Les Misérables

I've seen Les Mis a few times in London recently, including tonight, and on each occasion been deeply impressed by the current Eponine.

There's a lovely pure, clean strength to her voice, such a delight to hear her sing. Really remarkable, like listening to a CD being sung live. Something compellingly De Niro-esque about her acting, too; something dissociated, detached.

I didn't know who was playing the role but my good friend, Google, tells me it's Samantha Barks who was also in one of ALW's misadventures on BBC1... Google's such a gossip, he also said something bizarre about someone named Nick Jonah but I discounted that.

Are these Jonah brothers the same ones who did that catchy "Mmm-bop" song a few years ago?

Mandrake wrote:I've seen Les Mis a few times in London recently, including tonight, and on each occasion been deeply impressed by the current Eponine.

There's a lovely pure, clean strength to her voice, such a delight to hear her sing. Really remarkable, like listening to a CD being sung live. Something compellingly De Niro-esque about her acting, too; something dissociated, detached.

I didn't know who was playing the role but my good friend, Google, tells me it's Samantha Barks who was also in one of ALW's misadventures on BBC1... Google's such a gossip, he also said something bizarre about someone named Nick Jonah but I discounted that.

Are these Jonah brothers the same ones who did that catchy "Mmm-bop" song a few years ago?

"Mmm-bop" belongs to the Hanson brothers, I believe... Pretty much the same teenage crap stuff as the Jonas brothers.

Samantha Barks is the Eponine at the O2 concert as well, in case you were not aware.

Mandrake wrote:I didn't know who was playing the role but my good friend, Google, tells me it's Samantha Barks who was also in one of ALW's misadventures on BBC1... Google's such a gossip, he also said something bizarre about someone named Nick Jonah but I discounted that.

I know him too! Give him my best regards.

I'll certainly pass your regards along the next time I see him!

I didn't know Samantha Barks was in the o2 show... Makes me more inclined to see it, now that it's out on DVD. Though I'm a little put off by the "showbizzy" actors who suddenly turned up for the 25th anniversary. I think I'll wait 'til it drops into a bargain bucket... I was going to see it live, but didn't know about it until too late, by which time stupid prices not worth it.

I know many of you love the musical, I wondered if anyone has read the book, or perhaps heard some of the radio adaptations of this great work?

I love the book as well as the musical and I've read it a couple of times. It was through the musical I first got introduced to Les Mis though. I've never heard any radio adaptions of it but I've seen some movie adaptions. I'm looking forward to the movie adaption of the stage musical Cameron Mackintosh is working on, now when they've finally decided to do it I hope it comes out really good.

MaskedLion wrote:I know many of you love the musical, I wondered if anyone has read the book, or perhaps heard some of the radio adaptations of this great work?

I read the book when I was 16. Don't remember a lot of it though.

Nice interview with Cameron about the new Miz here: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/147153-PLAYBILLCOMS-BRIEF-ENCOUNTER-With-Cameron-Mackintosh

It seems we are now firmly into the stunt-casting phase of Les Misérables' London run. After Jon Lee, Nick Jonas and Gareth Gates, we are now getting not only Alfie Boe as Valjean but Matt Lucas as well as Thénardier this coming year. Don't get me wrong, Lucas seemed fairly good from the brief clips of him I saw on that BBC documentary he did (still haven't watched the concert on DVD yet), but part of me wonders how long this show is going to keep running for if it's going down the Chicago route of always casting celebrities.

EarlFan wrote:I love the book as well as the musical and I've read it a couple of times. It was through the musical I first got introduced to Les Mis though. I've never heard any radio adaptions of it but I've seen some movie adaptions. I'm looking forward to the movie adaption of the stage musical Cameron Mackintosh is working on, now when they've finally decided to do it I hope it comes out really good.

