Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| Trevor |
She's a recent grad from the infamous UMich MT class of 07. | ||||
| EponineBarker |
And David Malek. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUfXxROfe98 |
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| dcrowley |
She also makes cameos on AKB video blogs.... she is so cute |
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| Trevor |
Andrew's Blog!
Th-th-th-th-th-this is Andrew's blog! |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
Wow.
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/111107.html Too bad I'm going to miss this. |
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| Set_Buildin_Dad |
That's good news. I'll miss having the opportunity to see Lea, but maybe I can catch Judy. |
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| herkind |
Eeee!! If there's anyone that can fill Lea's shoes, it's Judy. I'm definitely rushing to see her and JOJ when I'm in New York next March. 
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| Colle |
Judy is one of my favorite Cosette's on recording. Congradulations to her! | ||||
| Eponine93 |
WHOA!
John Owen Jones+ Judy Kuhn= Lexi is going to NY, even if she has to hitchike in... |
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| EponineMNFF |
OH MAN! I want to go! I want to go!
I do feel sort of bad for Haviland Stillwell though. She's been in the show for so long! (Is she still in the show? O.o) Not to mention she's AWESOME. Her factory girl made me laugh... everyone in the theatre didn't understand why it was funny. But she'll be the primary understudy, won't she? |
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| mastachen |
Nice. I was trying to decide if i wanted to see it again when I go to ny in december... but i think my decision has been made.
YES. |
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| Quique |
Ahhhhh!!! This is incredible news!! I will definitely be there! | ||||
| Fantine |
am I the only one who doesn't like this idea? | ||||
| The Very Angry Woman |
No. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
No. I was never a fan of her Cosette, and she seems a little old for Fantine. I won't pass judgement before I see her, but I must admit I'm a bit dubious. Also, wtf with the stunt casting. What's next, Ruthie Henshall as Madame Th�nardier? Are they going to go find Hannah Chick and have her play Cosette when Ali leaves? |
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| Fantine |
That would be awesome in a very demented way. |
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| Moci |
She's 49, which does seem a bit old, but that means that she must have been playing Cosette and Betty in 'Sunset Boulevard' onstage in her 30s, so she must read as younger. I'll reserve judgement until I hear her, and I think that she's a perfectly adequate performer, but I can't think of a role that I've heard her play where I can't name someone else that I preferred in the same role.
You never know, she was in the ensemble of 'The Far Pavilions' in the West End a couple of years ago, so she must still be an actress/singer. |
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| Fantine |
She's that old? 
Apparently this is Hannah Chick now: 
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| Orestes Fasting |
Yeah, she's that old. Which is weird, because they're really casting young in this production. Last place you'd expect to find a Fantine who's theoretically old enough to be Valjean's mother. (Assuming she'll still be there when Drew gets back.) | ||||
| Moci |
 ).
Here's a recent photo |
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| mastachen |
49? Not THAT bad.
I always thought she was mid-50s. |
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| Moci |
It's still older than Fantine is normally cast, especially, as OF has said, in comparison with the revival cast and tbeir 27 year old Valjean. In fairness thought, she has regularly played characters younger than herself throughout her career and I think that there have been Fantines in their 50s before. |
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| herkind |
I liked the way Judy acted Cosette (based on the TAC only that is) but I'm not a fan of her soprano. Which is why I'm excited to hear her in a mezzo role. I loved her voice in Chess.
She does look too old for the role but I'll reserve judgement until I see how she looks in costume. |
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| Quique |
I always thought she was in her mid-30's. | ||||
| Moci |
She'd have been in her mid-teens when Les Mis opened then.
Out of interest Quique, do you know who the actress who played Fantine when she was in her 50s is. I'm fairly sure that it was you that mentioned her once and that she was in a non-English language production (possibly in Spanish?) and was a celebrity in the country where she did it? |
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| Elin |
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/111107.html
If that's a recent picture, she doesn't look her age to me. (I always thought she looked too old as Cosette, though.) How old was Melba Moore during her run? |
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| Moci |
It's about 5 years old, because it's used on the cover of the re-release of her 'Sings Jule Styne' CD. This photo is more recent, from earlier this year. I can't see her looking too old from the audience, as I've said, other people have played it at around the same age and she has rarely played her own age throughout her career.
