say much about the past five, six weeks, but from what I've overheard, there isn't much reliability to whether he performs or not. An indication to how prepared they are to put on covers as Valjean is that Killian Donnelly is actually listed as third cover Valjean in the programme. I don't understand why they renewed his contract, honestly. It's not even about the quality about his performance, but if someone isn't up to playing a part regularly anymore due to illness or injury, and it's obvious months before cast change, you don't renew the contract as actor and as casting director, do you?

(It does seem quite silly to bother replying here. It might just suddenly be gone, for all we know.)
JointheCompany

oh I entirely agree Eppie Sue. I had heard he had been ill for quite an extensive amount of time and from what Martin Ball said he isn't there a whole lot of the time. To me thats both unprofessional on his part and unwise on the part of the casting directors for two reasons. Firstly, as you said, what's the point in renewing his contract if he isn't there often? Second it means the burden falls (mostly but not exclusively) on Jonathan Williams who, whilst an excellent and certainly worthy replacement, is a baritone. And to cover a high tenor role for alot of the time is no mean feat for him and could risk damage to his voice. Also, Killian is third cover? Isn't he Enjolras? That makes no sense at all!
Orestes Fasting

Killian once had to go on as Valjean in an emergency when both the usual covers were unavailable, and apparently did so well that they started rehearsing him properly for the part. Laughing It is rather unusual for an Enjolras to cover Valjean, but the range for the two parts isn't so very different.

It's disappointing but not really that surprising that Bowman's contract was renewed--the powers that be have a long history of keeping a too-sharp eye on the US casting and ignoring the London casting. So we get egregious firings on the Broadway side (the Ben Davis catastrophe, and I suspect the non-renewal of Aaron Lazar's contract had something to do with his absences due to injury) and egregious failure to get rid of people on the West End side (Bowman staying on when he's missing half his shows, the nearly-unbroken streak of not-so-great Enjolras actors).
JointheCompany

Wow, that actually says something very positive and important about Killian, I never knew that.

The thing is they really don't have any "US Casting" to keep an eye on now. The Broadway production has closed AND although the tour is kicking off sometime they really ought to prioritise better. The London production is making them more than the tour will atm and has been for many years now, I would have thought they would want to do everything they could to keep it that way for as long a time as possible. Could you please fill me in on the Ben Davis catastrophe and the Aaron Lazaar business? I am guessing they were part of the revival but, living in the UK, all that rather passed me by unfortunatley.

I have a feeling I know the answer but can someone please clarify why, when Simon Bowman is off so much and JW or SS are covering so frequently, they don't just offer it to either JW or SS? It seems to me that would be the thing to do if SB is less than reliable when it comes to actually doing the job he is paid to do.
Vanessa20

Ben Davis had only just taken on the role of Javert in the revival when he was suddenly fired, supposedly because his voice was too powerful and overwhelmed the orchestrations.

I have no idea what the deal is with Simon Bowman, though. Maybe they don't want to replace him because he's a bigger name than JW or SS, having been the original Chris in "Miss Saigon"? I don't know.
Orestes Fasting

What she said, re: Ben Davis. The other weird circumstances were that he was one of the best Javerts ever in recent years, and that it was done completely without notice and with no reason given--the only thing his agent managed to wring out of Mackintosh was a belated "his voice is too operatic for the style we want in the revival." Which was nonsense, since Ben Davis does have a very rich, "straight" baritone voice, but so do most Javerts (so, indeed, did his replacement) and it wasn't particularly operatic. I suppose the fact that he'd previously been in Baz Luhrmann's La Boh�me provided the "operatic' excuse.

Aaron Lazar was phenomenal and completely reinvented the role of Enjolras for the Broadway revival, but he injured his back several months into the run and was out so often that his understudy, Drew Sarich, took on nearly official alternate status. However, he was well on his way to recovery and was not absent nearly as often in the month or two leading up to cast change, which made it slightly bizarre that his contract wasn't renewed. Nobody ever found out whether he left voluntarily or whether they simply didn't offer him a renewal, but I got the impression that he wasn't asked back.

In general, it seemed like the Broadway revival was beset by illnesses and injuries, and that the people who were out a lot for those reasons kept disappearing after they recovered--fired like Ben Davis (who missed almost his whole first week due to a nasty flu) or dropped after their contracts expired (like Aaron Lazar and Celia Keenan-Bolger). It makes it all the more disappointing that Bowman's contract was renewed, since apparently he hasn't recovered and his frequent absences are straining his understudies.
Eppie-Sue

JointheCompany wrote:
Wow, that actually says something very positive and important about Killian, I never knew that.
[...]
I have a feeling I know the answer but can someone please clarify why, when Simon Bowman is off so much and JW or SS are covering so frequently, they don't just offer it to either JW or SS? It seems to me that would be the thing to do if SB is less than reliable when it comes to actually doing the job he is paid to do.


