BroadwayBeast
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Colm Wilkinson or Alexander Gemignani?Who do like better as Jean ValJean? Colm or Alexander? I prefer Colm because when he does the show he really takes me into the world of Jean Valjean. What about you?
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Salome
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Colm hands hown. Gemengani sucks in everything i've seen him do. he's boring.
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flying_pigs
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I'd like to be annoying and say John Owen-Jones is the best Valjean I've seen or heard. He has such a unique take on the role.
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The Very Angry Woman
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Re: Colm Wilkinson or Alexander Gemignani? | BroadwayBeast wrote: | | Who do like better as Jean ValJean? Colm or Alexander? I prefer Colm because when he does the show he really takes me into the world of Jean Valjean. What about you? |
I'm sure none of you have seen them both.
Also, it's Valjean. No inner capital.
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Orestes Fasting
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Going just by Colm's performance on the TAC, I'd have to say I prefer Alex.
This could, of course, be pure taste for novelty or a reaction against the general "OMG COLM IS TEH BEST VALJEAN EVAR" sentiment from people who've only heard Colm, Gary Morris, and maybe one of the old tour Valjeans. But Alex's voice is less, um, special, and he had a few nice touches in his acting that I really liked.
Really, though... Colm has an interpretation of Valjean that works. So does Alex. Their interpretations are quite different, but they're both impressive, and trying to compare them is like dragging up the old Frances Ruffelle vs. Lea Salonga argument.
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Salome
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Re: Colm Wilkinson or Alexander Gemignani? | The Very Angry Woman wrote: | | BroadwayBeast wrote: | | Who do like better as Jean ValJean? Colm or Alexander? I prefer Colm because when he does the show he really takes me into the world of Jean Valjean. What about you? |
I'm sure none of you have seen them both.
Also, it's Valjean. No inner capital. |
some of us have seen them both dear.
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The Very Angry Woman
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Re: Colm Wilkinson or Alexander Gemignani? | Salome wrote: | | some of us have seen them both dear. |
It was a safe bet to assume the first poster and all the replies before mine hadn't.
There are plenty of people out there who start {person} vs {person} threads without having experienced their performance outside of a cast recording or some odd YouTube clips, and the ensuing discussion is like a bunch of eunuchs trying to describe an orgy.
I had no reason to assume this thread was any different.
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Jekkienumber24601
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| flying_pigs wrote: | | I'd like to be annoying and say John Owen-Jones is the best Valjean I've seen or heard. He has such a unique take on the role. |
agreed, he's better than Colm and Alexander (I love Alexander in Assassins, but his Beadle was boring and he had to change the key alot)
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Salome
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I didnt like him in Assassins either. i didnt like most of the revival cast except Denis O'Hare,Neil Patrick Harris and Miguel .
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Aimee
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Re: Colm Wilkinson or Alexander Gemignani? | The Very Angry Woman wrote: |
It was a safe bet to assume the first poster and all the replies before mine hadn't. |
So one person then, who never actually said he had seen them both.
| The Very Angry Woman wrote: | There are plenty of people out there who start {person} vs {person} threads without having experienced their performance outside of a cast recording or some odd YouTube clips, and the ensuing discussion is like a bunch of eunuchs trying to describe an orgy.
I had no reason to assume this thread was any different. |
This is a discusion forum, so what if they hadn't, its a valid question.
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AndrewShatterhand
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I liked Gemignani but, to me, Colm IS Valjean.
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Electricity24601
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I am not in any way a Colm fan- I really dislike his voice.
Alexander had a nicer voice, but some of his acting bothered me. But it I had to choose one, Alexander would win without a doubt.
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I'd like to be annoying and say John Owen-Jones is the best Valjean I've seen or heard. He has such a unique take on the role. |
Amen to that! After seeing him, no one else compares for me.
