Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| Quique |
I wish to go to Londooooooooooooooooooon. 
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| Eppie-Sue |
Aw. I can't imagine how you must feel, and I'm so utterly grateful that I'm right here... I try to share it with you guys, but I suppose reading all the "oh my God" reviews doesn't make it any less bad, hm? I wish you could all come to London. ETA: @Elbow: Oh, you're definitely going? because I've already got my ticket, too... |
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| Elbow |
I haven't booked a ticket yet, but I'll be there, for definite. Provided when I ring up tomorrow morning it isn't completely sold out, but that's pretty unheard of on a Monday night. | ||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
 Just a quick note - even if they won't have any [good] tickets for tomorrow anymore, Helen and Mark are both on the whole next week.
Oh, I can't wait for the EPK they've been filming. Apparently there'll be one for the tour, too. |
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| Elbow |
Aye, thought as much. Still going to definitely go tomorrow. I haven't been able to fit in much Mis this summer, so being back in London, I will be going often as I can again. Yay.
I think I'll stagedoor this time. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
 Then I'll see you there. Because there is no way I can go and not talk to Mark afterwards... And we'll definitely have three understudies (Jonathan Williams, too)... if there are even more people off, then it will be a small cast again. Ah shucks.
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| Elbow |
Last three I've been to have been Jonathan Williams, while this is a good thing, because I love him a bit, I need to see Shannon more before he leaves.
Oh well, this just gives me the excuse to go... more times. |
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| Eponines_Hat |
EPK = WIN 
hope we don't have to wait too long! and if there is a tour one, we will get to see Jon in The Vest!! |
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| Ricey |
For some reason I cant really imagine that... But i cant wait for the EPK!!!!! |
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| Elbow |
Ticket booked. BB. Yay. | ||||||||
| Eponines_Hat |
No, me neither! It was actually the deciding factor in getting tickets for Cardiff. I'm intrigued! Especially due to the fact that I don't think I've seen a tenor/Enjolras (which I think is Jon's range????) |
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| Orestes Fasting |
It's true that it's rare to see a tenor slashed with Enjolras, since the understudy tracking means Grantaire is usually a baritone. However, there have been a few--Drew Sarich, for example.
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
I can't really see it either! I'm a bit worried that Jon won't have the ... power ... in his voice to pull it off. Not that his voice isn't strong, I just can't really see it working with Enjolras. Can't wait to see it though!
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| Eppie-Sue |
Sooooo I'm back! That was certainly an interesting evening. I can't be bothered to type a whole review right now, too exhausted, but I'll say a few bits about Helen!Eponine and Mark!Enjolras, because it was definitely a change (for one thing, they have dark hair! )... because it was the very first time I've seen another Eponine, and really, the only show I've seen where David was off was in June and I was a bit too upset to really pay attention to Mark there.
So, Helen's voice was amazing, really controlled and she didn't overdo anything. Her acting was fine, too, but it bothered me that I never got the impression that Eponine was actually madly in love with Marius, so I didn't care too much, really. Mark - Mark was good! He went for the B flat at "free" which was very impressive and, needless to say, his voice was great. Not soaring or anything, but ... I mean, he hit all the high notes (he missed out on the really low "there is a life about to start" part of DYHTPS like many do. I mean Ramin Karimloo did, too, from what I've heard. David doesn't though), which certainly isn't usual for most London Enjolrati. He's got a better upper than lower range (he is a tenor)... And he knew what he was doing with his voice, it wasn't sharp. His acting was alright. There were some great bits, but overall he isn't Enjolras to me - it's like someone put Courfeyrac in charge, so he doesn't seem in absolute control, and does, somehow, seem to be kind-of going with the flow. More reacting. He was very, very enthusiastic, though. You could tell he was having a blast. Oh, and he exchanged all the "will"s with "shall"s. xD "On the tomb of Lamarque shall the barricade rise!" and all... That said, both of them got massive, massive cheers at Curtain Call. |
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
Oh good - I do like that note! Did he do the constipated face as well?! 
You've said this a couple of times ... what do you mean by "missing out"? I don't really understand 
I would love to see that - Courfeyrac in charge of Les Amis cause Enjolras couldn't make it... I could see Combeferre getting very frustrated
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| Eppie-Sue |
I wish we could stop calling it that xD I like it. Um, no, he didn't, he just froze. See, he only went high at the final note, and it was more a ... normal... sung "free". Like David Bardsley and JOJ in the Final Battle Comparison video. (And while I like that note, too, when it's normally sung, it sounds a bit too... passionless... for my taste.)
I have said this a couple of times? Really? Hm. "Missing out" is probably the wrong term (foreign status right here ) - there are those low, low notes in DYHTPS at "there is a life about to start", and I've heard lots of Enjolrati just skip them and kind-of whisper them... but I think when it's done right [ETA: link right there] it just sounds amazing.
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| Eponines_Hat |
I moved my reply to this to the anniversary thread to avoid spamming this thread with tour comments. yay me.
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| RWF |
I found this on youtube. It kind of shows what Eppie Sue means, I guess
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| Eppie-Sue |
Oh, oh look Simon Shorten as JVJ (Who Am I?)... he is amazing in that scene, I actually prefer him to both David Shannon and Jonathan Williams there.
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
I'm sorry, I don't mean to drag this whole debate up again, but... Are they the ones behing this??? If so, I understand EXACTLY where you are coming from!! ETA: The photo has now been removed, so link won't work. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
 Seriously? (I totally made those kinds of certificates, too, by the way. For my cuddly toys. When I was seven.)
Well, personally, I was creeped out last week. I don't need to see women in their forties hugging actors in their mid-twenties around the waist, thank you very much. I mean, what the hell?! I know that this is the same at almost every stage door, but ugh. |
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| HobNob |
Now now, you got a hug from Dugdale, didn't you? Let us not begrudge people their moments of pleasure.
I stagedoored the Cagelles the other week (brilliant time to go, as everyone's that excited about Barrowman you're free to grab the others), and there was an announcement before John came out: 'No photos with him, no hugging, no touching, no kissing'. Poor boy
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| Eppie-Sue |
I got a hug from him (and didn't even react ... ah well). That's different from... grabbing them once they've come out of the stage door, acting like a little girl when you're a ... grown woman and holding them around the waist with both arms, pulling them close, I believe. It was a bit odd. |
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| HobNob |
Different strokes for different folks. Although admittedly that sounds rather odd.