49, I think. |
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| mastachen |
She doesn't look that old then. Kinda round around the tummy though lol |
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| Trevor |
I think Adam needs to leave the show and Doug Kreeger needs to replace him as Marius. I just saw a bootleg of him as Marius and it was WAYYYYY better. hands down. | ||||
| The Very Angry Woman |
Adam -- as many issues as I have with him -- at least conveys realism when acting like he's in love with a woman. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
I think they should bring in someone else when Adam leaves--I wouldn't be too keen on either Doug or Dan Bogart replacing him. I saw Doug live back in April and he seemed... understudy-ish. Quite good, but he didn't stand out enough to be principal. And while I adore Dan in the ensemble, I can't stand his Marius. I can see, objectively, what other people would like about his performance, but he never did it for me.
Max von Essen actually strikes me as much more of a Marius than an Enjolras. It would be an unusual switch, but this is the production that's seen Drew Sarich in four different roles, three TAC alumni, two West End performers, random Cammack firings, and a partridge in a pear tree, all in the space of a year. Anything can happen. And I would be incredibly happy to see Max as Marius. |
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| Fantine |
I did not like her Cosette at all. On the TAC she didn't even manage to finish her notes neatly. | ||||
| Orestes Fasting |
http://bigsis222.multiply.com/journal/item/86/More_Comings_and_Goings...
Thanks, Lea. |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
I heard about Ivan yesterday morning, but wasn't sure how public it was. Maybe Alex Rutherford can be the new Marius. | ||||
| Fantine |
I'm curious who the new Cosette is going to be. It's a shame that Ali is leaving. | ||||
| Elin |
I'm curious who the new Cosette is going to be.
Seems like the audition is next week: http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=947737&dt=1 |
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| Electricity24601 |
Oh, that makes me sad. I was really looking forward to seeing Ali and John together- they would be absolutely adorable as a Father/Daughter pair.
I hope the new Cosette keeps her portrayal in the same vein as Ali's- I hope we don't get another "old-school" Cosette. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
This is it, then. Their big chance to bring in Hannah Chick as Cosette and Ruthie Henshall as Madame Th�nardier, thus completing the TAC female lineup.
Adam and Ali are such a matched pair that it's sad to see one of them go and the other stay. I will, however, be happy to see Cosette's new dress go. Yes, Cosette needs a costume redesign, but that doesn't mean she should be wandering around the garden in her nightgown. |
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| herkind |
Ali's replacement won't have the new dress? I know her understudies wear the ugly black one but I thought they would give a replacement the new dress. I don't like the nightgown one but I do like the blue one she wears in One Day More. I wish they'd keep that at least. | ||||
| EponineBarker |
I wish Ali didn't have to leave.  She and Adam were so good together!
So what's all this I'm hearing about Cosette's dress changes? |
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| Orestes Fasting |
The costume changes don't hold over for the replacements, AFAIK. Ann Harada, for instance, has a full-length skirt in Beggars at the Feast, whereas Jenny Galloway had a special one that was about knee- or calf-length. I'm not sure whether the replacements get to decide individually whether to keep the costume changes, or whether they just revert back to the old ones, but the understudies all have the original costumes. | ||||
| EponineBarker |
Hmm...interesting.
Thanks for explaining it, Orestes! 
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| EponinesRain |
I agree. I saw the revival for the first time last Sunday and Adam and Ali had the audience chuckling in the beginning of AHFOL. They work very well together. They were also both very nice at the stage door. As everybody else mentioned, Ali seems truly appreciative of her fans.