It's probably my favorite book. I originally saw the musical knowing nothing of the story, not even the characters names beyond the fact that a song called "Bring Him Home" (which I knew from Michael Crawford's album) was sung by someone named Jean Valjean. But I've always been the type to read the book as soon as possible after seeing a movie or a musical. In this case, I loved the musical so much that I insisted on stopping at the nearest book store on the way home from the theatre. The only edition they had was abridged, though I didn't realize when I grabbed it. But it wasn't just abridged...it was chopped to incoherent bits and I hated it. A few weeks later, I found the brick-sized unabridged edition in another book store and bought that one. I still have that copy after all these years...it's held together mummy-style with about three roles of clear tape and 75% of the pages are dog-eared...needless to say, I've re-read it a lot. I can't say I really grasped the story too well the first time, but as I got older, I kept going back to it.

I've heard the Orson Welles radio adaptation once and I remember it varied from the story in a few points, but I enjoyed it...and I love Welles' voice in general. I lost my tapes of it a while ago, but Javert's last scene stands out in my memory for some reason.

Scorp wrote:It seems we are now firmly into the stunt-casting phase of Les Misérables' London run. After Jon Lee, Nick Jonas and Gareth Gates, we are now getting not only Alfie Boe as Valjean but Matt Lucas as well as Thénardier this coming year. Don't get me wrong, Lucas seemed fairly good from the brief clips of him I saw on that BBC documentary he did (still haven't watched the concert on DVD yet), but part of me wonders how long this show is going to keep running for if it's going down the Chicago route of always casting celebrities.

Ugh. You think CamMac might be letting it die, what with the 25th anniversary production being his baby now?

http://www.malmoopera.se/forestallningar/les-miserables

justin1976 wrote:http://www.malmoopera.se/forestallningar/les-miserables

So they're finally announced the cast, have they. There's been wild speculations on the leads of this production. I can't say I'm familiar with too many of the names, but I'm always a fan of being positively surprised.

I don't know if this is allowed to say, but I'm a bit fed up by Les Mis at this point. There's been multiple Les Mis production in Scandinavia these last few years - in Copenhagen, Oslo, Trondheim, Åbo, Lillestrøm and whatnot. Big productions too. And all of them non-replica. I would wish for someone to either do a full-scale replica version, or just leave it be. Iit feels like every production is trying to reinvent the wheel, and they're all inferior to the original.

THAT said, the Malmö Opera is a quality house. I'd be interested in seeing at least their plans for the design.

I've missed the Scandinavian productions so far, and as I have enough notice for this I'm definitely flying over to see it. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they interpret it. I've seen YouTube clips of their production of Jesus Christ Superstar which looked pretty awesome.

Cameron, you do not "owe it" to me to introduce the tour orchestrations into the London production! Does this mean the score is going to go under the knife yet again?

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/31302/exclusive-les-mis-musicians-told-to-audition

Scorp wrote:Cameron, you do not "owe it" to me to introduce the tour orchestrations into the London production! Does this mean the score is going to go under the knife yet again?

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/31302/exclusive-les-mis-musicians-told-to-audition

That reads like an article out of The Onion. I don't like what I've heard of the tour orchestrations, particularly in IDAD.

I haven't even gotten used to the new version of Les Miserables (new meaning not OLC).

Cammie, Alfie and Matt Lucas unveil the new plaque outside the Queen's today:



There's a plaque just like that outside the Imperial in New York, still there after all these years.

How I wish ALW/RUG would celebrate Phantom in this way instead of denigrating it. Can someone please write to RUG to suggest a similar 25th anniversary plaque for Phantom?

Scorp wrote:How I wish ALW/RUG would celebrate Phantom in this way instead of denigrating it. Can someone please write to RUG to suggest a similar 25th anniversary plaque for Phantom?

Writing to RUG to suggest something celebratory for Phantom? Come again? It's not that I don't agree, it's just that I think they would do the very opposite if we suggested it.

But how cool about Les Mis. Well deserved!

Oh, Scorp, that's something we gotta do when we go to NY. Pilgrimage to that theatre!
(I had no idea that seal was still--and still is--there.)