I can't defend their imposition of physical contact, but the dissolution into gibbering wrecks I shall defend to the death. Age is going to come to us all, maturity to but a few. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
LOL were any of you guys around for the crazy Spring Awakening fangirls and their distinction between voluntaries and involuntaries? | ||||||||
| Quique |
Never understood fangirl/guy mentality.
I've always been a lover of the work itself. I'm a fan of the original production second. Everything else comes in at a distant third. I don't think I've ever been preoccupied with a performer. Not that there's anything wrong with that. However, I have held great admiration for people like Randal Keith, Craig Schulman, Sutton Foster, Lea Salonga, Judy Kuhn, Craig Rubano, Aaron Lazar, Jennifer Butt, Gina Ferrall, Gary Morris, and Philip Quast. In fact, sometimes I think there is something wrong with me, for not ever feeling the slightest urge to gush about a performer endlessly, even though I do admire a great many. 
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| NOT mocked |
No, they are not the ones "behind this" as you put it. That certificate was simply a daft gesture on Kaitey's part to say thanks to JJ for being in the show. It was meant as a joke which JJ understood and took it as such. I don't know who the ladies are that people are referring to, but I know for definite that it's not her. She may have been a little niave in adding that photo to a public group, but didn't for one minute think that people would misunderstand the meaning of it and insult her for it! |
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
To be honest, it seems rather strange to me. I would never put myself in a position of judging people who are far more talented than I am (unless you yourself are a very talented musical theatre star?), and it seems, if nothing else, rather patronising. However, I am willing to accept that it is "each to his own", and seeing as your signature is also on the certificate, I'm not surprised that you are defending it. I wouldn't have brought it up, had I known you read these forums, so I do apologise for that. | ||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
So, there is one thing I don't get. I'm all for not taking things too seriously and joking around, but why would you want to make a "certificate" that praises someone's performance and why would you then put it as a joke? I have to agree with l'ivrogne transfigur� here, I could never do this without feeling like I was being patronising and a bit snotty, really. I admire quite a few performers, but this doesn't really seem the way to express it, does it? If someone made me this and went: "But it's just for fun!", I wouldn't know what to think...
That said - 24th ANNIVERSARY NEXT WEEK. YAY! Who is going?
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| KatyRoseLand |
I fervently hope I am!!!! I haven't seen it in SO long. I haven't booked yet though, I hope they haven't sold out... I'm going to Avenue Q on Monday and I thought I'd pop into the Queen's box office and buy my ticket then. *Checks* Phew, they still have tickets. Maybe I should just book now... I don't know. Does the anniversary performance usually sell out? |
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| Eppie-Sue |
... I would say it normally sells out, I mean - I've been in quite a few sold out shows and seen the "Full House" sign in front of the box office on normal dates. And I couldn't get a BB ticket over a month ago - not that that's saying much, because regulars/fans will probably get BB seats first. But I wouldn't hold my breath for good and cheap tickets, to be honest.
I would just phone the box office. |
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| Elbow |
Hur hur, those are exactly who I'm talking about. Oops. Haven't booked anniversary tickets. May do that. |
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| Eponines_Hat |
Oh! you will get to see the new Kate/Lucy! Have fun at the anniversary show next week peoples and anyone seeing the lovely Jon Robyns on Sunday. So jealous 
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| Elbow |
Saw Avenue Q tonight, walked past the Miserables stagedoor to get back to the tube afterwards and I am pretty sure I saw Antony Hansen outside with an ice pack on his head. I am intrigued. | ||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
Oh dear! That kind of explains everything. We had a full cast tonight, no swings at all and stuff, BUT after The Final Battle, Antony was off. I freaked a bit when I didn't see him in "Empty Chairs" and suddenly, at the wedding, Killian was on as the Best Man and all. Ah, that sounds painful... I hope he'll be fine! |
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| Elbow |
He seemed alright though, he was laughing and chatting with someone
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| Eppie-Sue |
Aww. Thank you, that's good to know! : ) |
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| KatyRoseLand |
She's the reason I went! And she introduced me to Jon Robyns after the show, who had been to see Les Mis, so that was cool! I'm officially seeing the show tomorrow. CAN'T WAIT. |
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| Katfeyrac |
[edit] | ||||||||
| flying_pigs |
Happy 24th Birthday Les Mis! | ||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
YEEEEES! Birthday! Soooooo exciting!
(Kat, I can't believe you forgot to say Happy Birthday. In your first post. FOR SHAME. but you said epic so it's cool.) |
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| Ricey |
YAY!!!! Go les Mis!!!! Weirdly today a lot of things Ive seen have reminded me of les mis... and my friend was humming On My Own (not that that is anything out of the ordinary... shes always singing some song from some musical or something... normally A little fall of rain...) Sorry. Ive had a really bad week so ive gone a little crazy... But back to the point. Happy Birthday To Les Mis!!!! |
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| Quique |
Ooooooooooh, my daughter is getting ooooold.
Happy b-day, hon.
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| Eppie-Sue |
The birthday performance was fantastic. Mind-blowing. I'm still in awe. David Shannon, Earl Carpenter and David Thaxton owned it. I was physically shaking after DYHTPS and I feel really pathetic but oh my.
And, uh, yes, we sang Happy Birthday and there were silver streamers and confetti and then they sang "One more dawn... One more daaaaay... ONE. YEAR. MOOOORE." and awww. So much love. |
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| Eponines_Hat |
The Birthday show.... just WOW.
I am in shock from the awesomeness! |
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| Elbow |
It really was an excellent show tonight. I am so sad that Earl, David and Katie are leaving.
I bought a ticket spur of the moment earlier, and was sat in H8. When I got to my seat I noticed I was sat next to Hans Peter Janssons, Simon Bowman and Emily Bull, which I found rather amusing. I got a REALLY rubbish video of the cast singing Happy Birthday at the end. I was fumbling trying to find the camera, so not only did I not get it all, I was trying to be as subtle as possible so you can't see that much, but I'll upload it anyway. |
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| KatyRoseLand |
Ooh, I was right behind them, so I must have been pretty near you as well! |
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| Elbow |
Ahh, was it you that asked for their autographs in the interval?
