Re: Les Misérables

SenorSwanky Sat Oct 09, 2010 5:35 am

I don't think the point or intention is to have people return to roles they've played before. It's not supposed to be a reunion tour or something. It's just the 25th anniversary tour because it's happening in the show's 25th year, and it's a new production, separate from the Nunn/Caird show (as we well know by now). The fact JOJ and Earl were in the European tour was kind of incidental, I think, because most of the rest of the roles were filled by people who'd never been in the show before.

That said, I am underwhelmed by the cast. I have heard of Richard Todd Adams and Jason Forbach, Phantom veterans. None of the others, though. Would have been nice to have higher-wattage in the leads, but as long as the cast is good. Then again, I won't likely get to see it because it's not yet booked for anywhere within reasonable distance of me. I think it's been 8 or 9 years since I've seen Les Mis.

Callie Daae Sat Oct 09, 2010 3:21 pm

I'm not happy about Chasten Harmon as Eponine Mad

ML6 Sat Oct 09, 2010 3:51 pm

SenorSwanky wrote:I don't think the point or intention is to have people return to roles they've played before. It's not supposed to be a reunion tour or something. It's just the 25th anniversary tour because it's happening in the show's 25th year, and it's a new production, separate from the Nunn/Caird show (as we well know by now). The fact JOJ and Earl were in the European tour was kind of incidental, I think, because most of the rest of the roles were filled by people who'd never been in the show before.

I still don't like it. People in the UK/Europe were lucky because they saw JOJ and Earl.

SenorSwanky wrote:That said, I am underwhelmed by the cast. I have heard of Richard Todd Adams and Jason Forbach, Phantom veterans. None of the others, though. Would have been nice to have higher-wattage in the leads, but as long as the cast is good. Then again, I won't likely get to see it because it's not yet booked for anywhere within reasonable distance of me. I think it's been 8 or 9 years since I've seen Les Mis.

They better release footage of them singing on BroadwayWorld in the roles. I might just see it just to say I saw the new format of Les Miserables.

Scorp Sat Oct 09, 2010 7:54 pm

So I went to the actual 25th anniversary performance of Les Mis last night.

I know that the 25th celebrations were a massive event last weekend with the tour at the Barbican and the O2 performances, but it seems the original has been strangely neglected and if I were a die-hard Mizzie I think I might be a bit upset about that. Perhaps it's to do with the Cameron/Trevor fight. The original cast and creatives and many others who were involved in Les Mis over the last 25 years (including the likes of Dave Willetts, Rebecca Caine, John Caird, Trevor Nunn himself etc) were not at the Queen's last night; instead, they were having their own celebrations at a restaurant in the West End in order to honour Nunn and Caird (given that they played no part in Cameron's 25th celebrations). So while I wasn't expecting them to show up last night, I was expecting at least an energetic performance...but I was sorely disappointed. And I really don't like the current cast at all. Fortunately Simon Bowman was off, but Norm Lewis still does nothing for me and the current Marius is terrible. Strange to think how superior the talent 25 years earlier was. Nothing happened anyway. Norm Lewis made us sing Happy Birthday and that was it. Nothing else. Not even Cameron was there.

Something occurred to me about the 25th tour as well. This tour is not really a new production by any means insofar as it is heavily based on the original production. Take out the revolve and add some projections and basically you have the new production (plus some inferior orchestrations -- it was nice to hear the originals last night, even though they're heavily synthesised these days...you can tell half of the orchestra = a computer. I was relieved to know that the orchestrations I complained about in the tour do not apply to the original production).

This made me realise what the tour is. Cameron wants this tour to replace the indelible image of the original in people's minds across the world. The reason why this tour is going to go global is because by making THIS the 'definitive' version, people won't be disappointed when they go and see the tour. I don't think we're ever going to see Nunn's production again once the West End version closes. The reason is simply because it's too expensive. I don't know if the cast is smaller on the tour, but it's obviously cheaper to run without John Napier's revolving barricade. Had the cast not been so impeccable for the tour (Fantine and a few others excluded), would I have liked it as much? Only a few things were improvements, e.g. Javert's suicide.

