Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| bigR |
Another London review!A review that I promised long ago and it's probably going to end up being absurdly long.But I'm afraid this cast deserves it. Because I enjoyed it so much. Even the performers I didn't really like. No, really, I don't know how they are doing since Drew left, but the two performances I watched in november were wonderfully passionate. I have complained before about how the past london cast seemed to sleep walk through the show, but this one is totally different. And since I complained so much London deserves a new long review now that things have changed so much. So: Les Mis�rables. West End. 5 nov. 08 (evening) and 8 nov. (evening). Yes, twice. Because in spite of buying our tickets two months in advance, our sits for Drew�s last performance were on row J of the Dress Circle. Too far away. But then I found a last minute 20% off row B in the Stalls for the previous Wednesday evening. So. The last two times I had seen the show it had been from the middle stalls and it had been ages (literally) since I watched it so close or so far away from the stage. I wouldn�t recommend row B for a first timer, since you can scarcely take in the big crowd scenes, but I loved it. After that Saturday dress circle sits felt definitely too far away and removed from the action, even in such a tiny theatre as the Queens, but always looking on the bright side of things: I had nearly forgotten how wonderful the lighting of the show was, and that�s something you can fully appreciate only from some distance. Also, totally different audience. Wednesday half the audience was tourists going to see a random famous show because they were in London, while Saturday evening it was 95% British audience/fans of the show/Drew Sarich fans. Anyway, let�s go on with a review with a the review crowded with superlative epithets and guilty pleasures: Valjean (Drew Sarich): well, it is not a secret that I adore Drew�s Valjean *hides away from lesmisforever*, so it is not a surprise if I say that I loved him. I found his Valjean as refreshing and strong, and intense, as the first time I saw him, although of course, this time his performance didn�t have the surprise factor it had for me back in April. Also, since this time the rest of the cast was much stronger he didn�t stand up that much and his Valjean felt more integrated into the show, if you know what I mean. I also got the feeling that his performance had evolved over the past months and it had become a little bit more classical. For instance Drew�s voice seemed to have lost some of his drewness. His voice is always very distinctive, but sometimes, when you expected a certain note to sound specially drewish, it just sounded classical Valjean (I don�t know if that makes sense). Anyway, he remains my favorite Valjean ever, and even if I perfectly understand why some people hate his acting choices (I�m not so sure I like them all myself), I think we can agree that at least he�s the only one in 23 long years who hasn�t cloned Colm Wilkimson? Javert (Earl Carpenter): Amazing. Probably, the best Javert I�ve ever seen live (I even had a few moments of �this must be a sacrilege of sorts, but I think I like him better than Quast�). Very calm and dignified. Earl�s Javert is an honorable civil servant who is fulfilling his duty, not some angry obsessed policeman. And he has such a deep, beautiful voice, and it fits Javert�s score so perfectly, that sometimes it felt as if the role had been written for him. Sometimes he simply spoke his lines instead of singing them, even in Stars, but it just felt right, and gave his character some more poise. And I loved the way he rolled his �r�s. Fantine (Allyson Brown): definitely the weakest link in the show. I hate having to be hard against anyone from this cast because they were amazing together, but my not liking her isn�t just a question of taste. Her voice didn�t stand up to the requirements of the role, and this was made even more evident when compared with the rest of the singers. I dreamed a dream was painful. Brown is not a belter, she shouted most of her should-had-been-belted lines, and she was easily off-key. However, by the middle of Lovely Ladies I started to like her. Probably because now there was an excuse for her rough poor voice, and I could imagine it was an acting choice. But also because I really liked her acting. She was broken down and rough, and very angry with the major, but also very vulnerable and sincere. And if a Fantine manages to really move me during her dialogue with the major, I�m ready to forgive a lot of things. Th�nardier (Jimmy Jonhston): I don�t like it when the Th�nardiers are too clownish or when they try to be over the top funny, but Jonhston�s was probably the soberest Th�nardier I�ve seen. If we don�t count the wedding , I think that he only had two moments when he tried to be funny, one during the bargaining and another one when he asks Javert to let him go. He was a calm scheming Th�nardier, and something I really liked, a resentful Th�nardier. A man who never thinks he�s gotten what he deserves, especially after Valjean takes Cosette away. Sometimes he was on the verge of being bland, and he could have been a little bit more creepy, specially in DED, but I liked him and his take on the character. Madame Th�nardier (Jackie Marks): Another interesting take on the character. Jackie�s Madame is not the usual violent ogress. Instead, she seems a �desperate housewife� who simply hates her life and can�t take it anymore, and from the moment she appears on stage you feel that someone should run to the chemist and get some Prozac and give it to that poor desperate woman. I really liked it. Because, yes, Hugo describes the character as some kind of ogress with raw animal instincts, and it is perfectly canon to portray her like that, but we rarely get to see the frustrated woman inside, the silly woman who reads romantic novels and names her girls �ponine or Azelma. Marius (Jon Robyns): this is tricky. Because I absolutely loved him, BUT at the same time he was the less marius-like Marius I�ve ever seen. Actually, from the very beginning I got the impression that what I was watching was not a Marius, but rather a Courfeyrac-in-love. And in some twisted way, this was a wonderful thing because I don�t like Marius, but I adore Courfeyrac. And so, I just had to focus on ignoring the fact that everybody was calling that guy in black Marius, and I ended up watching a production of Les Mis where Courfeyrac had a leading role and survived the barricade  . Really, I�m not being ironic. I really enjoyed Robyn�s stage presence and his Marfeyrac. In Look Down he was incredibly enthousiastic, even more than Enjolras. He was a revolutionary who believes in his cause through and through, a man of action, not a dreamy boy who plays revolutionary. Robyns acts like someone who� is sure of himself and is fun to have around, and he�s never clumsy (well, just in AHFOL), or shy, or intimidated by �ponine, Grantaire or Enjolras. For instance, in Red and Black he doesn't walk in a dreamy stupor. He is excited and happy, but "real", and the "Is Marius in Love at Last?" gets a different meaning. You don't get the idea that the pretty unknown girl is the first woman he's ever looked at but it feels as if Marius was someone with a little more experience of love and life, a playboy who's finally fall in love.
