Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| eponine5 |
Review of the Current West End CastIt seems that the London production has been kind of overshadowed by Broadway at the moment, as far as discussions go. But I saw it yesterday and thought I'd review it
I hadn't seen the show in London since the 21st anniversary, so it was interesting to see how it had changed. Firstly, I noticed that now instead of the Cosette logo projected on the curtain at the beginning it simply had the words 'Les Mis�rables', which I think is also what they do on Broadway now (correct me if I'm wrong). Personally, I don't think it has the same effect as the Cosette logo did when it faded out, as if into the distance. John Owen-Jones (Valjean): As always, he was INCREDIBLE! He has the best male voice I've ever heard and his acting was completely up to scratch. There is something about the way that you can really see him age throughout the show that is amazing. He was so angry at the beginning but by the end he really did seem like a dying man in the way that he sang so softly and his movements were so slight and almost jagged, something which I haven't seen that in any other Valjean. His BHH, as always, left me in tears, and his interaction with Cosette was wonderful as you could see his affection for her and the torment he felt when reading the letter scene. I love the way that you can almost see Valjean�s thoughts going through his head, like the moment of realisation during the sequence between him and Javert in the Runaway Cart and during the letter scene. Hans Peter Janssens (Javert): He has definitely improved since I last saw him. People's main criticism about him was his clipped notes, which have now practically vanished. Although it still seemed odd at times like at the start of Stars and Confrontation, he holds on most of his notes now, which really shows off his voice better. His eyes are still a bit too big and wide for me though, and it can get quite distracting. His suicide though, was phenomenal and somehow he really did look like he was drowning. His last dying note -the "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!" was just  . (But he seemed to spit a lot during the Prologue)
Joanna Ampil (Fantine): I had never seen her before and it only struck me then that it had been almost a year since I had seen a really good Fantine. I know that for you over in America, that probably doesn't sound like that long, but I guess I was just spoiled with Kerry. Joanna Ampil though, truly has a beautiful voice. I have to say, at first she seemed a little stiff, but by IDAD she had really loosened up, and she cackled really hauntingly at the end of Lovely Ladies! She was great with her half delirious moaning 'I beg of you' right before Javert came in Fantine's Arrest and she had a cough growing all the way through her scenes, so that by Come To Me, it was about the amount that is described in the book. Gina Beck (Cosette): I had remembered her being good, but either she has improved incredibly, or I had forgotten exactly how good she is, I actually think I like her equally, if not more than Ali Ewoldt. Her voice has certainly become stronger since I last saw her and the BBC radio recording really doesn't do her justice. I think that her Cosette is the youngest portrayal I�ve seen, and I loved her little expressions of delight, confusion and annoyance during the love sequence, but somehow she manages to keep the serenity that the Cosette of the book had. I adored her in One day More, which is quite an achievement for Cosette, as she has the least opportunity out of all the principles (except Fantine, of course) to be noticed in that song. However you could see her talking with Valjean and accepting that she had to go, and she was excellent in that adorable moment when she picked up her doll and hugged it before packing it away. Her chemistry with Jon lee is MUCH better now as well, and they don�t seem like they are afraid to look each other in the eye anymore. Jon Lee (Marius): Okay, he is probably the cast member that I am most annoyed about. His voice has become much clearer and stronger, and so has his acting. But that acting is his problem! His Marius is painfully out of character, not so much with Cosette, but his interaction with Eponine made me want to cringe (although that could be to do with Sabrina Aloueche, as well). Every time he saw her, this huge grin would appear on his face and he was constantly gazing at her fondly, and anyone who didn�t know better would think that he loved both Cosette and Eponine. He even pinched her cheek during Eponine�s Errand. Aside from that, I really think that he showed too much emotion. He was laughing through half of Red and Black, and sobbing his way through the barricades. Plus, he had his arm around a random girl during Do You Hear the People Sing? !!!! (Kirsty Hoiles, who plays Factory Girl to be exact) Sabrina Aloueche (Eponine): She is better than I remember her, and her singing has become lower and less Disney-ish, which was a relief. Her