I was considering it, but I ended up just keeping quiet. |
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| KatyRoseLand |
Yes, that was me. I knew if I didn't ask I'd wish I had later. I kind of wish I hadn't now though... but oh well. | ||||||||
| Elbow |
Crap video I got - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpC_992Nqrk | ||||||||
| Eponines_Hat |
So, I think pretty much everyone on this forum got last minute tickets yesterday, so a full review seems a bit dumb! So, just thought I would gush over a few things...
I thought Shannon and Carpenter were amazing. The Confrontation was particularly impressive. Earl seemed so angry! And it didn't seem overly choreographed/prancy like it sometimes can (IMO) I'm so glad that Earl is doing the tour and I will get to see him again. I just love him in that role. He IS Javert. He does bastard so well! Just a great performance from Shannon, too. Esp his convict!VJV I am still so sad about Katie leaving. It seems like she is really growing into the role. I just thought she was the perfect mix of being sweet without being too cheesy/bland. She had me so upset at the end of the show! I thought Thaxton actually managed to outdo himself last night. (Never thought it possible!) The LiD. OMG The LiD was amazing. If you missed it you MUST listen here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgvyf1gaNNA (although nothing can really capture the breathtaking-ness of the live performance. I think I actually forgot to breathe for a while minute or two!!) and The Fight! wow. DT looked so angry/worried. Good to see a bit of shoving back from Alastair, too! I also just LOVED the hug with Grantaire/Enjolras. I love how they share a really sweet, touching moment and then pull away and act all "manly" again. So many layers! oh... and how feisty was Nancy in Rue Plumet? That girl is tough! Just loved the way she got right in Simon Shorten's face! I also think she did a great job in ALFOR. I kinda miss the way she used to die with Jon, but I don't think it would work as well with Alastair (and at least she actually looks like she is dying during the song! It kinda irritates me when Eponine's belt out the tune and then die all sudden-like) btw much love to the people who are sharing audio/video form last night. Its a shame the whole show wasn't taped. I could just watch that performance again and again! oh... and I had a really random thought last night. Why do you think Fantine doesn't get her nice hair back at the end of the show? Surely in heaven she wouldn't have that hacked-off hair-do. Agh! Now it's gonna bug me... |
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| Vanessa20 |
I guess they just want all the dead characters in the finale to look just like they did when they died. But I kind of agree with you, especially because some unobservant audience members totally forget that her hair was ever long. Unless I'm the only person to knows people who after the show remembered her hair as being short throughout and totally forgot about her selling it... and I doubt that. |
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| lovesinging |
I wasn't there! Thank you so much everyone who posted reviews and video! | ||||||||
| flying_pigs |
Yeah but Eponine dies without her hat but magically gets it back for the finale! |
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| Katfeyrac |
And all the students go back to their first act outfits (except for Enjolras - but he gets a clean shirt!), soo...
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| Eppie-Sue |
So, back from the small cast change, completely emotionally drained. I already lost it at "Now bring me prisoner 24601!" and it just got worse and worse. Was very thankful for MotH, because no Shannon, no Earl, no Katie were in that scene. Apart from that it was pretty much sobfest the whole way through. The cast was very emotional (as in crying) at times, especially the principals, obviously. As for the three that were leaving, I just felt so sorry for them. They gave extraordinarily good performances, really, but it was all so sad. I was violently sobbing from "A heart full of love" till the end of "One Day More", and so were the ones on stage, most notably Katie, David Shannon, and Nancy, too.
I can't believe they're leaving. And there are so many moments, lines, that just make you tear up, from "Tomorrow we'll away! Hurry Cosette! It's time to close another door and live another day!" over "Jean Valjean is nothing now! Another story must begin..." over "No doubt our paths will cross again" to "And you must never go away!" and, of course, "It's too soon, too soon to say good-bye"... Such a great performance, you really couldn't tell the others were practically doing two shows each day, what with rehearsals and all. I have to note that especially Nancy and DT sounded so, so strong. After Curtain Call, Martin Ball did a loooong and great speech and there was a lot of hugging as they went off stage. I can't believe what a weird audience there was, though... I mean, after a while we got the Dress Circle and Upper Circle to stand up, but there was almost no one standing in the Stalls, not even AFTER Martin Ball's speech (I don't think there were that many who knew it was a small cast change, actually). All in all, it was just... three hours of crying. |
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| Ricey |
Sounds very interesting. The member in the audience who hadnt seen it before must have got great interpritations. But it is going to be sad to see them go... |
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| Eponines_Hat |
Sounds like an amazing, emotional show. I'm so sad I missed it!
What did Martin say in the speech? Did anyone get stagedoor shots that they would like to share? |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Martin's speech was wonderful. He found just the right words, and even though he, too, was tearing up a bit, he was the only one from the principals who held it together at that point, I believe. God, so many tears and sobs and hugs.
He began with: "You are joining us on a very, very special and rather sad day" and then thanked them in order of prettiness, so he began with Katie, mentioned her being on the "brand new, very shiny" tour and stated that Katie "sings the socks off" everyone. Then he went on to "Earl and Shannon, for that is what we call him", called them the "bedrock" of the company, made a joke about how last year, Cammack had gone: " 'There are two actors that I want this year in these roles...' Well, as it turned out, they weren't available." And then he quoted their resident director and said that every once in a while, actors come along who define their roles, so every one else will get measured by their performances. He thanked them again and again and gushed and aww. As for stage door pics - I got one with Katie Hall. Man, I'll miss her, I just had to say Thank you. But nothing I'd like to share. I have to say, though, that after a show as emotional as this, I felt bad asking Katie for a photo and could only justify it because she has been so sweet to me for the past weeks and I need a memory. But there was much sweetness and sadness at the stage door. .. we talked to Nancy about how amazing her "OMO" had been and chatted with David. Ooh, and David Shannon shaved off his beard. Yes, he did. |
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| aquirkofmatter |
Sounds like a great night, I wish I'd been there! I mean 'great', of course, in the saddest most emotional way possible
Did anyone go to the matinee? Any 'muck ups'?
