Reviews
IOwnTheEnjyVest
as well open it to other reviews.
So if you have seen Les Mis recently post your review here.
Here's my review.
NOTE: I copied it from One Day More the forum board with these cool
smilies so I'll probably have some wierd symbols like <_< or :wuv:,
just ignore those. I'm kind of lazy and still pretty tired from crying
during Bring Him Home so I didn't feel like fixing them.
I know Azelma and Combeferre have already read this but read it again
anyone. ;-P
CAST:
Jean Valjean- John Owen-Jones (SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!)
Javert and Mr. Nightie Stick- Robert Hunt
Fantine- alas, understudy Rona Figueroa
Thenardiers- Gary Beach and Ann Harada
Cosette- Leah Horowitz
Eponine- Megan McGinnis
Marius- Adam Jacobs
Enjolras- understudy Don Brewer
Gavroche- Brian D'Addario
Young Cosette- Kylie Liya Goldstein
Young Eponine- Carly Rose Soneclair
Grantaire- Michael Minarik
Review
Prologue: The tickets we got were Row B but the 2 seats in front of us
were empty so me and Sammi sat there for a while. ANYWAY:
The convicts were easy to make out since we were so close and I could
see Adam Jacobs. He was the hottest convict there At one point I was
staring at him and he saw me staring at him so he gave me a little
wave. Robert Hunt was extremely good in this. He obviously wasn't PQ
but he's still pretty good. (although I HATE his headshot in the
playbill) John was simply amazing. He had loads of emotion without
randomly shouting like Gary Morris. When he was doing his solo after
the convicts left, the usher kicked me and Sammi out of Row A but
fortunately we didn't miss too much. The part that I really liked was
the mark of Cain officer bit and John getting kicked out of the inn.
Adam was the one who called him a bastard I sort of liked the Bishop
(James Chip Leonard). It kind of sounded like a mix of the CSR Bishop
and the TAC one. When John steals the silver, he runs around the stage
in circles and it made me giggle for some reason. Overall, the
Prologue was really good.
What have I done? : I usually don't care much for this song but with
John I was really interested and he DIDN'T pace! YAAAAAAY! Also he
managed to keep an awesome vibretto when he was tearing up his ticket.
At the End of the Day: The lighting and smoke were really good. I also
liked the energy of the singers. Also, there was a platform near the
seats we were sitting where the actors would climb down or step on. So
the point where the beggars harmonize, one of the actors, I think Doug
Kreeger or Matt Clemens, stepped onto it and I didn't realize how
close he was to us until he spat on me.
The factory part: The understudy looked almost like Lea but her voice
sounded like a more traditional Broadway voiced Daphne Rubin Vega. She
was really good in this. I also simply adored Haviland Stillwell but I
wish she was Fantine instead. (Judy apparently decided to take a
break) The Foreman (Ben Crawford) was amazing. I was somewhat used to
him because he was my first Foreman and Courfeyrac (he was
understudying Robert Hunt back in April when I first saw Les Mis) so I
really liked him. Once again, I saw Mr. Jacobs in foreman clothes.
Still extremely hot!!! and I also saw Ann Harada too!
I Dreamed a Dream: After hearing an excellent voice in ATEOTD, I
expected a pretty good solo as well but I was mistaken. She's good
(especially with her acting) but something was lagging and she didn't
get real power in her notes until the end. Overall, a big
disappointment.
Lovely Ladies: I felt a bit uneasy about this song before but when I
was in my Row B seats, me and Sammi started squirming. There was also
another platform moment:
When Fantine was selling her locket, Haviland and a sailor decided to
come to our little platform and have a moment. Since we were so close
it was right in our face and my mom and Sam's mom were the ones nearer
to the platform.
Awkward......
The singing was pretty good but I didn't really like the Head Whore's
voice but I loved Idara Victor's solo!
Fantine's Arrest: Jeremy Hays was ok as Bambmatabois.
Taco Hat moment was excellent. As the show went on, I was really
starting to love Robert Hunt. He's really good.
John and Rona's chemistry was fantastic. Also Rona was really crying
so that added well to the effect.