I'd even say that Valjean sits generally more comfortably in Killian's range than Enjolras, as he's got a very strong tenor. And yes, he went on for a Saturday evening performance in February, very short-notice, and then again for both shows on a Saturday at the end of April. Stunning performances, possibly some of the best Valjean scenes I�ve ever seen.

And it's just the fact that they even consider the need for a listed (and rehearsed) third cover... With Bowman's illness/holiday/stuck in Portugal/illness weeks and David's accident and back injury three weeks before cast change, we've had two incidents where an understudy had to take over for the vast majority of performances, and it's not a fun situation for anyone, as there is constantly a swing in the same ensemble track (we couldn�t remember Jonathan�s Lesgles five, six weeks into his Valjean run). As much as I enjoyed being able to see Jonathan (and Simon and, of course, Killian) a few times quite regularly, it's not supposed to be like that. And yes, Jonathan had serious problems with his vocal chords and only managed on steroids for the last bit of that run. No surprise, as a bass/baritone. That's also why they don't offer it to him/why he's not able to do a long run as Valjean, as good as he is. And Simon Shorten is amazing, he truly is. But I don't think he could do eight performances a week, and I wouldn't say he's necessarily principal material, compared to people like David Shannon or John Owen-Jones or Drew Sarich as Valjean. But compared to Bowman...

I'm not at all supporting an actor getting fired due to absence because of injury or illness (especially when it's work-related, as it has been in many cases), but the renewal of a contract leaves me puzzled, as it�s not fair on the performers themselves, the understudies, the cast and the audience. All quality of the performances aside.
JointheCompany

Oh my goodness, seems like Les Mis had it's fair share of problems leading up to cast change. I knew David had been off because I saw his u/s (Mark, I think?) the last time I saw it at the start of June but I had no idea Bowman's problems had been so extensive. I just thought it was pure coincidence that he was off both times I had been there. What gets me about Bowman (and this I base purely on the recordings I have heard of him) is that he isn't even the high tenor required for Valjean. He has a much deeper sound to his voice which seems to not sit too well in some of the higher registers. EG. His "Take an eye for an eye" and "another story must begin" in the Soliloquy seem more of a struggle than is desirable. It doesn;t say "I am a tortured man on the brink of changing my life forever" so much as "oh shit its this damn high bit BELT". So, they, in their wisdom, appear to have cast a principal tenor role as a high baritone along with his U/S and, assuming Simon Shorten is a tenor (which he sounds like during his ensemble stuff, he would be the best one because of his voice.

However, I will take your (Eppie Sue's) word on him because you have seen him and I haven't. I do agree that the fact they have three u/s trained and ready to go does not say much for their faith in Bowman and his ability to deliver, in which case, get rid! I do honestly have serious concerns for Jonathan's vocal health because, even though they don't want to offer him a permanent stint as Valjean, the longer they tolerate the situation with Simon Bowman, the longer he has to cover so they might as well be offering him it because he is doing it so often anyway. I appreciate what you're saying though about not supporting firing someone because of illness but I do think the show is more important than the performers in the sense of it could damage the show's quality if it is allowed to continue and u/s keep having to be brought in.

Re. Killian, wow, just checked out those links you posted and he's absolutely top notch to say he was "emergency cover". He doesn't seem to struggle with that 24601 either and is clearly a very strong tenor. I can't wait to see his Enjolras tomorrow, should be great. Please don't let him be off!

Incidentally, has anyone here seen Norm Lewis' Javert yet? What's he like?
MSam

Quote:
Ben Davis had only just taken on the role of Javert in the revival when he was suddenly fired, supposedly because his voice was too powerful and overwhelmed the orchestrations.

Quote:
"his voice is too operatic for the style we want in the revival."

What terrible excuses all round!

Re: Simon B, just get rid of him and make Jonathan Williams the lead already. He's much more comfortable in the range and role from what I've heard.
l'ivrogne transfigur�

MSam wrote:
He's much more comfortable in the range.


Unfortunately he's not though, that's the problem.
mastachen

JointheCompany wrote:

Incidentally, has anyone here seen Norm Lewis' Javert yet? What's he like?


When he was Javert on Broadway, I felt that he had a good voice for hte role, but was rather unintimidating and lacked gravitas.
beyondthebarricade

Vanessa20 wrote:
I have no idea what the deal is with Simon Bowman, though. Maybe they don't want to replace him because he's a bigger name than JW or SS, having been the original Chris in "Miss Saigon"? I don't know.