...this nearly upsets me the most
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| Eppie-Sue |
From what I've heard, they were not really doing any kind of 'muck ups' at the matinee. Katfeyrac insists that there are restrictions to this and there might be a "no muck ups" policy for small cast changes like this... Plus, everyone we asked beforehand was really: "Ah... there might be one..." about it, but nothing big, I think. |
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| aquirkofmatter |
Yeah, I actually spoke to someone last night who was at the matinee and she said that if anything did happen, she didn't notice. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
When the Bway revival closed, John Owen-Jones, Ben Crawford (Brujon, u/s Valjean) and Jeff Kready (Babet, u/s Valjean) were the last to come out of the stage door, because they'd all shaved their beards together backstage.
Also, it amuses me that the "London cast change" thread not only kept going steadily after the cast change, it lasted until the next (mini-)cast change. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
That's because we're awesome like that. It will probably last till next cast change in nine months. Which I should not think about, because ... if Saturday was bad, what will the 19th June be like?!  I don't want to sob through "Look Down"...
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| Eponines_Hat |
I am pretty sure that there will be A LOT of that
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| Elbow |
So last night I went to see Les Miserables, to see the new Cossette, Valjean and Javert. It was excellent as usual, but, well...
HansPeter Janssens... Well. Personally, I really don�t like him. I�ve seen him as Javert twice before, and didn�t like him either time, so when I found out he was recast this year, I was a bit apprehensive. And rightfully so. He was exactly as I remembered. Some bits are good, they really are, his �there is no way to go oooooooooon� was among the best I�ve ever heard, but he pauses in the strangest bits and a lot of his stresses on syllables are in the wrong places. Most annoyingly though he didn�t make the low �chain� he didn�t even attempt it. His acting was fine, if slightly wooden in places and he seems to take himself very seriously. Oh, and his head looks like a superimposed lego head. Also his head doesn�t seem to fit the massive sideburns, he looks like just one big sideburn. With a lego man face. Simon Bowman... Mediocre, but I think he�s going to improve and I think he might grow on me. While I wasn�t particularly impressed with his Soliloquy or his Who Am I? His scene with little Cosette was really good and his acting during The Bargain/Waltz of Treachery was fantastic. Some parts, mainly the beginning I found he over acted but maybe he�ll become more subtle with time. I�m not sure if his voice is quite right for Valjean though. Emily Bull... Absolutely faultless. He acting was brilliant and she made Cosette slightly amusing in A Heart Full Of Love. I really like her voice and I like the wig they�ve given her. A really good Cosette. Other things... Lorraine Bruce is growing on me. I thought that could never happen. I still don�t �like� her as such, but I don�t dislike her as much as I did. And I love Martin Ball, since that speech he did on Saturday. Alistair still sounds like a sheep. Thaxton�s facial expressions are getting to me. The best Enjolras I�ve ever seen blah blah blah, BUT HE DOESN�T NEED TO PULL THOSE CONSTIPATION FACES THE WHOLE TIME! He looks so pained. When Nancy died, David held her hand as the others picked her up to take off stage. That was odd. I don�t think that usually happens, does it!? |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Um - that's been in the blocking for months now, as far as I know. I can think of a total three notes where his face would bother you, by the way. Arise, Caaall and IS FREE, and, well, so what. Personally, I don't find the others' faces at the long notes to be particularly attractive either, to be honest. I'm going this evening and what you've said about HPJ, Bowman and Emily has actually already confirmed what I was expecting, so I'm a bit apprehensive about seeing the new leading men on stage. Can't help it. How did Emily work with Alistair, by the way? I always thought Katie and Alistair worked so well together because they had the whole "young, lovestruck lovers" thing going for them, but I'm not sure if Emily's Cosette will seem quite was "perfectly fitted" for Alistair's Marius... |
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| Elbow |
Has it? Gosh, I hadn't noticed. I'm not sure what I usually look at during that bit, but it obviously isn't Thaxton! And yes, it's mainly the "ISSSS FREEEE" bit where he really goes for it, but it wasn't that that bothered me last night, it was that he seemed to be doing it particularly last night, in parts that he doesn't usually do it. Oh well, there are other performers who do faaar worse... and at least Thaxton has a variety of facial expressions.
Emily and Alistair seemed to work quite well together. With Emily being older it changes it a bit, obviously, as she seems a little less naive and she plays her a bit less sweet than Katie, but still she comes across as quite young and I thought she was great. |
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| eponine5 |
Thanks for letting us know your thoughts! It's generally what I was expecting as well.
I saw Hans Peter Janssens about 9 times last time he was there, and was honestly glad to see him go. I agree that some parts of his performance are very good, but nothing is exceptional or unpredictable and his interpretation was just very...boring. That's what I remember anyway. It's a shame to hear that he hasn't changed, although that was another thing that bothered me - that his performance and interpretation was identical for 2 years straight. I already miss Earl Carpenter!
I wasn't expecting much from Simon Bowman either, judging by a Bring Him Home performance I saw. It's great to hear that you liked Emily Bull though! She was great as an understudy. But I still do want to see A J Cosette. Maybe part of my response comes from that last Staturday performance - David Shannon was amazing and made me realise how lucky London's been with Valjeans in the past few years. |
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| Ricey |
Thanks for the review!
Even though it sounds like Hans Peter Janssens and Simon Bowman could do with improvement, at least Emilly Bull is a good Cosette.
Well, i dont remember that happening when i saw it but then agian it looked like the others were going to drop Nancy as they carried her off stage.
I thought he was supposed to be getting better???? Oh well... |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Back from tonight's show. I didn't like Bowman or HPJ at all. I'm not even sorry for saying that and it's not because I can't accept that David Shannon and Earl Carpenter are gone. I just don't like their portrayals at all. Bowman!JVJ is always talking to the audience, what is up with that?! AND he seems cocky and he didn't act with his voice at all. But that's still better than HPJ who, IMHO doesn't act at all. wtf. how wooden can he possibly be during The Confrontation and Stars. And he doesn't blink.
So. I didn't enjoy the new male leads, which is a pity seeing as they have so many solo scenes or scenes together. And I am sorry for ranting, I had to get that off my chest.
