Greetings,
As you may recall, I did a review of the movie musical Les Miserables back in December. You may also recall that I did not think very highly of said movie. Now that may make people think that I am not a fan of the musical at all, but that's not exactly true. I mean, I can admit that it does have a few flaws, of course, but it's still pretty good. I think it's all about execution with things like this. You can have the best play in the world, but if you have people who can't bring it life properly, you're going to have a lot of problems. On the other hand, if you get together a great group of amazingly talented performers, then you're going to get something memorable and moving and just plain good. Such is the case with this, the 2010, 25th anniversary performance of Les Miserables. And I'm calling this a play review because I call anything like this performed on a stage a play. Plus, I rarely get to do any of these types of review. So there you go. Let's begin.
Now there is no reason to go into a ton of detail on the story of Les Miserables. For one thing, pretty much everyone knows it in some capacity and, second, it would take longer to explain than it did for the rebellion around which it is centered took to actually occur. No lie, it was like two days. A lot of what the different productions are about is the cast, so that is mostly what I will be discussing and focusing on. I'm also going to be bringing up a lot of comparisons to the movie, but this play shouldn't mind since I think it's much, much better.
Let's start at the top with Jean ValJean, here played by Alfie Boe. I gave Hugh Jackman as much praise as I could for his performance in the film, and I stick by that. But Boe seems much more comfortable in the role, like he's done it a million times. Maybe he has. Who knows? His voice is definitely better, and he is one of the best actors I've seen play this part, truly engulfing himself in the story. Then, we have the nemesis, Javert, played by Norm Lewis. He was phenomenal in this part. His voice is so amazing, and frankly, this is the voice we expect and deserve when it comes to the character of Javert. Lewis had this wonderfully commanding presence, but also managed to handle the few moments where he had to be softer. Blew me away, quite frankly.
We also get a great performance by Lea Salonga as Fantine. Again, with her acting and especially her beautiful voice, this is the Fantine we want and deserve. She can sing her songs as they should be sung, like on-key, and still portray emotion that makes whomever may be watching her feel deep sympathy for her character. And Lea Salonga is so likable that her arc in this story can break our hearts, not make us say "Good riddance" or "Finally!", when it reaches its end.
Okay, now let's get the boring part of the story out of the way, which is the whole love story aspect. Yes, I and some others probably found the teenage love triangle thing a lot less interesting in comparison to everything else going on. Anyway, let's start with the boy in the mix, Marius, played by Nick Jonas. Yep, Jonas Brother Nick Jonas. To be honest, of the three brothers, I always thought that Nick was the most musically skilled. Here, you can tell he's a little out of his comfort zone as far as the singing goes, but he did a decent job. He was, after all, in the presence of some seasoned stage performers. Still, I think he held his own. Then, we have Cosette played by Katie Hall. I don't know much about this girl, but she was perfectly cast in this. Her look and her voice were pure Cosette. Speaking of her voice, it was so good that it managed to breathe some life into this character which I always found the most uninteresting. But Miss Katie actually made me feel something there. So thumbs up. The final part of this triangle is Eponine played by Samantha Barks. She actually also played Eponine in the cinematic version, so you would think there is no need for comparisons. Well, I must say that, even though I called Samantha one of the best things about the film, I think she did a lot better here. Of course, due to the status of this cast, you can see how she would feel the need to do her all time best with this production. And despite the fact that this aspect of the show is my least favorite, I did enjoy watching these three.
Time to have some fun, and that means it's time to talk about the Thenardiers. What else? In this show, the lovely couple is portrayed by Matt Lucas and Jenny Galloway. And, my word, are they an absolute joy to behold! I hate to use the word "fun" again, but they were just so much fun. And they come across as being not as off putting as some other actors who have played these roles. For example, again, in the film, the Thenardiers were creepy and disturbing, and I cannot fathom as to why anyone would go near them. Here, it was different. I can see why people would be drawn to them. I won't go so far as to call them Santa and Mrs. Claus, but they were pretty jolly and inviting. And the performances were brilliant.
Now let's get to the part that I find the most intriguing. I know I spoke of how short this particular rebellion was and that, had it not been for Victor Hugo, it would have remained a very tiny blip in history. In this story, however, it is kind of interesting., and one of the things that makes it that way is the characters. Now I could write a lot about all the great performances given by all the actors portraying everyone involved, but that would take quite a while. Instead, I will condense myself. So we can't talk about this stuff in the story without talking about Enjolras played by Ramin Karimloo. Pretty much any theater fan these days knows exactly who this actor is, as well they should, because he is incredible. I saw him in this and as the Phantom, and he was unbelievable. So if you ever get a chance to see anything with his name attached, checking it out would be a great idea. Next, we have Gavroche played by Robert Madge. I love this little dude, and I mean the character and the actor. Again, this was one of the roles that I thought was done well in the film, and frankly, it's the only one where the two actors were just as entertaining as the other. So I got a great show from both of them. Finally, I want to give a shout out to a guy named Hadley Fraser who played a character named Grantiare. I think he could be considered second in command to Enjolras. So, he's like Spock. Okay, this is going too far. Anyway, this is one of the lesser known characters, but this guy really stood out for me. I mean, he has this gorgeous voice, and he's not bad too look at either. Never hurts. He's just yet another extremely talented person, which means he fits in well with the rest of the cast.
So one of my favorite parts about this production is actually what occurs when the initial show is over. Since this was the 25th anniversary concert, someone had a great idea to gather the original cast members to come on stage and do a few numbers. The highlight was when they sang "One Day More". It was overwhelming. All those beautiful voices together sounded unreal and so amazing. I thought it was the perfect way to draw everything to a close.
Now here are my thoughts about Les Miserables, the musical. I think that this is one that is meant to stay on the stage. Maybe I feel that way because I didn't like the movie, but maybe not. If anything, the movie made me realize kind of an odd thing. I don't even know how this is possible, but the stage productions I've seen all feel so much bigger than the film. How? I don't know, but that's my perception. Maybe it's because every stage production I've seen has a better cast than the film. Oh, there I go again. And I'm almost done.
Bottom line is this. If you want some Les Mis, do not go to the film, go to this production. In fact, let me say this. In my review of the movie, I pointed out that it seemed like nothing but a vanity project to stroke the egos of people in Hollywood. If it wasn't, if the people making it wanted it to truly be the best thing it could be, why didn't they just get all the people from THIS production to be in the film? It would have been about a hundred times better. I know that some of the problems the film had had nothing to do with the cast, but still, this is a good question to ask. Anyway, you can get this 25th anniversary concert on DVD, and it is so worth it. It is what Les Miserables the musical should be. You know, good.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