acting is good, apart from what I said before about her chemistry with Marius, and at some moments she seemed more bitter than before. Although I understand that many people like her, I don�t know, there is just something about her Eponine that doesn�t appeal to me. Simon Bailey (Enjolras): There isn�t much wrong with his acting, and he has improved (his hair was tied back during Look Down!) a lot since I saw him last. I don�t think that his voice is quite strong enough for Enjolras, but that is probably just me comparing him to the CSR. He had the appropriate disgust on his face when looking at Grantaire constantly drinking, which was nice to see, and if his singing doesn�t live up to the role on the barricades, he certainly looks great! The Thenardiers: Chris Vincent, as Thenardier, is far, far better than when I last saw him. He always had the creepy, sinister Thenardier going, but before he hadn�t quite grasped the comedy aspect of the part, and he spoke rather than sang most of the part. Now though, his voice, while still isn�t amazing, is very powerful and more than merely acceptable on a West End stage. Madame Thenardier was played by the understudy, Wendy Somerville, and I think because of this, it was Chris Vincent who seemed to be leading the comedic moments. Wendy Somerville was a disappointment, even considering she is an understudy. There was no problem at all with her voice, however she doesn�t have all that much comic timing and she seemed to constantly have this sad, lost look on her face �which was far too young and pretty for Madame Thenardier in my opinion. It sort of reminded me of a young girl who had been forced into an arranged marriage, the way that she acted beside Thenardier. The best moment in the show for her was when she literally tumbled over with her legs right up in the air during Beggars at the Feast. The Kiddies: Surprisingly, they were both fantastic. (For the record, Little Cosette was played by Megan Cave, Gavroche was played by James Burgess and Eponine was played by Katie Scott.) Little Cosette was very good, and Gavroche was the best all-rounded Gavroche I�ve seen. The thing that really struck me was that they both consciously acted! I know that this should be expected, but I�ve come to think of it as incredibly lucky when the kids do this. Cosette had a sweet voice with some vibrato in it as well, although she seemed to have realised this and was trying to force it, which made her voice sound strange at times. True to the book she was TINY, and she looked like she was about 4 years old! Despite this though, she stayed in character all the way through and managed to look scared, confused and panicked simultaneously, and she also moved quickly, rather than that slow trudge �now I need to walk here, now go over there and turn my back to the audience� thing I�ve seen in most Young Cosettes, and she was aware of what she was doing. Gavroche also had, to my surprise, a pleasantly low voice. It wasn�t anywhere near as low as Gavroche on the TAC and he still sound the right age, but it didn�t have that piercing shriek that I�ve come to expect. His acting was great as he managed a moderate amount of hand gestures and expressions that made the audience laugh, but NOT go �aawwwwww�. His acting was wonderful, as he actually listened to the other characters, especially during 2nd attack while Marius and Valjean were saying that they wanted to go collect bullets. Gavroche actually turned to face the audience, and you could see him consider going out himself. I was even impressed by Young Eponine, because she was actually shaking her head and glaring at Cosette. Jeff Nicholson (Grantaire): Okay, just a short gushing about him as Grantaire. I swear, he should be given an award for the most in-character Grantaire! He managed a slight drunkenness all the way through the barricades, and you could see his disdainful attitude towards the idealistic Revolutionaries. He has a beautiful voice, and he can pull off the comic moments perfectly. During his interaction with Marius in Red and Black, he was actually mocking both Marius and Enjolras when he put his arms around both of them, and blew a kiss at Enjolras!*squee* One thing which was odd though was that I couldn�t find Grantaire in One Day More, he simply wasn�t onstage. I�m not sure why, maybe he just missed his cue or something. Okay, if you managed to make it to the end, well done! If you didn�t, sorry for this loooooooooong review. Just thought I should balance out the topics about the West End and Broadway casts somehow. Has anyone else seen this cast recently? |
||
| olly |
Fantastic review. Thank you! I haven't seen that cast since November, and it sounds like they've improved considerably! I haven't much time, so won't say much. However I'd like to thank you for that. I'm most pleased with Hans' review! | ||
| NurseCodeBlue |
thanks for the good review. i might see it again next month if we end up going to london instead of newyork.
do they do rush tix there? |
||
| sherwills |
Thanks for the review. Fantastic.