Emily, however, was really good. I like her voice, her acting was fine (although I didn't get this "meant to be" feeling with her and Alistair, like it worked with Katie. I might only be me, though) but what is up with her wig? It's all normal brown and flat/slightly wavy and I think the tiara/hairband thing with the red flowers during the Finale looked ridiculous. I don't like it. WE HAD KILLIAN!MONTPARNASSE! How cool is he?! I love him. I only want to see him in that role from now on. He's amazing. He's crazy. He's swirly and like a spidercat. Alistair was Alistair, Rebecca was really good, Nancy was good, David was amazing, the "CALL" blew off my ears. Lorraine was meh, Martin Ball skipped a few of his lines, if I remember correctly. that's it for now. |
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| Elbow |
Didn't see tonight's performance but agree with all of the above.
Although - I did like Emily's wig, but that's probably just me. I've had enough of ringlets. And want Killian Montparnasse! It's been too long since I've seen it. |
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| Elbow |
Just a passing thought I thought I would vocalise...
I don't think I ever properly appreciated what a great Valjean Shannon was until about a month ago. Not that I didn't like him, I did, more that I didn't realise how much I liked him. I was listening to videos on youtube, and he is (to my ears at least) the best Valjean of recent years, and even of less recent years. Luckily the only Valjean who I like as much as Shannon is still in it, and he needs his Mondays back. ...Or Simon Bowman just needs to improve... a lot. |
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| aquirkofmatter |
He definitely needs his Mondays back! If anything he's more than earnt them, and at least there'll be some salvation [partly] one night a week. (I haven't reviewed, but I went on Wednesday with Eppie-Sue and basically agree entirely with both her and Elbow's opinions.) |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Seconded. I can't believe how "meh" I was about him a while ago. He was an amazing Valjean. See, I don't really care for the character that much. I can't help it. But David Shannon... he just touched you. He acted his heart out, and I only appreciated that too late (to be fair, I didn't get that many chances to see him between June and September). He acted through his voice, and I can't say how much I love this. There are quite few out there who don't do that, sadly, and it's really the thing that makes me like or dislike a performance. I don't want "What have I done?" (or any song for that matter) to sound like it's been recorded in a studio, with the performer just singing it from the sheet.
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| Madeleine |
I saw the new cast members yesterday. All the principals were on but there were, I think, 4 men and 3 women off in the ensemble so the swings were working very hard indeed.
Emily Bull has to be the best Cosette I've ever seen. She has a gorgeous voice, looks perfect and is completely adorable. Her wig is lovely too. I'm even more annoyed that I never managed to catch her as understudy now. Her and Alistair worked really well together, and AHFOL was fantastic. I often find myself getting a little bored in that scene and resenting the fact that the ABC scene is over  but I really enjoyed it yesterday.
HPJ was my first Javert and I was a big fan last time, so I could be biased here, but I really loved him. He does have this wooden, stiff thing going on with his acting which people seem to love or hate, but I think it really works for the character. He was better yesterday than I remember him being the first time around. Stars was brilliant. I really didn't like Simon Bowman. You often see him up there with JOJ when people are talking about their favourite Valjeans, but he has either changed a lot since he last played it, or I just don't get it. He has a nice voice but his acting was strange. I actually spent 'What Have I Done?' giggling because it was as if he was doing a silly impression of an actor playing Valjean, with all these huge gestures. He even looked down at the bag of silver at one point, then looked up at the audience with his mouth wide open in this over the top expression of shock. He did a strange Colm Wilkinson style squeak at the end of the last note of Bring Him Home too. That said, his interaction with Fantine and both Cosettes was very sweet. I really wanted to like him, but hopefully he'll improve. It has only been a week, after all. I think the highlight has to be Killian as Montparnasse. I've wanted to see him play it for the last year and finally managed it yesterday. He really was very scary, looked fantastic and there was so much Eponine/Montparnasse interaction going on. I loved the moment in Look Down when Enjolras tried to give him a leaflet. He stared down at it for ages before pulling his knife out, and Enjolras quickly backed off.
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| flying_pigs |
I saw Emily in one of her first performances as Cosette back in 2006 and I was impressed, great to hear she's improved! Anyone else think she could one day make a great Christine in Phantom? | ||||||||
| Elbow |
Hahahaha! Oh that's brilliant
And yes I totally agree about Bowman seeming like he's doing an impression of an actor playing Valjean, really quite funny and terrible at the same time. The huge gestures just don't work, Valjean should be played subtley. |
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| Madeleine |
It really was! I'm assuming Thomas does it too, but I'm usually too close to see things happening at the back of the stage, but I was in the dress circle yesterday so managed to see that particular gem.
Yeah...I was alternating between complete disbelief at what he was doing, and laughing. He made Drew Sarich (and don't get me wrong, I loved Drew) look subtle in comparison. flying_pigs, I can imagine her as Christine too. I really would like to see that. |
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| Eponines_Hat |
Awwww.... super-swing Killian strikes again! I hope I get to see him cover this at some point. he's be awesome |
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| Eppie-Sue |
I'm so glad we got to tell him that we loved him as Montparnasse on Saturday, Madeleine. I really, really want to see Killian!Javert. I can't quite imagine it, but it would be awesome. Even if he wasn't Javert-ish, it would still be awesome. Or yeah. As Enjolras. Once. How cool is that, he is understudy for the kickass roles. I'd rather see him as Javert, obviously, not only because Killian!Enjolras would require either David or Mark to be off sick (or both), which I don't want. And seeing him as Javert tempts me more, simply because I just can't imagine it.
Ah, my cousin's in town and I kind of talked her into seeing Les Mis tomorrow (Jeff is on, whoo) and will now go and try to get good tickets. I hope they still have DC Slips. It's Tuesday night, they should have. Seeing the show from BB is a bit ... hm. I don't know. But I don't dare waiting till one hour before the show tomorrow for Student Discount Stalls tickets. *worries* ETA: aaand we're going tomorrow, BB 7 and 8. Ah well, I gues I'll have to explain the show well to her beforehand. Then again, I've been in BB and sat next to people who didn't know anything about it, so it will be fine. Talking your 16 year old cousin into seeing Les Mis is surprisingly easy. I asked her if she wanted to see any musicals, she went: "Well, I thought about Mamma Mia or Dirty Dancing."... Me: "Ah. Forget I ever asked." Her: "Well, I don't know anything about Les Miserables. Are there at least any good-looking guys in there?" Me: "... And shiny vests."
Weeeell. That was decided very quickly. She's kind of going for the wrong reasons, but pfh. Like I care.