To be honest I didn't like him as Chris in Miss Saigon either, his loud and Bowman-like "Kim!"s in the Finale after she shot herself annoyed me quite a bit.

JointheCompany wrote:
He has a much deeper sound to his voice which seems to not sit too well in some of the higher registers. EG. His "Take an eye for an eye" and "another story must begin" in the Soliloquy seem more of a struggle than is desirable. It doesn;t say "I am a tortured man on the brink of changing my life forever" so much as "oh shit its this damn high bit BELT". So, they, in their wisdom, appear to have cast a principal tenor role as a high baritone along with his U/S and, assuming Simon Shorten is a tenor (which he sounds like during his ensemble stuff, he would be the best one because of his voice.

I still find that bearable, actually. The one I have the most problem with, and pointed out a bit, are the higher lines in "Who Am I?", like "This innocent who bears my face who goes to judgment in my place" and the others with this melody. His voice is airy in these lines, and it comes across as no more than barely a whisper, which doesn't suit the character and doesn't suit the song.

And another point I found trouble with. On the first day of the new cast, during Valjean's Revenge, he went all "You are wrong, and always have been WRONGGGGG", to HPJ, who looked quite taken back. He moved his head in this over-exaggerated manner which caused his wig to flap. That spoiled it for me so badly. Does anyone know if he had these same problems in 2000 when he played JVJ as well?
JointheCompany

tbh I never cared for his 'Chris' either, his Why God Why was good but even that he had a tendency to go OTT and turn bits of it into a parody. That thing with HPJ sounds bad, if HPJ seemed taken aback by it it must have been because he is not easily phased from what I know of him. I don't know who I will get today but from what you guys have told me about SB's Valjean, I think I would actually rather Jonathan be on!
PureDiamondLight

l'ivrogne transfigur� wrote:
Yes - the whole site's been down. Hence lack of posts for last 10 or so days.
The site is being upgraded, and they might not bother importing all the old posts. We might sudenly lose everything here Evil or Very Mad


that sucks. even for a relative newbie like me. I like reading through the old stuff. *looks sheepish*
flying_pigs

Is Chloe Hart first or second Mdme T understudy?
Eppie-Sue

Second, as Rachel Bingham is still in the cast and still understudying Mme T. I think Chloe Hart went on a week or so ago, though... very early for second covers.
JointheCompany

all right so I just got back from the matinee. Simon Bowman was on and a more detailed review will follow on the morro. I would like to say a couple of things though here. First off I have decided to nickname him "Tower Bridge" because his performance is up and down like the famous London Landmark. Just to give you an example, his opening was not a good one for a number of reasons which I'll post in the review but then his Who Am I? was very good. Then BHH sucked pine sap but the Epilogue was top notch.

Secondly, he has a bit too much of a "I'm the hero watch me go" kind of attitude. For instance, on the barricade, he shot the sniper then swished his hair back in a "how great am I?" kind of way. I really don't wholly dislike him but Jonathan is certainly a better VJ.

That's about it for now, I wil post a full review tomorrow.
hilz_72

I tried to post this earlier, but due to the site error this is me just getting around to it:

Ok, so here is my hopefully more detailed review from when I saw the show - 17 July. I have the feeling it�s going to be full of �excellent� and �very good� but that�s not a bad thing Smile . I wrote this the day after I saw it so some things might have changed, like the cast may be more settled into their roles now.

First of all, I really *really* enjoyed this performance. Having watched videos on Youtube from past performances, I had some idea of what expect at certain parts, and other videos I hadn�t seen, like videos of Stars and of the Th�nardiers for example. But, I�m really glad I didn�t see these videos, as I was blown away with Norm Lewis singing Stars, and the Th�nardiers were great.


Simon Bowman as Jean Valjean:
I thought he was a very good Valjean. I know that some people aren�t too keen on him, but I thought he was great. I can see why some people may think he over-acts the part a bit, and maybe it�s because it�s my first time seeing it, but I thought he was very good. The Epilogue was great & he nailed the emotion perfectly, and his Bring Him Home was just excellent.

Norm Lewis as Javert:
As I already said about him, he had an OK start, but as it went on he got better. I don�t think he�s quite settled into the part yet as he did start later than everyone else but I think in time he will be a good Javert. He made the part his own. The only thing, again as I said in my earlier post, that I have to say about him is that in One Day More you could hardly hear him, especially at the part where Javert joins in singing his own part as everyone sings their own lines towards the end of the song.

