Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| Annaliese |
How would YOU direct Les Mis?Okay, it is ten years from now, the Tour has stopped and Regional Theatres, Community Theatres, and Colleges have the rights to Les Mis. You are the director- How would you approach the costumes? How would you approach the blocking / choreography? What things would you change from the way Les Mis is presented now? Would you ever consider taking Les Mis out of context and put it in another setting, say, Tiananmen Square? What physical types would you look for when casting the various characters? What interpretations would you look for when casting the various characters? Basically, how would you direct Les Mis (what are your visions)? GO! |
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| Aimee |
Good question, especially seeing what's going on in Paris the week. Maybe update it to now. | ||||||
| Eponine_Fantine |
I think I would generally present it the same way, kepping the setting and costumes generally similar (becasue that's what everyone who knows the show is used to, and if they're anything like me, a change in something that important would bother people). However, I would focus a lot on making the characters deeper and more multi-dimensional than is generally seen, especially Eponine's. | ||||||
| IvanP |
I would be John Doyle.
Bwahaha!!!! |
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| nicnikniki |
I'd change Eponine's costume. I know a lot of people might be shocked at this suggestion, but I HATE that costume - it makes any skinny, waif like girl look like a sack of potatoes. Shouldn't they be enhancing the 'scrawniness' rather than making the girl 10kg heavier? Surely she could be dressed in rags that didn't make her look so roly-poly.
Also have Javert come out in the Epilogue/Finale and join in the "take my hand............ take my love, for love is everlasting" while holding out his hand to Jean Valjean. Heh, just kidding. |
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| LesMisForever |
Hello
As i said repeatedly, i am not an artist in any shape, or form. So, i wouldn't have a clue about directing. But, one thing i am sure of. I would never put it in another place, or time. |
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| Aimee |
I wouldn't in real life but I'd do it in my head discussing, it here on the forum, if that makes sense. My suggestion of updatng it to Paris right now is a fantasy only.
One day I will direct Les Mis but it depends on wether its the SE [which I believe has fairly strict rules about keeping it in period] or, by then, an adult version. In that case I'd have to decide do I want to copy the original show or not? I tend to like doing thinds my own way but with Les Mis there are certain icnonic set pieces that I'm not sure I'd want to change. |
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| Lesmiserables24601 |
True, true but couldn't you see the barricade as the microcosm for the twin towers? I'd love to see the power struggle thrown on its head - the barricade erected by the rich, and destroyed by the poor and downtrodden. Of course, this would grate with a lot of people but hopefully in ten years time we can hope that all people take heart in the age - old revolutionary statement 'Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite'. On second thoughts I believe Les Miserables is just about perfect the way it is. Though lacking vital plot elements, Les Miserables is exactly what Hugo wanted - to produce a text that resounded with most, if not all of those still fighting against the grind of progress. |
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| LesMisForever |
Hello
Aimee...my comment wasn't directed to you  .
Generally speaking i am not in favour of "updates". The time and place are essential parts of the creative work be it a novel, play, painting, etc. If a certain work withstand the time, and has impact worldwide then it should be celebrated and applauded rather than changed. |
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| Quique |
Directing...I assume the original question included a 4.5 million-dollar budget.
In that case, I'd restore the cuts (if legal), leave the original 1997 well scene, bring back the furniture and lighting added and used in 1997 during the prologue when Valjean enters the inn, make Eponine lose the hat and tease her hair until she looks like a witch, restore the original lighting except for the part of the poor in "At the End of the Day," restore the original Cosette against grey background logo, incorporate a 15-strong string section (8 violins, 4 violas, 2 celli, 1 double bass), a non-baton-happy and passionate conductor, and if anyone mentions "Sinfonia," they'll get tossed out onto the alley, or something. Most importantly...I'd put the actors through an intensive, demanding, pre-rehearsal character development process. OK, so I listed things beyond a director's control. Eh, who cares, I'll get my way through death threats, sharp weapons, or just my fists, muahahaha! 
Everything else would remain EXACTLY the same as seen in the original Broadway and London productions. |
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| Aimee |
Re: Directing...
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| Colle |
If I was directing a production of "Les Miserables" I would not make that many changes, maybe so slight changes in the set and costums. I don't want to depart too much from what fans know and love.
I probably would put a little more fake dirt on Eponine(and maybe some fake bruises), and the other poor characters. For Cosette, I would make sure a prettier wig gets made for the actress who plays her, or she will wear no wig at all. I don't think the wig looks good on many of the actresses' I have seen picutures of. I am not sure, as a director, I would have the power to bring back all of what has been cut since the CSR, but I would beg if I had to with the producer and the other powers that be to bring back the cuts. |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
Re: Directing...
Down to the Grantaire afro? Please, no! |
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| Emperor of the Fiends |
The Grantaire afro?  (Wanders off to look for production photos.)
Were I directing, I think one of the first things I would do is to rework the musical arrangements to dispense with synthesizers as much as possible. |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
http://www.broadwaylesmis.com/Gallery/PAViewPhoto.asp?ID=19 |
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| Quique |
Re: Directing...
Haha! No, not that. Oh God no! That thing was just, just....scary and oh, so, so wrong. Anthony Crivello must shudder upon looking back on those days. I meant "original" as in everything else, except the styles of the day, haha. What about the strange Judy Kuhn Cosette, wet hair look? Ugh. She resembled a young Boy George, or something. |
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| Emperor of the Fiends |
Re: Directing...