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| Eponines_Hat |
I dont think the view from there is that bad. You can see most of the important things, you just get the back of people's dead's sometime. Although, when some of the Barricade Boys get infront of Thaxton during the LiD... THEN I wish I had shelled out a bit more for my ticket.... |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Oh, I know the view from those seats, and I think it's absolutely fine, but she has no idea about the show and she doesn't speak English well enough to understand what's going on, so BB might be a bit overwhelming. Ah well. As I said, I'll just summarise it before the show. Should be fine.
I'm back from tonight's performance. Yes. I went... aquirkofmatter, the poor thing, couldn't because of an injured knee and was so sweet to let me know so the ticket would still be used. Oh Gooood Jeff. Why isn't he principal, why why why why why why why? |
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| aquirkofmatter |
This makes me both happy and sad at the same time. I wish I'd gone now, but obviously pain =/= train. I'm glad you got to use the ticket though! And Jeff <3 If I'm feeling a bit better my crutches and I are blatantly hopping up for the Wednesday matinee... I'll need to get out of the house and it'll cheer me up! |
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| Elbow |
Les Mis was soooooo good today. Having Jeff on as Javert was great. I went to the stage door afterwards and gushed a bit by mistake. Something along the lines of "You were really really really really really good" I couldn't seem to stop saying "really". Hur.
Killian was Brujon, he was awesome. And I also really love Simon Shorten as Babet, I know he's been playing him for over a year now but he really is very good. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
xD I think there might have been one "really" or two more. Heh. Jeff WAS amazing. He's just so good. He makes me want to get a matinee ticket for tomorrow. Which I can't afford and can't do because I have a life (Yes. Yes, I do.) and other plans. Bah. So. Rather surprisingly (she's not into this kind of music or theatre or general context at all), my cousin really liked it! Even though she's definitely no potential Eppie-bopper (she kept commenting on how pathetic and desperate her actions were xD) she loved Nancy's acting a lot. She also liked David (no, no, I didn't fangirl a lot. Only AFTER the show and stagedooring.) and was generally amazed by it and sang DYHTPS on our way home.
Stagedooring was nice. I feel so bad for not apologising for stopping them, but we wanted to get my cousin's brochure signed, so I went: "We have to stop you for a second!" at Nancy and David, and then kind of thrust the brochure and sharpies at them. Ah well. They were very sweet, though (go figure). It probably wasn't quite that bad, I know how to behave. But it was funny, David went: "I can't write!" again (he really can't), and Nancy totally went along with it ("Your handwriting is dreadful." -"It's the school I went to!"), wrote her "All my love" very neatly, said: "See, David, THIS is how you write." and he was all. "I know. .... I'm sorry.", and Nancy pointed out that "Anyone could have done that" *nods at David's signature* (she does have a point xD)... Jeff was incredibly lovely. We gushed at him and got him to sign the brochure, too, even though FOR SHAME he's not in there as Javert. So he had to sign the Robbery-Brujon-pic. BUT he also signed as "Javert!", which, of course, is how it should always be. Aw. Oh AND. The audience was f'ing amazing. I knew it would be good when there was loud, loud applause after the Bishop scene, and from that point on it was LOUD and CHEERY. SO MANY CHEERS. And at Curtain Call, lo and behold, I was not the only one standing up immediately - by the time Patron Minette came to the front we already had the whole house standing. Whooooo. |
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| flying_pigs |
From Nancy's Twitter:
"been working on material for a gig i will doing on the 1st nov with david thaxton from les mis... better get learining" Whaaaaaaat?! Any information on this? |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Um, yes. The thing on the 1st Nov is at 12 Bar (Denmark Street, near Tottenham Court Rd) and it will be an acoustic set with lots of different stuff... | ||||||||
| Madeleine |
Do you know what time it starts? I'm in London that day anyway and if the time isn't too early or too late I might just be able to make it. 
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| Eppie-Sue |
Nope, I don't know that yet, there's apparently still a bit of organising going on, but it will probably be later-ish in the evening ... really what I wrote is basically all I know xD but there should be more info soon. | ||||||||
| Elbow |
Ooh, sounds intriguing. | ||||||||
| aquirkofmatter |
Stop saying how amazing Jeff was! Except don't because he is! Sounds like the last two shows have been great
Hoppy-me wants to get out of Portsmouth because I'm getting a bit depressed (at the not being able to walk without crutches and not being able to use my ticket for Monday's show ) and Les Mis is the first happy place I can think of. I am this close to getting on a train for one of the shows today.
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| Eppie-Sue |
Aww, aquirkofmatter. I'm really so sorry for Monday (and thank you, again!)...
One thing - kudos to Brenda Moore and Katy Hanna for covering four female ensemble roles on Monday and Tuesday (Sophie Josslyn, Chloe Brooks, Helen Owen and Rachel Bingham were off, if I remember correctly). They were doing a great job. As were the other girls, who filled in at random moments (Lovely Ladies for example). And I thought ALFOR was heartbreaking yesterday. You think I'd get used to it over time, but no. I liked Bowman a bit more than on the other dates... and he's actually in tears during the Finale. But I still think his Valjean is too stereotypically heroic. Especially as he goes "Then I'll return, I PLEDGE my word, then I'll return!"... and the thing that's bugging me most: "TIME IS RUNNING SHORT!" at the Final Confrontation. Just the way he intonates that... hm. Was it just me or did Emily seem a bit off yesterday - Elbow? Because I can't really warm to her, although I want to. Joe Evans never fails to crack me up by the way. He goes "Oh BRAVO Grantaire (or: Monsieur)!" and applauds after R's "opera" talk. David seemed to be having a blast on stage (again) yesterday. There was a very intense and growled "Do what you have to do, this man belongs to you!" where he grabbed Jeff's collar and all. xD And boy, did I like "Drink With Me"... just... beautiful. |
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| aquirkofmatter |
Don't be sorry!! Like I said to you, I just didn't want the ticket to go to waste
Does this mean there was no sobbing woman??