Rebecca Seale as Fantine:
She was also very good. I hadn�t really seen much videos of Fantine or scenes involving her. Rebecca came across as a very timid & virtuous lady very well. Fantines death scene was moving and she and Simon Bowman worked very well at this part.

Martin Ball & Lorraine Bruce as The Th�nardiers:
Martin Ball and Lorraine Bruce were great. I hadn�t seen many videos with the Th�nardiers, and I wasn�t sure I�d like them but I loved them. They were both cast perfectly for this part, and they really bounce off each other in their scenes. When Madame Th�nardier is as at the inn speaking to little Cosette, Lorraines voice sounded really rough and was hard to understand (I don�t know if it�s like that all the time), but her facial expressions were priceless and spoke volumes for what she was saying. Martin Ball was also brilliant as Th�nardier. I don�t really have a lot to say about him as I spent most of the time watching Lorraine Bruce, but he was great. Beggars At The Feast was his best part I would say.


Killian Donnelly as Enjolras:
I�ve only seen videos of David Thaxton as Enjolras, so this is the only comparison I have to go on (I�m trying not to make this part a comparison post as Killian has made the part his own). He was great, he spoke/sang very clearly and you could feel the emotions that he was supposed to convey. He is very like David, but also very not like him, and I feel this is a good thing. He definitely looks like he is leading the students/people in this revolution & appears commanding at times. He was the best part of One Day More for me. He really has a powerful voice and was well chosen for this part. Hmm... can�t think of anything else I have to say about him.

Nick Jonas as Marius:
I wanted to dislike him, I really really did... but I couldn�t. I booked our tickets so that we wouldn�t be seeing him as Marius, and when it was announced is run was being extended I was disappointed, He was actually quite good. A little awkward & quiet at parts, like the scene where Eponine dies, as mm10 said... but it worked very well. I�m not sure if this is how he was told to play the part or not, but it seemed to work for him. He�s grown into the part a bit more now than from the recordings on Youtube from when he�d first started. Only three things that I really have to say about him. One is that he sounded American when he was singing, and it�s not a bad thing... but everyone else was singing without an accent and he was. Two is that it seemed those who had to touch Marius or fight with him were doing it with *care*, like he�s fragile. It wasn�t believable. Three is what I said earlier about Empty Chairs At Empty Tables, it�s too ballad sounding and his voice wasn�t strong enough for the deeper notes.

Lucie Jones Cosette:
I don�t really have a lot to say about her. From what mm10 said, I would say she seems to have grown into the part a bit more now. She was very good, and boy she could hit the high notes. She played Cosette as seeming quite naive, but going from the story Cosette has had a rather sheltered life.

Samantha Barks Epnonine:
I�ve only really seen videos of Nancy Sullivan in this role, so again, this is the only comparison I have. She was very good in this role, and plays it differently to Nancy, but she makes it her own. The only thing I have to say about her is that I didn�t really feel her love for Marius through her acting/body language. Her singing was great, and I feel that the more she plays the part the more she�ll grow into it. Again, I don�t really have a lot to say about her. She was good though.


Another few quick points:
*The weeping woman that people were speaking about, it�s been toned down a bit now.
*Red and Black seemed a bit shorter to me for some reason.
*The guns are freaking huge! I knew they were big from what I�d seen, but I didn�t expect them to be that big.
*Work Song was great, and Jeff had the strongest voice in the Ensemble.

The one thing I have to say that I was disappointed with is One Day More. This has to be my favourite song, and I never tire of listening to it. I just didn�t feel that it was such a powerful song in this performance. The videos I�ve seen of it, and the recordings I�ve heard of it really sound/look powerful & like everyone is really into what they are doing. But for some reason I just didn�t get this feeling from it. Simon Bowman and Killian Donnelly were the best parts of this song for me.


Sorry for the long review... but I hope you guys enjoyed it!
JointheCompany

righty well here we go, I'll start my review with the new principals then get on to other stuff.

