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Musicals.Net Forums -> Les Miserables

riverdawn	Ah, see, my mind went in two opposite directions. On the one hand, I would like to see Mark Dugdale <----> Gavin I know this may sound very odd, but early on I used to confuse the two of them. I know they don't actually look very much alike, but for the first two or three times I saw the show I wasn't entirely sure they were two different people On the other hand, I think it would be interesting to see someone try to play the role of a person who looks absolutely nothing like him - because surely that's a bigger challenge (yes, I know, I'm weird that way)... And if I'm trying to think of the two people who look just about least alike, I'd go with Jeff Nicholson and that adorable blond guy who sings "What's wrong today?" in R/B (Is it Dylan Williams as Joly?)
flying_pigs	Yep, that's Dylan! Who I think would make an adorable Marius!
Eponines_Hat	Eppie-Sue wrote: I have to say something about the website, by the way. You really can't blame them for getting the names wrong sometimes, if THIS is what the understudy sheet said the other day... Man, I'd pay a lot of money to see this... Oh, my! This is the funniest thing I have seen all day! I would personally like to see Jeff or David as Anthony. Not that they look anything alike, but they seem to like taking the piss on him a fair bit - I bet it would be a hoot seeing their impersonations! ETA - Just listening to Killian JVJ properly for the first time. That man has the most beautiful voice! And I can't believe he nailed every line accurately. I know he must have heard the show a fair few times - but you would certainly expect and forgive a few flubs (esp scenes he isn't normally in!) I am in so much awe! <3 <3
HobNob	Tonight we went to see Mark Dugdale as Enjolras - just for a change, like. AJ Callaghan was on as Cosette. Of her I haven't much to say. I do much prefer Emily Bull, but AJ wasn't offensive to the ears, so that's alright. I was really glad to have seen Simon Shorten as JVJ last week, and was a bit sad to have Bowman back. I'd love to see Jonathan Williams, as I've heard that he's fantastic. So far I'm just missing David Shannon! His delivery of some lines still really irritates me. I think I've written about it before, and I'm sure other people have mentioned it, but during the Bishop scene when he 'breaks the fourth wall' to tell the audience about thanking the Bishop 'like I should'. Fair enough to interpret as such I suppose, but I really dislike it. Also during Bring Him Home the gestures I don't understand... They're all personal taste, but just generally, he isn't my favourite for the part. Oh, and 2460...1... that's not the note. He also did an interesting line fluff during 'At The End Of The Day'. Rather than 'now come on ladies, settle down' he went for 'settle down ladies'. As it's a sung line (supposedly), it seems interesting that he could confuse it. He hadn't missed his cue or anything, so I don't know where it came from. Mark was fantastic, and I was very pleased to see him as Enjolras again. I much prefer his delivery of many lines to Thaxton - just as strong, just as clear, but apparently with far less effort. Not that I dislike Thaxton... I just prefer Mark. There was only one minor slip-up - when the flag was planted at the top of the Barricade. The new flag didn't fit in the old flag-stand. They'd neglected to tell Mark that this was the case, and there was a little bit of fumbling before Bring Him Home. It did hold it's own though, so no worries. Killian lost his Montparnasse hat before mounting the scenery for Javert's entrance. It just sat in the middle front of the stage, hogging the limelight. You could see him eyeing it from the top of the stageing, before slowly desending to crouch next to Brenda and keep an eye on it from there. You could then see him counting every bar until Javert reached 'this garbage off the street', when he made a run for it - almost colliding with about three other members of the ensemble who'd also decided to be involved in the rescue effort. I keep thinking that Antony is Marius. I've only seen him in the role once, and Alistair five or six times now, so I don't know why that is. I suppose his performance just stood out more at the time, and now as a member of the ensemble, there seems to be that much more charisma which makes him more noticeable when he's wandering around in the background. During 'One Day More' when they're in the 'V', Alistair and Antony are either side of Enjolras - not helping. Jeff's voice was as carrying as usual; when JVJ went to lift the runaway cart, he could be heard calling that it was 'far too heavy, monsieur. FAR too heavy!'. Killian also had the bright idea of building a Barricade after 'they will come when we call'. Jonathan Williams is a great drunk at the Wedding. Again, I don't know what the variation on this is between shows, but today he decided to try and thread a Lily through his buttonhole. It took the whole scene to achieve success. Ideal line-up with this cast, I'd like to go on a day when Mark's on as Enjolras, Williams on as JVJ, either Killian or Jeff on as Javert and Antony Hansen on as Marius. Chances of that...?
Eppie-Sue	HobNob wrote: I'd like to go on a day when Mark's on as Enjolras, Williams on as JVJ, either Killian or Jeff on as Javert and Antony Hansen on as Marius. Chances of that...? Well, a few days before Christmas, there were Jonathan as JVJ, Mark as Enjolras and Antony as Marius (and Helen as Eponine) - it's not completely unlikely. I have to agree, Mark is fantastic and his voice is absolutely gorgeous. I'm not sure if I think it fits the part, it's so light and tenor-y that, for me, it lacks the depth and "wholeness" that the part of Enjolras requires (I don't like tenors in this role in general, this hasn't got that much to do with Mark. He is actually one of the best Enjolrati I've heard and definitely my favourite tenor!Enjolras because his voice isn't all "soft"). Yes, being completely in his range, the high notes ("arise", "call") have a more natural sound to them than you get with a baritone, logically, but at the same time, the lower, more full-sounding passages - DYHTPS - lack a bit. I've never heard David struggle with any of the high notes, be it volume or clearness, and his voice just has a more "threatening" touch to it, if anyone gets what I mean. It sounds intimidating. I don't know how to explain it. I don't want to sound like I'm criticising Mark either, because I really, really love him and, while not being Enjolras (at least not in the intensity and absolute in-characterness that you get with David), he is a pretty amazing Courfeyrac-leading-the-revolution kind of character, and I'd listen to him singing all day long, yes. Also: Yay Killian for suggesting to build a barricade. And what's that about a new flag?! That sounds very strange...
l'ivrogne transfigur�	HobNob wrote: He also did an interesting line fluff during 'At The End Of The Day'. Rather than 'now come on ladies, settle down' he went for 'settle down ladies'. As it's a sung line (supposedly), it seems interesting that he could confuse it. He hadn't missed his cue or anything, so I don't know where it came from. He has the amazing ability to fluff the most obvious of lines. But then, going on my experience at least, so does Jonathan. I think it's very easy for the wrong thing just to slip out. HobNob wrote: I keep thinking that Antony is Marius. I've only seen him in the role once, and Alistair five or six times now, so I don't know why that is. I suppose his performance just stood out more at the time, and now as a member of the ensemble, there seems to be that much more charisma which makes him more noticeable when he's wandering around in the background. During 'One Day More' when they're in the 'V', Alistair and Antony are either side of Enjolras - not helping. That's interesting - I had a similar problem at the beginning of this cast - I kept thinking that Alistair was playing Feuilly because of his curly hair, and having been used to Matthew Gent in that role. And again, their positions in the formation didn't help. Also, I really want to see Mark. Why is he never on at convenient times?! Still, I'm determined to see him when he's on in April.
Elbow	Eppie-Sue wrote: Also: Yay Killian for suggesting to build a barricade. And what's that about a new flag?! That sounds very strange... Well, Mark said that the flag, as of today, is a new one, and it didn't properly attach to the barricade, so yes, lot's of fumbling But actually it wasn't really very noticable. Not sure why it's new though, that didn't get explained. Killian really was awesome today, his Montparnasse is so brilliant. In Look Down he literally pinned Nancy to the side of the stage and she screamed "GET. OFF. ME". The losing the hat was great. You could just see when he was stood at the top of the scenery he was just going "shit. hat. shit. hat. must get down" before trying to work out how to get back off. He loomed in the shadows for a bit, before creeping forward and staring at HPJ, then his hat, and back again Lots of eyeliner too. Antony gets better and better. I would love for him to get promoted to Marius. But, bizarre as it may sound, I'd almost feel like he would be wasted in the role, as he would have to lay a lot lower in the pre-Paris ensemble scenes, and he is awesome in all those scenes. After "They will come when we calllll!" before Killian shouted "Let's build a barricade!" Antony shouted something along the lines of "YES! I will follow you Monsieur!" I didn't think AJ's Cosette had an awful lot of personality. I've seen her before, and wasn't blown away by her performance, but due to my love of Emily, I thought I may have been judging her a bit harshly before. However, I came out exactly the same today. I thought her Cosette was a bit bland and overly giggly and didn't come across as... refined? or possibly as educated at Emily's Cosette. Oh and when The Epilogue started, there was a big CLUNK before Bowman came out, and he really took his time to appear on stage, I was looking at the empty stage cringing hoping he would appear, thankfully, he did.
riverdawn	So, saw the Matinee today, which I had planned way in advance because I wanted to see MarkJolras again, as I've mentioned. I don't have the strength to 'write a proper full review now, so just a few random thoughts: First, yes, about MarkJolras, because that was the reason I went to the show. He is excellent. There is no doubt about that. His voice is lovely and he's passionate and really he is very very good. He may have had a tiny tiny line flub in R/B, and his "Marius, Rest!" came out considerably more Irish than he probably intended it to be. His interactions with the other students were pretty good, although of course one of the sad things about having MarkJolras is that you don't get MarkFeyrac. Well, actually, that wasn't entirely accurate this afternoon, because Mark Hedges was on as Courfeyrac , so technically there was a MarkFeyrac, just not the right one. So the interaction between Enjolras and Courferyrac was less than we usually get. However, this is really minor stuff and most of it I'm sure would be different if it wasn't a situation where there were a lot of people covering for other people. I mean, if he were principal Enjolras and he had his usual "gang" of students, then I'm sure he'd build up to the kind of interaction we're used to. But really he was absolutely great and I very much enjoyed his performance. All this being said, and without in any way detracting from the fact that I thought his performance was great - I'm still going to have to say I prefer David [I was debating if to say anything, but in this kind of understudy situation, a comparison is a bit inevitable]. With the vocals, I think it's really just a matter of personal taste. I think they are both remarkably good vocalists, but I just like the color and tone of David's voice a little more. But mostly, it's that with David I really feel like he absolutely commands the stage, or at least the cafe/barricade. Without going on about it too much, David's Enjolras manages to exude the kind of charisma and leadership that even when I saw the show for the very first time, sitting in row S of the stalls (or something of the sort), I found myself caught up in it. And with Mark, it's not quite there yet. Yes, he's passionate and powerful and delivers a great performance, but I found it harder to believe him keeping everything together and in control in the way that I always do with David. [also, on a totally random note, whatever he was wearing as "Captain who can wear his shoes" seemed all wrong. ] But again, all this comparison is just because it's a bit inevitable. But truly, Mark was awesome. He is also absolutely the sweetest sweetest person. Anyway, moving on. AJ Callaghan (sp?) was on for Cosette, and I actually very much enjoyed her performance. I mean, to be perfectly honest, Cosette is not a character I get particularly invested in, and it took me a while to warm to Emily - whose characterization I really enjoy right now. But I thought AJ was fresh and played the character well and her voice was very good. No complaints. Some other random things: KillianParnasse is absolute genius. I love the way he moves. He did get pretty knife-happy with Alistair, though. It was terrifying. He really pressed it into his neck. If that had been a real knife, Alistair would have been bleeding all over the place. Adding to my list of favorite Jeff Ad-Libs the "you Convict!" he mutters at JVJ after they throw him out of the inn. Simon Shorten deserves honorable mention for being absolutely HILARIOUS in MOTH as first traveler. He did this whole wiping his mouth thing during the slo-mo and a whole bunch of other stuff and I was just laughing so hard! Oh, I keep meaning to mention it and forgetting, but I have to take a moment to totally fangirl the evil looks GavinFerre gives Grantaire in R/B (also a bit to Marius when they are building the barricade and Marius is talking to Eponine). He really is incredibly terrifying when he gives those looks. Also, yes, as Eppie-Sue mentioned, Martin Neely Policeman and Gavin Policeman do look remarkably alike. That's the extent of my random thoughts for the day, I think.