Enjolras (David Thaxton): I have mixed feelings about him too. Because his performance was really strong. He gave an outstanding, brilliant �they will come when we call�, an electric �until the earth is free�, and he was very charismatic, someone you would trust and follow to the barricades. He had an amazing energy, and he was very convincing as a leader, but at the same time he never reminds you of a GI Joe Enjolras. He also is very warm, and encouraging, and close, and caring. Which makes him a good leader, but a leader that is quite far away from book!enjolras. So, I guess that I could say that Thaxton gives a brilliant and enjoyable performance of a charismatic barricade leader who happens to be called Enjolras, but is not really him. Cosette (Leanne Dobinson): now, what�s happening with the Cosettes? Years ago, Cosette was that bland role nobody seemed able to do anything with, but lately we keep getting really good Cosettes everywhere. Leanne Dobinson is fantastic on the role. Her looks are perfect, she is petite and she has this incredibly pretty doll face, and I love her voice, and how youthful she sounds. And I know I am using way too many superlatives on this review, but I adored her acting. She is lively and cheerful, and curious, and a little bit mischievous, and when she is trying to cheer Marius up, after ECAET, she manages not to look like a little woman with an empty head who doesn�t understand what he�s going through. Who said nothing good could come from tv contests? �ponine (Nancy Sullivan): I�ve read rave reviews about her but I didn�t like her that much. I don�t have any complaints about her voice, but as much as I try I can�t come around to like her acting. She plays tomboy �ponine. She is �one of the boys�. Energetic and active, and brusque, and even a little bit of a brute. She is a street-wise Joe from Little Women or a George from the Famous Five. And I guess this helps the audience understand why Marius sees her as a pal, and not as the pretty woman she is, but she has nothing of the ghostly presence of book �ponine and that's a shame. OMO was the best part of her performance because although she played it angry, you could finally see sadness and pain and fragility. ALFOR on the other hand was weird and a little bit frenetic. It didn�t seem like she was dying or even hurt, until the very end. And I still have a lot of mental notes about the show, about some of the remaining performances (I don�t forget the best Montparnasse ever, Loony) and some other things I need to get out of my system. I promise they are coming soon� |
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| Quique |
Wonderful review. Thanks!
*Wants to go to London sooo bad* |
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| Catherine |
I agree. Like, a lot. Earl was fantastic, loved him, Drew was, well you know, I really loved Thaxton, I agree about his warmness, but he was still a really commanding leader and his voice was stunning. Robyns, yeah, I liked him, I think he was very Marius-like in ALFOR, he was really asctually awkward and that's what Marius would bwe like, IMO. Urgh Allyson. Not a fan of her shouting either. Y'know, I thought Johnston was pretty hammy, he annoyed me in the robbery, and I preferred Chris Vincent. But yeah, I agree with you on almost all points, I guess we saww the same show! Again! Haha. =] | ||||||||||||||||||
| bigR |
ehem... I have to admit that I didn't pay too much atention to the Th�nardiers during the robbery, since I was focusing on Marius, Cosette and Montparnasse. So, maybe you're right. Too many things going out at the same time during the Paris scenes to take in everything
I agree about Robyn's Marius in ALFOR. Yes, he acts like a real marius there... but otherwise, he is Courfeyrac. Which I love. I also agree about Thaxton. As a member of the audience who doesn't necesarily know the Brick, I want an Enjolras who seems a leader and makes me want to go to the barricades and fight. And Solemn Enjolrati don't always manage to do it. Some actors can pull it off. Aaron Lazar and Freek Bartels are two wonderful close to the book Enjolrati, but other actors who have attempted it ended up looking stiff, boring or bland. Or they simply disapear among the barricade boys, unable to stand out. As an audience I much prefer a warm but alive Enjolras, who makes me live the barricade scenes over a stiff dead one. Which just reminds me (this is shameful, poor guy, how can i have forgotten him???), that on wednesday i didn't see Thaxton but his understudy, Mark Dugdale, who played a prettier, more aloof Enjolras (he reminded me a lot of Oliver Thornton), and didn'ta do anything wrong that I am able to remember but apparently lacked both presence and strengh, because he didn't leave a strong impression in my mind. Shame on me 
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| bigR |
Second part of the review (I told you it was LONG):
Notes on act 1 -First thing first: Drew�s been working out. No, really. Do you remember how he was all thin and lank and didn�t look like at all like Valjean? Well, now he does. We still were at the very first lines of the Chain Gang when my friend leaned over me and asked: he didn�t have those arms back in April, didn�t he? Well, no, he certainly didn�t 