Simon Bowman (Valean)

All right, he isn't new but he is new to me because I hadn't seen him before so that's why he's here rather than in a different section. I have heard many conflicting reports about him both positive and negative so I went in with as open a mind as possible. I can honestly say though that the next time I go, I really hope Jonathan is on because Simon's performance had more negative aspects than positives. First of all, he had a rather irksome habit of whispering at inapporiate times. Not necessarily on high notes either he first did it on "My name is Jean Valjean" which, given Norm Lewis was barking at him did sound wrong. Second, the really high notes (that is to say stuff like "Take an eye for an eye" sounded really forced like they were very hard for him to get or maybe even slightly out of his range so he simply forced them out which did not sound completely horrible but it didn't sound right. Fortunatley he didn't go for the top B in Who Am but he did crack on the A at the end of Bring Him Home so vocally he wasn't having a good day. Acting wise he was all over the place. He did the best Epilogue I have ever seen and his Confession as well as his Confrontation/Fantine's death scene was excellent. Then he would ruin it with things like his interactions with Little Cosette where he would constantly keep tapping her on the nose in a way that was supposed to look cute but quickly got annoying. Also, he is the only Valjean ever to have a gun in his hand whilst singing BHH which, I am sorry, is wrong. It is an emotional prayer to God! On the plus side his "flliight" was very good. I have never understood why, when he is stealing the silver quietly, he belts out a high note!! He didn't and kept it quieter which made sense (for me anyway).

Norm Lewis (Javert)

Being an avid fan of HPJ, Norm Lewis had some serious shoes to fill and boy did he fill 'em! First off, he set the right tone from the beginning. What HPJ would do was wait until the very last second to enter in the prologue which meant he had to practically run on at the start. For me, Javert should never run, he is always in control. He strides confidently because he always has an exact handle on the situation. Therefore, running on at the start didn't quite communicate that right away (though he only ran there and was fine thereafter). Norm Lewis however, walked on calmly whilst the constables were taking care of the convicts and barely looked at them as he sang "now bring me prisoner 24601". Something else I liked about him was the way he was a little more human than HPJ. There were times when HPJ looked a tad robotic on stage in as much as he never moved an inch when he wasn't talking (and sometimes even when he was talking). A good example to take her is his arrest of Fantine. When Fantine sings "if I go to jail she'll die" HPJ didn't move and was indifferent to her pleas. This worked well with his handle on the character but Norm very subtly moved his eyes downwards, only for a moment which meant he at least acknowledged her. Furthermore, and this I found hilarious, when he was doing the Confrontatio and Valjean came at him with the leg, he had his batton, pointed it at Valjean and put his other hand behind him in a "matrix-style" pose which I found hilarious. And he did the chaaaiin which I had missed since HPJ never did it! Additionally, I have never before been given chills by a Javert when he comes out for "Another Brawl" but boy, when he came out of the smoke I got chills! Indeed, his Stars got one of the biggest rounds of applause of the afternoon. My only criticism is the fact that he took the last line of his Suicide up the octave so it was the same as what Valjean sings during "What Have I Done". This I didn;t like, Javert is not the same as Valjean therefore his soliloquy should not be the same as Valjean's.

Sam Barks (Eponine)

I didn't watch much of I'd Do Anything so I had no preconceptions about her either good or bad. I was actually really surprised at how good she was. OMO was good and solid with no over acting (or at least not so much that it was a distraction) and her interactions with Marius were complimented by the great chemistry she seemed to have with Alistair. My only concern is her looks. She looks too young and I wasn't getting the street wise look from her. Her acting gave that but she looks to young and baby faced atm so perhaps make up will fix that. Also, has Eponine always worn leather gloves? I never noticed it on Nancy or Helen but Sam had some on, look like she was gonna go do some biking! But that's by the by.

Lucie Jones (Cosette)

Again, not a reality TV watcher so no preconceptions about her either. Put simply, she is the best Cosette I have seen, period. Usually Cosette bugs the hell out of me simply because she is so often played as a steretypical soprano who is in love and nothing more. Emily Bull certainly gave that impression (sorry Emily fans!) but there was more depth to her performance than I usually get from a Cosette. For example, during IML she didn't back off from VJ for "I'm no longer a child" she kept following him around and I really could feel this was a step-daughter angry at her step-father for once. Similarly, she was heartbreaking at the end. I have never before noticed what Cosette does during the end simply because that final chorus is so powerful but she drew me to her because of the way she reacted when reading the confession.

Kilian Donnelly (Enjolras)

All right he isn;t new but he is new to the role of Enjolras as a permanent player rather than an U/S. Simply great. Absolutely in control of the students, authoritive (sp?) yet compassionate in scenes such as Eponine's Death. Furthermore, the Final Battle was every bit as epic as David's was and he kept the gauntlets of power!!! Sorry for not being so detailed in him but, let's be honest, I don't think many people on here are unaware of how ace he is.

Others (principals who stayed on)

Alistair Brammer (Marius)

As I said to him at the stage door, it is good to have the proper Marius back. I don't want to get into a Nick Jonas rant because that is not the purpose of this review but having seen him and then seen Alistair four times Alistair is a million times better and he is consistent. You know where you are with Alistair he delivers exactly what you expect him to, he may chance a little here and there but it is always good. For instance, in Look Down and his bit with Eponine about "Hey Eponine what's up today" I got a sense of his being almost a little annoyed at her pestering him. Nothing major but just the way he sort of half glanced at her whilst talking to her. Very interesting. Also, his Empty Chairs was really moving as was his confession, there was a little disgust mingled in with the shock when he found out about Valjean's past.

Martin Ball (Thenardier)

What can I say? Having spoken to him on occasions after he is rapidly becoming my favourite. Just the way he can go from cheeky chappy (MOTH) to downright disgusting and abhorrent (The Sewers) to combining the two (The Wedding) is just how a Thenardier should be. Again, nothing much to say for him because he is consistently good. The same goes for Lorraine Bruce as Mrs. T. She isn't the best vocally but you know what you are going to get with her and she delivers consistently too.

Rebecca Seale (Fantine)

I am gonna be right up front at this stage and say that Fantine is very difficult in the sense that she is not my favourite character. There are other parts of the story that I find more enaging however she does do a very good job does Rebecca. Her IDAD is sometimes a little too powered by that I mean she belts a little too much but she does the "outcast" thing very well. In fact my only real gripe is that Little Cosette looked nothing like her, but that's hardly her fault now is it!


Right, that's about it from me but if anyone has any questions I will be more than happy to answer them!
pastaeater

Thank you both so much for your reviews - I have been longing for some more details about the new cast (and old hands too). I am absolutely desperate to go again - I especially want to see Killian's performance as Enjolras - but reading your takes on the performances will keep me going for a while until I can get back to London!
l'ivrogne transfigur�

Ugh. Eponine's gloves = tour influence.
Eppie-Sue

I hate Eponine's gloves. There is no reason why she should suddenly have them.

Also, never have they been so quick to update the website:
Some new photos are up. They kept the old ones that feature the cast members that have stayed (so you can still see Laura in the background of Rebecca's shot, and it's still Thomas as the body Thenardier is robbing... awkwardly enough, it says that it's Alistair as Marius, which is just all kinds of wrong), but most of them are new. I suppose the brochures should be out by now.

Once again, the lighting and the moment they captured in the slow motion picture is awful. Possibly even worse than the shot in the last brochure. (ETA: I'll take that back. Nothing can be worse than the lighting in last year's shot, truly. But the moment is very awkward.) Dylan looks completely identical to the former barricade picture, Killian is Very Blond Indeed (and there is something different about his vest, it looks very new and very clean), the One Day More picture is a bit too staged if you ask me, little William Edden as Gavroche looks like he's holding an umbrella in the slow motion shot which is hilarious, you can finally see Gavin properly in the Wedding, Lucie Jones's wig seems to be similar to Emily's but shorter... or is that her real hair...?
PureDiamondLight

Love the umbrella pic. perhaps he's preparing for a little fall of rain, heh.

And yes, I think that's Lucie's real hair. It certainly looks more natural than the ringlet wig.
Eppie-Sue

So, from what I gathered from Twitter, Bowman was off once again tonight, Jonathan was on, then had to go off because of a concussion (from what I've heard that happened to Sarich back in 2008, too, in a show where not only Jonathan had to go on, but Matthew Gent was scheduled to cover as Marius, Mark was on as Enjolras and they had to call in Chris Vincent for Thenardier, AFAIK, because there was no one else to do it, so Earl was the only male principal!), the show was halted and Simon took over 15 minutes in...
http://twitter.com/JPSmoker/status/20831297629
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/31sifq
Shows where a performer has to go off mid-show aren't necessarily fun to watch. Happened a few times last year, principal- and ensemble-wise, unfortunately. So it was either the "Due to the indisposition of..." announcement or a sudden "Why is Killian suddenly on stage? Who went off?"
PureDiamondLight

Ouch. I hope he's okay. Sad
beyondthebarricade

According to Simon's Twitter, he's alright and back at work.
Eppie-Sue

Simon has been on as Valjean a lot recently, and I know Jonathan was on a lot of times as well. I can't judge this properly as I'm not at the Queen's and I don't know the details, but that is absolutely not what it should be like, and it looks like this has been happening for the past two months (and obviously has actually been going on for the past half year!) and is anything but a short-term solution. It's only a matter of time until Killian has to go on again.
This of course also means that Courfeyrac is now the ultimate swing track, which is saddening, as Jonathan seems to be either on as Valjean or off sick. Besides all the honest concern about what is up with Bowman and how Jonathan is coping, surely this must change.
JointheCompany