Eppie-Sue	I know, I promised the Killian!JVJ review. And it will be posted, soon-ish, as my essay for uni is over and done with. However, I am seeing the show tonight therefore it will at least take until tomorrow to get that long anticipated review done. Heh.
Madeleine	riverdawn wrote: [also, on a totally random note, whatever he was wearing as "Captain who can wear his shoes" seemed all wrong. ] Yes, I noticed that too. I thought it was just my imagination. riverdawn wrote: KillianParnasse is absolute genius. I love the way he moves. He did get pretty knife-happy with Alistair, though. It was terrifying. He really pressed it into his neck. If that had been a real knife, Alistair would have been bleeding all over the place. He's amazing. I'm actually slightly traumatised by him. I loved the interaction between him and Alistair in Look Down, with the knife. Something tells me that Killian really wants to play Sweeney Todd, the way he was acting with that knife. I thought we were actually going to end up with a dead Marius, which would have been interesting... Of course, Nancy and Killian were really going for Eponine/Montparnasse and it was brilliant. When she bit him in Rue Plumet, she didn't let go as he started to run away and almost got dragged off stage with him. riverdawn wrote: Oh, I keep meaning to mention it and forgetting, but I have to take a moment to totally fangirl the evil looks GavinFerre gives Grantaire in R/B Oh yes! He's a bit scary! Yesterday he just went "Grantaire. Sit." and then stared a lot. It works well though, Markfeyrac gets very angry and intense (I remember him once marching over to Grantaire and physically pushing him back into his seat while shouting at him to "SIT DOWN!"), but Gavin is much calmer and just stares, and gives (very effective) evil looks. I was going to review properly but I'm running out of time. Some random thoughts then... The audience last night were a bit strange and hyper, clapping in weird places, but it was nice I suppose. Lorraine actually got entrance applause, which I've never seen happen in Les Mis before. Somebody properly screamed on every single gunshot when Gavroche was killed. Not just a little shriek, like you often hear, but full on screams. It was hilarious, actually, and kind of ruined Final Battle because I was desperately trying not to laugh. I have to mention the children. Jamie was Gavroche, the tiny Little Cosette was on...I think she's called Chloe? They're both outstanding and act so well. Jamie is wasted as Gavroche and should be playing Dodger in Oliver. Chloe makes the Bargain so much more interesting, the way she looks absolutely terrified of the Thenardiers, rather than just looking a bit blank, like they often do. She actually acts Castle on a Cloud too, she doesn't just stand and sing it, with a sad expression on her face like many other Little Cosettes I've seen. I don't really pay much attention to Little Eponine, but she was very, very good too. It was nice to see George back, and he made me laugh by managing to sit on the bottom of his scarf as the drunk in MOTH, and spending a while trying to work out why it was stuck, before giving up. I saw AJ as Cosette back in November and she didn't really leave much of an impression on me, but I really enjoyed her performance yesterday. Emily is my favourite Cosette, but I prefer AJ vocally. She's tiny so comes across as being very young, which means that she looks right with Alistair, like Katie did. Do I even need to to say how much I love Markjolras again?
riverdawn	Madeleine wrote: riverdawn wrote: [also, on a totally random note, whatever he was wearing as "Captain who can wear his shoes" seemed all wrong. ] Yes, I noticed that too. I thought it was just my imagination. Definitely not your imagination. It was somewhat of a WTF moment for me... because I normally spend that scene thinking how well David carries himself in that particular outfit and this time I was just thinking "Erm... what in the world is he wearing?!?"... but again, that was just a totally random thought. As for the children, yes! Jamie is wonderful! I always find myself a little disappointed when other Gavroches are on, because he's just so good at it! And Little Cosette was pretty good as well. And go on, we all know you want to gush about how wonderful Mark was... you may as well enjoy yourself.
pastaeater	Eppie-Sue wrote: I know, I promised the Killian!JVJ review. And it will be posted, soon-ish, as my essay for uni is over and done with. However, I am seeing the show tonight therefore it will at least take until tomorrow to get that long anticipated review done. Heh. Please!!!!!!
MlleTholomy�s	Madeleine wrote: riverdawn wrote: Oh, I keep meaning to mention it and forgetting, but I have to take a moment to totally fangirl the evil looks GavinFerre gives Grantaire in R/B Oh yes! He's a bit scary! Yesterday he just went "Grantaire. Sit." and then stared a lot. It works well though, Markfeyrac gets very angry and intense (I remember him once marching over to Grantaire and physically pushing him back into his seat while shouting at him to "SIT DOWN!"), but Gavin is much calmer and just stares, and gives (very effective) evil looks. That's probably facilitated because Gavin v. rarely blinks.
Eppie-Sue	Alright, so this was ... sort of eventful, I guess!? It was the show of the two Enjolrasses. It began with David, being back from holiday, cutting the "Arise" relatively short (for his standards), which already made me apprehensive re: the rest of the show because that never happens. All the way through Red and Black he sounded different (not cracking or anything, just very much on edge at some points, at least to my ears) and looked a bit pale, sickly, and "Lamarque is dead" was still looming... He, admirably, got through that, only didn't go for the normal, high "CAAALL" but kept it at the same tone pitch as the "when we". Bless him, it worked... Well, it worked much better than going for the high note without any voice left, so it was the best option in these circumstances. DYHTPS was good, ODM was, surprisingly, quite impressive, actually, and all in all I don't think the audience really noticed (Madeleine, who was there with me, and I were talking about it, and yeah, I guess we're a bit more sensitive when it comes to the performances by now)... but we were expecting Markjolras after this, so it was no surprise when the Act 2 announcement "Ladies and gentlemen, due to the indisposition of David Thaxton, for the remainder of this performance, the role of Enjolras will be played by Mark Dugdale" was made at the end of the interval. Everyone around us seemed quite taken aback and puzzled, so I guess it really wasn't too noticeable. He struggled through amazingly well, I believe... maybe Madeleine will add something. But yeah. Not something you want to see happening, all in all. Mark was great though, naturally, very enthusiastic, it's good that he went on, a second act like this wouldn't have been good for anyone. I loved "Dawn of Anguish" very, very much, and I do love the new flag. Mark, obviously, doesn't. He had a lot of problems tying it to the barricade and ... in the end didn't manage. I don't know. It was funny. AJ was a good Cosette, I definitely prefer her "In my life" to Emily's... Greg was on as Th�nardier and great, KILLIAN WAS MONTPARNASSE and my God, I love him.
riverdawn	Aww... I'm sorry to hear David wasn't well... although I guess good for him for managing to get through the first act ok, and good for Mark for getting into the second act alright. Did Mark Hedges go on as Courfeyrac in the second act, then, or was it someone else?
Eppie-Sue	riverdawn wrote: although I guess good for him for managing to get through the first act ok, and good for Mark for getting into the second act alright. Did Mark Hedges go on as Courfeyrac in the second act, then, or was it someone else? I guess it helped that Mark had been on for the past three days, of all the days to have need of the understudy to take over after the interval, this was surely the best and easiest (I do believe, though, that something similar happened in 2008 and Mark was on holiday or something, so John Jo Flynn had to go on - as second understudy!). Yeah, Mark Hedges played Courfeyrac, he hadn't been on stage up to that point and he was amazing! I really liked him! Much interaction at all the right points. I did feel incredibly bad for David, but to be honest, I was holding my breath all the way through his parts in the first act, the barricade scenes wouldn't have been comfortable for anyone, really. But once again, after June, October, January, beginning of February, my superstition that I will get Mark as Enjolras when I get a ticket in advance was proven right.
Eppie-Sue	In case anyone's interested, it's still Greg, AJ and Mark as understudies for today. For the matinee, at least. Also, here is the first part of my Killian review... two weeks ago. Took some time, and it's only the first part, I know. But anyway. Before the show, after Helen had told us that Killian would go on, there was a small moment where I thought: "Oh God I hope he's good", but I quickly brushed that aside. See: I've seen him as Javert. I know he can sing the hell out of every song. He's not even understudy. He's not supposed to do a great job, only get through the lines well. Obviously, with it being a Saturday evening performance and sold out, it was quite the stage (literally) for a first performance as JVJ when you're not really prepared and rehearsed. In case anyone's wondering, I was in the D/C Slips for that performance... Alright. Announcement. "At this performance, the role of Jean Valjean will be played by Killian Donnelly." Big WHOOOP. From my side. Yeah, I don't even feel ashamed. The Chain Gang came on stage, Killian was wearing quite the nice wig, actually, a bit more poperly done than, I guess, it's supposed to be, but there we are. aaaaand then they brought Killian Valjean to the front. And he didn't look like Killian. I don't know! Does anyone look like themselves as Valjean? Probably not. He sounded a bit like Shannon. Which is very strange, considering that he sounded like Earl as Javert. I don't think it's just down to him learning a lot from seeing them in those roles (who can blame him for adapting some patterns), but simply that he was awesome. And then, suddenly, Killian was alone on stage. Can you imagine how surreal it is to see a swing, who is normally jumping around and being awesome in minor roles, sometimes covering four tracks at once, all alone on stage, singing solo lines, with only a spotlight? He had the ticket of leave between his lips while he was putting on his coat and all, and finally, after getting his coat on, you could hear his voice. Just something in general about that: Yes, he sounded his age sometimes (especially in the beginning, so it wasn't that big of a deal!). This is not any kind of criticism, as it's logical, he's a tenor and Valjean is a tenor role, so his voice was higher, lighter than as Javert, therefore automatically sounding younger, and while Javert has this constant AUTHORITY, Valjean is more insecure (if played correctly) and shaken, and therefore, vocally, he gives a more "vulnerable" performance. But it wasn't that big of a deal, for the majority he sounded completely mature and right for the role, very pleasant, very clear and with good control. I was so impressed by Killian - he knew where he had to stand, what he had to do, he knew all the little lines - for not being understudy, I thought that was amazing. Not only to know them but to remember them and then to deliver them with thought behind them. Crazy. When David and Jeff threw Killian to the floor (On Parole/Inn) I got slightly worried. See, I hate that moment, but with principals it's more a... they've rehearsed that, it's a stunt... Now, I don't know how many "fight scenes" rehearsals understudies and, especially, emergency covers get, but it looked like it hurt a bit more than it should have. Bishop scene! Wonderful! He reacted just like Valjean should react: No loud noises while eating and drinking. And then he got all the motions right - kneeled at the right time, stood up, got the silver, and then... FLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT. PEOPLE. IT WAS AMAZING. Go on YouTube. Killian ran right into the arms of Mark and MarkH and they slammed him to the floor once more. I could really see much of what he was doing then from the slips, but it looked about right. The Soliloquy. Okay, once again, Killian alone on stage. I'm not sure how much of his acting were acting choices and how much was just made up as he got there, but it was really well done. Especially vocally. Acting-wise, it was probably closest to Shannon: Very conflicted, very damaged. He didn't act like he was being stabbed by a knife at "like a knife". One million points to Killian. Also, his vocal range is very impressive, and he can project his voice so, so well. Shannon was fantastic when it came to that. I'm sorry for all the Shannon memories that come up here... Anyway. Very powerful "ANOTHER STORY MUST BEGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" and there was instant, loud applause. More at one point... later.
pastaeater	Thank you so much for this . Really, really looking forward to the next part!
riverdawn	Yay! KillianValjean review! Can't wait for the rest! Thanks!