Anybody know what Ali's doing after she leaves Les Mis? Hopefully she'll come over to the west coast so I can meet her again, mwahaha... (Btw, I wrote a full review of the cast, but it's insanely long, as I have big opinions on Drew Sarich, Megan McGinnis, and Max von Essen. Not necessarily negative reviews of them, but...yeah..) |
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| Orestes Fasting |
Post it, post it! God knows I've let fly enough choice words and tl;dr about the revival. | ||||
| herkind |
Definitely post it. I'm most curious to see what you have to say about Megan and Max since I thought they would have been better suited to Cosette and Marius than Eponine and Enjolras. | ||||
| Orestes Fasting |
Come to think of it, Megan as Cosette opposite Max as Marius would be just about the cutest thing ever. In the same league of adorable as Adam and Ali. | ||||
| The Very Angry Woman |
Max WAS a Marius understudy when he joined the "original" production as the last-ever cast replacement. I'm not sure if he ever got to go on, though. | ||||
| EponinesRain |
Heh! Okay i'll post it, but I have to transcribe the chicken scratch I wrote on my 6-hour flight back on to Microsoft Word first. I'm warning you guys, I ramble...and I'm already at 1.5 pages, starting with and still writing about Drew! 
Wow, that would be very cute! A shy Megan at the stage door is a lot like the blushing Cosette in AHFOL.
By the way, you didn't volunteer last Sunday at the theater, did you, Orestes? I kept on asking one of the ushers some questions, and I know that you usher there, so it was in the back of my mind whether you were helping out that day or not. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
Haha, I don't usher at the Broadhurst, I've just seen the revival more times than can possibly be good for me.
If by last Sunday you mean the 9th, though, I was there for Nehal Joshi's last performance. So we might've bumped into each other at the stage door without knowing. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
According to Telecharge:
Valjean: Drew Sarich leaves Sunday, October 7; Ivan Rutherford plays Valjean from October 9 to October 21; John Owen-Jones starts on October 23 Fantine: Lea Salonga leaves on October 21; Judy Kuhn starts on October 23 Cosette: Ali Ewoldt leaves on October 21; Leah Horowitz starts on October 23 Madame Th�nardier: Ann Harada leaves on October 21; Jenny Galloway starts on November 1 |
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| Electricity24601 |
So Jenny's coming back? That's interesting...
I wonder who I'll end up seeing inbetween the time Ann leaves and Jenny returns. Any news on Leah Horowitz? What's she been in before? I'll be seeing her, Judy, and John's first night. Exciting stuff! |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
She was Cosette at the Muny and is currently in Emma at NYMF. |
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| Quique |
^ Will you still be returning to see it next month?
I'll probably be there either next month as well or November if all goes well. Staying at the Portland Square again most likely. That hotel has gone to shit since I stayed there in 1997, but can't beat the price and location. |
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| Eponine93 |
Any news on how long these various new cast members are going to stay? The history club at my school is potentially planning a trip to see it in the spring, and I want to know if we'll see John Owen Jones and Judy Kuhn or not. If so... I'm off to create a powerpoint about how educational Les Mis is (last year, the school board didn't approve the trip.) If not... it would be nice to go, but it wouldn't be number one on my list of priorities since I'd probably have to pay for my ticket anyway. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
JOJ is contracted for at least six months, which means he'll be there through April if not later. Not so sure about Judy, but it'd be pretty unusual for her to leave earlier than that. | ||||
| Eponine93 |
Yay. The only problem is now is A) convincing my teacher the revival's not going to close any time soon and B) convincing my teacher to remember to pass the resolution on to the school board. The only reason the club didn't go last year was that the advisor teacher is a lazy bum (smart man, but the laziest person I've ever met) and he forgot to get it in on time. I'll definitely try to arrange the trip for April or May though. | ||||
| bwaymaniac |
Did anyone see JOJ, Judy Kuhn and Leah Horowitz on their first night? How was the show? | ||||
| The Very Angry Woman |
http://talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=1478089 |
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| Electricity24601 |
Me, me, me!
I will be writing a huge review over the weekend, and will post it here
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| Orestes Fasting |
Just saw it.