Isn't it unusual that Broadway has Lea Salonga as Fantine, while West End has Joanna Ampil. Both played Kim in Miss Saigon's Original Cast Recording and Complete Symphonic Cast respectively. Oh yeah, both are filos and petit, lol. I've seen Joanna's Fantine before and I was absolutely blown away. I would love to see her again. |
||
| Aimee |
Great review, thanks.
|
||
| flying_pigs |
Great review! I agree with you about Sabrina as Eponine. I've seen her 3 times and she's annoyed me more each time. I think she plays a very boring Eponine. You're right about Gina Beck on the BBC recording, she is SO much better live, her acting is amazing too!
Jon Lee is too boyish for me, does he still get on his chair during Red and Black, that really annoys me! JOJ, HPJ and Jeff are utterly fantastic! I love them! Try and see David Thaxton as Enjolras at the end of April, he is incredible! Best Enjolras I've ever seen! |
||
| LesMisForever |
Thank you for the review 
I saw this cast twice (with Sophia as Fantine). Last time in mid December. I missed Sabrina both times. Instead i saw her both understudies. I liked both. they were good, and solid Eponines. Nothing spectacular, or memorable, but nothing annoying, or dislikable either. Simon Bailey is my only big problem with this cast. I like my Enjolras to have a really strong voice. The entry scene of him and Marius in "Look Down" culminating in ".....the barricade ARIIIIIIIISE" is one of my favourite scenes, and Simon, sadly, hasn't got the needed power. I am absolutely thrilled that JO is back as Fantine. She is my favourite in this role from those i have seen live. |
||
| Actor4life |
thanks for that!!
Its funny you should say that valjean and cossette couldnt used to look each other in the eye as when i played cossette last month the valjean couldnt look me in the eyes either. |
||
| The Very Angry Woman |
Cosette. One "s." | ||
| LesMisForever |
I went to see the show last week.
For the third time i missed the main Eponine, and that annoyed me. I am not sure if i will go again before the cast change. I will see how things go. I liked seeing JO again as Fantine. She is great. HPJ sounded better to me than the previous two times. I don't know whether he toned down his voice, or i became used to him. Even The Thenardiers looked better, and less camp. However, the best thing was David Thaxton as Enjolras. He isn't as charismatic as Simon Bailey as a leader, but he has better voice, and that is more important to me. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing him take the role over. I hope that Simon will go when they change the cast. An enjoyable show marred only by bad audience behaviour, but i will talk about that in the social forum. |
||
| flying_pigs |
Unfortunately, David Thaxton is leaving at the cast change  I saw him as Enjolras (and the Bishop once!) and his Final Battle was definately the best I ever heard! My favourite Enjolras!
Anyone going to this cast's alst day? I think I'll go after the cast change. |
||
| LesMisForever |
I don't blame him. He deserves better than an understudy. |
||
| eponine5 |
I'm going to the last day of this cast! But since I'm planning on going with friends, I can only make the matinee. It should be fun, though!
I'm also going again today! 
I'm sad to hear that Daivd Thaxton is leaving. I'd still been hoping that he would make it as principle Enjolras. He deserves it... but maybe one day he could return as Enjolras. |
||
| MrMarius |
Les Mis�rables - Saw Les Mis last night (16 May 2007) for the first time since its move from the Palace theatre. We sat in the middle of Row R of the stalls after buying 'best available' tickets off Lastminute.com for �29.50 + �1 booking fee. Legroom was ample, view not the best - the dress circle overhang obscured some of the 'higher up' action, and we felt a bit distant from the stage. That said, good value for what we paid, would have been miffed if the tickets had been full price. I have to confess at being slightly nonplussed at the actual performance; I have very fond memories of the numerous times I saw it at the Palace theatre. John Owen Jones was a solid Valjean, although wavered occasionally with some of the difficult notes. Javert was played by an understudy whose name I did not catch (he was very tall) - and again a decent performance, but nothing spectacular. Joanna Ampil & Gina Beck put in good performances as Fantine and Cosette - and I thought Sabrina Aloueche put in the best performance as Eponine that I have seen since Lea Salonga played the role - fabulous voice. Simon Bailey as Enjolras was a dissapointement'. John Lee is simply not right for the part of Marius - he sung his parts far too abruptly, and did not bring out the emotion expected from 'Empty Chairs'. The Thenardiers did not draw out the comic aspects as much I have seen in the past either (this may be because Mr Thenardier was understudied for that performance) Also the ensemble seem to have gone really downhill since the Palace theatre production - weak singing voices, lack of slickness as a group, and terrible use of the microphone for the leader of the French army - they really need to pull their socks up! In all it still remains a very enjoyable evening out, and no doubt will continue for many years to come (the auditorium was full, even on a Wednesday evening) | ||
| MrMarius |
Audio of Sabrina Aloueche On My Own:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOM3LMBk9NY Sutton Foster- Full Attack on Rue Plumet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzjIuQxD6xw Sutton Foster- A heart full of love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z8oi5SUBqU Just found these on youtube and thought I would share!!!  
|
||
| Quique |
Paragraphs, please? 
Thanks for the links, btw. Love them. |
||
| flying_pigs |
Jeff Nicholson was u/s Javert and Jonathon Ellis is u/s Th�nardier.
I disagree with you about JOJ as Valjean, I think he has an amazing voice and is a great actor. He's one of the main reasons I go to the show Glad you had a good evening anyway!
|
||
| LesMisForever |
About tickets. Next time if you go, don't buy them from lastminute. You can get them from TKTS cheaper (27.50 most of the time) and get a better place. | ||
| MrMarius |
Actually It was Roy Lipkin on for Thenardier! He is 2nd cover and I believe it was his first time on! He did a great job, but I think the laughs were down because he didn't have a relaxed flow with Mdm Thenardier- Tracie Bennet.
JOJ is great but he was on an off day when I went to see him. And I don't think he is as good as his hype. I have known better!! |
||
| frenchhorngirl |
i saw this same cast in april and have to disagree and agree with teh first person. val jean was FANTASTIC! but i disagree with marius and eponine having no chemistry. i thought their version of a little fall of rain was besautiful. i was really surprised that jon could actaully sing, considereing he came from a pop band, S-club 7 and you'd never know that he had talent from s-club's songs. and i think sabrina's voice resembles lea salonga's which is a really good thing. i liked sabrina's voice much more than the original eponine's. the gavroche i saw broughte the house down. his death was heartbreaking. but val jean's BHH can't be beaten. all-around one of the best shows i've ever seen. | ||
| The Very Angry Woman |
|
||
| eponine5 |
^
How many different pictures of the 'shift' button do you have, TVAW?
As I have said, I went on Saturday evening. I won't give a full review, as that's already on this thread, but I'll just say the new stuff. First of all, I think I struck gold with seeing it that night. I was stunned to see that on the understudy list were Jeff Nicholson as Javert, Neil Toon as Marius (2nd u/s), and Laura Brydon as Eponine! Suddenly all my problems with this cast were gone!
After seeing Jeff Nicholson as Grantaire 6 times, I had been really wishing I could see his Javert, especially after hearing so much about it. Well, it was everything that I'd heard about it, and more. I had never really realised what a powerful and clear voice he had, but my god! If there's one Javert who is good enough to perform opposite John Owen-Jones and near match him, it's him! His acting was so convincing and I ended up feeling slightly afraid of him. He did something in the final confrontation that I had never really considered a Javert doing, but it transformed the scene into the most terrifying thing ever. He smiled with this almost insane smile! It doesn't sound as if it would be and effective now that I am writing it down, but it really worked with the scene. As for Neil Toon� he was fine. I was basically just happy to be seeing a different Marius from Jon Lee, but I think his performance spoke too much of �understudy� to be up to the standards of other members of the cast. His voice wasn�t that strong, although I liked the general quality of it. For some reason, every few phrases or so his voice seemed to bounce upwards, kind of like a yip. I�m not sure how to describe it, but I thought to myself that it sounded as if he�d had yodelling lessons earlier that day. His Marius was very dorky, but it fit with the character so it worked. He had a bit of trouble at the beginning of A Little Fall of Rain, when it looked as if he could have put Eponine down to the ground a little more carefully. It also took him a while to remember to actually open her coat so that the audience could see more than the path of blood on her cheek. His best song was Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, where his voice finally came through although it still wasn�t the strongest. I was interested to see Laura Brydon as Eponine, and she didn't disappoint. I was a bit unsure of her at first, but as the show progressed I liked her interpretation more and more. Her On My Own was quite good, although she used too many arm movements, especially in the second half of the song. In some moments it worked, but in many it just looked a bit too unrealistic. She should also get credit for acting throughout the whole song. But I think that her best song was by far A Little Fall of Rain. The pain was clear on her face and in her movements, but so was the contentment of being beside Marius. She whispered and faded out the last �will make the flowers�, and *gasp* instead if attempting to kiss Marius with her last breath, she simply reached up with her hand to stroke his face. Also in that performance, the whole cast gave the best performance I�ve seen since the 21st anniversary, and each member was giving their all. There was one funny moment at the beginning of Act 2. While Marius was singing, a member of the ensemble came running across the front of the stage holding up the big red flag and commented �Marius!� when he passed him! He said it in such a funny way, and I had to stop myself from laughing before The Letter scene started. I was disappointed that Gavroche wasn�t that good, and Little Cosette was just plain creepy! Two words to describe her in The Bargain: hang wringing! I couldn�t figure out what she was trying to do. I don�t know about how John Owen-Jones was on Friday, but on Saturday he was phenomenal. Definitely his best performance I�ve seen, and a few people gave him a standing ovation after Bring Him Home!
So much for not a full review, it's long enough to be one... 
|
||
| MrMarius |
Went to see the show tonight!!
And as promised- here's my review! John Owen Jones- is there nothing this man can't do!?!? He really gave me the best performance I have seen a JVJ do!
I didn't feel he was very strong last time, but tonight was incredible! His journey throughout the show was both moving and consistant. Vocally "Who am I?" and "Bring Him Home" were his best numbers, his voice rests so comfortably in these songs also, and I was able to completely lose myself in the plot without thinking "is he going to reach this note...?" One of the best Valjeans I have ever seen. Hans Peter Jansenns- Javert! This performer had a different approach to this part than I am used to. He was very inanimate- emotionless- stone cold with his stare, he commanded attention from all from merely his presence on stage, he had so much discipline within the part. It worked very well. His operatic tones had my attention immediatly, and during Stars I was enthralled and that number isn't a ig fave of mine. He turned slightly crazed during his suicide and it was very uncomfortable to watch this huge authority figure turn into a pathetic madman! I really enjoyed his performance. Joanna Ampil- Fantine. I know I am starting to sound like all I do is praise performers and give no constructive critism, but seriously, this character portrayal was the best I've seen! I LOVED HER! She gave her heart to every emotional moment of her part, and you really felt for her character! Her voice is pure silk, and she acted the songs well too. I love IDAD (one of my favourite numbers) and I really don't like it to be just sung prettily! I like it acted out more! And she really took the audience on a journey with it. So glad she is staying on. David Thaxton- Enjolras. Simon Bailey was off for this performance and I was secretly very pleasd about this! See I'm not all nice!!!!  I have seen his ersion of the part many times and am not impressed so was very excited to see Davids version as I have heard it praised alot!
He did not fail to disappoint! Although when I first saw him on stage I didn't really like his look, his voice was incredible! I really loved the passion it gave, and the power behind it too! His top notes when singing "Until, the earth is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" was brilliant! Sabrina Aloueche- Eponine. This was the strongest performance I have seen from this role. She was a little tom boy with alot of attitude and she shoved her way around the Thenardier gang in Paris with such youthful confidance! Her affection for Marius was beautiful. Her voice was a pure delight, with its husky tones, and powerful belt notes. On My Own got the biggest cheer of the night (up until that point of the show) and her death scene was haunting. She was already half gone by "the rain that brings you here...." as her focus went from Marius to a distant spot somewhere high above. My favourite Eponine to date!
Gina Beck- Cosette She was simply adorable! Lovely voice and acting! Real chemistry with her Marius! And her emotion during the epilogue was heart breaking! A brilliant performance from her! Jon Lee Marius. Not a fan! He was weak in his vocals and seemed almost distracted half the time. ECAET was acted brilliantly however. I loved how he reacted to Eponines death. Very moving. The Thenardiers- again- not a fan! Chris Vincent is way too camp for my liking, and Tracie Bennet has pretty much no voice whatsoever! She broke a dozen times! They didn't have a very good chemistry with each other either. The Ensemble! The Company! Les Mis! FANTASTIC! They really really had the ball rolling in every number! The strength behind each scene was on fire, and each character had a very distinctive throughline in each scene! They interacted well with each other, and Do You Hear The People Sing was stunning. The audience began clapping at the last verse and it was a full house standing ovation! A FANTASTIC NIGHT!
|