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Eponine93
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I haven't seen either of them, though I know Colm from TAC/London Cast Recording and Alexander from clips I've seen. I may be seeing him though, I'll know after Christmas! *prays feverently for tickets to Les Miz under tree* 
Anyway, I think they're both great. What I hate about Colm is that on his extremely high notes his falsetto seems out-of-place. I love his renditions of "Who Am I?" and "Bring Him Home"- except for the last note. For me, they are way too falsetto and girly sounding. If I were him, I'd just bring it down.
From the clips I've seen, Alexander doesn't really seem to control the stage though. He's a great singer and has an amazing voice, and I know I can't judge on a few clips, but I think he's too young to be Jean Valjean. Even though he looks older, they'res no denying that with his real age of 27, he would have been 8 when he was first imprisoned. And that's at the beggining of the show!
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Lazarus (Adam G)
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| Orestes Fasting wrote: | But Alex's voice is less, um, special...
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I don't get this. Why is Wilkinson's voice always described like this. Granted, he's not perfect vocally, but his high notes are powerful.
Anyway, out of the English Valjeans I've heard, Randel Keith has to be one of my favorites.
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The Pirate King
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| Eponine93 wrote: | | What I hate about Colm is that on his extremely high notes his falsetto seems out-of-place. I love his renditions of "Who Am I?" and "Bring Him Home"- except for the last note. For me, they are way too falsetto and girly sounding. If I were him, I'd just bring it down. |
Do you mean "bring it down" as in drop it an octave?
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Quique
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| Eponine93 wrote: | | What I hate about Colm is that on his extremely high notes his falsetto seems out-of-place. I love his renditions of "Who Am I?" and "Bring Him Home"- except for the last note. For me, they are way too falsetto and girly sounding. If I were him, I'd just bring it down. |
That's exactly what a friend of mine thought about Randal Keith's falsetto during "Bring Him Home," back when I saw the show in December, 2004.
She said he sounded 'girly' and annoying.
I think it's odd that some people perceive a male falsetto that way. Personally, I think it doesn't sound 'girly' at all. It's a widely accepted singing technique that goes very well with certain songs/situations. Valjean is praying during the still of the night. I think it's gorgeous and only highlights the intended mood of the scene.
Bringing the note down would make the song less effective in my opinion.
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Aimee
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| Eponine93 wrote: | | *prays feverently for tickets to Les Miz under tree* |
Well?
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Jesus
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Colm is one of the few actors whom I've seen that ever "Got" Les Mis. It was written as a Rock Opera, not a piece of pseudo Puccini. The people they're casting these days, especially as Valjean don't have any edge to their voice. Colm's voice is rough but still angelic. He never once falls into the traps the show is riddled with, he doesn't pussy out of the tough stuff, he goes balls deep in whatever he does. He's unapologetic about what he does. His upper register is one of the strongest I've heard, and there is genuine emotion in his voice. If you go into the theatre wanting to hear a bland generic voice bleating all the right notes, then thats fine, but you won't like Colm. His voice has character, distinction, and personality. Thats something I can appreciate.
Oh and just to clear something up, Colm doesn't use falsetto throughout Les Miserables. At least not the way I've heard him sing it. All that lovely light stuff...all head voice, soft but strong. Randel Keith uses falsetto and it ruins the moment for me.
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flying_pigs
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| Aimee wrote: | | Eponine93 wrote: | | *prays feverently for tickets to Les Miz under tree* |
Well? |
I got Les Mis tickets for christmas! Is going to be my 5th time!
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Trevor
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I got tickets to see Les Mis too! And tickets to go to New York in the first place!
But my favorite gift was a toothbrush.
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LesMisIsLove
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I have seen Alex perform the role, but have only heard Colm on the recordings and seen him on the TAC. Hands down, Alex is better. Why do I think this? Both sing the part well, but Alex actually conveys emotion through his voice, facial expressions, and movement. Colm doesn't act unless you call raising your eyebrows up and down at random acting. There is no emotion in his voice either. So Colm's Valjean comes across as one-dimensional. I can't really speak to how he moves around on stage, though. I think Randal Keith, another favorite Valjean of mine, put it best when he said Valjean should not be played as St. Valjean. Colm essentially plays Valjeans as a saint when Valjean has flaws, agonizes over them, and still makes mistakes. Ok, done. I just hate when people say Colm is their favorite Valjean simply because he was the original.