They switched around the lines at the end but I liked the arrangement,
The Runaway Cart: Onto to everyone's favorite scene! Once again,
people running around in circles made me giggly again. The blocking
and staging was really working with the scene. Jeff Kready was playing
Fauchelevant and I swear to Enjy's Vest that he's Irish. They trimmed
a bit of Jeff's solo so I was a bit pissed at that. Robert and John
were awesome in this scene as well but I noticed that sometimes Robert
makes these really wierd faces when he's dictating his words.
Who Am I?: John+Big Solo= standing ovation
Come To Me/ Fantine's Death: The nuns were a bit odd in my opinion.
Rona was better in this than in IDAD but I wasn't feeling the emotion.
John however almost made me cry with his acting beauty. This felt a
bit rushed though so Javert kind of ruined it.
CONFRONTATION: OMFG!! JAVERT DID NOT HAVE NIGHTIE STICK!!!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Ok feel better now. Despite nightie
stick issues, Robert and John have really strong voices when they
sang. But there were two problemos with Robert:
1. the stinking wierd faces
2. You could barely hear him during the counterpoint
The fight between Javert and Valjean was really good! It was like they
were actually fighting instead of stage fighting!
Castle on a Cloud: Kylie was the cutest thing ever but her singing was
like WTF? She seemed to have a cold and she messed up on the last
verse but I'm cutting her slack since she handled the pressure very
well. Ann as Mme. Thenardier wasn't really as great as I thought it
would be. I still prefer her Jenny but she still was pretty funny and
cruel. The Young Eppy, Carly, was a really good actress! She had the
perfect smug looks and I really wish she was on stage more.
Master of the House: I was expecting my favorite Baker from Into the
Woods but surprise surprise! It was Gary! So that was a bit of a
shock. He was pretty funny in this number and very energetic. Also I
loved James Chip Leonard's solo! (God this place has gone to hell!)
Madame Thenardier was better and pretty funny. I really enjoyed the
number but the damn music wouldn't let us clap for it's awesomeness
The Well/Bargain: They did "Come child!" version!!! EEEEEEKKK! SO
HAPPY ABOUT THAT! Kylie didn't mess up this timeso that's good and
John managed to not to make me think of a rapist. Also he did the
"shut up bitch and give me the child" look to Ann! Gary was his funny
self. Also they added in the las las at the end.
Look Down: My favorite song. Brian was really good in this (I can't
remember Zach Rand that much) but he sounded exactly like he did on
May 12th. (video) His solos were pretty good and he was pretty cute
too. Marissa McGowan was playing Madeleine because Rona was Fantine
and Karen Elliott was the Old Beggar Woman. I like Marissa's solo but
Karen was lagging. Don the understudy Enjolras was AMAZING!!! I LOVE
HIM SO MUCH!!! He worked really with Adam. I had 2 more platform
moments:
1. During Adam's solo, Eponine was climbing down the ladder so I was
literally five feet away from her so I was like OMFG! At first I
thought she was Emmy Rossum so I had a mini panic attack but that's
when I realized a barricade would have been buildt. But seriously
Megan and Emmy looked so much alike!
2. This was the near the end of Brian's second solo and one of the
beggars started having random outbursts. I think it was Michael
Minarik but I'm not sure but he went onto the platform and starting
grunting and then he poked the pot behind the ladder and
screamed ,"What the hell is this?" and me and Sammi started giggling
and right before "look down and show some mercy if you can" he
screamed something (I think it was like "JESUS SAVES") and sam and I
just started laughing and the woman who went the platfrom right after
Mr. Random Outburst gave us wierd looks.
The Robbery: Well when Megan smacked Adam's ass, it was kind of
loud.
Just saying...
But I really like Megan despite Emmy relations
I loved John in this.
Robert was really good too. Also he had great energy.
Gary was hilarious!
Stars: The stars in the sky were really cool. Robert sounded much
better on stage then on the 3rd National Tour recording I have (I
downloaded it from the website for entertainment purposes) and
everyone was cheering.
I like Brian at the end too. People also clapped for him.