Well, he's gotta get some attention at some point, is that not what he said?? That bit is great though - especially from BB8, you can see him perfectly clearly and it's hilarious
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| Eppie-Sue |
Alas, there was. Laura Medforth was on, hence we had a sobbing woman. David looked like he might just strangle her. Slowly. |
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| aquirkofmatter |
He's been taking hints from you, then! |
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| Eppie-Sue |
This should be in the Bloopers thread, but I have to post it here because well, it was also a huge part of today's matinee xDDDDD
You know how in the inn scene, Jeff and David pull Bowman!Valjean onto the table, he gets beaten up and then they throw him out and shove him away and all. So, several things went wrong there. First, they didn't really have a good grip and didn't lift him high enough, then David lost balance and was suddenly kneeling next to the table, and then Bowman's wig got caught on the table... and was pulled off - it was really just dangling from his head and the cap they're wearing over their natural hair was showing quite a lot. Jeff and David tried to fix it before they shoved him away, but Bowman just pulled away... then he tried to fix it but just made it worse. I really pulled myself together (distracting and hilarious as it was), and it worked alright... Bishop etc., he stole silver, Mark and Killian (who was covering Simon's track) captured him and brought him to the Bishop (again, trying to fix it. didn't work) - but then the whole crowd behind the constables was obviously torn between biting their lips and feeling deep sympathy for semi-bold-and-shiny-Bowman!JVJ. And then Gavin tried to fix it. And I died. Because it was... the Bishop kneeling there and stroking over Valjean's head and all and oh God. xDD and he still looked ridiculous. I don't know how Gavin stayed serious. I mean, obviously - I was talking to Jeff later about this - it's a bad situtation for everyone (although he was more concerned about the audience while I was more thinking about how it must be like for an actor), but it was so damn funny. Everything went well after that, though, so from ATEOTD on we had a wig-ed Valjean again. At Curtain Call, Bowman came running on stage with both hands pressed on his old!Valjean!wig, which of course, got laughs. He dealt with it very well. |
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| Elbow |
Haha! Sounds amazing! | ||||||||
| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
I was at both performances today - I happen to be down south for the weekend, and couldn't resist seeing the semi-new cast.
I saw the Bowman-wig-fiasco, but wasn't close enough to see what actually happened - only that after getting out of the inn, his hair was all on one side of his head. He kept trying to shield it with his arm which looked kinda odd, and then trying to pull it back. And each time he just made it worse. And it also made him rush through the whole prologue. As for impressions about new cast members in general: Simon Bowman: In some parts I was majorly disappointed, in other bits I quite liked him. I didn't think his voice was particularly suited to the part - in both performances, but less so in the evening, he struggled with the high notes e.g. in the Soliloquy and the 24601 at the end of Who Am I? was falsetto, which sounded very weak. Also some of the long notes in Bring Him Home and the Finale were rather flat (having perfect pitch I find that rather painful!), at least until the vibrato got going which corrected it a bit. He used the falsetto a bit in other parts too, but in some of these it worked ok - when he arrives at the Thenardier's Inn he sang ' Now her mother is with God' etc falsetto, and while I'm used to hearing that sung quite strongly, it worked quite well giving the impression of his trying to keep it quiet from Cosette, and also the bit at the beginning of One Day More (or is it the end of Rue Plumet?), where he's kind of talking to the audience (Must be Javert...). Often it's a bit confusing what some Valjean's are doing here, because it sounds like it's all sung to Cosette, which doesn't really make sense, but his method made a clear difference between that and 'Tomorrow to Calais...' when he is once more talking to Cosette. However, I think I prefer these bits to be sung properly - it just sounded a bit weak overall. In terms of acting... again I have mixed opinions. I know what people mean when they say he looks like he's doing an impression of a Valjean. Especially in the bits in the Prologue and the Soliloquy. I think it's mainly down to his gestures - I particularly 'liked' how he stretched his arms in a wide circle to demonstrate the pool he was drinking from! I think in many ways he has the same problem as Alistair in that he doesn't really know what to do with his hands, except whereas Marius has crampy hands at his sides, Valjean has crampy hands waving around in the air. Particularly during BHH - not quite sure what he was trying to achieve there, but he had hands in front of him (a bit like DT final battle hands, but for much longer, and more awkward looking) for basically the whole song, which was very off putting! However, I found that if you ignored his hands (and sometimes the rest of his body) I quite enjoyed his acting - as in, his face was good. Just by watching his face, you could get a pretty good idea of what he was thinking all the way through, even if he expressed it in a rather OTT manner with the rest of his body. Does that even make sense? One thing I did really like about his performance, and this is going to sound strange after what I just wrote, is how realistic it was. What I mean, is how hard he made it seem to lift the trapdoor thing to the sewers, and also the fact that he didn't simply slice through Javert's rope with 'a flick of his knife', but actually seemed to saw through it. Little details like those make you feel he knows what he's doing. He sometimes seemed a bit too sarcastic and almost snarky at points, e.g. with the Thenardiers, which isn't my favourite interpretation, and he was quite rough with Eponine when she delivered the letter, but those are fairly minor points. Also, when he read the letter, he paused for ages before reading 'love' - while I like it when Valjeans do this a bit, I think he hesitated too much, overdoing it a bit like he does his gestures. I liked his relationship with Cosette, and the little touching noses thing they had going on with her and the doll. HPJ - again, I have rather mixed views. I can't really imagine Javert looking like that, which didn't really help matters, but overall I thought his acting was decent. It was perhaps a bit wooden, but that sort of fitted the characterisation he was going for. I was definitely not impressed by his missing out the low note on chain, but other than that his voice was fine. His English was fine until one point, I can't remember in which performance, he said something like I von't be svayed, which sounded very odd. Talking of wrong words, the matinee's Confession had 'if he is gone she is disgraced ... and from this day he must be gone' - not looking good for Cosette... I thought his Stars was quite good, but his suicide left me a bit unmoved - it started off well until he got to the bridge, when there just wasn't any emotion left somehow. He just clung to the ralis and sang. He was knocked out better than Earl in the Confrontation - Earl always did a bit of a squirmy thing on the floor, HPJ was knocked out straight, which looked better IMO. Emily Bull - I can't make up my mind if I like the new Cosette wig or not. It looks more natural but somehow less Cosette-y, but that's just me being rather conservative as usual I think. However, with the old wig you had that connection between Fantine and Cosette - the curls - which you rather lost