- I absolutely loved the way Drew tried to give back the candlesticks to the bishop on Wednesday evening. It was like: �Too much trouble, dude. Keep your bloody candlesticks, and stop lecturing me, ok? It�s not worth it�, which totally remainded me of Javert�s �Vous m�ennuyez, tuez-moi pl�tot� at the barricade -Richard Woodford (Foreman/Grantaire) is one of the few remaining people from the previous cast. He still plays this wonderful vulgar and horny foreman, but you know, one thing is to pretend to be taking advantage of Fantine, and another thing is to grope and rub on her backside the way he does. You sure you�re not having a little too much fun with the role, Richard?
-Fantine�s voice: what�s up with CamMack and why does he hate Fantine so much? It wasn�t enough he butchered Come to Me, now he wants to destroy IDAD. He keeps on casting Daphne Rubin-Vega lookalikes, and even if they aren�t as bad as she was, they all are ex-Rent Mimis and have the same physical appearance, and the same rough and poor voice. Allyson Brown does as much as she can with the gifts nature has given her, but still� IDAD used to be a beautiful song. Why are you doing this Cameron, WHY???? -Drew looks so indulgent and blas� when he steps in to save Fantine! This is probably one of the things lesmisforever hates, but I love how he looks so full of himself, like someone who thinks �I�m so good, and caring, and such a big benefactor, let�s do another good deed with that poor woman�, and when she starts looking at him with hate and accusing him he is all benevolent, as if he wasn�t really listening to her and he was thinking, �poor crazy woman, she talks nothing but nonsense, but I�ll take care of her nonetheless because I am Madelaine, and I am GOOD, and that�s what I do�, until the truth of what�s happened suddenly sinks in. I really like it because you can see how although Valjean has changed and he has become a good man, he hasn�t gone through any real trial yet, and he has still much to suffer and learn, and a lot of sacrifices to do to reach redemption. He is not yet the Valjean he will be at the end of the show. -Lesmisforever probably hates this too, but now Drew makes the audience laugh during his exchange with Javert after the runaway cart. Earl�s Javert is very calm and humble, he doesn�t seem accusing or suspecting at all, but Drew dissimulation is a bit parodic, with all this obliging smiles� -Who am I never gets any applauses because the end of the song is embedded on come to me and you really don�t get a chance to cheer. But on Saturday Drew was playing for an already sold-out audience, so he got his ovation even if the beginning of come to me got lost
-Confrontation was beyond words. And I publicly offer my firstborn to anyone who can provide a bootleg with earl and drew's confrontation (or even a clip of earl doing confrontation with someone else, you can see that I am not too demanding). -I believe that Little Cosette was played by Shannon Williams both evenings (cute, nice singer, and very good actress!) but I can't be sure because the bloody program they sell for �1000 doesn�t provide a single photo of the kids. -The two posh travelers are always fun to watch during master of the house but they no longer give each other longing looks and they don�t end up sitting together and holding hands in total gay abandon. Shame. -Instead of calling Cosette, Colette, Th�nardier completely forgets her name and after an uncomfortable silence, Madame Th�nardier has to step in whispering �Cosette�. -Very nice touch: after Valjeans leaves the Inn with Cosette, while Madame Th�nardier dances, Th�nardier remains silent and thoughtful, and you can see than he is already regretting having let go of the girl that easily. -Look down: I�ll never have enough eyes to take in everything that happens during look down. It usually is interesting enough by itself but here the cast was doing so many wonderful things that I really didn�t know where to look. It was stressful, because I was like: � I can�t keep my eyes off Montparnasse, but I don�t want to miss Enjolras entrance, and look at the kids playing in the vaulted niche above me, and the whore hitting on Brujon, and �ponine hiding there, and who�s that man with the mask, and� what, it is over, I didn�t have time to catch anything!� So, one thing at a time: -The Gavroches were was just blah. Cute kids, not acting abilities whatsoever. Forgettable, and anyway, I don�t even know their names. -Has there always been a man with a sort of hangman mask at the very beginning of Look Down? When I first saw him I thought he could be Claquesous and that made me internally squee internally, but everything was too fast, so I don�t really know. -Now, Montparnasse. You know how everybody pays a special attention to Montparnasse because of Loony? Well you didn�t have to pay a special attention to this Montparnasse because he was a real stand-out by itself. Oh, my god, those poses! It was as if he couldn�t walk or stand or look like a normal person. When he moved he already behaved with affectation, with a deliberate slow walk and an arm behind his back, very dandish. But when he stayed still or frozen, during Javert�s arrival! I don�t think I would be able to describe the exaggerated poses without drawing them. To give you a clue, Myron�s Discobolus would have looked natural at his side. And the looks he throwed at Marius! From the moment �ponine first approaches him he is looming in the background, all jealous looking and menacing, and he keeps watching him all the time afterwards, and their face to face during the robbery seems more a little bit like an �I�m a tougher guy than you� fight, which is fun. -Robyns�s reaction when �ponine takes his books is great. He is not intimidated at all by her, and he isn�t even remotely flirty. Actually he�s more worried about looking around to make certain that no one has seen how she�s taken his books, and how he�s humiliatingly running after her, and, how �I�m not looking like a sissy, am I?