HannahM	After a long 6 month wait I got to see the show again today (Matinee). I'll write a full review tomorrow with thoughts of Bowman, HPJ etc. At the moment, I'm a little too dazed to write anything decently thought out.
l'ivrogne transfigur�	HannahM wrote: After a long 6 month wait I got to see the show again today (Matinee). I'll write a full review tomorrow with thoughts of Bowman, HPJ etc. At the moment, I'm a little too dazed to write anything decently thought out. I was at both today Where were you sat? First off, I GOT A LEAFLET!!!!!! At last. I think I might have to frame it... They were both good shows, and it was so nice to see Les Mis done properly again. It was my first Markjolras experience, which I have been waiting for for a long time. I really enjoyed his performance - he just has so much fun on stage. He is just so energetic and enthusiastic, and he really drags you with him. Vocally, he's fantastic. He nails all the notes, and his top notes in particular are amazing. I do prefer David's voice a little bit - not because it' better, just because it's more Enjolraic, imo. However, were Mark principal, I would be very happy with him vocally too. He does, however, lack a certain conviction and authority. It's like, David knows the revolution will succeed; Mark goes for it 100% and will keep going for it 100% until they win or die. But there is a possiblity that they will die. And also, it kind of looks like he's doing it because revolutions are so much fun rather than because of the principle of the thing. But yeah, I really, really enjoyed it. And it was loads of fun. Greg was on as Th�nardier, and I thought his performance was very good. It's the one role I like him in - somehow he just doesn't seem to fit the other roles. I don't really know why. But yeah, he was very funny. I really can't review at the moment. I am being distracted by Eppie-Sue. Might add more later, if I feel so inclined but don't hold your breath.
Eppie-Sue	l'ivrogne transfigur� wrote: I really can't review at the moment. I am being distracted by Eppie-Sue. Citizens, I've got Jonathan's JVJ dates for April! It's 11th to 18th! A whole week! And it's over my birthday! HAPPY HAPPY.
Eponines_Hat	Quote: Citizens, I've got Jonathan's JVJ dates for April! It's 11th to 18th! A whole week! And it's over my birthday! HAPPY HAPPY. Oh I am going to be in Australia for the whole thing! WAAAAHHHH!! So so devastated I hope the rest of you enjoy what will be some lovely performances!!
flying_pigs	Ooooo exciting! I might try and get down for it!
Eppie-Sue	So... What does everyone think about that rumour that J�r�me Pradon will take over as JVJ in June...?! I don't like his "Stars". And if it's true, my God, are there really no good new West End performers they can cast?
flying_pigs	...I think I just died a little inside.
l'ivrogne transfigur�	Eppie-Sue wrote: So... What does everyone think about that rumour that J�r�me Pradon will take over as JVJ in June...?! I don't like his "Stars". And if it's true, my God, are there really no good new West End performers they can cast? I hadn't heard that... I don't understand why they insist on all these veterans at the moment. I mean, yeah, it's good for them to have the experience, but still Jonathan's right there!
Eppie-Sue	I'm not saying it's true, it's simply a rumour that came up on WOS. And it might as well be a hoax. But they claim it's legit. That's all.
Elbow	I really hate to admit this, because I know it will be used against me by a Bowman lover or similar in the near future, but currently I'm feeling bitter whenever I see the words "cast as the next Valjean" and a name that isn't "Jonathan Williams". Yes. I know. I shouldn't. BUT he truly is my most favourite Valjean and I very much get the feeling that the only way he will stay on is if he's promoted. Woe. I have nothing against Jerome Pradon though, he has a fine voice. Possibly a bit heavy for Valjean though? Ideally, I would like a younger unknown type for Valjean. I suppose like with David Shannon. I had never heard of him, he was a bit young, and yes it took him a while to really get into the role, but when he got it, my God did he get it. I've never heard someone fill the whole theatre with their voice like that before. So yes, that or Jonathan Williams. Of course, I'd be happy with anyone with a decent strong voice, who can act well, and isn't too OTT. That's all I ask really.
MizH	Eppie-Sue wrote: I'm not saying it's true, it's simply a rumour that came up on WOS. And it might as well be a hoax. But they claim it's legit. That's all. I read that too. I've just listened to him as Javert on youtube. I like his voice. Would they have made the final decisions regarding next season's cast already, though? It seems a bit early. Is Hans Peter Janssens contracted until June? I want to see him again, he's one of my favourite Javerts.
Eppie-Sue	MizH wrote: Eppie-Sue wrote: I'm not saying it's true, it's simply a rumour that came up on WOS. And it might as well be a hoax. But they claim it's legit. That's all. I read that too. I've just listened to him as Javert on youtube. I like his voice. Would they have made the final decisions regarding next season's cast already, though? It seems a bit early. Is Hans Peter Janssens contracted until June? I want to see him again, he's one of my favourite Javerts. Yes, both HPJ and Bowman are contracted until June, as opposed to, say, Sarich and Shannon, who were contracted for a whole year (autumn - autumn) when they joined. They might already be making casting decisions, yes. I am quite sure that the casting and audition process is starting now or within the next few weeks. It can take till the first week of May, though.
MizH	I'll need to get myself down to the Queen's soon then. How busy has it been at weekends lately? I'm not sure whether I'll need to book in advance.
Eppie-Sue	Saturday evening shows are always sold out, I believe, Fridays and Sat matinees sometimes, too... I'd certainly advise to get a seat in advance, but there might be some good single ones left on the day. Also, I agree with everything Elbow has said...
MizH	Thanks for the advice. Having read so many great comments about Jonathan Williams, I'd really like to see him as Valjean. I think I saw him as Enjolras years ago.
Eppie-Sue	Walked past the Queen's on my way home to have a look at the understudy sheet (box office packed with people) and it seems like they've got quite the small cast tonight, from what I could spot it's AJ as Cosette Mark as Enjolras Rachel as Mme Th�nardier Martin N as Foreman Katy as Factory Bitch ETA: and these are only the roles that are being understudied. No idea who's off in the rest of the ensemble, obviously.
riverdawn	Emily and David still off? :-/ Hope they are back on soon.
Eppie-Sue	Ah, but Emily is on holiday, as far as I know, and has been the past week.
riverdawn	Oh, I didn't realize it was a holiday. Well, at least that, then.
mm10	Elbow wrote: I really hate to admit this, because I know it will be used against me by a Bowman lover or similar in the near future, but currently I'm feeling bitter whenever I see the words "cast as the next Valjean" and a name that isn't "Jonathan Williams". I am assuming you mean me as I think I am the only one here who could remotely come in to that category. I've given my thoughts on this before and I didn't think there was any doubt that most people here want to see Williams promoted the point I was making was that I think it leads to unfair critisism of SB (and anyone who comes after him) but I certainly don't have a problem with people wanting him to get the job - I may even want to see him promoted myself but as I haven't seen him yet I can't comment on that. I am so angry about the other comments about SB over on WOS though. Where did that come from???
Eppie-Sue	mm10 wrote: I am so angry about the other comments about SB over on WOS though. Where did that come from??? Wasn't me. And I don't think it was anyone of us... there are limits. Just because we don't enjoy someone's performance doesn't mean it leads to those kinds of comments. I'm rather interested in where these people supposedly get their information from, not so much because of Simon Bowman, but because of Pradon. After going through some of his stuff, I'd much rather have Drew Sarich back, if they have to bring anyone back...
mm10	Eppie-Sue wrote: mm10 wrote: I am so angry about the other comments about SB over on WOS though. Where did that come from??? Wasn't me. And I don't think it was anyone of us... there are limits. Just because we don't enjoy someone's performance doesn't mean it leads to those kinds of comments. I didn't mean I thought anyone here had posted it - apologies if that's how it sounded. Found it ironic though since the impression I got was that most people thought he wasn't off enough
Eponines_Hat	[quote="Eppie-Sue"] mm10 wrote: I am so angry about the other comments about SB over on WOS though. Where did that come from??? ohh.... now I have to see this. Sounds like it was a bit nasty - I doubt anyone on here would be that mean. Off to have a look..... ETA Are you guys talking about Quote: JVJ is June is going to be Jerome Pradon. They can't wait to get rid of Bowman and tried to buy him out already. Similar thing going on at Phantom - they seem to be clamping down on sickness/absence as it's gone up tenfold in the past year or so. This is all just weird. Would like to know where this all came from. And from what everyone is saying, Jerome Pradon is potentially worse. Really hope that is NOT true. Jonathan. Killian. Simon. RIGHT THERE FFS..... On a slightly related note, I was watching this wicked video the other day (no, not The Wizard and I ) and they were saying how revolutionary it is that Wicked often promotes u/s to principals. Hmmm....
riverdawn	Actually, I've been sort of wondering if maybe someone should alert the moderators of WoS that over the past day or so it seems to have become some sort of horrific gossip column... I'm not even talking about this Bowman thing so much as the really appalling discussion going on in the tour thread, that really doesn't belong anywhere civilized. But anyway, if to get back on topic - I really am waiting for when the cast-change rumors start becoming more factual. I probably won't even be in London once next year to see the new cast, whoever they are, but I'm still really curious to see how it all turns out.
l'ivrogne transfigur�	mm10 wrote: Eppie-Sue wrote: mm10 wrote: I am so angry about the other comments about SB over on WOS though. Where did that come from??? Wasn't me. And I don't think it was anyone of us... there are limits. Just because we don't enjoy someone's performance doesn't mean it leads to those kinds of comments. I didn't mean I thought anyone here had posted it - apologies if that's how it sounded. Found it ironic though since the impression I got was that most people thought he wasn't off enough He is NEVER off. Except the occasional random day. And then there was that time when I made the effort to go and see it on the way home from uni just to see Jonathan, and Bowman was on. I was very annoyed. (And that's not necessarily a 'Bowman is rubbish' comment - just when you put in so much effort to go and see someone, and are all psyched up for it, it's very disappointing when you get someone else instead.) And, yeah, he's not generally popular among regular fans, but he's absolutely fine for the general audience who have never seen it before, and may well never see it again. Speaking for myself, although I'm not particularly keen on his voice, it is his characterisation that I don't like - and that's because I've read the book lots of times, and seen the show lots of times with many Valjeans to compare him with. Most people aren't going to come from that, and will still enjoy his performance. I can't imagine that he's so bad that they'd want to get rid of him. And I certainly think that if they had tried to pay him off, that that information would be kept very secret. It would hardly be publicised, and most people involved are pretty discrete. It's not like one of the actors would mention it at the stage door or anything. So I think it very unlikely that that post on WOS is a reliable source.
Eppie-Sue	Honestly? The WOS Mods take care of ridiculously small things, I'm sure if they wanted to, they could handle the tour thread. But please, let's not get into that here at all. As for cast change... I know that right now, everyone is waiting and getting nervous. Decisions can and will be made shortly... and will probably mostly be announced over the end of March/beginning of April, but as I said, it can take some time for every role to be cast. I think in 2008, David wasn't cast until May... and when we talked about cast change, Nancy mentioned something about decisions being made until the middle of May, too.
riverdawn	I suppose it's too much to hope that someone has been to the show tonight and will write a review? I find reviews on small cast days are always really interesting. Actually nearly went myself... but as I've already got tix for later in the week I managed to control myself...