Eponine's Errand: Megan sort of rushed through this but still had a
good voice. I also liked the chemistry between her and Adam. but it
was still rushed
Red and Black: At the beginning when the students ran on I heard one
of them say "Feuilly!" and it was this really hot blonde one. I think
it was Bousset. Anyway so when the table turns, I noticed that Michael
Minarik (Grantaire) was reading a newspaper and when the students said
stuff, he would often roll his eyes and make comments under his
breath. Don was really good as Enjolras and he sounded a little like a
young Aaron Lazar with a little bit of Michael Maguire in it. The
chemistry between Don and Michael was really like the book. Don would
look annoyed with R and R would simply brush it off. When Adam arrived
and told everyone of Cosette, Michael sang his solo and it was sooooo
funny! He kind of sounded like Anthony Crivello but not as dark and
more spirited. He made the entire theatre laugh. The Courfeyrac
(Stephen Trafton because Max also didn't feel like being sexy Red Vest
man) was really good! They should give him the role once Don leaves.
When Brian arrives and tells of Lamarques's death, he goes and sits
with Grantaire and I just loved how R was being like a father to him
although not a really good one because he gave Gavroche a swig of
alcohol. So that was really noticeable. I don't really remember
anything else because I was too focused on R.
Do You Hear the People sing?: Every solo was amazing except for
Feuilly's. I wasn't feeling the emotion. The transition between DYHTPS
and IML felt rushed.
In My Life: I have never ever heard Leah sing and she was a really
good Cosette! Her voice was mixture of the amazingly talented Tracey
Shayne (C_R you will say nothing about this!) and Judy Kuhn. Leah had
the youth of Tracey and the emotion of Judy. She doesn't have a
soprano opera voice so Cosette actually felt like a real person
instead of an opera singer. She also worked really with John. She was
persistent without being annoying and sappy. Adam was amazing as well.
He wasn't dolt-like and was extremely charming. Megan is really
amazing as Eponine. I prefer her to Celia although she still looks
like Emmy Rossum!! She hits her high notes really well and she has
wonderful facial expressions when she sings.
A Heart Full of Love: The beginning was really funny! When Adam was
singing he got down on his knees and Leah turned away and the whole
audience laughed. Then I whispered to Sam, "What's her problem? I
would be happy if a singing telegram named Adam Jacobs came to my
house!" and then we starting laughing again. We stopped though after
the usher glared at us (I swear to God he's out to get me!) This was
one of the most memorable numbers without platform moments. Adam and
Leah's voices work really well although when Megan started singing she
somewhat drowned them out. Also, Leah's high note was excellent!
The Attack on Rue Plumet: They cut out the freaking solo between
Parnasse and Ponine!!!! WTF WTF WTF????!!!! Ah well. Sutton Foster
used to be my favorite screamer but now Megan is. It's really
impressive! Adam, excellent. Leah, excellent. John, ALLEULIA! (sp?)
One Day more:
Valjean: AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! He was so good and I was only 5 freaking
feet away from him!!!!!
Marius+Cosette: Adam drowned out Leah then in the end Leah was the
only one I could hear but that's probably because she was closer to
me.
Eponine: You could hear her clearly and she didn't overpower anyone.
Enjolras: Don looks HOT in his red vest. (But not as hot as Aaron ;-)
His singing is really good too!
Javert: When he walked on, he was carrying a French flag and I had the
sudden urge to take it from him. His solos are good but you cannot
hear him at all during counterpoint! I only heard him sing "Tommorow
is the Judgement day!"
Thenardiers: Ok. Nothing too special.
INTERMISSION
At the Barricade: They didn't have dramatic entrance!!!!! Apparently
that's my smiley of the week. At the beginning, Gavroche came over to
the platform and me and Sammi were just staring at him Fortunately his
back was to us so we didn't freak him out. So, Gavroche is making this
flag and Grantaire comes over to help and it's the most touching
thing. Then Brian was practicing his I'm-gonna-kill-National-Guard-
with-my-musket skills and Michael was acting like a real father to him
and I just loved it. I loved Micahel more as the show went on.
In other non-Gavvy moments: I noticed that one of the students looked
a heck lot like Michael Ball only blonde, younger and cuter. Also, I
liked John's expressions when he was reading the letter.