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AndrewShatterhand
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| LesMisIsLove wrote: | | There is no emotion in his voice either. So Colm's Valjean comes across as one-dimensional. |
I have to say that I disagree with this. Colm's voice, to me, is one of the most emotional voices out there. He really is the one Valjean (although JOJ comes close) that you can feel the journey that they go through and it makes you feel for him, much more than it would for other actors. Colm Wilkinson IS Jean Valjean, to me.
When I saw Alex I thought he was good but I felt that he wore his emotions on his sleeve and was a bit whiney at times. He didn't feel completely in the character, although I think with a bit more time he may grow into it.
| LesMisIsLove wrote: | | Colm essentially plays Valjeans as a saint when Valjean has flaws, agonizes over them, and still makes mistakes. |
Would you be able to elaborate on this? I'm not sure how Colm doesn't fit the Valjean you describe.
Colm very much plays a conflicted Valjean and, to me, you can truely hear the conflict in his voice.
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Quique
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Omg...how can anyone make such claims about Colm? 
*die!!!*
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The Very Angry Woman
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| LesMisIsLove wrote: | | I have seen Alex perform the role, but have only heard Colm on the recordings and seen him on the TAC. Hands down, Alex is better. |
You have not seen them both on a remotely equal plane. Now be quiet, and come back when your opinion is actually an educated one.
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Matthew
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^ Why are you so amazing?
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Lazarus (Adam G)
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| LesMisIsLove wrote: | | I have seen Alex perform the role, but have only heard Colm on the recordings and seen him on the TAC. Hands down, Alex is better. Why do I think this? Both sing the part well, but Alex actually conveys emotion through his voice, facial expressions, and movement. Colm doesn't act unless you call raising your eyebrows up and down at random acting. There is no emotion in his voice either. So Colm's Valjean comes across as one-dimensional. I can't really speak to how he moves around on stage, though. I think Randal Keith, another favorite Valjean of mine, put it best when he said Valjean should not be played as St. Valjean. Colm essentially plays Valjeans as a saint when Valjean has flaws, agonizes over them, and still makes mistakes. Ok, done. I just hate when people say Colm is their favorite Valjean simply because he was the original. |
And you've never seen Colm Wilkinson perform.
Trust me, he's amazing.
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LesMisIsLove
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Someone asked how I could think Colm's voice was emotionless. Well, maybe to put it better, I feel that the way he emotes is exaggerated and unrealistic. Like how Gary Morris emotes too much (go ahead, crucify me for making the comparison of the most revered Valjean to the most reviled). So I feel Colm's portrayal lacks the depth I saw in Alex's. It's an opinion--an unpopular opinion at that--so I understand if people disagree. People experience things differently; it doesn't make them wrong or right.
| Quote: | | You have not seen them both on a remotely equal plane. Now be quiet, and come back when your opinion is actually an educated one. |
Tell me, how should I educate myself on Colm's performance? Seeing as I'm 20, I've only been a Les Mis fan for two years, and Colm isn't exactly still performing as Valjean on stage, I haven't exactly had an opportunity to see him. I admitted before stating my opinion that it was not based on seeing a live performance. With the recordings, TAC, and various clips I've seen, you could say I have 3/4 an understanding on how he portrays Valjean.
I don't appreciate your being rude just to bring people down, as you have done to other people on other threads. You have made me feel stupid and embarassed without cause. Does that make you feel good to know you've humiliated someone and discouraged them from posting on here again? Do you think being elitist and dictatorial about who can post and about what contributes to a diverse, informed dialogue? You can take my opinion with a grain of salt since I haven't seen Colm perform live before my very eyes, but don't be nasty to me about my opinion and about my being unable to ever even see him perform at that.
