ladybranwen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ladybranwen) wrote2006-02-25 11:11 pm
ladybranwen) wrote2006-02-25 11:11 pm
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We were on fire tonight!
So Leslie and Randal thought of themselves. And quite right.
I decided to write my review in my writing journal first. That way, I wouldn't say silly things like, "I would totally have Robert Hunt's babies if they could sing like him... wait, that's icky! Cause then I'd be lusting after my children's voices." See, it's all for your protection!
So, onto the hopefully condensed review of Les Miserables Saturday, 25 February 2006, matinee performance.
I was going to be ambitious and do it first character-by-character and then do scene-by-scene extra things, but then it got blended, so you must relate some things with other character sketches. So, whatever. And for reference sake, the only understudy of the performance was Michelle Mallardi covering the roles played by Shahara Ray.
Jean Valjean-Randal Keith. What can I say? He was amazing as usual. And he really does have nice blue eyes (though I really couldn't see that from where I was sitting). After he sang "Bring Him Home", the audience was about a nanosecond from giving him a standing ovation. The clapping did not seem to want to end, ever. Oh! And when he broke the chair after Fantine dies, it actually broke all of the way down to one piece. I'm quite sure the last time I saw it, it didn't break all of the way, but had an extra piece sticking off of it. I thought it was amusing how Javert was pacing around all furious like a lion while JVJ was holding him off with a stick, like a lion tamer.
Javert-Robert Hunt. I'm quite sure he did live up to his hype. I loved his "Stars" and even better was that lovely low note he hits ("chain") at the beginning of "The Confrontation", which is, by the way, one of my favorite songs in the show. And then I almost began giggling prior to his suicide thinking of Slip'n'Slide Javert. I think I was half-secretly hoping the turntable would break down. Ok, maybe I really was hoping it. It did creak a bit at times. A girl can hope, right? And, well, you can see my above comment to know how much I liked his singing.
Fantine-Joan Almedilla. She was not my favorite Fantine I've ever seen, but that said, she wasn't all that bad. It was just her vibrato! That's right up there with the huge gasping breaths Idina like to do during "Defying Gravity". But her acting was good! At the end, when she sings her first two lines in the Finale, her mic must not have been on because it was very hard to hear her (mind you, I was all the way up in the balcony) but then all of a sudden, her voice got loud. Oh, hoorah!
Thenardier-Fabio Polanco. He had a really scratchy/gravelling voice. Or at least I thought he did. I felt that it worked well for the character. I mean, he's obviously not the nicest person out there. I'm not sure who plays it, but he really hooked the "queer" at the wedding feast with his cane. Ouch!
Madame Thenardier-Jennifer Butt. To me, she sometimes got lost in the crowd during "Master of the House" (though once again, I was sitting so far back), but I could really see the frustration she was feeling during the song with all of the diners and her husband. That was nice, because I don't always sense that. That said, the Thenardier's songs have never been my favorite.
Young Cosette-Meg Guzulesco. She was so adorable! And tiny looking, especially compared to Randal. And she could actually sing quite well, especially for being only nine years old. Her hat fell off when Randal was swinging her about after she was saved from the Thenardier.
Enjolras-Victor Wallace. I did like him, though I have to confess that at times he didn't always stand out to me as much as other Enjolras's I've seen. I felt so bad for him, though. At one point, right before "Do You Hear the People Sing" he was singing the word "fight", I believe, and his voice just cracked horribly and it was just bad. Like his voice had suddenly decided to hit puberty and was changing. At least I hope Enjolras doesn't usually sing it like that. (Hear Exhibit A.) The poor boy! But he is still lovable. And I liked his misadventures with Grantaire. Really, if I ever finish my Lestat stick figure story, and have time, I would love to do a Misadventures with Grantaire one. Just for fun.
Marius-Adam Jacobs. He was a nice Marius, cute with Cosette, though his vowels when he was singing! Especially the way he sang his "e's", all naselly. Maybe it was just me, but it just rubbed the wrong way. Oh glory be, but I didn't start sniggering when JVJ pulled him down into the sewer, like that fateful night I saw it in London. I must have been especially tired that night. Thinking evil thoughts.