On My Own: Megan kicked big ass in this number. The only problem was
that she didn't move around the stage that much but she has a
wonderful voice. Best replacement Eponine so far.
Building the Barricade/Javert's Arrival: I've never realized how big
that red flag is. Also, the singing was pretty good. When Javert came
back, it bugged me how he still looked pretty young. I mean his wig
was slightly gray but that was it. However very good singing.
Little People: IT'S BACK!!!!!
Yes you have heard me correctly! Little People is back in Les
Miserables!
They cut out the last 4 lines (never kick a dog because he's just a
pup etc.) but it's back! Grantaire was really good in this once again.
Also they cut out some of Enjolras' lines and switched around Javert's
lines but Little People is back!
A Little Fall of Rain: This was the first number I cried in. Megan has
really deep emotion and it made up for the lost emotion in IDAD and
CTM. I also loved the way Adam was holding her and was extremely
jealous. During one part of the song, I could hear Adam whisper to
Megan ,"I won't leave you. I promise." Once again, damn music
wouldn't let us clap.
Night of Anguish/ First Attack: Robert had awesome facial expressions
in this and so did John. Also the energy was awesome. When one of the
women cried "They're getting ready to attack!", everyone on stage
started hustling and reaching for guns and whispering to each other.
The gun shots from John's gun were so loud and my not-so-far distance
from the stage didn't help. He shot that thing 3 times and everytime I
was like ,"HOLY SHIT!" The conversation between Javert and Valjean was
suspenseful despite the fact that I knew what was going to happen.
Robert is maybe the second best Canon Javert. (After PQ of course!)
Drink with me: This was one of the songs I was looking forward to
because I wanted to witness the moment between R and Enjy . Also I
never noticed that they play instruments on stage. Jehan was strumming
the guitar and I think Bousset was playing the accordian(sp?) but it
might have Combeferre. Michael's solo made me cry but then he made it
somewhat funny so I starting laughing through my tears. Then the other
students wanted to punk him but Enjolras stopped them and then THE
MOMENT:
Enjolras whispered something in Grantaire's ear (I think it was
like ,"Chill out!" or something like that) and at first Grantaire
looked appalled and then he looked angry. Enjolras left and Grantaire
took another swig of alcohol and made sure Gavvie was ok and went to
sleep on the platform.
This is when I screwed my Kenny as Grantaire fandom and switched it to
the awesomely talented Michael.
Bring Him Home: I cried in this song for two reasons:
1. Heartbreaking
2. JOJ's beautiful voice
The orchestra had to wait a while because the audience wouldn't shut
up after this song.
Dawn of Anguish: It was really short so there wasn't anything to
memorable but I did like Don and his vest.
Second Attack/Death of Gavroche : At the beginning with the trumpets
(or whatever that instrument was) Grantaire was persuading Gavvie to
leave the barricade and so then Grantaire picked up Gavroche and this
was their conversation:
"Let me fight! Let me fight!"
"Gavroche it's not safe!"
"Come on! It's not fair!"
"No!"
"But what about my gun?"
"I don't care!"
I love second row seats.
So after Don yells FIRE!, Brian comes on stage and Michael chases
after him but it wasn't too distracting. Brian disappeard after that
so Michael looked relieved and started drinking again.
THE DEATH:
So John does his amazing Johness of the solo and right before Brian
said ,"You need somebody quicker!" Michael noticed Gavroche's knapsack
was gone and he gasped ,"Gavroche!" and was shocked when he saw him on
the barricade. So Gavroche ignores Bousset and Joly (am I right? )
and goes over to the other side and just before the table turns,
Grantaire runs up and sort of yells (couldn't be too loud ofr obvious
reasons) "Gavroche get back here!" So Gavroche sings ,"Look at me! I'm
almost there!" The gunshot goes off and OMFG they're so loud! Brian
sang the ten little bullets version (So Little People has yet to fully
progress into Les Mis but it's a start!) I was curious about this
scene from Brian because of what I've heard about Jacob Levine, Brian
D'Addario and Zach Rand is that out of the 3, Zach had the best death
scene and Brian sort of flopped over. However, the casting directors
must have heard about that and drill Brian through rehearsals because
his last notes were fantastic. He was crying like Ross McCall (one of
my favortie Gavroches) but it was still his own feel for the
character. It was also very realistic. I was thinking:
OMG! Is that kid dying? Someone help him!