Our PBS station was playing the 25th anniversary concert several times this weekend, so I Tivo'd it and watched it tonight. Overall, I thought it was decent, though clearly not as good as the TAC.

I hate most of the new orchestrations, but most of the cast was pretty good except four of the most glaring exceptions: Jonas, Boe, Lewis, and Karimloo. The latter three were I guess at least solid, and Boe definitely had his moments, but not anything like their counterparts in the TAC or in early casts. The worst offender is clearly Jonas; my God, he can't sing, and he particularly can't act. A real stand-out embarrassment. Then again, no one can step into Michael Ball's shoes when it comes to that role. Nor can Lewis hold a candle to Roger Allam or Philip Quast or even Earl, who was great as the Bishop, but his voice and acting were wasted on that bit role; he should've been Javert.

There were some real special performances though. Katie Hall was a superb Cosette, possibly the best I've seen, and I don't think it's possible for Lea Salonga to not be perfect. Her voice isn't quite what it was, but her acting was amazing, and she still is one of my favorite female performers ever. Fantastic Eponine (definitely the best in that role) and one of the best Fantines. Matt Lucas was also a pretty awesome Thenardier. I still have a soft spot for Alun Armstrong (particularly his voice, which is much, much stronger than Lucas'), but Lucas' comic acting was hilarious. Peter Polycarpou was utterly amazing as the pimp. Again, wasted talent on a 5-minute role.

SenorSwanky wrote:Nor can Lewis hold a candle to Roger Allam or Philip Quast or even Earl, who was great as the Bishop, but his voice and acting were wasted on that bit role; he should've been Javert. (...) Peter Polycarpou was utterly amazing as the pimp. Again, wasted talent on a 5-minute role.

A lot of wasted talent in that concert. I fear the POTO 25th anniversary concert will be the same.

operafantomet wrote:

SenorSwanky wrote:Nor can Lewis hold a candle to Roger Allam or Philip Quast or even Earl, who was great as the Bishop, but his voice and acting were wasted on that bit role; he should've been Javert. (...) Peter Polycarpou was utterly amazing as the pimp. Again, wasted talent on a 5-minute role.

A lot of wasted talent in that concert. I fear the POTO 25th anniversary concert will be the same.

Yeah, what're they gonna have MC as one of the porters while Ramin belts his way through the title role?

SenorSwanky wrote:

operafantomet wrote:

SenorSwanky wrote:Nor can Lewis hold a candle to Roger Allam or Philip Quast or even Earl, who was great as the Bishop, but his voice and acting were wasted on that bit role; he should've been Javert. (...) Peter Polycarpou was utterly amazing as the pimp. Again, wasted talent on a 5-minute role.

A lot of wasted talent in that concert. I fear the POTO 25th anniversary concert will be the same.

Yeah, what're they gonna have MC as one of the porters while Ramin belts his way through the title role?

Don't forget Peter Karrie as Reyer and Claire Moore as Madame Firmin...

operafantomet wrote:

SenorSwanky wrote:

operafantomet wrote:

SenorSwanky wrote:Nor can Lewis hold a candle to Roger Allam or Philip Quast or even Earl, who was great as the Bishop, but his voice and acting were wasted on that bit role; he should've been Javert. (...) Peter Polycarpou was utterly amazing as the pimp. Again, wasted talent on a 5-minute role.

A lot of wasted talent in that concert. I fear the POTO 25th anniversary concert will be the same.

Yeah, what're they gonna have MC as one of the porters while Ramin belts his way through the title role?

Don't forget Peter Karrie as Reyer and Claire Moore as Madame Firmin...

I bet that's what's going to happen. My heart will bleed.

