iGotRhythm
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Cosette MUST be brunette?Because I'm auditioning for this show in about a month (Student version), and although I'm going out for any role I can get, I'd really like to get Cosette. But I've got long blonde hair, so I'm doubting myself a little. I'm sure in the book, she's described as being brunette, because most Cosette's ARE brunette, but is it something that could be changed and not cause a problem? (I've been denied a role so many times because I'm a blonde, it would irk me so much to lose another.)
Thanks!
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The Very Angry Woman
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Google Regan Thiel.
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Vanessa20
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Don't worry. There's no reason on earth why Cosette can't be a blonde in the musical. The current Cosette in the UK tour is blonde. Yes, she is described as brunette in the book, but unless your director is a fanatic about replicating the original production, I can't imagine you'd be rejected on those grounds.
I've never quite understood why she's almost always been wigged brunette in the musical. Did they just want to be as close to the book as possible? (If so, why didn't they give every Enjolras a blonde wig?) Were they concerned that the audience might mistake her for Fantine and be like "What the hell? I thought that lady died!"?  Or is it just because Rebecca Caine was brunette and Cameron Mackintosh wanted all the productions to look the same (like Christine in "Phantom" always being wigged brunette after Sarah Brightman)?
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~Masquerade Dancer~
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I don't think it would matter, she's Fantine's daughter after all so why not make her blonde!
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Eppie-Sue
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| Vanessa20 wrote: | | Were they concerned that the audience might mistake her for Fantine and be like "What the hell? I thought that lady died!"? |
You know, if you think about it, it might have to do with Fantine. Fantine's role as "La Blonde", is, with a few exceptions where she got a dark(er) wig, always a prominent part of the musical, as her hair is supposed to be so extraordinary and beautiful and her cutting it is a part of the story. So maybe the original idea was to have her as the only blonde in the musical, making her stand out.
Obviously, right now, there is a blonde Eponine in London, and a blonde Cosette on tour. In general, here is no problem with that at all, so go for it.
However, I quite like dark-haired Cosette, simply because yes, novel (just like I like it when Enjolras IS actually blond and Marius DOES actually have dark hair), and because a blond wig would look awfully strange with the original dress, which I like a lot. On tour, blonde Cosette is very much a Disney princess type of character: Gorgeous dresses, long blonde hair, a gate and a balcony... all that with the love story being the only function she has to the plot in the musical... I don't know. I don't have anything against blondes, I'm blonde myself... it's just the general impression. Shows how conditioned we are, I guess. 
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music is my life!!!
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In the UK tour of Les Mis that's running now, Cosette was blonde, and the actress playing her was so much more realistic and natural at acting than all the ones i've seen before! she played cosette as a giddy young girl wanting to break free, and although i think it was a bit OTT.... she made me sympathetic towards her, which is more than other cosettes i've seen do...
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Eppie-Sue
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... yeah, as we said, the tour has a blonde Cosette.
Katie is great, however, she was great as brunette back in London, too, before she left for the tour, so what does that have to do with haircolour?! If you play her right, hair really shouldn't matter, so this discussion is mainly about what the reasons for why Cosette has been given a dark wig in the original production.
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operafantomet
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Do you know for sure you'll use your real hair and not a wig in the role? Cause Cosettes in professional productions have all kinds of colours on their hair, but they do wear a wig on stage. Your production might aim for the same.
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iGotRhythm
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Awesome, thanks guys.
And I guess I agree with some points here.... if I were a blonde Cosette, the audience might naturally hate me for being the "pretty" girl that gets the pretty boy, which may or may not be a good thing, if the director wants the audience to dislike her thus feeling more sorry for Eponine and crying more during LFOR.... But then it also naturally means blonde = Fantine's daughter. I guess it all winds down to the director's ideas.
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Eppie-Sue
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| iGotRhythm wrote: | | And I guess I agree with some points here.... if I were a blonde Cosette, the audience might naturally hate me for being the "pretty" girl that gets the pretty boy, which may or may not be a good thing, if the director wants the audience to dislike her thus feeling more sorry for Eponine and crying more during LFOR.... But then it also naturally means blonde = Fantine's daughter. I guess it all winds down to the director's ideas. |
If his ideas include making Cosette unlikeable in favour of Eponine, then I'd protest. Cosette is a wonderful character. She is given a lot less attention than she deserves, already in favour of Eponine, so he should do everything to make her more relatable, interesting and make it clear what Marius sees in her. Obviously, as I pointed out, we have pre-conceived ideas - I'll admit that a blonde Cosette that has money, an adoring father, pretty dresses, get the boy is very much the stereotypical "girl that gets the boy". But you can very well pull it off and still make her likeable and make the audience sympathise with her if there is enough attention being paid to the character, her background, her relationship with Valjean, etc. I'm just saying that the audience might have an automatic liking towards Eponine, if you have two stereotypes next to each other... then again, I felt absolutely nothing for Eponine on the tour and utterly adored Katie Hall's blonde, rich, pretty, bubbly Cosette.
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iGotRhythm
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I agree. And I know this director, having been in two shows under him, and I'm pretty sure he'll lean more towards liking Cosette. I'm certain Castle on a Cloud was added just so the audience isn't allowed to hate her later.
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music is my life!!!
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No need to be sarky Eppie-sue 
anywho, i think that if the director wants a certain hair colour, they'll put you in a wig (like for Madame Thenardier, i had to dye my hair in a temporary red-wash thing to make it gingerish ). At the auditions, it should be how you act/sing rather than anything else. really go for it in the audition though 
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iGotRhythm
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D'accord. So now all I have to worry about is that some outstandingly beautiful brunette with an equally beautiful soprano voice will show up 
(And for the record, I plan on singing How Could I Ever Know from Secret Garden. I refuse to sing Green Finch and Linnet Bird, I know it'll be so overdone.)
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