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Da_Dark_Dude
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i dont like wilkinsons voice... at all. sorry lol.
i think john owen jones has redefined Vajean as he did with Phantom. Id love to see anthony warlow perform it, i know he recorded bring him home but i dont know wether or not he actually played it. he'd be incredible i think.
Steve
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The Very Angry Woman
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| LesMisIsLove wrote: | | Quote: | | You have not seen them both on a remotely equal plane. Now be quiet, and come back when your opinion is actually an educated one. |
Tell me, how should I educate myself on Colm's performance? Seeing as I'm 20, I've only been a Les Mis fan for two years, and Colm isn't exactly still performing as Valjean on stage, I haven't exactly had an opportunity to see him. |
Then don't talk as if you do.
You can only go so far. I can't compare Michael Crawford and Brad Little equally because -- sure, I have the cast recording the music videos, but -- I never saw Michael on stage but have seen Brad on stage about 5 or 6 times. I can't compare Alex with Colm because I've seen Colm live but have never seen Alex. I can't compare a lot of people with a lot of people.
So...I don't.
The only issue here? Just don't talk as if you have equal knowledge and experience with both performers. Because like many, many other people, on this forum and off, you don't.
| Quote: | | Does that make you feel good to know you've humiliated someone and discouraged them from posting on here again? |
Not at all. Your vulnerability to words is your problem, not mine.
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Orestes Fasting
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| LesMisIsLove wrote: | | I don't appreciate your being rude just to bring people down, as you have done to other people on other threads. You have made me feel stupid and embarassed without cause. Does that make you feel good to know you've humiliated someone and discouraged them from posting on here again? Do you think being elitist and dictatorial about who can post and about what contributes to a diverse, informed dialogue? You can take my opinion with a grain of salt since I haven't seen Colm perform live before my very eyes, but don't be nasty to me about my opinion and about my being unable to ever even see him perform at that. |
Dialogue tends to be a lot more informed when people can't spout bullshit without being called on it. Calling people on their bullshit is TVAW's job.  We've all fallen under the hammer now and again. Pick yourself up, be more careful next time you're about to post without knowing what you're talking about, and enjoy the ride.
(FWIW, I too have seen Alex live and Colm only on the TAC, and based on that limited assessment I prefer Alex. But many of the things I loved about Alex's performance were things that would not come across in a concert production, like the way he used the stage in the prologue and how he actually looked like he was dying at the end. So keeping in mind that the same might be true of Colm...)
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Lazarus (Adam G)
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In the not-so-legal recordings I have of Wilkinson, he does an amazing job.
He's much better on stage than he was on the Concert version.
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Salome
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I dont even see how there is any question. Alexander is a weak performer. He has never been a strong actor in anything Ive seen him do.
Colm,while a limited actor himself is an amazingly powerful ValJean. he owns the role. he gets deep inside it and makes you foeget you are watching an actor perform.
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WhoAmI?
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Alexander or Colm?Honestly, I cant say. I love Colm Wilkinson..he always gets into the character, and for a while, he WAS Jean ValJean for me..but yesterday I saw Les Miserables on Broadway with Alexander, and I have to say he's incredible too. He has a wonderful voice, though a little much with his acting sometimes(for instance, his death scene), and he cant hit the highs like Colm..but still he was amazing. I truly see him as Jean ValJean now. So if I HAD to choose..I guess it'd be Alexander..but I'll always love Colm.
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WhoAmI?
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| Quote: | Seeing as I'm 20, I've only been a Les Mis fan for two years,....
I don't appreciate your being rude just to bring people down, as you have done to other people on other threads. |
im sixteen and ive loved les mis since i was four, so age has nothing to do with it..but i do agree that that was an extremely rude remark, and uncalled for. i dont understand why people are so mean sometimes.
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