Eppie-Sue	riverdawn wrote: I suppose it's too much to hope that someone has been to the show tonight and will write a review? I find reviews on small cast days are always really interesting. I actually was tempted, as the small cast show in the beginning of January was extremely interesting, but as there were no covers on that I'm desperate to see, no second u/s for example, and I've got a ticket for Wednesday and many of them might/will be off that day, too, I couldn't be bothered, to be honest. And, as I said, there were about twenty people waiting to get tickets. Good to see the show is selling so well but I'm not very keen on waiting for half an hour to get my ticket. I wish the u/s sheet could be up earlier.
MizH	When does the understudy sheet usually go up?
Eppie-Sue	It depends... Sometimes, they put it up over one hour before the show, but most of the time it's not there until 6.45pm (or, on matinee days, 1.45)... And as we've learned, it's not always correct. I don't mean the silly "Greg Castiglioni will be played by Gavin James" error they've had, but... for example in November, the sheet said "Fantine by Sophie Josslyn" and it actually was Rebecca who went on... And, of course, it never actually means the ones that are on the cast board will really be on... I've had two last-minute principal changes in two months, with Antony going on (and being announced) on New Year's Eve, and Jonathan going on (and not even being announced) a few weeks ago. And then there's the off-chance that you'll get two for the price of one: I had Natalie on for the second act the first time I saw the new cast... Simon Bowman breaking his finger (I still don't know how on earth that happened!) and being replaced by Simon Shorten after ATEOTD... David losing his voice on stage last week (nightmare) and Mark going on for Act 2... I should write a book. xDDD
riverdawn	Does anyone happen to know who was on tonight? I'm going tomorrow and wondering who I'm likely to see (although of course tonight isn't really an indication for tomorrow, but still. ).
Eppie-Sue	I went. Oh what an interesting show! I'm so glad. David was back (and back to amazing), we've got a new Gavroche (tiny and awesome), a new little Cosette who was little Eponine before, I'm sure (WONDERFUL), therefore a new little Eponine as well, a new female swing (for Brenda, who is very much pregnant). More later .
l'ivrogne transfigur�	Eppie-Sue wrote: I went. Oh what an interesting show! I'm so glad. David was back (and back to amazing), we've got a new Gavroche (tiny and awesome), a new little Cosette who was little Eponine before, I'm sure (WONDERFUL), therefore a new little Eponine as well, a new female swing (for Brenda, who is very much pregnant). More later . Sounds very interesting! Is that Sally Ann Gray? - I noticed that she's been listed as a Cosette and Eponine in the new programmes where she was only Eponine before.
HannahM	l'ivrogne transfigur� wrote: HannahM wrote: After a long 6 month wait I got to see the show again today (Matinee). I'll write a full review tomorrow with thoughts of Bowman, HPJ etc. At the moment, I'm a little too dazed to write anything decently thought out. I was at both today Where were you sat? First off, I GOT A LEAFLET!!!!!! At last. I think I might have to frame it... They were both good shows, and it was so nice to see Les Mis done properly again. It was my first Markjolras experience, which I have been waiting for for a long time. I really enjoyed his performance - he just has so much fun on stage. He is just so energetic and enthusiastic, and he really drags you with him. Vocally, he's fantastic. He nails all the notes, and his top notes in particular are amazing. I do prefer David's voice a little bit - not because it' better, just because it's more Enjolraic, imo. However, were Mark principal, I would be very happy with him vocally too. He does, however, lack a certain conviction and authority. It's like, David knows the revolution will succeed; Mark goes for it 100% and will keep going for it 100% until they win or die. But there is a possiblity that they will die. And also, it kind of looks like he's doing it because revolutions are so much fun rather than because of the principle of the thing. But yeah, I really, really enjoyed it. And it was loads of fun. Greg was on as Th�nardier, and I thought his performance was very good. It's the one role I like him in - somehow he just doesn't seem to fit the other roles. I don't really know why. But yeah, he was very funny. I really can't review at the moment. I am being distracted by Eppie-Sue. Might add more later, if I feel so inclined but don't hold your breath. I must have been sat next to you - I was in BB20 and I saw the leaflet land in front of you. I thought it might�ve been a bit rude to lunge for it! I did wonder if you were someone from on here but I didn�t quite pluck up the courage to ask - I wish I had now. It would�ve been nice to chat. (I kinda twigged it was one of you guys when I saw obvious signs of distress out of the corner of my eye at Bowman's BHH hands... ) I've not had a minute to myself to write a review but I jotted down a couple of notes and will get round to writing something eventually. I suppose it can be whenever, as it's more a reaction to performers I haven't seen before than anything specific to that show.
l'ivrogne transfigur�	HannahM wrote: I must have been sat next to you - I was in BB20 and I saw the leaflet land in front of you. I thought it might�ve been a bit rude to lunge for it! I did wonder if you were someone from on here but I didn�t quite pluck up the courage to ask - I wish I had now. It would�ve been nice to chat. (I kinda twigged it was one of you guys when I saw obvious signs of distress out of the corner of my eye at Bowman's BHH hands... ) I've not had a minute to myself to write a review but I jotted down a couple of notes and will get round to writing something eventually. I suppose it can be whenever, as it's more a reaction to performers I haven't seen before than anything specific to that show. Yup, that was me. It would have been nice to talk to you. Did you go to the stage door afterwards? Eppie-Sue and I were there, but I don't remember seeing you. Oh dear, is my distress really that obvious?! I know I have a bad habit of pulling faces and sometimes facepalming, but still... I try not to when I'm in BB and they can see you! Bowman's hands weren't even that bad in the matinee - they were much better than they have been, and better than in the evening too.
riverdawn	Eppie-Sue wrote: I went. Oh what an interesting show! I'm so glad. David was back (and back to amazing), we've got a new Gavroche (tiny and awesome), a new little Cosette who was little Eponine before, I'm sure (WONDERFUL), therefore a new little Eponine as well, a new female swing (for Brenda, who is very much pregnant). More later . Well, sounds very interesting indeed. Looking forward to the "more". And good to hear that David is well again.
Eppie-Sue	l'ivrogne transfigur� wrote: Eppie-Sue wrote: I went. Oh what an interesting show! I'm so glad. David was back (and back to amazing), we've got a new Gavroche (tiny and awesome), a new little Cosette who was little Eponine before, I'm sure (WONDERFUL), therefore a new little Eponine as well, a new female swing (for Brenda, who is very much pregnant). More later . Sounds very interesting! Is that Sally Ann Gray? - I noticed that she's been listed as a Cosette and Eponine in the new programmes where she was only Eponine before. Yes, it must have been her. I remembered her face and she was absolutely lovely. My favourite will always be Jessica (can't believe she left), and I love Chloe right now, but Sally Ann was amazing. Lovely voice, too. Okay, so. I won't review the whole show, just the interesting bits. First off, breaking news: Antony has learned a new word. Enjolras. If you heard him say "Monsieur" way too often in the past months, forget that. He now addresses "ENJOLRAS!" at every given moment. During "Red and Black", during "Lamarque is dead", on the barricades, it's a joy to watch. Also, he suddenly disappeared half-way through DWM. I got concerned, not only for him but for the show, because "How do we stand? Feuilly, make your report!" doesn't work that well without Feuilly. Thankfully, it was only his mic that had to be replaced, and he dashed back on stage when the Second Attack began. New flag = amazing flagwaving. I'm just saying. NEW GAVROCHE! Oh my God. So, after the article that has been linked on here, I expected there to be a new one (and I guess that means George left ) and today was his first performance! I'd NEVER have been able to to tell, if it hadn't been for the cheers from the Stalls after "Gavroche's Remarks" and "Little People" - and the checking glances/shoulder-claps from the rest of the cast. I will look up his name tomorrow, but let me just say, he is TINY. I said to Antony that it will look really funny when Jeff is back (because he was still off today) and I'm actually really excited for that because that boy literally already looked half David's height. And he was SO confident and bratty. Wonderful! The way he ran on stage and interacted and delivered the lines, he was fantastic! I've only ever seen one other first Gavroche performance, that was with Jamie back in October, and while I still miss Tristan and Ethan from when I first saw the show/summer, these two are brilliant. Also, I believe - with all the cheers they normally get (for whatever reasons ) - that must have been the loudest Curtain Call any Enjolras and Gavroche have ever gotten. It was insane! I don't really know how it happened, the boy had maybe... 10 people there?! Heh. So, um, new swing! Emma Westhead, who was in the show before, obviously, 2004-2007! Pleeenty of experience and she must know half the cast that way already. She's good. I liked her voice, she does stand out simply because she's the tallest, I believe, she definitely looked taller than Laura. Aaaand yes. David was back. I don't want to sound silly, but if the last show you had seen was Thursday's "two Enjolrasses for the price of one" dilemma of nerve-racking proportions, then you'd understand that I was quite tense when "Look Down" began. No need to worry, though: Ariiiiiiiise on usual epic length and from then on it just all went really, really well. Best moment must have been "Lamarque is dead", which was positively epic, mental, loud and completely out-of-this-world. I wish I had been in BB, the others were shouting so loudly and passionately, there might have been some good ad-libbing. But yes, very relieving to see (and hear!) him again like this. He even went for THE Final Battle and pulled it off, even though there was a little, minor (and by now very unusual) shaking at the beginning of "FREE". If it was necessary to do the B flat there today is debatable... But I need to add something... I have never seen anyone who seemed so deliriously happy to be back on stage again. Also, lovely interaction with Markfeyrac. "You're making a..." - "IN THERE." "A MISTAKE!" - "IN THERE NOW!" People off: Emily, Lorraine, Sophie (the two swings shared the tracks), Jeff (Killian as swing) and Dylan (Greg covered).
riverdawn	Quote: But I need to add something... I have never seen anyone who seemed so deliriously happy to be back on stage again. Aww... that's lovely. Quote: Also, lovely interaction with Markfeyrac. "You're making a..." - "IN THERE." "A MISTAKE!" - "IN THERE NOW!" That's awesome! All I've ever heard was the "you're making a mistake" part, with much pointing in the direction of the wings, but never heard DavidJolras go "in there!" Thanks for that.
Eppie-Sue	I have to add some bits about the audience... except for the standing ovations for the principals at the end, they were rubbish. Seriously, complete lack of enthusiasm for most scenes. And special mention to those parents in row F or so in the Stalls that dragged their son of perhaps seven years to see this show in the evening. They had to deal with a sleeping kid for Act 2. Obviously. Some people...
flying_pigs	Off topic but if anyone is interested, Cornell John (Javert 05-06) is currently in the BBC drama "Five Days". Episodes one and two are on iPlayer. And now everyone can see how huge his hands really are; it was always something that stuck in my mind when I saw him as Javert!
beyondthebarricade	Ooh! It sounds like so much fun. And it would be really awkward with this new Gavroche, so you say, as Jeff is at least 6 feet 3? More? I'd like to see the Little People scene with this.
riverdawn	beyondthebarricade wrote: Ooh! It sounds like so much fun. And it would be really awkward with this new Gavroche, so you say, as Jeff is at least 6 feet 3? More? I'd like to see the Little People scene with this. 6"4, according to his website.