with this new wig, which was only a little bit wavy (although having said that, Rebecca's wig is less ringletty than Allyson's was, I think). I liked Emily, but I think I preferred Katie, who had an extra sort of innocence to her, but I liked how Emily, especially in AHFOL, was both excited and happy and yet trying to be all serious and grown up at the same time. Like the bit where Cosette and Marius put their hands together, Alistair put his up, and she looked at it like a child who had been given a treat, then schooled her expression into one suitable for making a solemn vow, but without quite losing the original smile. I sometimes found her acting a bit hard to follow, in that she was constantly changing mood, but I really like her bit with Valjean in In My Life. I find with Cosettes that it takes a while to make up my mind about them, just because Cosette has so little to do, so I shall see whenever I next get a chance. Gosh, this review is long! I obviously have a lot to get off my chest! Just a few more random comments: Mark Dugdale seemed particularly determined to shoot Javert today - or maybe just louder about it, but it was great! And Gavin James in MOTH was somehow funnier than usual as well (or perhaps I've just been missing the show). The Fight seemed a bit tame, Alistair wasn't really fighting back so David kept pushing him around for no apparent reason (or that was what it looked like from further back). I love how David Thaxton changes the blocking every time just because he feels like it (it looks like that anyway). It was different in the two performances today, and has been, I think, slightly different each time I've seen it. The banging the table on the 'Strive!' was back, having not been there the last couple of times I've been. I also really like how he makes the 'Marius, rest' line less lame than it is - he sounds so exasperated. And also, he seemed much more annoyed on the 'Marius, you're late' than he has done before. Oh, and Brenda Moore was on for Rachel Bingham, and I don't know if she's significantly shorter, or if I just happened to notice today, but during Fantine's Arrest she was standing on the side of the stage with Jeff. I saw the two of them, and I thought I didn't think they usually brought the girls on at that stage - only at Montfermeil and in Look Down, so why was one of them standing next to Jeff. Then I noticed that she looked suspiciously like Brenda - but she was literally like half the height of Jeff, and instead of making him look really tall (which of course he is), it just made her look like a midget! In the evening I was sitting in front of three elderly scottish people. They didn't have a program, and in the interval they were discussing the plot as they had managed to pick it up. Their synopsis was something like "There's this guy who goes to a man's house and steals some candlesticks, but then the man gives them to him and so he is released. Then he builds a factory, and that wife has a child and she dies. So he gets the child." Then they got rather confused once it got to Paris, and one of them kept asking "who that girl is, that keeps betraying him" - not sure what they were talking about... And according to them "the girl gets a new boyfriend and the other girl is in love with him but he doesn't notice her". I sat through all this, and then they called Cosette 'Colette', and at this point I offered them my programme (which I don't think helped them much, but hey...) Anyway, they started asking me questions about the history, so I explained about the revolution, followed by napoleon, followed by restoration etc and then they asked about the book, and I happened to have a copy with me so I showed it to them, but it all kind of went over their heads I think. Then on the way out I heard a man say to his daughter, "Remember this isn't about the French Revolution." Which was great. She asked what this was then, and he replied "The Parisian Uprising. It lead to the Revolution". Oops. Sorry, I really didn't mean to write this much, or ramble this much. Congratulations if you got to the end!
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| Eppie-Sue |
Whooo, amazing review! You were at the matinee, too?! yay. I love when people see the same show as I do and remind me of things in their reviews. xD
I think only those in BB and A in the Stalls could really see what happened, but Jeff said it was the table's fault. I only noticed because suddenly David and Jeff were holding him and not shoving him to the ground, and fixing something on his head. But Jeff was right - Bowman actually pulled away. xD at the stage door, he described it like this: "It's one of those moments... 'Okay. Just try to get it on. No - he's pulling away!' He could have just stood there and let us fix it, but nooo. It was horrible - at first it was Oh My God, then it was funny, and then it kept getting worse. And then it's just noooo it's just baaaad..."
I agree with basically everything about Bowman. I think he has toned his acting down a few notches compared to last week, though, "Who Am I?" didn't seem half as bad. But yeah, his voice...
Yes. Just yes. Also, see, with the Final Battle xD I remember seeing it for the first time and going: "Oh God no what are you do... ..OOOOH. never mind. keep doing it. <3" ... sadly, not the same with "Bring Him Home". When he was announced as new JVJ, people went on about how amazing his range was, etc., but I can't hear that, actually. David Shannon was definitely closer to being pitch-perfect in BHH, and at points Bowman's "tenor" is just annoying, especially when he goes "Say what you must. Don't leave it there." in a high voice. And his voice isn't full. I miss Shannon.
HPJ - ah, I don't even have the energy to complain about every little thing that I don't really like. The people I sat next to loved him, but to me, he just doesn't have the Javert-authority to him. He seems a bit crazy and manic and not in the good way. He's not above it all. And he took ages climbing over the barricade after "He's back!"... I can't make up my mind about Emily, but I agree with what l'ivrogne transfigur� has said. Speaking of Cosette, I wish Bowman would remember to lift Little Cosette's arms at the end of "Waltz of Treachery"... with him not doing it, it just looks as if Cosette goes: "I WANT A GIFT!". Oh, and we had kids I've never seen before (baaah too much change I loved all the old ones!) and I don't like them. Gavroche sounded like a Disney cartoon character and as small as Little Cosette was, she sounded like a teenager and like she has had professional "adult" voice lessons. And she lisped...
Yes and yes. I have never seen the same "blocking" twice with him, and he is the only principal I can say that about. Hell, he's the only principal I remember changing anything about the blocking at all. I love it, too. On some days, it follows a certain pattern, so it seems kind of familiar, but sometimes it actually seems as if he goes "Screw the blocking" and does something completely new. I've had that two times now, and although I went O.O at first, I enjoyed it so much. It's all very in-character, it just... he doesn't go through the lines and motions but actually acts. And Markfeyrac did seem very determined to shoot Javert. He actually started telling Davidjolras about what a bastard Javert was mid-way through "Little People". And I do love (and I know Madeleine agrees with me here ) how after the whole "Shoot the bastard!" scene and after Eponine has climbed over the barricade, David goes "[Courfeyrac!] IN THERE. NOW!" at Mark, pointing to the Corinth. Well, the wings. But we know it's the Corinth and so does David, so it is the Corinth...
And was it just me or did "ALFOR" seem particularly sad yesterday? It might be just me. One of the moments I will never get used to. I can't help it. ETA: AFAIK there is always a small woman next to Jeff in Fantine's Arrest, and I'm pretty sure it's Daniella Gibb... |