Grantaire-Trent Blanton. Well, firstly Trent as Bamatabois was sadly badly miked (err, however you spell it) so it was a lite difficult to understand what he was saying. What was up with the bad mics today? That said, he did do a nice job of beating up and dragging Fantine around. Just the kind of man I want. As Grantaire, he was a study of drunken disinterest. He was good with Gavroche, such as when Eponine was dying, he held Gavroche back by the shirt. And then we got the nice glance between him and Enjolras during the "your life is just one more lie" line of "Drink With Me" when Enjolras storms away. Grantaire trys to reach out to him, either that or for the drinks the girls are handing out, but Enjy just brushes by him. Denied! Of course, then there is the redeeming bottle/rifle salute, so all is well. That is, until they all die. But until then, the Misadventures with Grantaire is filled with love!
Gavroche-Austyn Myers. Another cute kid! But this one dies. Aww. For the most part, he was enjoyable. I had never noticed him being forcibly lifted and carried away when Enjy said to clear the women and the children from the barricade. And then watched him sneak back! More to his woe.
Cosette-Leslie Henstock. I like her! She and Marius were so cute together, especially with their second meeting, as he sneaks up behind her and suddenly bursts into song. And their little play of chasing after each other when the other's back is turned. And suddenly turning shy whenfacing them. Ahh, young love. How can you not love Cosette and Marius together?
Eponine-Melissa Lyons. Is it just me, or do people really like to cough during her "On My Own solo? Maybe because it is the first-ish song after intermission and people are still settling in. I also thought that she was good. She was playful with Marius, and I've always liked the part where she and Cosette face each other between the gates. So much more than the gates divides them, and, I don't know, it seems like she realizes it (oh no! now it sounds like I'm fangirling her ::snerk::). Her voice quite overpowered Marius and Cosette during the last bit of "A Heart Full of Love". And her "cry that sent them away" was quite different from one's I've heard previously.
And a few random thoughts/questions:
-Did the students always sit down around Marius during "Empty Chairs"? I just remember standing, though it fit the lyrics to have him somewhat "seeing" them sit around where they used to.
-Pierce Brandt as the Foreman was amusing, just like![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
alligatorandme said. He stood there fascinated by the cat fight until Valjean was like "tear these women apart" and only then was he like, "oh right, I'm totally supposed to be doing something about this."
-I liked how Fantine's friend didn't completely brush her off when she was dismissed. For a moment, you almost thought that she was going to receive some sort of help, or at least a little support.
-Factory Girl (Candice Nicole) and the Old Beggar Woman (Marnie Nicolella) could probably work a bit on diction, as it was sometimes hard to understand what they were saying.
-Lastly, Fantine had weird curtseys.
And, the audience. For the most part, not all that annoying. Except in order to see, because for some unknown reason they have the seats being directly behind each other which makes it impossible to see unless you contort yourself and twist around. Luckily, the lady sitting next to me was nice and let me lean over the middle of our seats in order to see. She also suggested sitting on my coat, which made things a little better. Someone down the row thought it was a good thing to pursue a tin of candy in their purse during a quieter part of the show, like they couldn't wait until clapping? And the pawing around and shaking of the candy tin went on forever. Then, there was loud gum chewing. But, I don't think anything will ever top the annoying "too young to be in a theatre" girl from 1776!
I talked with the lady next to me. She knows someone else in the GSLIS program here. And was impressed that I had seen Les Mis before as she hadn't. I said it was my top favorite show, right up there with Jane Eyre. She didn't realize there was a JE musical, so I had to explain the wonderfulness of it to her. I seem to be doing that often.
Ok, this is rather long. I'll make a new post for stage door experience. Because there actually was one!
I decided to write my review in my writing journal first. That way, I wouldn't say silly things like, "I would totally have Robert Hunt's babies if they could sing like him... wait, that's icky! Cause then I'd be lusting after my children's voices." See, it's all for your protection!
So, onto the hopefully condensed review of Les Miserables Saturday, 25 February 2006, matinee performance.
I was going to be ambitious and do it first character-by-character and then do scene-by-scene extra things, but then it got blended, so you must relate some things with other character sketches. So, whatever. And for reference sake, the only understudy of the performance was Michelle Mallardi covering the roles played by Shahara Ray.
Jean Valjean-Randal Keith. What can I say? He was amazing as usual. And he really does have nice blue eyes (though I really couldn't see that from where I was sitting). After he sang "Bring Him Home", the audience was about a nanosecond from giving him a standing ovation. The clapping did not seem to want to end, ever. Oh! And when he broke the chair after Fantine dies, it actually broke all of the way down to one piece. I'm quite sure the last time I saw it, it didn't break all of the way, but had an extra piece sticking off of it. I thought it was amusing how Javert was pacing around all furious like a lion while JVJ was holding him off with a stick, like a lion tamer.