Eppie-Sue	riverdawn wrote: beyondthebarricade wrote: Ooh! It sounds like so much fun. And it would be really awkward with this new Gavroche, so you say, as Jeff is at least 6 feet 3? More? I'd like to see the Little People scene with this. 6"4, according to his website. ... yeah... and Jeff just generally looks taller, doesn't he? I mean, if you just picture him standing next to David, who is the next tallest I believe...?! Antony and I were joking about how great it will look when he is on as Grantaire and has all these interactions with Gavroche... My God that boy is tiny. Really, really. But very confident and energetic.
MizH	flying_pigs wrote: Off topic but if anyone is interested, Cornell John (Javert 05-06) is currently in the BBC drama "Five Days". Episodes one and two are on iPlayer. And now everyone can see how huge his hands really are; it was always something that stuck in my mind when I saw him as Javert! That's who he is! I caught a bit of it last night, I was wondering why I recognised him. I wasn't keen on his Javert, but I did love that cast. Quote: So, um, new swing! Emma Westhead, who was in the show before, obviously, 2004-2007! Pleeenty of experience and she must know half the cast that way already. Is she back covering Fantine?
HannahM	l'ivrogne transfigur� wrote: Yup, that was me. It would have been nice to talk to you. Did you go to the stage door afterwards? Eppie-Sue and I were there, but I don't remember seeing you. Oh dear, is my distress really that obvious?! I know I have a bad habit of pulling faces and sometimes facepalming, but still... I try not to when I'm in BB and they can see you! Bowman's hands weren't even that bad in the matinee - they were much better than they have been, and better than in the evening too. We walked round there but then decided not to stay - two of my friends enjoyed the show but weren't crazy about it and the other was displaying fangirlish tendencies, plus we had a train to catch. I'm planning another trip down in May so I'll probably stagedoor then. I'm think it was a semi-facepalm but I'm sure he didn't notice. I actually thought he was going to make it through without any hand gestures but, alas, he didn't. Out of interest, is it normal for the audience to clap along to Beggars at the Feast? I don't remember them doing it any other time I've seen the show but I could be remembering wrongly. They did on Saturday and it's a real pet peeve of mine - clapping along is fine in panto but I really dislike it in something like Les Mis.
mm10	Eppie-Sue wrote: and Jeff just generally looks taller, doesn't he? I mean, if you just picture him standing next to David, who is the next tallest I believe...?! Antony and I were joking about how great it will look when he is on as Grantaire and has all these interactions with Gavroche... My God that boy is tiny. Really, really. But very confident and energetic. I always got the impression Simon Bowman was tall - or is it just that Emily is quite small I see someone on WOS said Jerome Pradon definately not playing Valjean - probably as reliable as the fact that he was meant to be - or indeed any of the rubbish that is posted there (sorry did that sound a bit bitter lol)
Eppie-Sue	MizH wrote: Quote: So, um, new swing! Emma Westhead, who was in the show before, obviously, 2004-2007! Pleeenty of experience and she must know half the cast that way already. Is she back covering Fantine? Well, I certainly don't hope so, as we've got two excellent understudies in Natalie and Sophie. Would be a bit strange to change that mid-season, wouldn't it?! I guess she's staying after cast change, maybe she'll get that cover back then. MizH wrote: I always got the impression Simon Bowman was tall - or is it just that Emily is quite small Emily is QUITE small, yeah. Simon Bowman isn't one of the tallest in the cast... average, I'd say. When it comes to height, it's more like... Jeff, David, Killian, Jonathan, Gavin... Also, I'm back from tonight's show (went with Madeleine and here's hoping she gets around to reviewing some more!) - I'll just post random thoughts. George!Bamatabois looks like the Mad Hatter. I DO NOT KID YOU. Mainly the new Johnny Depp version... Kept me entertained throughout Fantine's Arrest. He does, he does! New Gavroche (called William Edden, and I do not believe for a second that this kid is 11!) still TINY and still AWESOME. Got a gasp from the audience when he died. Really. And I LOVE how he goes "General Lamarque is dead", he's the first Gavroche I've heard who delivers the line well and without a break after "Listen everybody!" Audience in a very good mood. Loudest laughs I've heard Martin and Lorraine get (for whatever they did) in a long time. And instant standing ovations in the Stalls! Simon Bowman, quite literally, said "Okay...!" after he checked on Marius after the Final Battle. UMWHAT? And I really wish he'd tone down the crazy eyes during Valjean's Confession, he's so scary. And I hate to list negative things, I really do, but it's the third time the "let's lean in and touch foreheads with Cosette as I die" acting choice in the Epilogue has resulted in loud, disturbing noise as their microphones touched. I have nothing against forehead touching, but if you do it, please make sure you do it right. And don't do it twice in ten seconds. LOVE Sally Ann as little Cosette. Very happy with new kids. Rebecca was amazing! I really, really enjoyed every minute of her performance, which isn't always the case, especially not this actively! She sounded more... smooth than usual, looked very pretty indeed and I loved her. Note to whoever of the Queen's might be reading this: Don't let Emma Westhead play a barricade boy. I know she was covering for AJ but, please, that girl is taller than Laura Medforth. She doesn't look like a boy in any way. Jonathan was HILARIOUS in the wedding. I hope no one ever takes that fake lily away from him, he's having the time of his life trying to stick it through his buttonhole/stabbing himself with it. David was very good, again, so I guess he's alright now. If you can manage a two shows day with rehearsals in the morning (!) this well, then it can't be too bad anymore. Although he described Thursday as having been very painful... Also, he might be the only one who can very convincingly be ambiguously slashy with three different guys (Markfeyrac, Martintaire, Killian!BarricadeGuyWhoIsNormallyJeff) in one minute and still not seem camp. On a side note, with a day like this, he and Nancy still went running after the matinee. There are crazy people and then there are... people like them. OH and speaking of the matinee, I know riverdawn went and I hope she'll be able to tell you all about the blooper soon-ish. Quite the ... random one. ETA: THERE WE ARE. xD I love it.
riverdawn	And here are my thoughts on today's Matinee (other than the aforementioned blooper), in no particular order as I am tired: Absolutely agree with Eppie-Sue about the new children. Little Cosette was excellent (could actually sing!) and the new Gavroche was also very good and very very tiny. He got his bag stuck during the death scene, and eventually had to lose the hat in order to get the bag off, but to make up for lost time he gave that bag one heck of a throw, so that it went straight over MarkFeyrac's head and well into the barricade. I also agree with Jonathan being a hilarious drunk at the wedding. There was no fake lily in the matinee (although I've seen it before), but instead he randomly said things like "well, congratulations to you, anyway", quite loudly, while Marius and Thenardier were conducting their business. Simon Shorten's first traveler also had me in a fit of giggles. The new flag is quite dramatic and epic. There were lots of good ad-libs, including a huge FREEEDOM during DYHTPS, and I finally managed to see the "You're making a mistake!" "In there. In there NOW!" Oh, also, there were sort of two "shoot the bastards". Or rather, there was a "SHOOT THE BASTARD!!!!" and then a more petulant, quieter "shoot the bastard!" (which I read as more of "no, really, just shoot him already, Enjolras....") and after "let me go, he's no more than a boy", Alistair sort of grabbed Bowman's shoulder and mouthed "A BOY?" with a look of total outrage. Loved it. Hmm... OK, I just realized this entire review is looking like I only notice totally random things during the show, so to make up for that: I thought Bowman was decent today. I mean, there were the gestures, but in the gesture-less parts he was quite good, I thought. I also very much enjoyed HPJ today. He seemed to have a great deal of feeling in those bits where he should have it. I guess I generally enjoy him more than most, but really I have to say the last few shows he's quite grown on me. The only thing I still find quite irritating is the fact that he goes for neither "Cha....ain" in the Confrontation nor for "Goo...od" in Stars. But other than that I've grown to enjoy his performance. Alistair was very good. I'll admit I was hoping to see Antony today (I had the misinformation about the holiday dates) and was at first a little confused to see Alistair on the stage at all. But once I got over that, I enjoyed his performance very much. His ECAET was spectacular, actually. He had me riveted. I usually give the line of barricade-boy-ghosts a look during that song, but I was so captivated by Alistair I actually didn't even give them a glance. I was wondering if I could tell that David had been off sick for a few days by his performance, but absolutely not. He was amazing (well, I mean, there was that blooper, but that's a pretty amazing blooper, no? ). Nancy was also great. OMO felt really emotional. I'm not sure if she teared up at the end there, but she may well have done. Finally... well, I'm trying to figure out if it's a good or a bad sign when I've gotten to the point that Mark Dugdale sees me at the stage door and says "now you I DID notice, sitting there in the front row".
l'ivrogne transfigur�	riverdawn wrote: Alistair was very good. I'll admit I was hoping to see Antony today (I had the misinformation about the holiday dates) and was at first a little confused to see Alistair on the stage at all. But once I got over that, I enjoyed his performance very much. His ECAET was spectacular, actually. He had me riveted. I usually give the line of barricade-boy-ghosts a look during that song, but I was so captivated by Alistair I actually didn't even give them a glance. Misinformation about holiday dates? I thought Antony was going to be on this week, as well. Do you know when he is going to be on?
Eppie-Sue	Antony is only on for the next three days... WEunderstudies/whatever kind of source there was got the dates a bit wrong. Or maybe he changed them...
Madeleine	Eppie-Sue wrote: New Gavroche (called William Edden, and I do not believe for a second that this kid is 11!) still TINY and still AWESOME. Got a gasp from the audience when he died. Really. And I LOVE how he goes "General Lamarque is dead", he's the first Gavroche I've heard who delivers the line well and without a break after "Listen everybody!" The new Gavroche has got to be the cutest thing (well...person) I have ever seen in my life. Adorable! And very, very good. Incredibly tiny. Eppie-Sue wrote: Audience in a very good mood. Loudest laughs I've heard Martin and Lorraine get (for whatever they did) in a long time. And instant standing ovations in the Stalls! I'm sure there were drunk people in! There seemed to be a group laughing at the strangest moments...like when Fantine downs a shot before going off with her first customer. I'm often guilty of inappropriate giggling, but I really can't think what could possibly be funny about that bit?! Eppie-Sue wrote: Note to whoever of the Queen's might be reading this: Don't let Emma Westhead play a barricade boy. I know she was covering for AJ but, please, that girl is taller than Laura Medforth. She doesn't look like a boy in any way. Yes. It's lovely to see Emma back at the Queen's, as I've always liked her ...but she really doesn't work as a barricade boy. Couldn't they just have an extra barricade woman instead? Although I doubt most of the audience would notice...we're probably too picky. Eppie-Sue wrote: Jonathan was HILARIOUS in the wedding. I hope no one ever takes that fake lily away from him, he's having the time of his life trying to stick it through his buttonhole/stabbing himself with it. Was it my imagination, or did he dip the stem in his drink and then suck it, having failed to get it into his buttonhole?! And the other day, I'm pretty sure he 'ate' the bottom of the stem... Eppie-Sue wrote: David was very good, again, so I guess he's alright now. If you can manage a two shows day with rehearsals in the morning (!) this well, then it can't be too bad anymore. Also, he might be the only one who can very convincingly be ambiguously slashy with three different guys (Markfeyrac, Martintaire, Killian!BarricadeGuyWhoIsNormallyJeff) in one minute and still not seem camp. He was indeed. Thursday was just awful to watch (no doubt much, much worse for David himself although he pulled it off incredibly well!) and I was very relieved to see him back today, and seeming well again. I'll admit, I was holding my breath during 'arise' in Look Down, but it sounded amazing, and from then on I could relax. I very much enjoyed the random David/Killian slash. Lovely to have him back. For me, one of the best moments tonight was when Courfeyrac ties up Javert: Markfeyrac: *ties up HPJavert with a fierce expression on his face* HPJavert: *almost chokes to death* Markfeyrac: "SHUT. UP!!!!" That man terrifies me sometimes. He may not get to "Shoot the bastard!!!!", but he does his best to get his revenge later on! Also, I love that there seems to be a 'Naughty Corner' in the Cafe! Grantaire being loud and obnoxious, Jeff!Student (or tonight, Killian) encouraging him, and Joe as Prouvaire being equally loud and disruptive. I find it very hard to not spend the entire scene watching the three of them!