If you're referring to the TAC, I agree; but she didn't look that bad when she was actually in the show. |
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| Jordan |
New Theatre Production: �4.5 million
Waistcoat from a charity shop: �6.00 Bottle of beer: �3.65 Discovering the theatre techs wired up your seat to the mains: 
PRICELESS! |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
*golf claps* |
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| Jordan |
 I have no idea what a golf clap is
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| Quique |
Cosette...LOL! Heehee!
And he had a true afro too, look at it, it's so nappy, haha. Now someone post one of Judy Kuhn and her flat, wet Cosette do, heehee! |
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| Moci |
http://www.broadwaylesmis.com/actors.asp?ID=10 It looks as if he'd had a trim since having his headshot taken though. He looks as if someone has stapled a carpet to his head on that. |
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| Moci |
Re: Directing...
Wasn't that Patti LuPone? http://musicals.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=42654 |
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| Quique |
Re: Directing...
LOL! Her too.
Naw, she just looks like a dude in her headshot, haha. |
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| Eponine_Fantine |
I'm not trying to disagree with you or anything, but I've always thought Eponine's costume being too big like that was to enhance her scrawniness. Meaning her clothes used to fit, but then she became poor and wasn't able to eat, so now they're too big. Just my point of view, though. |
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| EowynEtain |
if I directed...I have no idea how to do this without endangering the actor every night, but for Javert's suicide, he would actually jump. No more of this "bridge going up" nonsense. |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
I saw an LMSE which for the most part was dreadful, but they staged Javert's Suicide in a really ingenious way.
The set had two large structures on either end, which sort of looked like towers on a castle. (Of course, a middle part came in for Act II to serve as the barricade, but it also served as additional seating in Cafe Musain and the Waterloo inn.) They were not attached to the back wall and were about 5 - 7 feet in front of the wall. For Javert's Suicide, Javert actually jumped off one of these into the corner way up stage. I actually started laughing only because it was the only redeeming thing in Act 2, but really, it was very well done and the kid went all out and did a swimmer's dive. I'm not sure how they ensured he didn't hit the back wall, but he did come out for the curtain call, so he at least had survived that performance. I'm not sure how this would work in a larger theatre, but it worked on a large high school stage. |
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| nicnikniki |
Also a good point, but at the same time it gives her kind of this fat, dumpy, pot-bellied figure which is maybe not the look they're going for... then again I've only seen Lea Salonga in the costume (TAC DVD) and various photos of other Eponines. Edit: It's OK to disagree with me I'm often wrong.
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| The Very Angry Woman |
Fat? Dumpy? Maybe costumes like these are inappropriate: http://www.reacttheatre.org/images_hist02/10gala14.jpg http://www.hi-liners.org/past/lesmiz/012.jpg http://www.cawthrapark.com/VYearbook/2002-03/miz/dress/act%20II/P0007293.jpg http://www.huhs.org/activities/lesmis/eponine%20alone.jpg http://www.rainbowtheatre.com/images/lesmis/lesmis_oct09/eponine.jpg But not any of these: http://www.broadwaylesmis.com/Gallery/PASearch.asp?CMD=Search&catID=24 Yes, see the Cameron Mackintosh staging. Then come back to this topic. I know it's your opinion, but it doesn't appear to be an educated one. Besides, Eponine's supposed to be in boy drag in Act II. She doesn't really want to look like a shapely young woman. |
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| Kragey |
Well, she doesn't look quite shapely in any of the other pictures you posted...although maybe that's just me. Personally, I really like the whole crappy chemise idea, and it really is a bit of a shame that a bare-footed Eponine is impossible. |
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| nicnikniki |
Haha, the first picture (of those links) was exactly what I had in mind when I wrote that.
And I didn't mean for Eponine to look like "a shapely young woman" - in fact if you read back (I'm not sure if it's in this thread or another one), I actually wrote somewhere that she was meant to be waif-like. Am I right? I thought she was meant to look kind of malnourished, being poverty stricken and all. Not shapely. But sometimes that particular costume makes her look pretty fat around the middle. I've seen plenty of "poor people" costumes in various movies and plays, and you CAN achieve the look without making girls look dumpy. |
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| Frank_Rind |
I saw a production with a barefooted Eponine. It was a nice touch...however the rest of the costume did make her look a little too frumpy to be a mournful street waif. I haven't actually seen the Eponine costume for our production in full yet. All I've seen is what looks like several pairs of slashed up pantyhose hanging on a rack with "Eppo" taped to them. Do you suppose that's it? |
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| Kragey |
The words "Eppo" make me think it might be, but I don't recall her wearing stockings...they could be taking creative liberties, though, and hopefully they look alright. |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
I didn't say that. Someone messed up their quote tag. |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
What I was trying to say was the trenchcoat hides the shape of her body -- like a burqa, but, well, very different. But you get what I mean. Not that Eponine is running around shaking her bazooms. |
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| Fantine |
Is that quote now copyrighted or...?
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| The Very Angry Woman |
If you like, but be sure my name is attached, in glowing lights. |
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| Fantine |
Will do
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| Frank_Rind |
Apologies, TVAW. Mess-up has been corrected.
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