�, and you can see that he is annoyed, and he doesn�t know how to take back his belongings, because she is girl after all, and he is a gentleman, and he can�t just snatch them off his hands, can he? -Love, love, love, Cosette and Marius from the moment they meet till the moment Cosette runs away, with Marius leaning on walls, and looking at her with that stricken but flirting attitude, and how he looks at Cosette and straights his waistcoat before going to speak to Javert, showing off, as if saying �look what a true man does�, and coquettish Cosette trying to get a better look at him while Valjean is trying to drag her out of the stage. -Stars was perfection. Earl is fierce and commanding whenever he needs to but then he becomes all reflexive for the beginning of Stars and he nearly talks instead of singing the first lines, which gaves the song a very introspective quality, but his talking voice is so beautiful that it feels like singing. It was simply beautiful. Huge ovation at the end. -The Amis: do you remember how some of us complained about the boring London barricade boys and their, �oh, well, a revolution, do we really have to go?� attitude. Well, that�s history. The male ensemble of the current cast is wonderful and it really shows at the ABC scene. No more boring revolutionaries. This guys are riotous and exalted, and it does feel as if what they need is calming down and an Enjolras who can control them, not further encouraging. He actually has to make them shut up before he can start singing DYHTPS. They keep shouting and talking to each other all the time, and they are noisy, and happy, and although Prouvaire lifts his head from time to time to see what is going on around, he keeps writing poetry during the whole caf� scene, and someone else (Joly?)complaints in a loud voice about how he�s got something in his eye, and Feuilly looks angelic with that curly blond hair, and his so happy, and I would love to see his Marius� Only complaints: unexisting Combeferre and the returning of �Marius and Enjolras are best pals�. About, Combeferre I don�t know if it is sbecause he is one of the two cast members remaining from the previous cast, or because he is so riotous in all his small ensemble roles that he wants to go unnoticed as Combeferre, or because he wants to play it calmer than the other boys� (but you know, one thing is calm, and a different thing is �undistinguisable from a piece of furniture�). He didn�t even try to stop his friends from shooting Javert. After the great interactions of Rotterdam Combeferre and Enjolras it is a shame to see how the nerdy boy has been replaced by a species I thought was already extinguished: Enjolras�s-best-friend-Marius with an added nuance: �we are the two leaders and we are going to be fighting for power all the show long�. -The caf�: quite a different Red and Black, thanks to Marfeyrac. When he comes to the caf� he seems anxious to talk about what�s just happened to him, he grabs Joly and Grantaire and starts telling about Cosette and he only looks annoyed when Grantaire starts telling everyone what he�s just confided. Also, when Enjolras finishes his red and black bit, Marius doesn�t look shy or intimidated. Instead he grabs Enjolras angrily by the arm and makes him listen to his own red and black! -Richard Woodford (who�s the other remaining member from the past cast) is still playing Grantaire, but thank God he has stopped making fun of Enjolras during Red and Black as he did last year (I guess you don�t mock Thaxton as easily as Baruwa ). I loved his �---- off, you must be kidding! Why did he had to die now, when we were having so much fun?� faces when Gavroche announced Lamarque�s death. -In DYHTPS they have a similar blocking than Rotterdam, when Enjolras stops to wait for Grantaire and ask him whether he is joining them or not. The difference is that here it is Grantaire who goes after Enjolras like a puppy, and then Enjolras stops and grabs his head, and cuddles him, and then offers his hand, and of course Grantaire takes it and then Enjolras throws his arm around him and they both go marching together, which is� weird? - My favorite Jon Robyns moment by far: we all know how AHFOL is always done clumsy and funny, but since the stress is always on the �A heart full of love� I�m doing everything all wrong� it was becoming a bit repetitive. Well, Robyns does this clumsily although not as shy as other Marii, but the funniest part is �Cosette I don�t know what to say�, because he starts delivering that line so full of confidence and enthusiasm, as if he had something really urgent to say �COSETTE!!...