Very rare rehearsal and stage footage from the 1988 Oslo production of Les Mis. There's an interview with director Dion McHugh, as well as the woman playing Fantine. The ending (One Day More) is fantastic. Oh, and the opening is epic. A TV host has never, ever looked more 80s that that. Wow....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izvX-bpFbGg


Another fantastic clip is this full version of "One Day Moore", with Cameron Mackintosh talking a bit in the beginning and middle. I am so sad this theatre never did Phantom while they did replica productions (they did Les Mis and Cats, but went for Ken Hill's Phantom instead). They're still the best musical theatre house in Norway, but nowadays they always do their own design.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6jNHcaR1Q0

I remember that "One Day More" from the old Stage By Stage documentary that came out years ago. It was my favorite part and I nearly wore out the VHS tape going back to that clip so often.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/16/us-miserables-idUSTRE75F0H320110616

Tom Hooper (King's Speech) set to direct Les Mis, with William Nicholson (Gladiator, et al) writing the screenplay. Excellent choices of talent there. Hooper apparently wants Hugh Jackman for Valjean. I love him as an actor, but I'm not a huge fan of his voice, and they'd definitely have to lower BHH and a lot of other parts for him. I could definitely see him as Javert. But I wouldn't be totally opposed to Jackman as Valjean. At least he's got the talent, and they're not going for a Gerry type.

SenorSwanky wrote:http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/16/us-miserables-idUSTRE75F0H320110616

Tom Hooper (King's Speech) set to direct Les Mis, with William Nicholson (Gladiator, et al) writing the screenplay. Excellent choices of talent there. Hooper apparently wants Hugh Jackman for Valjean. I love him as an actor, but I'm not a huge fan of his voice, and they'd definitely have to lower BHH and a lot of other parts for him. I could definitely see him as Javert. But I wouldn't be totally opposed to Jackman as Valjean. At least he's got the talent, and they're not going for a Gerry type.

It's so nice to see this film being taken seriously by all involved, and simultaneously so frustrating that this was never the case for a certain other film that must not be named.

Scorp wrote:

SenorSwanky wrote:http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/16/us-miserables-idUSTRE75F0H320110616

Tom Hooper (King's Speech) set to direct Les Mis, with William Nicholson (Gladiator, et al) writing the screenplay. Excellent choices of talent there. Hooper apparently wants Hugh Jackman for Valjean. I love him as an actor, but I'm not a huge fan of his voice, and they'd definitely have to lower BHH and a lot of other parts for him. I could definitely see him as Javert. But I wouldn't be totally opposed to Jackman as Valjean. At least he's got the talent, and they're not going for a Gerry type.

It's so nice to see this film being taken seriously by all involved, and simultaneously so frustrating that this was never the case for a certain other film that must not be named.

I agree.I'm really looking forward to this film!

By the way, has anyone heard about the spanish production of Les Mis? The show opened in Madrid last november, and it will be closing on July 24th (blame The Lion King!) and it will reopen in Barcelona in September. They also released another cd for the 25th anniversary production, you can find it on itunes or spotify
I've been lucky enough to see the show three times already, once in previews and twice after the show opened and it got better everytime. The cast is brilliant in my opinion, but I have to highlight the outstanding work of our leading actor, Gerónimo Rauch (Valjean). I think he has one of the best voices I've ever heard, his Valjean always brings tears to my eyes in the epilogue, I can't help it. I like his elegance and his gestures,especially when he is no longer a convict.He was invited to perform at the O2 Concert in October, though he played a very small part (he was one of the convicts at the prologue, the one who sings ''when I get free/you won't see me here for dust!")
I can safely say that he is the best performer in Spain in musical theatre right now.He's getting some really nice reviews for his work in Les Mis, and he was recently awarded the best actor in a leading role (I'd LOVE to see him playing the Phantom someday).I guess he's not moving back to his native Argentina anytime soon (we won't let him go, haha). I also enjoy the performance of Daniel Diges as Enjolras, I think he fits the role perfectly, both physically and vocally. Here are several videos that you may enjoy:
Bring him home (translated as ''Sálvalo'' which means ''Save him'')

One day more (''Sale el sol'' or ''The sun rises'')

And one of my favorites, a flamenco version of Do you hear the people sing after the curtain call at the opening night, with Mackintosh, Chris Key and others trying to follow the beat, hahaha: