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Brackynn

Petit Gervais in the show?

So I'm currently waiting to start rehearsals for a production of Les Mis. Our director has been sending out newsletters which include breakdowns of each scene, including detailed cast lists -- ie, which ensemble members will be in which numbers and play which cameos. I was skimming through some of them today and noticed that in the prologue, we now have a Petit Gervais.

Confused I love the Petit Gervais moment in the book, but since when is it in the show? These newsletters include the relevant libretto (in this case, it's from the Bishop's "Come in, sir, for you are weary" and the end of What Have I Done?) and there's certainly no mention of it...

Anyone seen a production with Petit Gervais in it? If so, how did it work?
MlleTholomy�s

Bwhaaaat? Did he make a typo, or something?
lesmisloony

I'm pretty sure that in that production Mate was in there was a Petit Gervais, though there weren't relevant lyrics or anything...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdXYWBHAKcM
Brackynn

Ah ... interesting clip! Thanks, lesmisloony Smile

I read some more of the notes ... I get the sense that our production's going to be full of references to the book -- latest news is that the director's considering making Mme Th�nardier pregnant with Gavroche during Master of the House, or have her with babe in arms, because he wants to make it clear that he is part of their family.

The Brick fangirl in me is loving it, but I can't help wondering if an audience who's unfamiliar with Hugo's novel will appreciate such details, or just end up thinking, "What was that in there for?" Guess I'll have to wait for rehearsals to start to see how they're planning to pull it off...
lesmisloony

Oh my God on high, I would LOVE to see a production full of references to the Book.

I get excited enough about little shoutouts in the musical (most common amongst the Patron-Minette and the students, of course)...
lizavert

Brackynn wrote:
latest news is that the director's considering making Mme Th�nardier pregnant with Gavroche during Master of the House, or have her with babe in arms, because he wants to make it clear that he is part of their family.


In the production I saw at the Arvada Center last year, they just changed Gavroche's lyrics in Look Down slightly to make the same point. From "All of his family's on the make." to "All of my family's on the make." I'm not sure if too many people in the audience got the reference, but it did make me happy.
The Very Angry Woman

lizavert wrote:
Brackynn wrote:
latest news is that the director's considering making Mme Th�nardier pregnant with Gavroche during Master of the House, or have her with babe in arms, because he wants to make it clear that he is part of their family.


In the production I saw at the Arvada Center last year, they just changed Gavroche's lyrics in Look Down slightly to make the same point. From "All of his family's on the make." to "All of my family's on the make." I'm not sure if too many people in the audience got the reference, but it did make me happy.


That doesn't really make sense, though. Gavroche doesn't know he's a Thenardier.
lesmisloony

He does, though. He visits his parents and stuff. I mean, maybe not in the musical, but in the Book he does.
Lara

Oh my god that sounds brilliant. I agree- a musical version full of Brick references would make me so happy. Please tell us some more examples when you find them out.
Brackynn

Hmm. We got sent a complete updated cast list. Now Petit Gervais has "Houseboy" in brackets after the role. I presume this means he's going to be present in the Bishop's house? But is he just going to be there as a body on stage, or will he actually have a run-in with Valjean? Gah, this is irritating me!

But in other news ... we have a Louison in the ABC Caf�.

... and okay, it's been a while since I saw a production of the show, but is Grantaire usually in Look Down? Our other students aren't (except for Enjolras and Marius, of course). Personally, I'm hoping he's going to be hanging around Enjolras with stars in his eyes Wink
MlleTholomy�s

Brackynn wrote:

But in other news ... we have a Louison in the ABC Caf�.


FJHVJK

NOT FAIR.
Brackynn

^ Laughing

And a Mme Victurien in the factory.

Director apparently also wants to bring the Bishop back with Fantine and Eponine at the end somehow.

<3
lesmisloony

I. Would. Swoon.
Lara

I really hope this all works out... because this pretty much sounds epic beyond words.
Monsieur D'Arque

Doesn't the Bishop usually replace Eponine, who has no clear-cut reason to be there except they needed another female angel?
music is my life!!!

I would've thought Javert would replace Eppy of all people. Afterall, both he and Fantine are vital to Valjean, but he only meets Eppy once, and even then he thinks she's a boy Confused
Bianco

I'd much rather see Eppy replaced by the Bishop than by Javert. Somehow I feel that the hostility between Javert and JVJ is too great to be forgotten even in death. I can imagine that the JVJ/Javert shippers disagree, though. Rolling Eyes
Brackynn

music is my life!!! wrote:
I would've thought Javert would replace Eppy of all people. Afterall, both he and Fantine are vital to Valjean, but he only meets Eppy once, and even then he thinks she's a boy Confused


True, but I would argue that the Bishop is a more important and influential figure in Valjean's life than Javert -- after all, it was the Bishop who gave him the impetus to change his life and begin his search for redemption, which is essentially what he spends the rest of the show doing.

Anyway, I've got my first blocking rehearsal tonight. I ran into Grantaire yesterday, who advised me to "know my character before you go!" Apparently, all the students got sat down and grilled about their characters and their relationships to each other. And poor old Grantaire didn't know much about himself beyond what's in the musical, and then got a bit of a shock when the director told him that he's infatuated with Enjolras Laughing
lesmisloony

I've been thinking about this lately. I have made a decision. Mr. Green

What if Fantine's "waaaake?" was interrupted by Javert's appearance and she didn't die right away? She could be conscious and calling out every once in a while throughout most of the Confrontation and actually die right at the end of the part where they men are singing together. It would give the whole "And this I swear to you tonight..." bit more gravity, I guess, and it would, as a bonus, be Book-accurate.
music is my life!!!

^^^ omg that'd be the saddest thing ever! If i ever get to direct les mis i'll do that!
Jennifer Lynn

I love it when directors try to bring more concepts and characterizations from the book into the movie. In the Philadelphia production I saw last year, there seemed to be something desperate and unbalanced in Eponine's portrayal...making her closer to the character in the book rather than just the starry-eyed street kid that teen girls worship.

And a good director will make sure the Thenardiers have some sinister undercurrent, that they're not just comic relief. We laugh at them during "Master Of The House," but then we see Thenardier trying to rob Valjean and (maybe) slapping around his daughter when she intervenes, and later, crawling around in the sewers like a predator to rob corpses...and suddenly he's not that funny anymore. (Some productions I've seen have Thenardier literally HOWLING the last note of "Dog Eat Dog.")
Brackynn

Jennifer Lynn wrote:
And a good director will make sure the Thenardiers have some sinister undercurrent, that they're not just comic relief. We laugh at them during "Master Of The House," but then we see Thenardier trying to rob Valjean and (maybe) slapping around his daughter when she intervenes, and later, crawling around in the sewers like a predator to rob corpses...and suddenly he's not that funny anymore. (Some productions I've seen have Thenardier literally HOWLING the last note of "Dog Eat Dog.")


Totally agree. And that's how we're doing it Smile We blocked the attack on Rue Plumet last week, and poor Eponine cops quite a beating at the hands of Thenardier. He even kicks her while she's down on the ground. We're doing the attempted robbery of Valjean on Saturday, and I'm pretty interested to see how that goes.

And Eponine herself is making it clear that she's a hardened street girl who's involved in crime as well -- that she's no angel. It was kinda funny -- when we were all discussing this, the director buried his face in his hands and one point and said, "It's bloody hard! Eponine showing Marius to the house comes across as so bloody selfless -- what hope in hell does Cosette have of measuring up? We want people to like Cosette! We have to figure out a way to make Eponine scummy!" Laughing
Ulkis

Quote:
I would've thought Javert would replace Eppy of all people. Afterall, both he and Fantine are vital to Valjean, but he only meets Eppy once, and even then he thinks she's a boy


I think at that point Javert is still working out his issues in the musical afterlife. *g* He's too busy to escort Valjean.
MlleTholomy�s

Brackynn wrote:


And Eponine herself is making it clear that she's a hardened street girl who's involved in crime as well -- that she's no angel. It was kinda funny -- when we were all discussing this, the director buried his face in his hands and one point and said, "It's bloody hard! Eponine showing Marius to the house comes across as so bloody selfless -- what hope in hell does Cosette have of measuring up? We want people to like Cosette! We have to figure out a way to make Eponine scummy!" Laughing


Well, you could put a some unreciprocated wink wink, nudge nudge before hand.
MlleTholomy�s

Brackynn wrote:


And Eponine herself is making it clear that she's a hardened street girl who's involved in crime as well -- that she's no angel. It was kinda funny -- when we were all discussing this, the director buried his face in his hands and one point and said, "It's bloody hard! Eponine showing Marius to the house comes across as so bloody selfless -- what hope in hell does Cosette have of measuring up? We want people to like Cosette! We have to figure out a way to make Eponine scummy!" Laughing


Well, you could put a some unreciprocated wink wink, nudge nudge before hand.
Orestes Fasting

Brackynn wrote:
Jennifer Lynn wrote:
And a good director will make sure the Thenardiers have some sinister undercurrent, that they're not just comic relief. We laugh at them during "Master Of The House," but then we see Thenardier trying to rob Valjean and (maybe) slapping around his daughter when she intervenes, and later, crawling around in the sewers like a predator to rob corpses...and suddenly he's not that funny anymore. (Some productions I've seen have Thenardier literally HOWLING the last note of "Dog Eat Dog.")


Totally agree. And that's how we're doing it Smile We blocked the attack on Rue Plumet last week, and poor Eponine cops quite a beating at the hands of Thenardier. He even kicks her while she's down on the ground. We're doing the attempted robbery of Valjean on Saturday, and I'm pretty interested to see how that goes.

And Eponine herself is making it clear that she's a hardened street girl who's involved in crime as well -- that she's no angel. It was kinda funny -- when we were all discussing this, the director buried his face in his hands and one point and said, "It's bloody hard! Eponine showing Marius to the house comes across as so bloody selfless -- what hope in hell does Cosette have of measuring up? We want people to like Cosette! We have to figure out a way to make Eponine scummy!" Laughing


Are there still videos of Celia Keenan-Bolger's Eponine on YouTube? If you crossed her--unbalanced, overly forward, and lacking in social skills--with Felicia Curry--creepily desperate and sad and always watching Marius hungrily--you'd have a pretty good approximation of book!Eponine.

Another way to do it would be to play up her resemblance to Mme Th�nardier, whether through costuming or vocal style or general abrasiveness. Not obnoxiously overdone, because they're very different characters, but enough so the audience doesn't start wondering whether Eponine was switched at birth.
Lara

Celia's Eponine was brilliant.

Your director is so right, though, about Cosette and Eponine in the musical. There is so little material with Cosette in the show... as opposed to in the book. In the book it is more obvious that Eponine is doing what she does more for herself (and maybe so that Marius will do something for her in return) but in the musical she really seems so selfless.
Brackynn

Grantaire and Enjolras are going to be the last ones standing in the Final Attack, and then Grantaire's going to take a bullet for Enjolras. I kind of like that a lot Smile
Brackynn

We got some new props today. Joly got a cane. He rubbed his nose with the end of it.

I may have had a minor fangirl moment.
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