Eppie Sue, I fully agree. Much as I sympathise with whatever is the matter with SB healthwise, the bottom line is he cannot cope with the role, period. It is morally irresponsible to have JW go on as often as he does when the part is having a toll on his vocal and physical health. What needs to happen is them getting rid of Bowman and either giving it to SS or recasting with someone who can commit to eight shows a week that are necessary.
Eppie-Sue

I like Simon Shorten a lot and I adore his Valjean, but he's not up to eight shows a week playing a principal role of this league. He's not vocally strong enough, and he struggles with the powerful passages.
Not knowing the details or having any kind of record about who has been going on when within the past two months, I don't want to say that they should get rid of Bowman, and even I, who could never warmed to his performance, feel like it's such a harsh decision to make. It would be better if there was a cast change arranged later, say, at the end of October, when it would be a year for him anyway. I just wish they had cast a new, fresh Valjean back in June to play the role continuously or with a scheduled performance off (like Shannon did) for which Jonathan and Simon could take turns.
And yes, it kind of annoys me that they can arrange all these special things for celebrities to come in for a few weeks and just take over a principal role and that they sort all that out, but there seems to be no organisation when it comes to stuff like this that, if I may say so, was brought up here on the forums four months ago.
JointheCompany

harsh or not the bottom line is this cannot go on. U/S are there to cover for holidays and unforseen short term sickness. Having spoken to JW he said he vocally couldn't do the part as the main guy 8 shows a week but, he has been practically doing that for quite some time now. Bowman obviously isn't a well guy and even when he is performing, he is less than impressive and so they need someone to be cast who is upto it full time. Having one show off wouldn't be a bad idea or, why not do what they do for Christine in Phantom, alternate. That might not be a bad idea.
mm10

JointheCompany wrote:
Having one show off wouldn't be a bad idea


According to his website he doesn�t do every other Monday � which is presumably why they have a 3rd cover

I was like everyone else when the forum went down and was checking every day to see if it was up and running again but within a day of it being up the Bowman bashing had started again. I decided then that I wasn�t going to post here anymore but I suspected that when Simon Shorten said he was on as JVJ yesterday and today that it would be another excuse for more shit stirring (sorry for being so blunt but that�s exactly what it is)

JointheCompany wrote:
U/S are there to cover for holidays and unforseen short term sickness.


That�s exactly what they are doing! Both Jeff and Lucie have spoken about being unwell so presumably something is going around. And JOJ was off with a throat infection while in Bristol and then took time off to do a concert in Wales followed by a holiday � does that mean he should get the sack too?


Perhaps we should start a separate thread for those people who want a good bitch and the rest of us can stay away from it?

Anyway � this really is my last post

mm10 signing off for good!!
hazellwood

Perhaps it isn't my place (and if it isn't, say so), but... this is not Simon Bowman bashing. It's a discussion. Bowman has shown he can't cope with the role-- and that is what is being discussed. If the posters above were mindlessly insulting Bowman for reasons unrelated to his performance, THAT would be bashing. But this isn't bashing. Perhaps negative discussion, but it's still discussion.
JointheCompany

mm10 - Way to misread the situation. It is not bitching because it is the truth. JOJ being off sick breifly because of a sore throat is why they have U/S, even Jeff or Lucie being ill is what U/S are there for but with SB it is completely different. He has been ill for the best part of six months now and the situation shows no sign of being fixed. THAT is when action needs to be taken because it is taking a toll on JW and SS who are constantly having to cover for him.
Eppie-Sue

mm10 wrote:
I suspected that when Simon Shorten said he was on as JVJ yesterday and today that it would be another excuse for more shit stirring (sorry for being so blunt but that�s exactly what it is)

I hope you realise that this is absolutely not true.
I'll put myself out there and say that if David had prolonged his contract before his accident and back injury happened and therefore had probably have struggled with the physical demands of the part, which is fairly likely, then I would have expected them to find a solution for that, too. Thankfully that wasn't the case - thankfully for him, most of all, so my posts were primarily about Bowman's health (he was, after all, off for eight weeks in spring and after that could only perform about a third of the shows each week, if anything) and the sake of the show. It is not good for a production to constantly have understudies going on for a particular role.
And I'm not sure how Simon Bowman not performing on Mondays has anything to do with Killian, to be honest, as they didn't have Killian listed as a third cover when David Shannon did the same. And you know, Shannon was off sick a lot, too. Which is why it was probably good for him that he left four months into the 09/10 season.