That's when I remembered I was in a theatre.
DEATH SCENE BLOOPER: When Brian threw his bag, Combeferre was supposed
to catch but he missed and it fell inside the barricade. (somewhere
between the barrel and the wheel)
Other than that,
FINAL BATTLE: Brian dies and the entire cast is standing still and
Grantaire (I am in love with him as you most likely can tell) is
sitting at the table and holding Gavroche's flag and looking very
sullen. Sammi then whispered to me ,"Oh my god, I feel so bad for
him." So the trumpets do their intro and the guy sings "You at the
barricades etc." and the energy reminded me of George Hearn when he's
singing Epiphany (sp? Someone correct if I'm wrong) It's like the
students want to avenge Gavroche's death and die for their country.
When Enjolras is shot, Grantaire climbs up the barricade and takes the
flag and starts waving it around and yells ,"VIVE LA FRANCE!"
Also he did a terrific death scene.
THE SEWERS/DOG EATS DOG: Well the music was pretty and this time,
Enjolrad died with his face up! Last time Aaron was bending over so
we got an excellent shot of his butt in tight black pants. But that
doesn't mean I was complaing...
I also noticed that Robert had a black smudge on his forehead. Just a
random observation like Hal Fowler's huge head.
I noticed in DED that Brujon was in the scene and Gary was stealing a
tooth from one of the nameless students. His version was ok. It wasn't
all that great. This is pretty much the only other song in this
musical I don't care for.
Javert's Suicide: Chemistry between John and Robert was fantastic!
Robert is excellent at sneering!
Great singing. Good faltering at the end. An excellent version.
Turning: They used the DYTHPS cart but it wasn't all too noticeable to
be honest. Marissa was the pregnant lady and I love her voice. I wish
I could hear her as Ponine. All the ladies has good voices but woman 2
had a wierd hat. I like woman 4 the best. She picked up Gavvie's
flag .
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables: Adam broke my heart in this. I loved
him.
Just one little thing.....
THET FORGOT GAVROCHE IN THE LINE WHEN THE STUDNETS CAME UP! I looked
at both ends and Brian wasn't there and he wasn't in the middle or
anywhere else.
EVERYDAY: What's the point of the nuns to be perfectly honest? I think
the scene would be better without them. Leah had a strong and gentle
voice in this. She reminded me of my friend Maddy who has a REALLY
GOOD voice. (She's playing Liesl in SOM) They abridged this song a bit
but I didn't really mind. John's voice worked well with Adam and Leah
and you can hear all 3 of them equally.
Valjean's Confession: Really great. I love John's face and expression.
Adam managed to panicked without being a nutcase. VERY GOOD!!!
Wedding Chorale/ Beggars at the Feast: Gary and Ann were simply
amazing in this! Also Major Domo was really funny. I was thinking of
the guy who played Percy in the Scarlet Pimpernel when I heard his
voice. So the singing and the dancing was funny. I saw some of the
students too. Michael was the one Thenardier called a Jew and Jeff was
the one who was called a queer and when he heard that, Jeff turned
around was like WTF? Silverware moment was hilarious.
Epilogue: For someone in his late 20's early 30's, John looked really
old. He was amzing in this and I starting weeping despite the
unemotional loser that I am. Rona got better in this but you still
want something more from her. Adam was a bit awkward in this scene but
it wasn't too bad. Leah's "You will live! Papa you're going to live!
It's too soon! Too soon to say goodbye!" was almost as heartbreaking
as Tracey's. (C_R once again will say nothing about this!) Here's the
best part:
JOHN ACTUALLY DIES!
and it was just like the book!
Bravo John! Bravo!
The ending was amazing. It was the best show I have seen in my life.
VIVE LA LES MIS!
Now go rest your eyes.
Eponine
Hmm...'post any recent reviews'...would this past April count as
recent...? I wonder...lol
IOwnTheEnjyVest
Ya I guess so.
but I still think the usher is out to get me!
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