JOJ is utterly amazing of course. Underwhelmed by Judy, but I never did like her voice. Leah Horowitz seemed rather bland; I miss Ali. |
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| Electricity24601 |
Pretty much exactly what I thought
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| bwaymaniac |
Thanks for the thoughts. Pretty much what I expected. I like Judy though. From what I've seen Leah's voice is beautiful but her acting is bland. Not horrible but not at the same qualitfy as her voice. How is the chemistry between the cast and JOJ, Judy, and Leah? | ||||
| Orestes Fasting |
JOJ is shaking things up in a good way; I told Rob Hunt at the stage door that the Confrontation was unbelievably awesome, and he said something along the lines of "Yeah, it probably looked fresh because we don't know what to do and we're still making things up." In which case... may they be forced to make it up as they go along for the rest of the run.
Judy... eh. Some of the blocking was a little different in the factory scene. Her acting is more mature and natural than Lea's, but she doesn't seem to do anything with the role. Adam and Ali used to feed off each other's awkwardness at the beginning of AHFOL, making it funny and adorable at the same time. Leah doesn't do this, so Adam has to do twice as much work now and it looks exaggerated and overdone. |
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| Eponine93 |
Is the revival as good as it was right after Lea came but before the rest of the good original principals left? I've heard from people on Broadwayworld.com that it is, and all of my friends who've seen it this week really seemed to love it. I'm excited about what I'm hearing about JOJ... I'm trying to think of a way to get my butt in a seat at the Broadhurst. I have my student ID card now (and I'm smart enough not to plaster my face with stickers because I didn't like the picture this year), so I'm going to do some research on student rushing. Is SR valid for any student, or just college students? | ||||
| Orestes Fasting |
I don't think it's as good as it was pre-cast change. It just goes to show how much the show is held up by the supporting actors: back in March, Valjean and Javert were both okay but not great, but we had an amazing Fantine, the gutsiest and most interesting interpretation of Eponine the show's seen in years, an adorably matched Marius and Cosette, a fantastic Enjolras, and a Madame Th�nardier who could wrap the audience around her pinky finger. (And Gary, but let's just not talk about him.)
Right now, JOJ and Rob Hunt are FANTASTIC, but Judy didn't wow me, Megan is solid but I don't agree with her interp, Adam is overacting to compensate for Leah, Max is weak, and Ann isn't funny. (Or wasn't--Becca Ayers was on last night, and I don't know if Ann's going to finish out her run.) Things should pick up a little when Jenny returns, and the show isn't in the doldrums like it was in June. But it's not as strong a cast as we had in March and April. Pretty much the only consistent high point in this production is the male ensemble. |
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| Quique |
I'm dying to see Judy as Fantine.
Out of curiosity, does she wear a blonde or brunette wig? |
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| Orestes Fasting |
Light brown. Bizarrely enough, it's darker than her real hair. | ||||
| Eponine93 |
Yeah... my history teacher said something about JOJ being fantastic and the women being not-so-good. I'm still going to try to get in the city to see this, preferably before the holidays though... a fantastic Valjean and Javert after Alex and Norm is worth me getting into the city for. I think your feelings the cast really depends on your interpretation of the show though. When I saw the show in March, I was big into the characters of Fantine and Enjolras so I didn't really care that Norm and Alex weren't that good. I'm drifting into Javert-and-Valjean-are-awesome-land, so I'll probably appreciate the current cast now. | ||||
| lesmisboy |
Where can I find a pic of Judy in costume as Fantine? | ||||
| Fantine |
Better yet, I would love to see scans of the new programme. | ||||
| Orestes Fasting |
There is no new programme. They're still using the one with the original revival cast + Lea, even though there are only two leads from the original cast left.
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| mastachen |
http://www.lesmisnewyork.com/people.php
Fantine, perhaps this is what you're looking for? |
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| Fantine |
No, but it's nice.
Here's hoping that pictures of them in costume will turn up eventually. |
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| bwaymaniac |
If you haven't heard les miz is scheduled to close on broadway on january 6 2008! | ||||
| Orestes Fasting |
Yeah, it's not like we have a WHOLE OTHER THREAD FOR IT or anything. |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
It took a while for any of Max Von Essen to be made public, so I wouldn't hold your breath. |
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| Quique |
^ Did the revival get any better after your second viewing of it? Just curious.