This makes me think about the fate of Phantom. In an interview with Cameron that I read last year, he said something along the lines of 'I suspect there'll be a time when it won't be economically viable to stage Phantom any more'. But unlike Les Mis, Phantom NEEDS that spectacle, and I don't know how you can do it on a smaller/less expensive scale than the original production without making it seem cheap/tacky, as shown by the productions in Hungary and Poland (no offence to them, well, offence intended towards the Polish production, which I loathe).

If Phantom ever tours the US again, it'll be a shadow of its former self because the original version is getting too expensive to run. The days of the megamusical are over. Does this mean Cameron and Andrew will devise a new 'cheap' version? I'd love to find out how expensive it is to run Phantom, because it's still a popular show and maybe, just maybe, there are enough people out there who would make a full-fat Phantom run viable. We're at least lucky in London that ALW has not cut the orchestra to save costs because he loves having a full orchestra. Phantom I think has the biggest orchestra out of any show in London. But God knows if this will be affordable for the show's producers in 5-10 years' time...

Sorry, just rambling.

ML6 Sun Oct 10, 2010 6:10 pm

Scorp, what you wrote is scary and sad. If that happens, it makes me a bit sick.

Helen Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:11 am

I was at the actual 25th anniversary performance too. It was a shame Cameron or any of the original cast and creatives weren't there, but I did enjoy the performance a lot. I thought Killian Donnelly who played Valjean was fantastic. His usual role is Enjolras. I liked Norm Lewis. He's not my favourite Javert, but I thought he was good. I really liked Fantine and the Thenardiers too. I agree with almost everything Scorp said.

operafantomet Mon Oct 11, 2010 5:27 am

Scorp, I very much agree with everything you wrote. And it saddens me. I know Les Mis fans have been complaining about the neglection of the original production, so it's not going totally unnoticed. But that a landmark like a 25th anniversary goes unnoticed except for a bloody birthday song is not just sad, it's amazingly rude. And it makes sense, what you wrote about slowly wanting to replace the original with the tour spectacle.

As for Phantom, if they put up a new US tour, it'll definitely be a "cheaper" version. By that I mean sets that are simplified. Hopefully this will mean just sets that are more easily operated, and not a projection-heavy light-version. I agree with you about Phantom needing the spectacle. Like Mareille Ribière said about the Leroux book, the actual opera house is one of the main characters. Maria Bjørnson transferred that to the stage - the Phantom is barely on stage, but his presence in the opera house - and hence the opera house sets - is omnipresent and can't be skipped. I think that's why I'v never wished for a concert version like Les Mis has had.

justin1976 Mon Oct 11, 2010 5:30 pm

I died a little when I saw this quote from Boublil and Schonberg in the concert brochure: ''In 2009, as we thought that large productions of our show were coming to the end of their days, Cameron decided to produce a completely new production…'' I think the London production may very well be the only place now to see the show more or less in it's original staging. All of the new productions opening in the future will use the new staging. It's kind of like the end of an era.

Scorp Mon Oct 11, 2010 11:19 pm

justin1976 wrote:I died a little when I saw this quote from Boublil and Schonberg in the concert brochure: ''In 2009, as we thought that large productions of our show were coming to the end of their days, Cameron decided to produce a completely new production…'' I think the London production may very well be the only place now to see the show more or less in it's original staging. All of the new productions opening in the future will use the new staging. It's kind of like the end of an era.

For both Miz and Phantom it seems...

But what is the justification for using the new tour format to open sit-down productions? It's not as if they're moving the revolve and the barricade from place to place...

What are your thoughts on the whole thing, Justin, as the resident Mizzie?

justin1976 Tue Oct 12, 2010 3:38 am

I actually really enjoyed the new staging. I loved the new sets and projections, although I much prefer the original costumes. But the original production has slowly been chopped and changed so much over the years - a scene added, scenes shortened, costumes and lighting 'revised', music re-orchestrated, etc. Sometimes I thought 'why can't they just leave it alone?' People have obviously loved it the way it is for the last 25 years, so why constantly tamper with it? Plus it's much easier technically to tour the original staging now than it was a few years back. Nothing for me will ever top 'Les Mis' in it's original stark format. It's the simplicity of the design that makes it work.
As for casting - I'm all for bringing new generations to the show by introducing young 'pop' talent providing it's not a case of style over substance. Jon Lee and Gareth Gates both equally proved their worth in the show - the same unfortunately cannot be said of a certain young performer in the concert who was way out of his depth.
Regarding 'Phantom' though - I just can't see a 'new' production taking off. Maria Bjornson, with her wonderful creative alchemy, gave us something so beautiful and rare that still manages to make jaws drop across the globe today. Why change perfection?

operafantomet Sat Oct 16, 2010 4:41 pm

A Danish newspaper had a piece about Les Mis the other day. They were in particular discussing it's fame and success despite the harsh reviews it got when it opened. I found one comment interesting: that when musicals started borrowing the language of operas, they were "compared with Mozart" instead of being judged for their own merits and qualities. It's like "comparing a fun comedy movie with a serious black-and-white movie", as one puts it. I think that's an interesting point.

http://kpn.dk/article2201987.ece

The mega musicals of the 80s were post modernistic in the sense that they broke the law of modernism (never borrow from the past). Instead they embraced the past, through staying close to operas, picking historical themes and daring add lots of pathos. I think reviewers weren't prepared for it (though ALW in particular began doing in in the 70s with "Evita" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"), and trashed it because it was so grandious and accessible in style. But the audience definitely were ready. I'm not saying the mega musicals were for dummies, but they were a fresh alternative to introvert modernistic theatre and the then somewhat stiffened opera form, and in their way they renewed the musical theatre. Today those musicals seems a bit passé - well, not the ones that were actually written in the 80s and early 90s, but current musicals trodding their steps feels old fashioned. Musicals like Rent, Spring Awakening and Next to Normal adds an interesting sense of actuality and realism to the musical genre, while still bringing with them the legacy of the mega musicals (the borrowing from opera in particular). It makes me wonder what the future of the musical theatre will bring us. Judging from the past, a lot of mediocre stuff and some truly awesome gems. Smile

Scorp Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:46 am

operafantomet wrote:A Danish newspaper had a piece about Les Mis the other day. They were in particular discussing it's fame and success despite the harsh reviews it got when it opened. I found one comment interesting: that when musicals started borrowing the language of operas, they were "compared with Mozart" instead of being judged for their own merits and qualities. It's like "comparing a fun comedy movie with a serious black-and-white movie", as one puts it. I think that's an interesting point.

http://kpn.dk/article2201987.ece

The mega musicals of the 80s were post modernistic in the sense that they broke the law of modernism (never borrow from the past). Instead they embraced the past, through staying close to operas, picking historical themes and daring add lots of pathos. I think reviewers weren't prepared for it (though ALW in particular began doing in in the 70s with "Evita" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"), and trashed it because it was so grandious and accessible in style. But the audience definitely were ready. I'm not saying the mega musicals were for dummies, but they were a fresh alternative to introvert modernistic theatre and the then somewhat stiffened opera form, and in their way they renewed the musical theatre. Today those musicals seems a bit passé - well, not the ones that were actually written in the 80s and early 90s, but current musicals trodding their steps feels old fashioned. Musicals like Rent, Spring Awakening and Next to Normal adds an interesting sense of actuality and realism to the musical genre, while still bringing with them the legacy of the mega musicals (the borrowing from opera in particular). It makes me wonder what the future of the musical theatre will bring us. Judging from the past, a lot of mediocre stuff and some truly awesome gems.

To be honest I'm not sure if I'll find another NEW musical I'll love to bits any time soon. I have a love/hate relationship with musicals and would rather see a play any day. I much prefer the sung-through style of ALW and latterly Boublil-Schönberg and prefer the dramatic stories they present rather than the fluff you get now on Broadway and in the West End. The British (or Anglo-French) 'invasion' was a cultural anomaly and one that may never be repeated, especially in a climate like this where producers are risk-averse. I'm not sure it'll ever be repeated. Aside from Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, which even for Sondheim was anomalous given that he is absolutely NOT a proponent of the sung-through form, there are very few musicals with the sort of operatic aspirations outside of the megamusical canon that I care for. The nearest we have these days are the Europop works of Kunze and Levay, which I find second-rate and unoriginal (and just cringeworthy at points -- I know they have their fans though).