Javert-Robert Hunt. I'm quite sure he did live up to his hype. I loved his "Stars" and even better was that lovely low note he hits ("chain") at the beginning of "The Confrontation", which is, by the way, one of my favorite songs in the show. And then I almost began giggling prior to his suicide thinking of Slip'n'Slide Javert. I think I was half-secretly hoping the turntable would break down. Ok, maybe I really was hoping it. It did creak a bit at times. A girl can hope, right? And, well, you can see my above comment to know how much I liked his singing.
Fantine-Joan Almedilla. She was not my favorite Fantine I've ever seen, but that said, she wasn't all that bad. It was just her vibrato! That's right up there with the huge gasping breaths Idina like to do during "Defying Gravity". But her acting was good! At the end, when she sings her first two lines in the Finale, her mic must not have been on because it was very hard to hear her (mind you, I was all the way up in the balcony) but then all of a sudden, her voice got loud. Oh, hoorah!
Thenardier-Fabio Polanco. He had a really scratchy/gravelling voice. Or at least I thought he did. I felt that it worked well for the character. I mean, he's obviously not the nicest person out there. I'm not sure who plays it, but he really hooked the "queer" at the wedding feast with his cane. Ouch!
Madame Thenardier-Jennifer Butt. To me, she sometimes got lost in the crowd during "Master of the House" (though once again, I was sitting so far back), but I could really see the frustration she was feeling during the song with all of the diners and her husband. That was nice, because I don't always sense that. That said, the Thenardier's songs have never been my favorite.
Young Cosette-Meg Guzulesco. She was so adorable! And tiny looking, especially compared to Randal. And she could actually sing quite well, especially for being only nine years old. Her hat fell off when Randal was swinging her about after she was saved from the Thenardier.
Enjolras-Victor Wallace. I did like him, though I have to confess that at times he didn't always stand out to me as much as other Enjolras's I've seen. I felt so bad for him, though. At one point, right before "Do You Hear the People Sing" he was singing the word "fight", I believe, and his voice just cracked horribly and it was just bad. Like his voice had suddenly decided to hit puberty and was changing. At least I hope Enjolras doesn't usually sing it like that. (Hear Exhibit A.) The poor boy! But he is still lovable. And I liked his misadventures with Grantaire. Really, if I ever finish my Lestat stick figure story, and have time, I would love to do a Misadventures with Grantaire one. Just for fun.
Marius-Adam Jacobs. He was a nice Marius, cute with Cosette, though his vowels when he was singing! Especially the way he sang his "e's", all naselly. Maybe it was just me, but it just rubbed the wrong way. Oh glory be, but I didn't start sniggering when JVJ pulled him down into the sewer, like that fateful night I saw it in London. I must have been especially tired that night. Thinking evil thoughts.
Grantaire-Trent Blanton. Well, firstly Trent as Bamatabois was sadly badly miked (err, however you spell it) so it was a lite difficult to understand what he was saying. What was up with the bad mics today? That said, he did do a nice job of beating up and dragging Fantine around. Just the kind of man I want. As Grantaire, he was a study of drunken disinterest. He was good with Gavroche, such as when Eponine was dying, he held Gavroche back by the shirt. And then we got the nice glance between him and Enjolras during the "your life is just one more lie" line of "Drink With Me" when Enjolras storms away. Grantaire trys to reach out to him, either that or for the drinks the girls are handing out, but Enjy just brushes by him. Denied! Of course, then there is the redeeming bottle/rifle salute, so all is well. That is, until they all die. But until then, the Misadventures with Grantaire is filled with love!
Gavroche-Austyn Myers. Another cute kid! But this one dies. Aww. For the most part, he was enjoyable. I had never noticed him being forcibly lifted and carried away when Enjy said to clear the women and the children from the barricade. And then watched him sneak back! More to his woe.
Cosette-Leslie Henstock. I like her! She and Marius were so cute together, especially with their second meeting, as he sneaks up behind her and suddenly bursts into song. And their little play of chasing after each other when the other's back is turned. And suddenly turning shy whenfacing them. Ahh, young love. How can you not love Cosette and Marius together?
Eponine-Melissa Lyons. Is it just me, or do people really like to cough during her "On My Own solo? Maybe because it is the first-ish song after intermission and people are still settling in. I also thought that she was good. She was playful with Marius, and I've always liked the part where she and Cosette face each other between the gates. So much more than the gates divides them, and, I don't know, it seems like she realizes it (oh no! now it sounds like I'm fangirling her ::snerk::). Her voice quite overpowered Marius and Cosette during the last bit of "A Heart Full of Love". And her "cry that sent them away" was quite different from one's I've heard previously.
And a few random thoughts/questions:
-Did the students always sit down around Marius during "Empty Chairs"? I just remember standing, though it fit the lyrics to have him somewhat "seeing" them sit around where they used to.
-Pierce Brandt as the Foreman was amusing, just like
alligatorandme said. He stood there fascinated by the cat fight until Valjean was like "tear these women apart" and only then was he like, "oh right, I'm totally supposed to be doing something about this."-I liked how Fantine's friend didn't completely brush her off when she was dismissed. For a moment, you almost thought that she was going to receive some sort of help, or at least a little support.
-Factory Girl (Candice Nicole) and the Old Beggar Woman (Marnie Nicolella) could probably work a bit on diction, as it was sometimes hard to understand what they were saying.
-Lastly, Fantine had weird curtseys.
And, the audience. For the most part, not all that annoying. Except in order to see, because for some unknown reason they have the seats being directly behind each other which makes it impossible to see unless you contort yourself and twist around. Luckily, the lady sitting next to me was nice and let me lean over the middle of our seats in order to see. She also suggested sitting on my coat, which made things a little better. Someone down the row thought it was a good thing to pursue a tin of candy in their purse during a quieter part of the show, like they couldn't wait until clapping? And the pawing around and shaking of the candy tin went on forever. Then, there was loud gum chewing. But, I don't think anything will ever top the annoying "too young to be in a theatre" girl from 1776!
I talked with the lady next to me. She knows someone else in the GSLIS program here. And was impressed that I had seen Les Mis before as she hadn't. I said it was my top favorite show, right up there with Jane Eyre. She didn't realize there was a JE musical, so I had to explain the wonderfulness of it to her. I seem to be doing that often.
Ok, this is rather long. I'll make a new post for stage door experience. Because there actually was one!
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-Did the students always sit down around Marius during "Empty Chairs"? I just remember standing, though it fit the lyrics to have him somewhat "seeing" them sit around where they used to.
They've changed it up throughout the years. I can't remember what they did in SF, honestly.
and only then was he like, "oh right, I'm totally supposed to be doing something about this."
I actually busted up laughing once during this scene, all thanks to Pierce. ;-)
Yay, great review!
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Ok, I figured they changed it. Or at least I remember reading about them changing something about it at an earlier time. They have to give constant viewers something different to discuss.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who bursts out laughing an inappropriate moments.
Thanks. I'm really no good at reviews. Generally I'm like "Yay! I saw a show! Everything was sparkly!"
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"Madame Thenardier-Jennifer Butt. She was so adorable! And tiny looking, especially compared to Randal. And she could actually sing quite well, especially for being only nine years old. Her hat fell off when Randal was swinging her about after she was saved from the Thenardier."
I figured it out after the "nine yers old" part. *g*
Lovely review! I'm glad you got to see it after all.
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Adam's Marius has always been kind of nasally. And dim. I want to like him but sometimes it's just too much.
Pierce's foreman has always seemed a little TOO excited about the girl on girl fight. ;)
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As for ECAET: In the 3NT, it was common from 1997 (10th anniversary changes) to 2002 (Shanghai) for the boys to sit and stand around Marius in poses. For Shanghai, and maintained after, they were forced to just stand in a line. This continued through to the first hiatus, if I remember correctly. I'm almost certain they were still in the line at SLC closing. My assumption is that after that hiatus, the direction returned to normal, because I've always seen Charlie do it (except he doesn't really do the "you're getting dissipated, young man" look), but I didn't get to see the "new cast" until they'd been there for seven months (and I missed James Clow completely as Javert).
I wanted to say that was supposed to happen with the cuts, but I know I was seeing the "you're getting dissipated, young man" look from Matty in Chicago when I was living in London and it was a shock to hear from Leanna that the blocking was changed in SF that May. So it was deffo pre-Shanghai. I'm certain they experimented with it when figuring out the Broadway cuts because it has to have been part of Empty Chairs on Crack, but I don't think the 3NT was forced to it until Shanghai prep.
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