�, and then he suddenly stops, and with the silliest voice ever he adds.. �I don�t know what to say� as if he had just realized it. I guess Avenue Q shows here (in a good way) and the line comes out hilarious. - �ponine literally kicks ass. When she is protecting the Plumet gate she really holds everybody at bay, and at some point she even jumps in the air, buffy-like and kicks Montparnasse on the crotch, which left me wide eyed (oh, no, she is super-�ponine, now the teenagers are going to be even madder about her), until I forced myself to think that the kick could be considered a savate technique and thus, not totally out of place� and, you know, maybe some of the low class women knew a little bit of savate� Oh, god who do I want to kid? It was so wrong� ( and Loony: you should have seen Montparnasse little jumps as he runs with the other Patron-Minette. He was nearly a caricature of Montparnasse, actually, but he was so fun�) Clothes department. Someone explain me this three things: -why does Bossuet keep dressing with that baby pink anachronistic jacket? Sureley some of his friends could lend him something decent? -why does the London production always have an unnamed student dressed up as a Hungarian Hussard? -why can�t they stop messing with Enjolras�s waistcoat? Because first, he looks hotter in black than in any of the alternate colors you keep on experimenting with; second, back helps telling him apart from the other students, and third; the contrast with the red vest makes his apparerance in ODM even more powerful. So, please, someone give Enjolras back his black waistcoat, please! |
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| lesmisloony |
I squee upon all these things! Like. Seriously, I couldn't stop laughing at the idea of "COSETTE! ...I don't know what to say?" THAT's the kind of change this show needs. And of course, the idea of that Montparnasse is what REALLY makes me want to see this like burning. He sounds like the kind of thing that would make me flail and confuse all the people around me. Though the crotch-kicking thing is a little off for Eponine and kind of annoys me. COSETTE! ...I don't know what to say? I LOVE THAT. |
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| bigR |
Yep. It is brilliant. Specially when accompanied by Jon's wonderful stupidiest smile. |
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| Vanessa20 |
This may sound repetative (both from people about London and from me about every production on the planet), but..
I wish I could see this!!! Judging by the reviews I've read, I've felt like the London production hasn't had a really outstanding cast for the past three or four years. But now it sounds like it's getting back on its feet.
Randal Keith used to do that. Nice touch.
I once read an interview with a Valjean actor- I don't remember his name -who said that he always played this scene as if Valjean were interceding more to humiliate Javert than out of sympathy for Fantine, until he realized his role in Fantine's troubles. Do you think Drew was playing it that way, or was he just a little self-righteous?
That sounds interesting. It sounds like it might be a more natural lead in to the whole Valjean-hating/"I let her go for a song" sentiment of Thenardier's Paris scenes then the usual celebrating/fighting with wife over the money.
I have to start paying more attention to Montparnasse. I haven't seen the show enough times since I started posting here to be a real convert.
What Marius has ever been intimidated by Eponine? I've never seen that (and I hope I don't any time soon).
The unexisting Combeferre is too bad (especially since Dan Bogart's Combeferre was my favorite Ami in the Broadway revival), but personally, I've never minded the "Marius and Enjolras are best pals" interpretation. I know it's against the Brick, but since the musical has Marius actually choose to fight at the barricade instead of following Cosette to England (unlike in the Brick where he can't follow her and goes to the barricade to die), a strong bond with Enjy can help the audience understand why.
I want to see this.
Oh well. Better a kickass tough-as-nails Eponine than a cutesy spunky ingenue Eponine.
What color was it this time? |
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| Catherine |
Kinda greeny patterned. I wonder when this cast is leaving? If they stay for the summer, you know what's going to happen, yes Loony? And I'd like to see what the new Valjean is like, seeing as I've only seen Drew | ||||||||||||||||||
| bigR |
Because this review wasn't long enough !
Notes on the second act This is going to be less chronological and more mixed up, I�m afraid, but they are a couple of things I really need to get out of my system, so bear with me. So, notes on second act: -Yes, Drew made the audience laugh when he read Marius�s letter. And, yes I laughed along. Come on, some comic relief before the cascade of deaths, doesn�t hurt anybody! -Thaxton�s Enjolras looks so happy when they are building the barricade. He actually doesn�t stop smiling and clasping hands and shoulders since Gavroche brings the news of Lamarque�s death in the first act. And he is so encouraging and he has such a powerful voice , and such a cute smile that it is impossible not to like him, no matter what he does with the role. Really. You want the revolution to succeed just so that he can keep on being that happy. - What is it with all these �ponines who sing ALFOR sitting up, and bursting with energy as if they weren�t deadly wounded? I liked Jon Robyns reactions to Nancy�s death though. He looked scared, partly because the poor girl was dying, of course, and partly because she really was out of control, and he tried to seek help more than once. For instance, when Grantaire approaches them it is Jon who tells him to hurry and call the others and get help. Oh, and Catquesous, I�ve changed my mind. I think that he still is Marfeyrac here. I mean, Courfeyrac would probably also feel lost in such a situation, wouldn�t he? On wednesday �ponine died just when she was about to try to kiss Marius, but on Saturday there was a full kiss between them. And a marius-marius would have tried to at least pull back, wouldn�t he?
-BHH and Drew. You know how I said before that his performance had changed a somehow these past months? From what I�ve seen it looks as if Drew started to work on his Valjean when he was still in Broadway, reached the most personal version by last spring and evolved lately towards a slightly more classical Valjean. He has changed a lot of small things over the months. Now, he is less angry than he was, and he�s lost some of his ticks (like a nervous gesture he used to do with his fingers every time Valjean had to face a difficult decision), and he is sweeter with Cosette. One of this changes affect BHH, because he used to sing it more angrily, as if he resented Marius in spite of praying for his life. And is a shame, because it was so canon and I really loved it. But I also like what he does now. Drew�s Valjean talks a lot to God during the whole show (one of his new things is that he falls on his knees in the middle of the soliloquy, and prays and really asks God what to do), but in BHH he really has a conversation with him. He isn�t just praying, but actively bargaining with him for the live of Marius. Word by word. I am going to miss him so much, when faced with the future hordes of saintly Valjeans praying to the void  �.
And of course, the song seems as effortless as ever when he signs it. -I really don�t know what to say about Earl Carpenter. It�s kind of unfair because I loved him so much, but I don�t seem to find anything to say but �he was fantastic� which isn�t very descriptive, isn�t it? But he was. Fantastic, I mean. -At the wedding, Gavin James, who had been asleep during his Combeferre track, did an hilarious butler, exaggeratedly gay, and when Th�nardier signs �that one�s a queer�, and then the girl dancing with said queer stands him up in the middle of the dance floor, Gavin looks as if he was mad with joy, and tries to jump over him, and the other butler has to grap him, and drag him to prevent him for doing so. -Clothes department: since when does Enjolras wear black leather wristbands? -E/R and barricade rant. I like Enjolras. I like Grantaire. I like E/R. And I never thought I would complain about excessive Enjolras/Grantaire cuddling. But really. Sometimes it was like: �All right, you�re doing it, we get it. But can�t you at least TRY to hide it from your friends?� Because, first there was the DYHTPS scene. Then, when they are building the barricade and Grantaire starts with his �dogs will bite��, Bossuet gets pissed and confronts him, and then Enjolras steps in between and has another very gentle and caring �moment� with R. Third, after �ponine�s death, there was the stupid blocking we keep getting in Europe, when Enjolras tries to approach Marius to comfort him, and then an accusing and commanding Grantaire steps in between, and you can read in his face: �don�t dare going near him after what�s just happened because of you and your revolution� and then Thaxton steps back looking frustrated and angry. I mean: Grantaire imposing himself over Enjolras? And the subliminal message, �this is a silly game and it�s going to end badly and you should have known better?� 
And then after the first attack, when Bossuet shouts �Look how the turn and run�, Grantaire goes to him, and shouts his �and so the war was won� very angry and accusing, like meaning �do you really think you�ve won? You�re a bunch of morons!� . Lucky that the more understanding Enjolras ever is there to calm him again. Then comes cuddling chapter four. Drink with me, and Woodford singing his lines as if he was absolutely terrified and in the point of totally breaking down, and Thaxton comes down from the barricade and kneels beside him, and then they hug for a long while, and he caresses Grantaire�s head, and then Woodford takes his bottle and presses it against Thaxton chest, and Thaxton looks confused, but Woodford keeps insisting, until it becomes more or less clear that R has decided to get his act together and he is quitting booze, and then there is some more serious cuddling between them, and Enjolras leaves, and then Marius starts pestering Grantaire with his problems with Cosette, and Woodford gets up and crosses to the other side of the stage while Thaxton keeps watching him intently from the barricade. And from this moment Grantaire becomes something like Enjolras�s right hand. And God knows he needs a right hand because his barricade is a complete chaos. Do you remember how I said that I loved these new London Amis because they were so enthusiast, and alive, and riotous and exalted about the revolution thing and they needed a leader who could control them? Well, glad that Grantaire and Valjean are there. Seriously. Because when I saw the show on Wednesday with Mark Dugdale as Enjolras I sincerely thought that his barricade was out of control because maybe it was one of his first shows and he was a bit lost, and the reason why Grantaire and Valjean were the ones putting some order there was that Richard Woodford and Drew had been there longer than most of the cast members and they were helping him out. Sorry, Mark, now I know that it wasn�t your fault. Because everything happened exactly the same way on Saturday. Which means that the barricade chaos was obviously orchestrated. So, they are all fighting the final battle when Grantaire (yes, Grantaire who�s gotten hold of a gun and is at the barricade with the rest of them), discovers that they don�t have any ammunition left, and then Marius volunteers to go and pick army bullets, and he and Enjolras get into a testosterone fight about it, and then Valjean tries to separate them, and half the barricade is freaking out and shouting while Grantaire tries to calm them down� So really, no wonder that nobody noticed Gavroche jumping to the other side! And there we had the final attack and a wonderful �rise� by Thaxton, and cuddling chapter five, because seriously, David, your human Enjolras is cute, but you�re supposed to care about the whole barricade. Nevertheless when Marius gets shots he comes down, and kneels besides him, and he stays like forever besides him and Grantaire (more cuddling between them both), and I swear that Valjean has to come and snatch him from there and push him towards the barricade, and then he dies and bloody hell, he does Baruwa coming back thing!, raising a hand from the other side as if hoping that someone would drag him up. Let�s see, Enjy, dear: you grab a huge red flag and start waving it at the top of a barricade like a suicidal maniac but you weren�t expecting to die? So, apparently, as we don't have enough with the Turning lyrics, the London stage direction has decided to put a special emphasis on teaching us that these poor boys were a bunch of imprudent dreamers who didn�t know what real live was about, and didn�t know that real bullets killed people, and when they discovered it was already too late (even if the army gives them several chances to surrender and they refuse). It really pisses me off when the revolutionaries are approached as if they were an early version of those childish Mai 1968 students. Because first, those barricade thingies actually overthrew several governments in the 19th century. They weren�t a toy. And second, those 1968 babies used to run like rabbits the moment a gendarme pursued them with a raised stick in his hand. When he writes about the defendants of his barricade, Hugo uses the words �heroisme monstre�. It doesn�t really seem the same thing. End of THE rant. And before I forget, on Saturday we got a little speech after the show. It was fun because we were in the middle of a stand-up ovation, and then Earl Carpenter simply raised a hand, with a Javert commanding attitude, and the full house got silent in something like 0.5 seconds (because when Javert wants you to shut up you just obey). First he gave a short speech about how it was �poppy day� and maybe we could give some money to charity on our way out (and I swear, that man has the most beautiful baritone voice. Even when he is just speaking), and then he gave a little good-bye speech to Drew. I didn�t catch everything because I was far away from the stage, and Earl was very serious but very fun, and everybody was laughing, but it started with something on the lines of, �today is the day when we finally get rid of the yankee� and then he said something like �we usually complain about those American actors who come to Britain to take our jobs�, and then Drew said something nice to play it down, and Earl added very serious and Javert-like: �Yes, but we do�, and afterwards there were a lot of nice things, about how it had been a pleasure to work with him because he was a gentleman and he was very generous, and so on, and I guess the feelings were real, because half the cast was crying and Nancy Sullivan (�ponine) was sobbing like mad. It was really nice, but also a bit odd because Drew had never stricken me as a shy person but he seemed incredibly shy there, and he scarcely said anything at all (just a couple of answers to Earl�s jokes that I didn�t catch because he spoke rather low and quickly) 
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| bigR |
I don't think so. He didn't pay attention to Javert. It looked as if he simply was so sure of himself, and his goodness and thought he was the BIG benefactor who's saving the poor woman.
"Intimidated" isn't probably the right word to use but many Marii act as if they didn't have much experience with women and were a bit unconfortable around her and didn't now how to treat her... which isn't a bad choice, because Book!Marius is certainly intimidated by Book!�ponine
I never had the chance to see the Revival live, but from what I've seen on video I totally heart Dan Bogart. He's the cutest Combeferre 
I don't even remember. If Cat says it was green then it probably was. I've already seen green, orangy and striped. And I'm not even counting that dazzling shiny thing they made Max von Essen wear on Broadway! 
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| mastachen |
They made Tom Lowe wear Max's vest at the Hollywood Bowl. I could see it glittering from a mile away! Dan Bogart always stands out to me. When he's not singing and just standing there, for some reason, I always just see him without looking for him. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Catherine |
Yeah, kinda yellowy green with a pattern, if I remember rightly. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Vanessa20 |
I probably shouldn't be wasting time responding when I have an Italian 2 final at noon, but it helps me relax before I study.
How so? Would you mind elaborating? (If you ever did before, I don't remember.)
WHA-?? That sounds weird. Is that look even 19th century?
I once read about a production- I think it was in Australia - where Enjolras and Grantaire were directed to play their roles as a pair of ex-boyfriends, whose experiences on the barricade lead them to reconcile just before their deaths. It doesn't sound like these guys were quite playing it that way, but still... do you think the resident director is having them be slashy on purpose?
My mom thinks this viewpoint might be because the musical is a product of the post-baby boom years: all those hippies et al who thought they could change the world, but didn't end up changing it the way they wanted to. She thinks people project that concept onto "Les Mis" and onto other older works too. (For example, the idea that in the opera "La Boheme," the real tragedy, beyond Mimi's death, is that the bohemians are eventually going to outgrow their free-spiritedness and be absorbed into the conformist, corrupt society around them. That's an interesting idea, but I don't see any real support for it in the libretto.) Do Schonberg, Boublil and Kretzmer count as baby boomers? If so, maybe that idea of my mom's has some validity. Or maybe it doesn't, considering that the people who seem to wallow most in barricade angst are teenage fangirls whose parents probably aren't even baby boomers, let alone them.
Cute. 
It's too bad I won't get to see Drew, but I'm curious about what the new Valjean will be like. I probably won't get to see him either, unless he stays a long time, but hopefully someone will post a review one of these days.[/i] |
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| bigR |
Because of his facial expressions and the way he read out "now that I know that you love me" -big pause, looking shocked as hell- "as well". Some people around here hate it. And I perfectly understand why. Because it certainly isn't the most orthodox thing to do.
The only explanation I can come out with is that maybe Thaxton has some kind of tatoo around his wrists and they are trying to hide it? But then, it would have been easier if he simply didn't roll his sleeves up... Who knows. Flashy vest, leather wristbands... next thing he will wearing a spiky collar and brandishing a whip 
Sure. But I don't mind slashiness. As long as it is under control. I loved the way they used to do in the Broadway Revival.
I think that your mother has a very valid point there. Both Schonberg and Bloubil were on their 20's during the events of Mai 1968, so they probably identified with the students in the wrong way. |
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| bigR |
Double posting, because I�ve just remembered this song, and it�s like �Turning part 2�, and Vanessa your mother is SO right.
It was written some years ago by this guy whose father was a leftwing journalist, and who had grown-up listening to his stories about May 68, and how they fought for freedom, and to change the world, etc� This is the song: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=ji358TVssBQ&feature=related These are the lyrics, translated into clumsy english (if you go past the references to bell-bottoms and miniskirts, it�s like Turning rewritten, really. Specially stanze 4 to 6 with mentions to the barricades and Saint-Denis!): DAD TELL ME AGAIN Dad, tell me again that lovely tale About gendarmes and fascists, and students with fringes, And sweet urban guerrilla in bell-bottoms, And Rolling�s songs, and girls in miniskirts. Dad, tell me again about all the fun you had Ruining rusty dictators� old age, And how you sang Al Vent and you occupied the Sorbonne During that French May in those days of wine and roses. Dad, tell me again that lovely story About that crazy guerrilla fighter who was killed in Bolivia, And whose gun nobody dare to hold again, And how since that day everything seems uglier. Dad, tell me again how after all those barricades And after all those raised fists and all that spilt blood, At the end of the day you were unable to do anything, And under the paving stones there wasn�t any beach sand. It was a very hard defeat: everything that you had dreamed Rotted away in the corners, and was covered in cobwebs, And there�s nobody left singing Al Vent, and they aren�t any more madmen, nor any pariahs, Although it still should rain, the square is still dirty. How far away is that May, how far away Saint-Denis, How far away Jean-Paul Sartre, how far away that Paris, However I sometimes think that nothing changed at the end: Hard bashes are still falling over those who talk too much. And they still are dead people rotting in cruelty And those who died in Vietnam are now dying in Bosnia. And those who died in Vietnam are now dying in Bosnia. And those who died in Vietnam are now dying in Bosnia. And the original lyrics: http://www.ismaelserrano.com/canciones/letras/papacuentameotravez.htm |
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| Ulkis |
Forgive me for going off-topic for a minute
Maybe people are getting that idea because it happens in the book? But I agree, it doesn't seem to be there in the opera. Now, I can picture it happening in "Rent" . . . |
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| Vanessa20 |
Yeah. That viewpoint may have basis in the book, but I don't think Puccini, Giacosa and Illica emphasize it at all. The essay where I first read that idea used, as its support, the fact that at the end of Act II they follow the military parade and enjoy it with the rest of the crowd instead of disrupting it. Um... that's supposed to signify that they're losing their bohemian spirit?? If they'd expressed anti-military views earlier, I'd buy that argument, but they don't. Besides, I think the ending of the book is open to interpretation. Some discussions I've read of it have interpreted it as a positive ending, and from what I've read about Henri Murger, it seems clear that even though he felt nostalgia for his bohemia, he didn't want to go back to it. The viewpoint that their eventually becoming bourgeois is the story's "real tragedy" is an opinion. There. I'm done with my opera-buff rambling. Now back on topic. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
Nobody shoot me, but I get that vibe from them in the book. Of course it's not directly supported by the text but the tone of their interactions would fit it perfectly. |
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| Vanessa20 |
Maybe that director told them to play it that way just to get that certain vibe. Like at a masterclass I went to about two months ago. A woman sang "In Buddy's Eyes," and the teacher helped her really create the vibe of 'trying to insist you're happy' by telling her to imagine that she was on trial for murdering Buddy and was trying to convince the jury that she didn't do it. |
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| eponine5 |
The last cast finished on 21st June, so the current one's last date is probably the 20th June 2009. That's just my assumption, though.
Well on the last matinee of the previous cast Edward Baruwa was wearing a black sparkly scarf... |