What exciting times the West End went through in the late 70s and early 80s. Literally one future classic being produced after the next. Phantom and Les Mis opened within a year of each other. That, for me, was my personal 'golden age'; even though the 'true' fans of musical theatre deem the days of Rodgers and Hammerstein the golden days.

operafantomet Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:03 am

Scorp wrote:To be honest I'm not sure if I'll find another NEW musical I'll love to bits any time soon. I have a love/hate relationship with musicals and would rather see a play any day. I much prefer the sung-through style of ALW and latterly Boublil-Schönberg and prefer the dramatic stories they present rather than the fluff you get now on Broadway and in the West End. The British (or Anglo-French) 'invasion' was a cultural anomaly and one that may never be repeated, especially in a climate like this where producers are risk-averse. I'm not sure it'll ever be repeated. (...)

What exciting times the West End went through in the late 70s and early 80s. Literally one future classic being produced after the next. Phantom and Les Mis opened within a year of each other. That, for me, was my personal 'golden age'; even though the 'true' fans of musical theatre deem the days of Rodgers and Hammerstein the golden days.

I'm dying to introduce you to "Next to Normal", ya know! The score is quite fascinating. It depends on 6 voices only, sometimes less, and reminds in style of chamber operas. Small orchestra too, but with stringers. I also LOVE their sampling of "My favourite things" Smile

. It's not a totally sung-through piece, but close enough. Having seen "Spring Awakening" and almost falling asleep despite people claiming to love the score and the story, I didn't expect too much of the pure musical merits of N2N. But I'm really loving what I'm hearing. And I do think the story, with it's mini-Sixth Sense twist, is awesome. Just ignore the whole Aaron Tveit hype...

I do agree about the 70s and 80s, though. I'm a postmodernist at heart, and the musicals of these decades embrace everything I like about it. You're so right, so many classics produced in a short span of time. And I don't think we'll see that happening again anytime soon. But I'm sure it will happen SOME time. When two creative minds like Rodger&Hammerstein or ALW&Rice got together, they had the will to create something entirely new (as such). Two such people will come together in the future too and take the world of musical theatre yet another step further. I have no idea how or where (if I knew, I would do it myself... Wink

), but I think it'll be exciting.

However, I'm not sure we'll get too many other musicals running 25 years straight!

**Raphael** Tue Oct 19, 2010 12:52 am

Any Yanks out there who couldn't get to London for the 25th Anniversary concert? Why not watch it on the big screen instead on November 17th?

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/144064-Les-Misrables-in-Concert-The-25th-Anniversary-Event-to-Be-Screened-In-US-Cinemas

Go to www.fathomevents.com to find a movie theatre that will be playing it near you. I found four in my general area Smile

R.

SenorSwanky Tue Oct 19, 2010 12:58 pm

That's pretty cool. There're two in my area doing it. There are also a couple doing a Sound of Music sing-along this month; I've always wanted to do that. Laughing

ML6 Tue Oct 19, 2010 8:41 pm

Scorp wrote:The nearest we have these days are the Europop works of Kunze and Levay, which I find second-rate and unoriginal (and just cringeworthy at points -- I know they have their fans though).

Kunze and Levay early years are ADDICTIVE CRACK. And you know it, lol. Nowadways, they've kind of wrote themselves into a hole like Andrew Lloyd Webber and Boublil-Schönberg.

SenorSwanky wrote:That's pretty cool. There're two in my area doing it. There are also a couple doing a Sound of Music sing-along this month; I've always wanted to do that.

My cinema is doing it too (right down the street from me). But seventeen dollars for something that'll be out on DVD eventually? No, I already pay 10 dollars to see a show in the cinema. And for a lackluster cast, meh.

Paula74 Tue Oct 19, 2010 10:02 pm

There's at least one cinema here that'll be showing it. Go figure...I really want to see it, but I might be out of town that day. And won't get back until about an hour after it starts.

IamErik771 Tue Oct 19, 2010 11:18 pm

Yeah, one of my local theaters is doing it as well. I might check it out... Pity it seems to be only one day ~~more~~, though. But hey, if we miss it, there's always the DVD release.

Scorp Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:16 am

justin1976 wrote:I died a little when I saw this quote from Boublil and Schonberg in the concert brochure: ''In 2009, as we thought that large productions of our show were coming to the end of their days, Cameron decided to produce a completely new production…'' I think the London production may very well be the only place now to see the show more or less in it's original staging. All of the new productions opening in the future will use the new staging. It's kind of like the end of an era.

Further to that, it looks like I'm not the only one with this theory that this production is set to be the 'new' Miz: on Theatrevoice, where the major London theatre critics discuss the major openings on an audio file, the review of the show at the Barbican concludes with Mark Shenton saying: "My strong suspicion is that they'll close the one at the Queen's and move this one in...". Here's the link: http://www.theatrevoice.com/listen_now/player/?audioID=903

Incidentally, something I learned from that discussion is that Cameron wanted Jamie Lloyd (who directed Piaf and Passion, both starring Elena Roger, at the Donmar Warehouse -- N.B. if you listen earlier on in that discussion, they're all absolutely raving about and salivating over Passion, and they're right to do so IMHO) to direct the new Les Mis but he couldn't do it, so he opted for Laurence Connor and James Powell instead. And they are right, if you want to do a genuinely new production, not really a good idea to hire two resident directors who have not only appeared in the original themselves but had a long association with it -- better to get someone completely new who has an inspired vision. Unless Cameron decided that the 'new production' gimmick was merely that: a gimmick to disguise the fact that this is essentially a reinvigorated version of the original that is more affordable to run.

Please don't let this happen to Phantom...

operafantomet wrote:
I'm dying to introduce you to "Next to Normal", ya know! The score is quite fascinating. It depends on 6 voices only, sometimes less, and reminds in style of chamber operas. Small orchestra too, but with stringers. I also LOVE their sampling of "My favourite things" . It's not a totally sung-through piece, but close enough. Having seen "Spring Awakening" and almost falling asleep despite people claiming to love the score and the story, I didn't expect too much of the pure musical merits of N2N. But I'm really loving what I'm hearing. And I do think the story, with it's mini-Sixth Sense twist, is awesome. Just ignore the whole Aaron Tveit hype...

I liked the idea of it but the official clips of the production I've seen on YouTube don't do much to entice me. The 'yeah, yeah, yeah'-ness of the singing and the lyrics bothers me... My flatmate was into N2N too but said he was disappointed with the show when he saw it on Broadway earlier this year. *shrugs*

ML6 Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:11 am

So, they finally posted a rehearsal video of the Tour cast of Les Miserables.

Right now, besides for the hype for this show, the cast is VERY lackluster. I have the BIGGEST concerns for ValJean and Eponine. To me, Les Miserables and the 'story of ValJean' is about God and beeing redeemed by God. And I feel that when you're singing 'Bring Hime Home', you gotta portray ValJean will all this -- I don't want to say baggage, cause it really isn't -- sacrifice that you gotta have a voice for that. I don't get that from him. His voice isn't strong enough. His acting, maybe, but his singing. No.

Eponine (Chaston Harmon) BELTS. Sad

Not good.

The rest of the cast I cannot say much for. I will say that Andrew Valera is the only redeeming factor of the show. His Javert has a nice voice.

I'll let you judge.

http://broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=182679

justin1976 Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:13 pm

Interesting casting. Of the two new forthcoming productions, I'd say the Madrid cast is much stronger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHDQj0KcPVw

SenorSwanky Sat Nov 06, 2010 3:17 pm

Wow. I have no idea what your beef with Harmon is. She was utterly fantastic. Amazing voice, great acting. Really floored me. Also, most Eponines belt those money notes. She wasn't belting the whole way like an Idina Menzel.

Yeah, I wasn't particularly impressed by Clayton's Valjean. But I'm not sure how you could be impressed by Valera when we barely heard or saw him in ODM.

I definitely think they're going for an urban American vernacular with the casting. Could be an interesting, more modern look at the show--still set in its original time, but sort of told through a new set of eyes and voices at a time when the American economy is struggling. I'm generally a traditionalist when it comes to period pieces like Les Mis and Phantom, but with a story as timeless as Les Mis, with its messages, I'm open to new interpretations. So if the tour does come anywhere near me (and at this point, it's not slated to), I'll definitely give it a shot.

justin1976 Sat Nov 06, 2010 3:56 pm

Do give it a shot. The new production has a 'grittier' feel than the original and with the projections (Victor Hugo's very atmospheric paintings) it's also quite cinematic. I love the stagings for the factory and the student's cafe, and also the harbour for 'Lovely Ladies'.

IamErik771 Thu Nov 18, 2010 9:24 pm

I ended up getting to see the 25th anniversary concert at the very last minute -- I got word that one of my English profs had gotten tickets just 2 hours or so before showtime, and she called me and asked if I was interested. (Is the Pope Catholic? Wink

)

The event was just amazing. It started with a short video about the history of the musical and its global influence. The cast, for the most part, was superb. Alfie Boe had a very different kind of voice from what I was used to with Valjean, but I liked him a lot. Norm Lewis really surprised me; I wasn't impressed with what I saw and heard of him in the Broadway revival, but he was on fire here. "Stars" and his suicide gave me chills. Loved Lea Salonga as Fantine. Nick Jonas didn't impress me, but then again, not many Mariuses (Marii?) do. The Thénardiers were brilliant, and the rest of the supporting cast ranged from ok to very good.

The finale was just superb -- they brought in the other two UK casts as well as the original 1985 cast, and the four Valjeans -- Colm, Alfie, JOJ, and a fourth one I didn't catch the name of -- sang "Bring Him Home" together. Then the original cast sang "One Day More" (except that the original Enjolras wasn't there, so Ramin sang the part for him). Then Cameron Mackintosh, Alain Boublil, and Claude-Michel Schönberg gave speeches, and they finished with a tribute to the school editions -- as CamMac said, they'll be carrying the torch of Les Misérables "when tomorrow comes." I'm glad I saw it in the theater, and I will definitely be buying the DVD. (It was also kind of amusing since I had just rewatched the 10th anniversary concert a couple days ago... To see Colm, Lea, and Michael Ball then and now was quite interesting.)

SenorSwanky Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:12 am

IAmErik771 wrote:a fourth one I didn't catch the name of

Simon Bowman.

IamErik771 Fri Nov 19, 2010 4:18 am

SenorSwanky wrote:
IAmErik771 wrote:a fourth one I didn't catch the name of
Simon Bowman.

Ah, thanks. I knew it was someone associated with POTO, but blanked on the name for some reason. Probably because I'd never felt motivated to find clips of him as Valjean.

Scorp Tue Nov 23, 2010 11:16 pm

IamErik771 wrote: Probably because I'd never felt motivated to find clips of him as Valjean.

You're not missing much... silent

Bought the O2 brochure today at Dress Circle. It's huge. Haven't looked through it yet.

Scorp Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:51 pm

So which of our UK bunch caught the BBC2 documentary that they just broadcast? I enjoyed it though there wasn't nothing particularly new; I don't think it was as good a documentary as the one the BBC did on Phantom four years ago. But loved seeing that archive footage of Colm doing the prologue soliloquy and definitely loved seeing that rare footage of the original French production at the Palais des Sports. I didn't bother going to the O2 concert as I thought the prices were too steep for a cast I was not thrilled by, but Matt Lucas impressed me quite a bit from what I saw on the documentary, as did Alfie Boe. Apparently the documentary makers did have enough for a 90-minute documentary -- including our own justin1976 showing off his enormous....er...merchandise collection, but were told that they had to trim it down to an hour, sadly. For those who missed it and can view iPlayer, it's available here.

IamErik771 Thu Dec 30, 2010 5:11 am

I found a posting on what's apparently the official Twitter feed of the LM Tour saying that the Blu-Ray of the O2 concert is region-free. Can anyone confirm this? I'd love to get it, but only if it'll play on my machine...

operafantomet Fri Jan 07, 2011 9:03 am

http://www.abosvenskateater.fi/eng/home/lesmiserables

Grand production of Les Mis in Finland (though the Swedish-speaking theatre in Åbo). A 3,5 minute long clip to the right in the link above. This production has played half a year already, I only came across the link cause former Copenhagen Christine understudy Emma Frost is playing Cosette this spring.

Wigs and costumes looks very nice; much better than what was seen in Copenhagen some while ago... Don't get much of an impression of the sets.

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