I was planning on going to see it again early next year, but now that it's closing, I probably won't be able to go sooner. Glad I at least caught it. |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
Yes, but it still felt tedious and I have yet to be convinced there was a compelling reason to bring it back so soon. |
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| bwaymaniac |
Hey, it was just an FYI for those who do not have the chance to search, read, and reply to every single thread on this site. Besides, does my post on this particular thread personally affect you in any way? |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
I didn't realize the first 10 threads on the first page counted as "every single thread." Besides, in the time it took for you to type out your post, you could've found that one. |
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| bwaymaniac |
Wow - some people here really have some huge chips on their shoulders. Why carry so much anger and resentment for strangers who share a love of musicals with you? I bet if you start smiling more and whining less, life will start improving for you. Good thing the majority of members on this site keep things in perspective. | ||||
| The Very Angry Woman |
You wouldn't care that much if you weren't the one being called out on having no common sense. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
An overly defensive rebuttal to an offhand snark post, and you're the one telling us to keep things in perspective? Haha. |
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| bwaymaniac |
All I wanted to say and did say was that Les Miz is scheduled to close in January 2008. Now I only have one thing left to say. In line with the maturity level of some of us on this thread, myself included - whatever. | ||||
| mastachen |
^You seriously need to lighten up. A lot of people have fallen under TVAW's and Orestes's wraths, including me. You just take it in stride, admit your mistakes, and move on. | ||||
| herkind |
I love the reputation TVAW and Orestes have on this board. You guys are so prestigious.
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| bwaymaniac |
I'm actually rather neutral about the whole thing. I bear no ill will towards anyone, including TVAW and Orestes, but I am merely surprised that one simple sentence about Les Mis closing became such a big deal for Orestes, and my subsequent response to Orestes fueled some scorn in TVAW. I just cannot understand that seemingly mature people, mostly likely adults, can be so embittered. I really do appreciate your advice, Mastachen, and I hope TVAW and Orestes heed your words, as well -- take things in stride, admit their mistakes, and move on. In moving on, I've been reading reviews about the new cast changes -- JOJ is fantastic, Judy Kuhn is an acquired taste, and Leah Horowitz sings beautiful but acts blandly. Any other thoughts/opinions? It is interesting to me that they have decided to close Les Mis just days after changing the cast. Reaching for an audience or higher sales, perhaps? |
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| Orestes Fasting |
You think a one-line exasperated snark post was a "big deal?" That probably says more about you than it does about me. | ||||
| bwaymaniac |
Why even respond with a "one-line exasperated snark post"? Apparently, you have built quite a fine reputation for being snark. But I ask, why should any of your postings be with rife with snark? To gain attention from people? To create controversy? To generate equally snarky posts? Maybe your username should be Orestes Snarking or Snarks Fasting or my personal favorite, Snarky Snarkalot. (Insert emoticon illustrating snark) |
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| herkind |
Wow. I, personally, am of the opinion that this little argument should die a quick and painless death. If you don't like snarky posts, ignore them. This is the internet, they're not about to go away. | ||||
| Orestes Fasting |
My sincerest thanks for averting an argument by making a post that pretty much speaks for itself, and needs absolutely no reply. |
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| Quique |
Orestes is one of the nicest, sweetest members on this board. | ||||
| mastachen |
^I agree. I certainly didn't mean that she had a snarky reputation when I made that comment. She's a walking encyclopedia on Les Mis, and I've learned a lot from her. So sorry Orestes. | ||||
| Quique |
Yes, I love her posts. So interesting. One can only find so many topics about Les Mis to discuss. She freshens this board up with her extensive knowledge.
Loves me some Orestes! lol. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
Awww, thanks you guys. | ||||
| Trevor reincarnate |
I hate you Orestes...
...on opposite day.
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| lesmisloony |
I n00bed my way onto this board quite recently under the influence of bedridden illness and boredom (and was quite glad to find it, I must add). My first few posts were inane. I apologized. I moved on. Here I am today.
(Is n00b a verb?) |