I disagree with what JointheCompany has been saying because they are assuming things - I can NOT say for sure that Bowman has been off for the majority of the last two months, but it seems to me like he has because I've heard from friends and have noticed over twitter that Jonathan and Simon are on as Valjean quite a lot of times and was there in May and June to see him struggling with the part and constantly losing his voice. That is a worrying situation and has nothing to do AT ALL with our opinion about an actor's performance on stage. The same would apply to everyone else, as stated above, so don't put our genuine concern for his health and of course for the good of the show as bitching by acting like you're seeing everything remotely relating to Simon Bowman through rose-coloured glasses. If he's not well, surely it must be in your interest, too.
Orestes Fasting

Do we know whether Bowman signed on to be Valjean until Cast Change 2011, or if it's possible he's only in for a few more months? Since he came in last fall, it could be that he just wanted to do a full year in the show and he'll be leaving in October. And since this October is special, I wouldn't be particularly surprised if they had another mini cast change either just before or just after the 25th anniversary.

In any case, this is obviously not a situation that's tenable long-term. If neither the principal nor any of the understudies are up to doing eight shows a week, something has to change--and Bowman hasn't been up to doing eight shows a week for months. We are long past the point where they should've worked out an official or semi-official alternate system.
JointheCompany

Eppie Sue - What am I assuming may I ask? I simply stated the facts.
Eppie-Sue

I wasn't aware that you knew for a fact that he has indeed been off for the best part of the last two months, too. If that's the case and you can safely say that he has missed most of his performances lately, my mistake. But so far, I can only say for sure that he was off for most of March - May/June.
JointheCompany

welll all I can go on is what I got told at the stage door on 31st July. Killians words were "he has been off alot lately" now that says there is a problem.
Eppie-Sue

That only says what we knew anyway, that he has been off a lot. I don't mean to split hairs, I just want to make sue we're not calling assumptions or interpretations of what we get from twitter or from remarks like that facts. But of course I think everyone agrees that if it's still not any better than it was in May and June, then it's a deconstructive and damaging situation for everyone involved. I can ony hope for them to sort it out as soon as possible, but when it came to cast change, everyone seems to have been pre-occupied with the celebrities and big names coming in and all that.
JointheCompany

oh sure, we do need to be careful. Unfortunatley, what with the 25th anniversary coming up this is liable to get brushed aside till later as the preparations for that get underway. In a way what I wish would happen would be for Alife Boe to be brought in at least then he, as a high tenor, could cope with it and get some experience. Of course, he may not need that and that would be a short term thing but it is one option. The next time I go see the show I really hope Jonathan is on!
Quique

Since you're all so concerned about the well-being of the show, has anyone seen it enough lately to know for a fact it is suffering because of his absences? I'm aware that the two covers seem to not be up for that many covers but are they pulling through OK and keeping up or is there anyone who has seen first hand a slip in quality?

I think everyone should be careful about assuming these types of things no matter how certain they may seem. There could've been a special arrangement sorted out that nobody on the outside knows about. Or maybe he's going through serious personal issues and will soon do the right thing and bow out to take care of them. Maybe it's just a recurring common cold. Who knows? And nobody should repeat stuff the actors say about this at the stage door on a public forum.
Orestes Fasting

I don't know, but all three Valjeans seemed to be under quite a bit of vocal strain at cast change weekend. I hope they've all had a chance to recover since then.
Quique

Totally remembered the Shorten headbanging incident (er, sounds kinda gross, lol). How is he doing?

Oh my God, less than two weeks before I leave for London. I don't think it will sink in until I've finally taken my seat before the show. Till then, I'll likely be in a numbed, huh? state, lol.

I've been waiting for this since I was only a lil' 6-year old showtune queen who'd bore his friends with videos of Les Miserables: Stage By Stage.
Eppie-Sue

It was Jonathan who had hit his head, not Simon, actually, but Simon tweeted a day later that he was okay and back on stage.
And I think everyone here who was around before cast change when this went on for months knows enough about the strain it put on Jonathan's and Simon's voices and has experienced the situation to have an opinion. I was saying that IF nothing about that has changed, then they need to find a solution. Because it's irresponsible to run a show with understudies doing the vast majority of performances for half a year. It might have improved in the last two months, I don't know anything about that, but it's just that I am constantly hearing about Jonathan or Simon being on.
hilz_72

Quique wrote:
Totally remembered the Shorten headbanging incident (er, sounds kinda gross, lol). How is he doing?

Oh my God, less than two weeks before I leave for London. I don't think it will sink in until I've finally taken my seat before the show. Till then, I'll likely be in a numbed, huh? state, lol.

I've been waiting for this since I was only a lil' 6-year old showtune queen who'd bore his friends with videos of Les Miserables: Stage By Stage.


I hope you enjoy your trip and the show, I was in that sort of "huh?" state before I got to see it as well Very Happy
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