riverdawn	Madeleine wrote: Eppie-Sue wrote: David was very good, again, so I guess he's alright now. If you can manage a two shows day with rehearsals in the morning (!) this well, then it can't be too bad anymore. Also, he might be the only one who can very convincingly be ambiguously slashy with three different guys (Markfeyrac, Martintaire, Killian!BarricadeGuyWhoIsNormallyJeff) in one minute and still not seem camp. He was indeed. Thursday was just awful to watch (no doubt much, much worse for David himself although he pulled it off incredibly well!) and I was very relieved to see him back today, and seeming well again. I'll admit, I was holding my breath during 'arise' in Look Down, but it sounded amazing, and from then on I could relax. I very much enjoyed the random David/Killian slash. Lovely to have him back. Oh, this reminds me that in the Matinee there was the totally random blocking for DWM which I sort of love because it looks very realistic: First talk to MarkFeyrac and try to sort things out, then climb down and have a little pick-me-up chat with Gavroche, then discuss something with Joly, then go to the tavern and talk to the people there, get offered a bowl of water, say "no, thank you, not right now" and go back to the center of the action just in time to be have Grantaire talk to you about throwing lives away, and then of course go back to take to MarkFeyrac for that final handshake. Busy boy, our fearless revolutionary leader. Quote: For me, one of the best moments tonight was when Courfeyrac ties up Javert: Markfeyrac: *ties up HPJavert with a fierce expression on his face* HPJavert: *almost chokes to death* Markfeyrac: "SHUT. UP!!!!" That man terrifies me sometimes. He may not get to "Shoot the bastard!!!!", but he does his best to get his revenge later on! He wasn't quite so "violent" about it in the matinee, but after "tie him up", Courfeyrac did give the chair quite a loud "bang" before Javert was tied to it, presumably to show his displeasure at the fact that was just a tying up and not an execution. Honestly, I am constantly amazed at how terrifying Mark's Courfeyrac is, considering how utterly sweet and un-terrifying he is in person. That is some acting.
MizH	Eppie-Sue wrote: MizH wrote: Quote: So, um, new swing! Emma Westhead, who was in the show before, obviously, 2004-2007! Pleeenty of experience and she must know half the cast that way already. Is she back covering Fantine? Well, I certainly don't hope so, as we've got two excellent understudies in Natalie and Sophie. Would be a bit strange to change that mid-season, wouldn't it?! I guess she's staying after cast change, maybe she'll get that cover back then. Ah right. I didn't know who the Fantine understudies are this year. I'm not as up to speed on the understudies as I used to be! Thanks for the reviews, everyone.
Eppie-Sue	Hahahahaha. I'm back from tonight's show and, especially, from the stage door. I will write some bits about the show (which was good) later, but stage door was HILARIOUS. I'm still not over it. So, I was standing around, and suddenly a group of about 40 French girls of about...15/16 appeared and stood opposite the stage door, right in front of the pub, just... assembling there, cameras and phones ready. That already slightly amused me. Nancy was the first to come out and got a few timid claps, "Bravo"s, but she had a friend waiting and kind of didn't notice. It was rather quiet at first. Then Antony, who had been on as Marius, appeared. 40 girls, on the top of their voices: "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Antony: " " Girls: "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Me: "Admit it, you've paid them." Antony: "WHO ARE THEY? THIS IS HILARIOUS!" Girls: *giggle* Antony: "DID YOU GUYS ENJOY IT?" Girls: "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!" Then David appeared. 40 girls, on the top of their voices: "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" David: *completely oblivious* *wanders to the side cluelessly* Antony: "... THIS is hilarious." Girls: "OMGOMGOMG!" Antony: "Watch this. *raises finger*" Girls: "..." Antony: *lifts hands slowly* Girls: "squuuueeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" *David and Nancy look over* Nancy: *scolds* "ANTONY!" Antony: "HAHAHAHAHA!" then, at one point, they just started cheering very randomly xD... oh, and very loudly for Martin N, who seemed amused by it all. Thomas appears: "What's all this screaming?" Me: "... French... girls..." Thomas: "For whom?" Antony: "FOR EVERYONE! Isn't this hilarious?" Apparently, another group will be there on Saturday, according to their teacher. I'm SO going to be there, that was the most fun I've had at the stage door since ... ever.
flying_pigs	Bahahahaha! That sounds amazing! There are always fun stories from the stage door!
l'ivrogne transfigur�	Haha, sounds like fun!! There might be creeps sometimes, but at least the actors also get entertainment at the stage door
riverdawn	Eppie-Sue wrote: Apparently, another group will be there on Saturday, according to their teacher. I'm SO going to be there, that was the most fun I've had at the stage door since ... ever. Oh, dear, not sure if I'm looking forward to this or not. But, ah, dear Antony, he sure does have a great 'stage door' presence. Just the right fellow to deal with a group of squealing French girls.
Eppie-Sue	riverdawn wrote: Eppie-Sue wrote: Apparently, another group will be there on Saturday, according to their teacher. I'm SO going to be there, that was the most fun I've had at the stage door since ... ever. Oh, dear, not sure if I'm looking forward to this or not. What's not to look forward to?! So much fun. Um, so, I said I'd write a bit about the show. Again, these will just be random bits. Jonathan WINS AT LIFE. In general, but epecially in his numerous little ensemble roles. Telling Rachel she's a "BAD GIRL" very loudly in the quiet part in MotH before Lorraine sings, and, especially for this: (you all know how he's that blind beggar in Look Down? Yes.) Nancy: "IIIIIT'S JAAAAAVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERT!" Jonathan: *holds hands up like at a bank robbery* Genius. With Jeff being back, Martin N had a bit less to do. I wanted to mention that two days ago already: When he is on as the Factory Foreman, he's got QUITE the ensemble track, being the innkeeper in On Parole, the Foreman, the Pimp and Grantaire. And I really like him in all those roles. His Grantaire is wonderful, especially the "GET ENJOLRAS!" in ALFOR as he sends Helen into the wings. Mark is on holiday right now, and Antony was on as Marius, so there were swings in their tracks - Greg as Feuilly, Mark H as Courfeyrac. Serious, serious lack of interaction. A lot more Enjolras/Combeferre than usual. Bless. Look Down had the longest "ARISE" I've ever heard. I guess someone wants to make up for all the shows he's missed. Quite the manic Jump, too. Antony was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. I really want to see him being promoted in June, mainly because he takes this role so seriously, he gets rid of everything that people criticise about the character and he makes him so believeable and interesting and strong. Also, there is no fanservice like the "One more day before the storm/Will I follow where she goes?..." passage in ODM with David and Antony. Amazing. Cutest interaction of the night. DWM before Grantaire's part. Davidjolras: *sits down next to Gavroche (the tiny new kid)* *holds hand open* William as Gavroche: "???" Davidjolras: "... *handddd*" William: " *puts his little hand in David's* aw. Anyway. Um, yes, Gavroche's Death got loud gasps again. That boy is so tiny. It's quite shocking. Oh God, I can't remember much, really. Maybe more later.
riverdawn	Quote: Cutest interaction of the night. DWM before Grantaire's part. Davidjolras: *sits down next to Gavroche (the tiny new kid)* *holds hand open* William as Gavroche: "???" Davidjolras: "... *handddd*" William: "Very Happy *puts his little hand in David's* Awwww, indeed. There was a bit of interaction between the two of them on Wednesday, but it was more of a shoulder-grabbing kind of thing. Is Mark on Holiday for the rest of the week, then (if you know)? Obviously he deserves a break after all the Enjolras-ing he did last week , but I admit to being a bit sad if it means not having MarkFeyrac on tomorrow.... Well, at least there should be AntonyMarius, so I will make do with that
Madeleine	riverdawn wrote: Is Mark on Holiday for the rest of the week, then (if you know)? Obviously he deserves a break after all the Enjolras-ing he did last week , but I admit to being a bit sad if it means not having MarkFeyrac on tomorrow.... Yeah, he's off tonight and tomorrow as well.
riverdawn	Quote: Yeah, he's off tonight and tomorrow as well. Thanks! That's too bad (for me, of course. I'm sure it's great for him ), but I shall make do somehow.
riverdawn	Back from today's matinee. Was really good, despite the fact that the ensembles were both tiny. The only principal off was Alistair, which I knew in advance (I went today in order to see Antony as Marius), but from the men we had Mark Dugdale, Jonathan, Greg and Thomas off (I think that's the lot), and a few of the women were off as well (I know Katy Hana was on as Factory Bitch, but not sure what that means for who was off etc. I'm really bad with ensemble names still). So, Antony was on as Marius, which was, of course, brilliant. I really really love his Marius. He manages to maintain a feeling of a young man falling in love, while still playing Marius as someone strong who has an opinion etc. His ECAET is always stunning, and I also once again have to mention the great way in which he sings "her name was Eponine", as though saying "she's not just some poster girl for the cause. She had a name!" Really really loved his performance. Emily was back on as Cosette, and while I quite enjoyed AJ I do think Emily is wonderful. Also, she and Antony really make a lovely stage-couple (you can really imagine his Marius and her Cosette having beautiful dark haired babies together. ) We had Killian on as Feuilly, and let me tell you - the visual at the end of ODM, with David in the center, AntonyMarius on his right and KillianFeuilly on his left was really quite striking (and not just because they are three handsome men). Over all KillianFeuilly was great. There was a beautiful interaction between him and DavidJolras at the beginning of LiD. After Gavroche made the announcement, David did the blocking where he sits down, and started singing LiD as though he were trying to figure out what to do (with everyone, including him, sitting with their heads bowed down)... and then as DavidJolras started to realize what he should do and raised his head, so did KillianFeuilly, and DavidJolras sang "his death is the sign we await" basically *at* KillianFeuilly and Killan whispered "the sign?" and then sort of got caught up in it as DavidJolras got caught up in it. it was really lovely. There was also great blocking earlier in Red and Black, with David going up to Martin Neely for "But now there is a higher call" and grabbing his bottle. And those darn lower notes at the beginning of DYHTPS, they were so clear and beautiful I wanted to cry. Honestly, I think I love those notes even more than I love the big ones like ARISE.... My goodness, that man can SING. Anyway, we also had KillianParnasse, which was sheer brilliance. His interactions with Nancy were awesome, with a whole lot of leering and fighting and in the Attack on Rue Plumet she kicked him and he was cowering in the corner in pain. And of course he is amazingly knife-happy in the early Paris scenes. This time he didn't get to the point of nearly cutting Marius' neck. Instead he moved between threatening AntonyMarius' neck and threatening his general crotch area. It was hilarious, especially with Antony starting out all intimidating and then getting all "no, no, don't hurt me" once Killian pulled out that knife. Because there were so few men on, Mark Hedges had to do a bit of double (maybe triple?) duty, singing Courfeyrac's lines and also Jonathan's lines after Eponine's death and maybe some other stuff. There was still some good Courfeyrac/Enjolras interaction, with the whole "Enjolras, you're making a mistake!" "Follow me, in there, now!" and the 'making up' bit in DWM... but of course it wasn't up to Mark Dugdale standards. Also due to the shortage of men, we had to have a woman (the one who usually plays 'sobbing woman', not sure about the actress' name) get shot in the sniper scene, as there were not sufficient men around for that. I really enjoyed Dillan's Joly today. He was adorable during DWM, and I also really love how just before the final battle he goes to the front of the stage and kneels and prays. In other random thoughts: The new female swing was on as the younger prostitute in the scene in Look Down with the two fighting prostitutes. This ended up being a bit funny when GavinPimp tried to get her off stage, because she appears to be every inch as tall as Gavin and she also looks like a girl who can hold her own - so it wasn't too convincing to see him drag her off. Turning was a little weird in that Katy Hana was on as PregnantPrayingWoman, but with so few women on, she sang both "every year another brat..." and "what's the use of praying if there's nobody who hears".... which ended up kind of strange, as she was the one praying to begin with, so it looked like she had suddenly effected a turn from devout Catholicism to Atheism in one song. Finally, GeorgeWeddingGuest was hilarious. After "this one's a queer", he did the thing where he loses his step and his dance partner goes flying, but then he turned to the banquet table, gave it a look, and then looked at either GavinWaiter or DavidWaiter (or perhaps both? ) and gave them this look like he was totally totally coming on to them! It was so good! Anyway, 'twas good fun. Last show for me for this visit (most likely), but I'll probably be back later in the spring.
l'ivrogne transfigur�	In terms of ensemble, Sophie Josslyn plays the Factory Bitch so must have been off, and Chloe Brooks is the prostitute so presumably she was off too, and Natalie Day who usually plays the pregnant woman. Oh, and it's Laura Medforth () who plays the sobbing woman. Don't get me started. Hope that helps I remember loving the interaction between Antony and whoever was on as Montparnasse at the time, I think it was Thomas. Alistair does the whole 'Don't kill me' thing as well, but somehow it's just much funnier with Antony. Hope you have a good time back home, and don't suffer from too many withdrawal symptoms! You've managed quite a lot of shows while you've been here P.S. riverdawn wrote: There was also great blocking earlier in DWM, with David going up to Martin Neely for "But now there is a higher call" and grabbing his bottle. That's not DWM ...
riverdawn	l'ivrogne transfigur� wrote: P.S. riverdawn wrote: There was also great blocking earlier in DWM, with David going up to Martin Neely for "But now there is a higher call" and grabbing his bottle. That's not DWM ... Of course it's not DWM. It's Red and Black. Says so, right there in my post... (well, now it does) Quote: In terms of ensemble, Sophie Josslyn plays the Factory Bitch so must have been off, and Chloe Brooks is the prostitute so presumably she was off too, and Natalie Day who usually plays the pregnant woman. Oh, and it's Laura Medforth () who plays the sobbing woman. Don't get me started. Hope that helps Thanks, I'll try to keep this in mind, although I doubt it'll stick for very long. Quote: Hope you have a good time back home, and don't suffer from too many withdrawal symptoms! You've managed quite a lot of shows while you've been here Oh, yes, considerably more than I originally intended to. I really shouldn't have gone so many times, but there were all these different Valjeans and other exciting stuff going on...
Eppie-Sue	I'll try to review a bit, I can't promise much, I'm a bit exhausted. While everyone else gets drained when it's too hot, I get exhausted by the cold. I WANT SUN AND WARMTH AND FLOWERS. Anyway. That is way off topic. So, I saw the evening show! Rather unexpectedly got a ticket in the D/C Slips which made me very happy, as riverdawn had been going on about the small cast and just generally, because wheee Les Mis. I didn't actually think it was that small of an ensemble... Yes, there were a few moments where it was noticeable, but overall, it really just was two female swings in three tracks and two male swings in four tracks. I mean, it was a bit of work for them, but that one day when Killian was literally in four, five tracks at one time, singing both Combeferre's and Courfeyrac's lines in DYHTPS prepared me for small cast days, I think Alright. Random thoughts. Haha, they're handing out small sheets that say "At this performance, the role of SWING will be played by Emma Westhead." with a short CV and a picture. I thought that was terribly awkward and was reminded how I spent a good time of my childhood going through the Les Mis programme I had gotten in Duisburg and wondering what "swing" could mean, only knowing the expression "swing dance" and being very, very sure that there was no swing dancing in Les Mis. One convict and one guard down, obviously. Other moments where it was noticable: no Antony and no Thomas to grab hold of JVJ when he gets beaten up on the farm, so David did that, there were two people missing from the right table in MotH so Joe Evans could put his feet on the one stool, there was a significant lack of cheering and shouting after "Lamarque Is Dead" and these little things... Paid attention to the judges' caps. There is an actual hierarchy, with JeffJudge's cap being a bit bigger (with one golden ribbon), DavidJudge's cap having two golden ribbons and AntonyJudge's having only one golden ribbon. Marius discrimination in ensemble roles. I was amused. Sorry to add some Bowman criticism, but I have to point this out: In the Bargain, during a moment of utmost slapstick, after Lorraine has leaned in and Martin B is getting ready to press little Cosette's head to his side to create the "perfect family" picture, Simon Bowman moved his chair back loudly and distractingly. Thus, the motion Martin did got way less laughs than usual, because people weren't really paying attention. This might seem nit-picky, but it's just an example for what my general problem with Bowman's performance is: There is no consideration for the wholeness. Other examples would be kicking pieces of the broken chair to the back during that quiet moment of "Your child will live within my care", which he did a few times some weeks ago. It destroys the scene. That moment tonight was as if Nancy had suddenly decided to go and stand in front of Marius and Cosette when they first meet. Anyway. Too much energy that's going into this. Speaking of energy: loud and manic "Lamarque is dead". That was very, very good. As I said, not enough shouting afterwards, sadly, but that was very rallying. There were quite the awesome KillianFeuilly <=> Davidjolras moments, one being at "Do we have the guns we need?" which was directed at Killian, who, immediately, started arguing that this really wasn't his fault and he had not idea what was up with the guns either. Another great moment was at the first warnings, when Killian just randomly decided to stand up a bit and peek over the highest bar to see what was going on. He was then called back by Joe Prouvaire, but really excitedly told him that there was someone on the other side. He also yells "ENJOLRAS!" in the Final Battle to get that guy back up on the barricade as things are not going as they should. Which then results in flagwaving. Ah well. Killianparnasse was awesome. I think I've gushed enough the last time I saw him. Nancy basically bites his hand off at the end of the Attack. Yeah, Laura Medforth got shot. I really didn't like it - I had seen it before - because it literally looks as if they're using the women as cannon fodder. xD Was slightly amused by the fact that she wasn't pulled away out of the line of fire by Davidjolras (like he does with Thomas as Bahorel), because, ew, Enjolras doesn't touch women. Antony was great. Better than on Thursday, I thought, very strong, very convincing. I love how slightly dorky he gets in Rue Plumet, there is a softness to him at that point that really adds to the character. And I LOVE that you can see him looking through the bars of the Rue Plumet gate at the "then a ship across the sea", clearly indicating that he hears what's going on. Um, um, I think that's all. Thanks a lot to the girl of maybe 11, 12 years next to me who was very audibly sucking her fingers the whole way through (yeah, don't ask), taking off her shoes and whispering with her mum at all the quiet moments. Her mum was also wearing very noisy bracelets that clinked whenever she moved. It was LOVELY. Oh and AWKWARD CURTAIN CALL. Ugh. So, you all know how the cast come back on stage for a final bow, and for most of the audience who are seeing it for the first time it must seem as if they're going that just for them because they've been such a great audience?! Yeah, so, Bowman was in the front, centre, as usual, and I swear to God, all of Dress Circle was already standing and as the audience was very lovely and loud, he suddenly started raising his hands, indicating: "Come on, come on, get up, on your feet everyone!", which the Stalls then did. Most of them anyway. Got confused laughs and head-shaking from most of the cast. Would have been nice to see him actually just thanking and applauding them like others do, some modesty is sometimes not completely out of place, but, uh, yeah. Also: No French girls! D:
riverdawn	Eppie-Sue wrote: I didn't actually think it was that small of an ensemble... Well, I did tell you who was off. Anyway, yeah, it wasn't too noticeable all the time, but enough that *I* noticed it and I half the time have no idea who is in the ensemble. Quote: He also yells "ENJOLRAS!" in the Final Battle to get that guy back up on the barricade as things are not going as they should. Which then results in flagwaving. Ah well. Yeah, he did that in the matinee too. Not sure about it, to be honest. Quote: Yeah, Laura Medforth got shot. I really didn't like it - I had seen it before - because it literally looks as if they're using the women as cannon fodder. xD Was slightly amused by the fact that she wasn't pulled away out of the line of fire by Davidjolras (like he does with Thomas as Bahorel), because, ew, Enjolras doesn't touch women. She also, if I'm not mistaken, did not have her arm in a sling after wards, as Bahorel does after he's shot.
HobNob	Eppie-Sue wrote: Also: No French girls! D: I heard about them. It sounded AMAZING.
Eppie-Sue	So, tonight, Sophie was on as Fantine and there was still an empty BB seat left at 6.20 pm. Guess what I did. The show was good, nothing extraordinary that I'd have to point out, I think... Apart from Rebecca and Natalie, Katy was off, so Emma Westhead played the Factory Bitch, I'm not sure if I liked her, but she could definitely stand up to Sophie's Fantine (it's so strange to see Sophie was Fantine in that scene, seriously), so that was good. As for the guys, Antony wasn't there! D: and Jonathan left half-way through Act 1, which I find rather worrying. Neither Killian nor Greg were there, so Mark H covered two tracks and Simon did the warnings. Sophie... Yes, I do like her a lot. I've heard her better than tonight, but she was perfectly fine... there is one scene that I love, which is "Come to me" - it's so soft and weak and believable, and I think her voice is just beautiful there. If I could get Natalie for the Factory Scenes and IDAD, Rebecca for Lovely Ladies, Rebecca's voice and Natalie's acting for the Arrest and Sophie for Fantine's Death, that would be pretty much my perfect Fantine. I like all of them. Highlights of the show were, um, the Chain Gang, for some reason, yes, Come To Me, beginning of Look Down, the whole passage from "It is time for us all" to the end of DYHTPS, but especially "Lamarque is dead" which is just... out of this world... he sang: "On the tomb of Lamarque will our BARRICADE rise!" You just know that has been his lifelong dream! A real, actual barricade. Bless. Um, yeah, marching in ODM, "Shoot the bastard!" because WHEEEE MARK IS BACK FROM HOLIDAY, the beginning of ALFOR, Final Battle, ending of DED and the Finale. How predictable. Immediate standing ovation in the Stalls. Love it. It's so awesome.
Eppie-Sue	Okay, so, I realise that posting twice in a row about seeing the show twice in a row is a bit pathetic, and it seems that no one actually cares, but anyway. Tonight, I bring you: - two second understudies! - only one prison guard! - no Feuilly in ODM! - silverware falling into the orchestra pit! - the flag falling off the barricade! - no sobbing woman! - Mark Hedges singing every second ensemble line - Courfeyrac carrying off Deadponine and other fun stuff. Watch this space.
riverdawn	What do you mean "no one cares"? I check this spot every night around midnightish, just to see if someone will post a review. Also, this particular one sounds very interesting. Looking forward to it.
mm10	riverdawn wrote: What do you mean "no one cares"? I check this spot every night around midnightish, just to see if someone will post a review. So do I lol Looking forward to a full review
Eppie-Sue	Alright. So, there were a few people off tonight, namely Alistair, Antony, Jonathan, Killian, Greg, Rebecca, Natalie and Katy. Therefore, Joe was on as Marius, Sophie was on as Fantine, Mark H covered three tracks, Emma Westhead two. Genius that I am, I deduced that there would be two spots empty in the male ensemble in every scene, so you can understand my surprise when a full set of convicts - ten! - walked on stage. And yes, indeed. There was only one prison guard, Mark. It looked slightly ridiculous, he seemed like their very own torturer. Talk about monopoly of power! I don't know why they did that... I mean, okay, I get that with Joe in the Marius track, they needed someone to sing "I know she'll wait, I know that she'll be there", but seriouly, couldn't Thomas just do that?! Or couldn't they get one of the others in a uniform? Joe or David? I'm sure David's 05-07 costume must still be somewhere. Anyway, texted Madeleine in the interval, and as she rightly concluded: If there is only one guard, Mark is the guy to do that job. He was still very frightening. There was a bit of a funny thing at the very beginning of IDAD. The stage hands usually roll the gate off stage, while Fantine walks from the front of the stage towards the guys (normally David, Antony and Alistair) that hang around there. Now, Sophie walked up to David and Joe. David and Joe: *look of disgust* *turn around* *almost run into gate* ... yep. The stage hands took ages to get it off stage. It was a bit distracting. Sophie was really, really good. I enjoyed her performance a lot more today than I did yesterday, I thought she was very strong and convincing. And like Natalie, she wriggles her toes in Come To Me. Thought I'd point that out, it was sweet. xD But, uh, yeah. Come To Me is definitely her strongest scene. Heartbreaking. Mark Hedges quite literally sang every second ensemble line, singing almost everything Jonathan, Antony and Joe normally sing. He did an amazing job, I really have to point that out. It got a bit difficult at times, because he had to be in two, three places at once, but he managed so well. And others randomly covered some of the tracks... like David waiting around to beat up Valjean on the farm in Antony's spot, Simon singing "They will do what is right", and, yes, this was very prominent: At the end of ALFOR, Mark came back without a gun! I got concerned, as he needs a gun to "applaud" Valjean for "shooting" Javert a bit later, but it turned out to be because they needed another guy to carry off Eponine. So when Gavinferre and MarkHJehanLesgle had sung the lines (Mark H two of them xD), Markfeyrac stepped forwards, too and, after a sad smile and nod from Davidjolras, helped to carry Deadponine off, etc. Oh yes, and there was no Feuilly in ODM as Mark H had to wave the flag in Joe's spot, so Courfeyrac was marching next to Enjolras and I was a happy fangirl. Joe was wonderful. He seemed a lot more secure than I had seen him in January (which, to be fair, had been the first day he ever played the part), and while he's really not the strongest vocally, he is such an adorable Marius, slightly helpless and very amused and "proper" and INLOVE!!! at first, becoming more and more bitter after Eponine's death and then the barricades and ... just ... I can't describe him. He's so funny, in a way, a bit dorky, and completely different from Antony and Alistair. I don't think it would work for me if I saw it at every performance, but it's so nice and he's very convincing. I need to mention this, even though it seems shallow: Emily looked absolutely gorgeous today. I mean, she's always very pretty, but she was so delightful and looked exactly like Cosette should look. And she sounded great. Got applause for "Every Day", which was lovely. Bowman was... Bowman. There was a flubbed line in the confession: "Tell her my heart was tofair...forffwells." Eeeeeh. And, sadly, his voice couldn't really carry BHH. I don't know. And the thing is, there are moments where I find myself thinking "Oh, this is good, I think I like that!" and then... no. His Valjean is way, way too confident, getting annoyed with Javert, acting like he was wrongly imprisoned and everyone's getting on his nerves. Nancy delivered one of the strongest OMOs I've ever heard her sing. It was brilliant. I loved it very much. And she always tears up at ALFOR, I feel so bad for her. She really puts so much into the performance, it's beautiful. Ah, David! He was amazing, I'm really glad to have him back on form again. The depth he fills the character with is extraordinary. Yes, his voice is gorgeous and everything, but it's the acting that kills me every time. How sad he looks at "It is time for us all to decide who we are", the fanaticism at "Lamarque is dead", the look on his face as DYHTPS starts, etc. Okay, now. xD The Flag Incident. That was awkward. Everyone ran on stage as the barricade had been "built", Mark H handed David the flag, David heaved it up, put it where it belonged and tied a knot. Then the trumpet sounded, Davidjolras yelled "GET DOWN!" and everyone obeyed. Including the flag. Two minutes into the whole revolution business, and the holy symbol, the red flag, just very strongly tilted over to the side and then unceremoniously started to tumble down the back of the barricade, right behind David's spot. Miraculously, he managed to grab hold of the end of the pole and remained in that position for a second or two, then handed his gun to Joe and, quite controlled and only slightly bemused, stood up and, while putting the flag back where it belonged, sang the "Damn their warnings". All the way through, I was shaking with silent laughter, but I really have to say, there was no hesitating or anything, and I don't really remember anyone behind me reacting to it very much, there was a matter-of-factness to the whole situation that definitely helped. One million points to David, I guess. Turns out, as the flag is new, it's also bigger and doesn't fit into the old hole anymore. So that's a bit of a problem, obviously. xD And, yes, the silver plate rolled off stage and straight into the orchestra pit xD... Oh, and strangely, as the barricade turned after Gavroche's Death, there was no Laura Medforth on stage anymore! I don't know why. She seemed fine afterwards. But this way, there was NO SOBBING WOMAN YAAAAAY. Although the barricade looked very, very empty at the Final Battle, without two guys and both women, they were four people short - five while Simon was doing the warnings... There was a bit of awkwardness in the very centre of it, as Mark H was fighting in Jonathan's spot, so there were only David and Joe in the middle, neither of them with an actual gun, and Joe took a while tumbling down the barricade, then David seemed to take ages with The Jump, even saying "Combeferre!" first, it was a bit strange. Anyway. It was a very interesting and, I thought, very good show. They pulled it off nicely and I enjoyed it very much. Stage door was nice, by the way, Martin Ball and I talked about bloopers and I got a bit embarrassed upon noticing that I had been at every show that he pointed out re: bloopers. And then David came and signed a programme and said Enjolras was his favourite character, which I thought was very convenient. And Joe seemed very nervous about having been on, bless him! He said it had felt like being on for the first time all over again... you really couldn't tell. Good job.
riverdawn	Thanks for the great review! Sounds like it was quite a fun show, if a bit odd. It sounds like Mark H is on the fast track towards deserving the title of Assistant-Super-Swing or something of the sort. Not quite Killian-esque status yet, but he seems to be getting pretty close with all the tracks he's had to cover. Good on David for saving that falling flag! I'm now curious as to which bloopers came up in that blooper talk. (And must add that Martin Ball is always incredibly nice at the stage door!) :
HobNob	I wonder why they haven't done anything about the flag yet. When Mark had the trouble, that was weeks ago - yet it's still not secure? Seems a bit odd when it's such a vital prop!
Eppie-Sue	I saw the show tonight. I also saw the show yesterday, and I realise that this is really bad and pathetic. I can explain it with Joe being on yesterday, and I think Madeleine wants to review that a bit, so I'll leave it to her. Today, my only justification is that I lost my phone and needed something to cry over properly and then make me feel better. Sooooo... Les Mis. I'm so glad I went! It was the most ridiculously entertaining audience. They applauded everything. You know how there always these songs/snippets that sometimes get applause?! Like "Lamarque is dead" or "Every Day"? Yeah. Tonight was the night the audience went mental. They applauded the Bishop scene. They applauded IDAD immediately. It was: "... the dream... I dreamedCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP." They applauded Who Am I? and the Confrontation. They applauded the beginning of Look Down (which I LOVE SO MUCH). They applauded "Lamarque is dead" very loudly. One person very determinedly applauded "Drink With Me". Fifteen claps in otherwise complete silence. That was a bit awkward and had everyone in giggles. There was instant applause after the Final Battle! Aaaaand then they applauded "Every Day", too. CRAZY. And it seemed a bit ridiculous after a while. Don't get me wrong, it's great that the audience liked it so much, and there were standing ovations in the Stalls and both Circles at the end, but, really, Les Mis is just not the show to have applause interrupting all these moments, you know?! It was a bit odd. As for the show, it really was very good. Full cast and almost full ensemble - Antony is still on holiday, Mark H was in his track, Gavin was off and Greg covered his track, and Sophie went off half-way through the show, a bit worrying, Emma Westhead went on. I don't really know what to point out about the show, though. I loved Rebecca, I thought David was perfectly amazing, definitely well deserved LiD applause, and some of the credit for Final Battle applause obviously goes to him, too, so that was nice... Nancy was great, loud cheers for OMO, wonderful ALFOR... it was nice to have Alistair back, I really, really like his ECAET. Huh. I can't remember much, actually. Stage door was very busy. Lots of people waiting for the two blond usual suspects. Lots of photos and stuff. Some of them were very impolite, I thought, very ... intruding and all.
mm10	Eppie-Sue wrote: I saw the show tonight. I also saw the show yesterday, and I realise that this is really bad and pathetic. Not at all - I had withdrawal symptoms when u didn't post last night! Quote: Stage door was very busy. Lots of people waiting for the two blond usual suspects. Lots of photos and stuff. Some of them were very impolite, I thought, very ... intruding and all. Who are the 2 blond usual suspects - I take it one is David Thaxton?
Eppie-Sue	mm10 wrote: Eppie-Sue wrote: I saw the show tonight. I also saw the show yesterday, and I realise that this is really bad and pathetic. Not at all - I had withdrawal symptoms when u didn't post last night! I don't know whether to be flattered or just really, really ashamed. mm10 wrote: Eppie-Sue wrote: Stage door was very busy. Lots of people waiting for the two blond usual suspects. Lots of photos and stuff. Some of them were very impolite, I thought, very ... intruding and all. Who are the 2 blond usual suspects - I take it one is David Thaxton? Ah, sorry, I thought it was obvious. Yeah, David and definitely Nancy. You can pretty much assume that most of the people at the stage door will let everyone else walk off in order to get them, really... It would be fine if people were a bit more considerate sometimes, I guess. But there are worse stage doors than the Queen's, really, it's just that... if they leave, let them leave...
mm10	Eppie-Sue wrote: I don't know whether to be flattered or just really, really ashamed. At the risk of sounding like an old fogey you're just right - if you enjoy it why shouldn't you go as often as you like - life's too short and all that The only thing that stops me going more often is distance, Quote: Ah, sorry, I thought it was obvious. Yeah, David and definitely Nancy. You can pretty much assume that most of the people at the stage door will let everyone else walk off in order to get them, really... I thought u meant David - I would imagine he would be very popular but couldn't think who else was blond - doh!!!
Eppie-Sue	So um, seeing as there has been considerably less feedback in this thread over time, posting reviews feels slightly silly and pathetic. So, just letting you know that casting is happening right now... ensemble is finding out if they're asked to stay... and principals will, soon...
KatyRoseLand	I for one still love and appreciate reviews!! Thanks for mentioning about casting.
riverdawn	Please keep posting reviews. They don't have to be super detailed, but just talking about things that are different etc. is really interesting.

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