#Les miserables us tour
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LES MISERABLES 22/23 CAST REVIEW
Wednesday, November 30th, 2022
ACT 2
Cast:
Nick carnell-Jean Valjean
Hayden Tee-Javert (temporary replacement)
Haley dortch- Fantine
Matt Crowle-Thénardier
Christina Rose Hall-Madame Thénardier
Hazel Vogel- little Cosette
Cora Jane Messer- Little Eponine
Christine Heesun Hwang- Eponine
Addie Morales- Cosette
Gregory Lee Rodriguez-Marius
Devin Archer-Enjorlas
Kyle Adams- Grantaire
Gavroche- Harrison Fox
Well uh, unfortunately my theater decided that they weren't gonna flicker the lights to let us know to go back to our seats so I missed all of building the barricade and eponine giving the letter
On my own
-"Now I can make believe he's here" that tone she had was gorgeous
- I couldn't focus on most of the number because some kids behind me decided to get chips during Intermission because they were bored
- the blocking feels a bit stiff
-the lights where pretty tho
-again unfortunately I couldn't pay attention due to the kids behind me
-bUT oh my God when that barricade comes out with all the fog, one of the best scenes ever
At the barricade
-seeing the boys climb over the barricade was funny ngl
-the barricade bits are blurry in my head sorry yall
Javerts return/little people
-it looked like javert picked up a stick and started drawing
- this is a Gavroche Stan page
- gav tried jumping off the barricade like enj does
-gav flipping javert off might be my favorite thing
-marius in the back literally went like :0
-meanwhile after that grant picked gav up for "your the top of the class" after enj had his whole speaking bit he came over and ruffled gavs hair
A little fall of rain/ night of anguish
-during the small battle scene or whatever happened (I'm sorry I'm writing this In a car and can't remember so) ep moved marius and got shot perusal, she had a very small scream but it was at the same time the gunshot went off so it wasn't as noticeable
-she basically stumbled off the barricade with marius
-the way he said "oh god it's everywhere" was chilling tbh, he sounded scared almost
-miss girl basically falls onto him and then he carefully lays her down
-towards the end Gav ran over, taking a few moments to realize what happened
-Enj and grant then walked in (more like enj strutting) gav then clung to grants leg once ep actual died
-rip bad bitch, you will be missed
-IM SO SORRY THE WAY THEY CARRY HER OFF IS SO FUNNY
- FELT LIKE I WAS WATCHING THE QUEENS FUNERAL OR SMTH
-"her name was eponine,," lawd that was a kick to the gut huh
Valjeans revenge
-wake up babes daddy is climbing
-javert is back on stage (I don't know if he left)
-the hesitant 'he belongs to you'
-jean pushes javert down onto his knees facing the audience
-javert stayed looking forward while Jean approached him from behind (📸)
- he kept shaking his head as Jean was talking, he then grabbed the gun and forcibly put it in his hands then made Jean angle it at him
-Jean seemed clearly upset about this and the way he says "you are wrong,," sounds like he was trying to remind himself that
- he then continued to grab onto his jacket while saying "clear out of here"
- the gunshot scared me and my mom, we knew it was coming but it's so loUD
Drink with me
-once Grant starts singing and goes to the middle, Enj now looks over and starts getting off the barricade
-"marius, rest please" was very gently said
-the boys gave a small cheer when grant started singing
-grant lightly shoves one of the boys
-once he sees enj his mood changed
- during "can it be your death means nothing at all?" Enj clearly tried to hug him and grant pushed him away then walked away
-gav was standing right by enj and then held onto his leg
-grant goes over where the sewer is and puts his head against it, enj looking down and told gav somthing
-gav then ran over and hugged grant for behind (more like his legs since grant was tall) and he then put his hand over gavs arm
Bring him home
-chills the whole song
-nick gave it all ON A RANDOM WEDNESDAY NIGHT
-he really does sound like he's begging for marius to be alright
-enj is at the left top of the barricade, has his head slightly tilted down watching (I can't blame him)
-grant and gav are still sitting against the sewers, it was dark where they where but I think grant was holding him while he was sleeping
-the way my soul actually left my body at his last note
-breath support is all I gotta say
Second battle/Gavroches death /Final battle
-I don't remember much pre gav dying sorry
-everyone is dead silent the second gavroche starts singing
-Enj holds out his arms for gav then puts his fist up for "you better run for cover when the pup grows u-" and then he's shot
-gav falls onto enjs shoulder, enj took a second to hold onto him and slowly turned around clearly looking upset before giving him to grant
-everyone looked horrified at what they just saw
-grant held him close to his shoulder
-eventually when the shooting did happen Jean ran over and took gavs body and took it off stage then returned
-Randy Jeter was really slaying for the loud hailer
- the "until the earth is free" note gets faded into the music
-I don't know if it was on purpose or not but when enj is supposed to be kicking people down from the other side he nearly fell off, thankfully one of the fake boards was there and he pulled himself back up
-enj waving the flag has got to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen omg, he was waving it very desperately
- the first one to go is Enj, before he starts falling grant starts trying to get up the barricade to grab him, only missing his hand by a little bit
-I'd like a moment to appreciate Jean basically t-posing while laying unconscious on the ground
-grant is the last one to die
-jean woke up then crawled over to marius whispering "shhh your okay please get up, get up" and then drags him off stage
-javert comes running over the barricade, the live fire torch looked so pretty for the scene
-when he got down he watched as the barricade opened
-Enj was vibing on the cart upside down per usual
-only one of his arms was hanging which is important in a second
-Javert walked over to Gavroche, prays over his body then lets the other dude pick him up
-gav gets thROWN in
-when the cart starts getting rolled off, enj was a little too far off the edge of the cart so it looked like he was gonna fall off, his other arm now fell off the cart
sewers/dog eat dog
-okay this scene deadass is my guiltly pleasure
-I got a tiny bit dizzy with the back screen visual
-the way Thénardier draggs one of the boys by the ankles💀
-I just love the song, it's so groovy
-valjean let go of marius and he just fell like the tower of terror
-when Thénardier goes over by marius he takes his hand like singing and puts it on his cheek acting as if it's his own hand
- "only the moon looks down" is still one of my favorite vocal moments, it scratches an itch in my brain
-"vALJEAN😧😧😧😧 AINT THE WORLD A REMARKABLE PLACE😧😃😧😃😧😃😧"
-marius seems to be like slightly awake
-I TRIED SO HARD NOT TO LAUGH WHEN IT CUTS 3 TIMES TO HIM CARRYING HIM DIFFERENT WAYS
- instrumental was such a bop
-javert is already waiting in the dark by the time Jean comes out
-once Jean looks over and sees him, javert points a gun at him (is this a new thing?? I don't remember seeing it before in boots)
-just gay old men arguing
-when Jean leaves with marius he looks back at him the same way javert did to him at the beginning, same places on the stage
Javerts suicide
-This is one of the scenes that is so so much better in person
-i personally think Hayden is one of the javerts that perform this scene best
-the stage is completely dark during the first Part
-but in the background you can see the bridge coming together on both sides which was so cool to see
-I definitely got more of a panic attack vibe from him instead of angry
-he kept on literally reaching out but his hands where extremely shakey
-javert was very slow about getting up on the bridge, he seemed hesitant
-"I am reaching but I fall" part was almost the exact same way nick as Jean performed it at the beginning with his hand reaching up
-once javert starts his final note I wasn't expecting the bridge to come out from Underhim and MANS WAS FLYING
-ofc he was up on wires but I never seen them and was shocked because I didn't know the scene is done like this (usually the bootlegs are taken from a weird angle for this scene)
-the visuals behind him are going down and eventually he gets pulled back into the darkness, the last thing you see is his hand reaching out
Turning
-interesting but sad scene transitions
-some of the women where dressed upperclass and half lower
-the little girl :((
-I'm not sure which actress is the one who says "what's the use of praying when nobody will hear??" But it was said very raw and emotional almost angry
-very beautiful song though
Empty chairs ar empty tables
-the tree is back
-yet another nice song transition
-love the performance but I don't have much to say???
-when le boys came in enj was the closest to him
-they pick up the candles, marius then waves his arm behind him like he was trying to make them go away during "don't ask me what your sacrifice was for"
-everyone blows their candles out except marius and enj
-enj is the last one to leave, marius looks over then enj blows his candle out then goes bye bye
-marius raises his candle at the end
Everyday/valjeans confession
-marius In his emo era then there's Cosette westing purple like hey lol
- cosette helps him walk over to the bench, once he sits down Cosette takes his cane and puts it behind the bench
- pretty vocals but everyday is kinda a basic song
-here comes the dilf, and he's got his limp again
-when he tells Cosette to go inside Cosette kinda looks between them like what's going onnnn and then leaves
-the change in tone when Jean talks to marius is interesting
-"who am i?" Idk man you tell me
-its 2:34 am when I'm writing this sorry I ain't remembering much
Wedding/beggers at a feast
-holy shit that is a very fast quick change for marius, I know he wears his coat over the wedding costume but sTILL
-again height difference between Cosette and him>>>
-Cosette's veil is gorgeous it's a shame it's only worn for like 5 minutes
- them dancing is the cutest thing ever and they kissed again before walking off the the side of the stage
- Marius introduces her to someone then goes over by the Thénardiers
-i was focusing on Cosette dancing
-the way the ensemble and cosette dance is interesting because they are clearly listening and moving to the tune
-Marius punching Thénardier was a slay per usual
-once they run off the plates drop ofc, overall the audience loved them
- the little hops during "among the elite"
- the line is back to "there goes a jew, this one's a queer but what can you do"
-the chaos that is the rest of the number>>>
Epilog
-Lmfao the change between songs
- he struggled for a sec to light the candles but got them eventually
-Nick made me appreciate jeans final solo part
-the chills I got when fantine comes out, I know she's an angel and she looked like one, she came out from stage right and had an orange haze casting over to her
-Jean looked relieved when he heard her, just ready to die
- Nick said a few times that his favorite line in the show is "she's the best of my life" and it shows 🥲🥲🥲
-Fantine got about 3 feet away, she was reaching out for him then Cosette comes running in
-this part is a bit of a blur since I was trying to get my phone out to get a small audio
- Marius comes in a few seconds after her, then he goes over behind the candles and looks at them until "you must forgive a thoughtless fool" then he sits by Cosette
- during the confession he slowly reached over and gave it to her, during "those who always loved you" He booped her nose again
- cosette is holding onto his hand until he gets up, more like he dies
-i wasn't paying attention to eponine I was trying to figure out why my camera didn't show the stage, turns out it was facing the wrong way
- "to love another person is to see the face of god" I'm not religious but that line always gets to me
-by the time Valjean gets up the chorus is starting, and the bishop comes out
-listen I know some people think it's stupid but I do like the Jean and bishop hug💔
-marius is holding Cosette and kissing her hair while rubbing her arm
-the ending just is so🤌🤌🤌 probably one of my favorite musical closers
Bonus if you made it this far
#les miserables#les mis#Les miserables us tour#nick cartell#hayden tee#Haley Dortch#Matt Crowle#Christina rose hall#harrison fox#Devin archer#Kyle adams#Gregory Lee Rodriguez#addie morales#Christine Heesun Hwang
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GUESS WHO’S FINALLY GETTING TO SEE LES MISERABLES ON STAGE
#After over three years in the fandom....#Which actually isn't a lot but it feels like forever when your life basically centers around it at this point#Les Miserables#Les Miserables US Tour
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we were children together
#im going to see the us tour tomorrow#so did a couple of quick cast drawings to give to them :3#les mis#les misérables#les miserables#éponine#éponine thenardier#mya rena hunter#cosette#cosette fauchelevent#delaney guyer#les mis fanart#my art
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no thoughts except for the current US tour’s grantaire confirming that he reads les mis fanfiction as part of his character reference
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Saw Les Miserables US Tour Today. Feeling very Not Normal about Kyle Adams as Grantaire. His dynamic with Gavroche literally restarted my Les Mis unwellness. If you’ve been following me since my blog started (unlikely but I was live-in-tricolor) You know how Special Grantaire is to me and he just GOT it.
He has a way of moving and acting in a very, it was all in his body for real. His line in Drink with Me has so much anger ugh 10/10 understanding of a cynic who joins a revolution for the privilege of sitting next to someone who Only believes in the revolution.
His reaction to Gav’s death? Killer.
Now I have to also give my flowers to Haley Dortch’s Fantine she was mind blowing but this ain’t about her but it should be.
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for anyone wondering, i saw the les mis us tour last night in DC and it. was. CRAZY. i’ve seen the tour a few times in my life and i noticed some new things so here we go:
~~ spoilers ~~
- petit gervais was actually shown in the prologue when JVJ gets out of jail, he has some line like “but monsieur!” before being shooed away
- batambois actually hits fantine with his cane, knocks her down, and kicks her multiple times before she reaches up and scratches his face (i feel like i usually see him grab her arm or something instead of actually hitting her?)
- the other lovely ladies whores are all freaking out and trying to protect fantine from batambois and the pimp men people are actively holding them back and letting him hit her
- JVJ and javert have the gayest little moment of holding a handshake before “forgive me sir i would not dare” for a solid 30 seconds
- fantine shoots up and hugs JVJ in the line before she dies and stays there until he lays her dead body back down
- mme. thenardier was just so wonderful. i loved her
- gavroche has this entire moment with javert after the robbery, yelling “yeah! clear the streets! that means you too!” (said to a cop), and when the only two people left on stage are him and javert, he completely squares up to him and then salutes and it’s a really sweet moment. it also makes little people so much more impactful because they actually recognize each other then
- enjolras has a visceral reaction to eponine and marius speaking and he hasn’t even met cosette yet. enj turns to speak to marius and sees him talking to ep and throws his hands up in the air like, SO frustrated because MARIUS THE REVOLUTION IS COMING.
- red and black is BEAUTIFUL. the entire ensemble respects enjolras so much and it’s very obvious. “marius, you’re late” is not sung and so deadpan and so enjolras.
- R gives gav his bottle after javert’s arrival and it’s really funny
- grantaire does not take his eyes off of enjolras until drink with me. at all.
-when eponine dies, gavroche turns suddenly and sees her dying and grantaire SHOOTS up and grabs him and sits in the corner with him. it’s beautiful
- R does not touch a gun at all for the entire show. whenever anyone starts shooting, he hides behind the barricade or he grabs javert in custody but he never fights at all
- when gav dies, R throws a goddamn fit and does not leave his body until enjolras is about to be shot.
- when enj dies, he climbs up the barricade and is backlit and R is sitting at the bottom of the barricade reaching upwards, and when enj is shot, he falls backwards off of the barricade and out of sight. when this happens, R climbs the barricade with no gun, just enough so his head is exposed, and gets shot and slides down the barricade. it’s very “no one loves the light like a blind man”
- when javert is picking through the bodies looking for JVJ, another officer is wheeling a cart for dead bodies, and it ONLY has enjolras in it, hanging upside down just like aaronjolras in the window. javert heaves gav’s body on top of his and wheels them both off. (i heard multiple audible gasps during this, assumedly from the other enjolras girlies like myself)
- enj and R are beside each other for empty chairs until they cross and they’re directly facing each other instead
-during the wedding song, the line “this one’s a queer, but what can you do” is changed to “this one’s a queer, i might try it too” before thenardier waltzes with a male ensemble member for like 4 bars before finishing the song
- there is a lot of rich people laughing as a bit and thenardier cues to the conductor and counts them off like 3 separate times
- the finale is beautiful as always, JVJ and the dead bishop hug before everyone just lines up in formation (R and enj are both holding one of gav’s hands on either side)
- in conclusion: i cried
If anyone else has seen the tour and would like to add little things they noticed, please do in the tags!!
#les miserables#les mis us tour#exR#enjolras#les mis#grantaire#i loved it so much#kyle adams obviously read the book#he did character research like george blagden did
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hi it's been a minute but let me tell u a few things:
i was lucky to catch the chance to watch the les mis tour in toronto twice this month, and here is a list of things that have been on my mind unavoidably.
show number 1: kyle adams blows me away with his tenderness with gavroche and his commitment to playing grantaire. i left feeling like i was floating on clouds having seen grantaire in the flesh: unreal. in drink with me, enjolras goes to grip the lapel of grantaires coat and grantaire pushes him away.
show number 2: OH MY GOD. grantaire lives and breathes again!!! absolute superstar of the show and of my heart. the way he holds gavroche when eponine dies. the way he blows a kiss when enjolras tells him to put the bottle down. in drink with me, The exr forehead touch moment. in the final battle when marius falls from the barricade and grantaire rushes to him, followed by enjolras. grantaire grips enjolras , who cups grantaires face in his hands. i'm sobbing atp. and THEN. on the subway going home who am i sitting next to? KYLE ADAMS. the man in life. (and preston boyd aka javert, who sang me a snippet of marius' letter to cosette!&!) i tried thru my shock to tell him he did an amazing job bringing grantaire to life, like truly, and he says thank you and that grantaire is his favourite...
u guys... idk how many of u are here from my les miz days but can i just express how lucky we are that kyle is playing our grantaire now. ALSO. devin archer as enjolras ... he has such a presence. golden voiced and absolutely commands the stage. cannot praise enough this whole cast. wow
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genuinely can't remember if I posted this to Tumblr or not so Les mis exr Tumblr have some food
close ups under the cut
insta: capskneecrunchnoises
#les mis#god bless les mis 2000 us tour#les miserables#enjolras#grantaire#enjoltaire#exr#art#digital art#stevie does art
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TOUR THOUGHTS
Saw the Les Miserables Tour at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto on May 21 2024; here are my thoughts (Long read, sorry I have a lot of feelings)
Prologue/Look Down/Valjean's Soliloquy
We got like, holographic waves crashing and the men are rowing a boat LIKE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE it's awesome
Oh my god the pipes on the background actors were so good. THE SUN IS STRONG ITS HOT AS HEEELLL BELOW
I miss Javert's stupid guard hat. Was bareheaded as he gave Valjean his yellow ticket
PETIT GERVAIS?????????? Valjean steals a little boy's coin when he's roaming the countryside 😭
Randy Jeter as the Bishop blew me away. Not just his voice but his acting was FANTASTIC every single movement was like. I am an old bishop. This is how an old bishop moves. Idk idk it was really good
Nick Cartell did a great job w Valjean overall, but I totally loved him as pre-MsurM Valjean the most. He acts like a feral animal, grabbing the wine out of the nun's hands and the bread from the priest all hunched over and practically snarling - very very cool and awesome
At the End of the Day
Not a negative but when we went to At the End of the Day there was very minimal lighting and my first thought was Oh no the lighting broke hope they fix it and we don't have to have a brief intermission but then when they went 'At the end of the day there's another day dawning' the lights went up and I was like OHHHHHHHHHHHH so that's just me not understanding lighting direction
Foreman killed it, so did all of the factory workers I love all the interactions and ad-libbing in the background it makes me so happy to see
Every time I saw a tall graceful ensemble member I was like '"That's Kyle Adams" and 8/10 times I was right. Otherwise it was Daniel Gerard Bittner
I Dreamed A Dream
OKKKK VOCALS???? Haley Dortch has such a beautiful, clear, emotional sound and she left not a dry eye in the house. Literally the second intermission hit my parents and myself were like. Holy shit dude what about that Fantine
I got her autograph after the show and she was so so sweet 🥺 She accidentally messed up her signature and had to redo it and was apologising to me and I was like GIRL you brought the house down you could stab me right now and I'd be like 'Thanks have a good one'
Lovely Ladies / Fantine's Arrest
Bamatabois (David Andino) was a standout performance, really chewed the scenery and I adored every second he was on stage (Plus his costume was fantastic)
The other girls defending Fantine 🥺
I like that after the police show up and they basically arrest all of the ladies and pimps, regular well-off citizens come out to witness Valjean defending Fantine from Javert. Thought it was a nice touch
Fantine's Death
My first and only cry of the evening, Haley Dortch no one does it like you
The Confrontation
If you've heard me talk about the confrontation you'll know that I absolutely hate the new chain choreography, HOWEVER. I really really liked it this time. Preston in particular gave it a lot of physicality that I enjoyed
Nick Cartell is a little guy and I don't really believe that his Valjean managed to knock out Preston's Javert
For some reason the percussion was really loud and I could barely hear the vocals so I don't have many thoughts on them
Master of the House / Waltz of Treachery
MATT CROWLE YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS
Both Thenardiers were fantastic, not a crazy amount of ad-libbing but when they did they made it count ("BYE, BAGUETTE")
Madame in particular was hilarious
Master of the House is very busy in a good way, everywhere you look interesting things are happening. Another number where the ensemble shines and you can tell everyone is having a blast
The Bargain was funny as hell, Thenardier tells Cosette to die in his arms and she goes limp when he's saying she's 'often been ill'
Valjean gives Cosette Catherine!
Look Down / The Robbery
Gavroche was super charismatic and confident, really great child actor (Milo Maharlika)
Eponine tosses Marius' book across the stage and he goes "I like the way you always ... tease 😐" They're such cute friends together
After Enjolras and the boys are done their preaching Enjolras gets stopped by a policeman and is told off 😭
During the robbery Montparnasse keeps Marius away by brandishing his little knife at him which I thought was cute
Also! Montparnasse is the only member of Thenardier's gang to escape during the Robbery!!! Which is a nice Brick reference
After Thenardier's 'In the absense of a victim' spiel he does this exact pose
Gavroche's little 'Clear the streets' 🫡moment is so cute
Stars
God I love Preston Truman Boyd
His Javert is so stalwart and reserved and dedicated, he's kind of robocop and it really really works, and you get to see just a smidge of vulnerability peek out in this song
ABC Cafe / Red and Black
I DON'T REMEMBER A LOT bare with me
Grantaire was absolutely the standout. Slapped Marius' butt with his coat. Stuck his wine bottle dick in Enjolras' face. Offered Combeferre a sip of his wine (who reluctantly accepted). Blew a kiss at Enjolras
Kyle Adams physicality is probably my favourite aspect of his Grantaire - he moves very assuredly, like a cat, in a way that is like okay he's drunk but he's so used to being drunk that his stumbling is more like dancing. I remember reading a fic that described Grantaire's movements in a similar way and I wonder if that was one of the fics Kyle took inspiration from?
OOH they did the wine bottle keep-away thing with Grantaire and Marius which I didn't know they still did so that was exciting
J.T Wood is such a cute Joly I love his voice
In Do You Hear the People Sing Grantaire grabs a gun and holds it at arms-length like it has cooties before handing it off to another student
Combeferre waves the flag both times (Here and in One Day More) and I'm not sure if it's always Combeferre who does that or if it's because Andrew Marks Maughan is clearly the most physically strong of the Barricade Boys
In My Life / A Heart Full of Love
Delaney Guyer is a really good Cosette in that she has a gorgeous voice and also has a lot of personality and actually reacts to things going on around her
Marius (who was played by Christopher James Tamayo for this performance) is such a cute little nerd. You can see him try to figure out what he's going to do, then he throws a rock at Cosette's window and kind of cringes at the noise - he's so unsure of himself and awkward
Cosette is very excited that he's here and closes the window right away, which prompts Marius' 'I'm doing everything all wrong!' until she reappears downstairs and they get to be cute dorks in love
Attack on Rue Plumet
I don't remember a lot but I DO remember that Eponine was really good here
When Valjean is like 'Tomorrow we'll away' Cosette goes 'WHAT? NO!'
David Andino is so good as Babet he is a chronic scene stealer at this point
One Day More
If you know Another thing about me you know I hate the One Day More box-step but it actually did not bug me this time. They put Grantaire next to Enjolras for the marching portion which is cute
On My Own
Holy shit Mya Rena Hunter delivered the most heartbreaking and powerful rendition of this I've ever heard
The Barricade
Loved Feuilly in his little part
Javert is a good spy. If I didn't know the plot of Les Mis I would've been like Holy shit that's Javert? Crazy. I love him drawing the 'plans' he'd overheard into the ground with a stick
Gavroche flipping Javert off >>>>>
Buff Combeferre is one of the two to drag Javert away to be tied up lol
A Little Fall of Rain
The only version of ALFoR that actually made me feel something
Marius and Eponine get a lot of time to be cute together before the barricade actually notices that she's dying - and Gavroche is the first to notice and gets a front row seat to her death which is heartbreaking
The First Attack
Grantaire's "AND SO THE WAR WAS WON!" was sooo scathingly sarcastic
Javert waited, like, 30 seconds to leave after Valjean freed him, with his back almost against the barrel of Valjean's gun as if he were hoping to be shot
When the gun went off the entire barricade abruptly snapped their heads to look at Valjean and the audience laughed 😭
Telling Valjean 'Well done' for shooting a tied up hostage is a strange choice
Drink With Me
I still hate 'For certain as the eagle flies' I think it's the dumbest line in the entire musical
Grantaire's part was very grand - His voice has like noticeably changed at this point in the musical to give it a sort of hoarse hopeless quality to it which absolutely hits you in the feels
Enjolras comforted him and I swear Grantaire let his hand linger on his cheek for a few seconds longer than normal before pushing him away
Gavroche hugged Grantaire from behind and Grantaire couldn't even turn around at first because he was so distraught and kind of blindly reached for him 😭
Chris Tamayo's Marius is such a poor little meow meow
Bring Him Home
Absolutely jaw-dropping performance from Nick Cartell
He sings Bring Him Home like it's a lullaby - which it's supposed to be
I don't exaggerate when I say that the applause went on for about a minute straight, and was the loudest of the night by far
Death of Gavroche / The Final Battle
Oh poor thang
Grantaire near the end of Gavroche's singing was turned away facing the audience like he knew Gav was going to die and couldn't bear to watch 🥺
Later on in the final battle Grantaire spends most of the time next to Gavroche's body in like a catatonic state
The SPOTLIGHTS representing BULLETS as Les Amis died almost made me lose it
Grantaire dies last, I'm sure he said something before he started climbing the barricade but I couldn't hear it 😭He and Enjolras still have their moment over Marius' body
The Sewer
Javert comes across Enjolras' cart-carried body (Still hate the cart but I can learn to appreciate it) and looks a bit uncomfortable
Then he stumbles upon Gavroche's corpse, kneels, and does the sign of the cross over him
Almost made me cry ngl
DOG EATS DOG WAS SO GOOD I LOVED IT
Javert looked like he wanted to shoot Valjean as he walked away with Marius
Javert's Suicide
HOOOOOOLYYYY SHIIIIITTTTT
It was so good
Preston Truman Boyd you will always be famous I fully believe that Javert had completely lost his mind at this point in the play
I don't have many thoughts on the rest but I loved Marius and Cosette reading Valjean's confession as he walked away with Fantine - and the Bishop hugging him as he arrives in heaven
Also Kyle Adams as Major Domo mincing about the stage in The Wedding was an absolute delight
Am very sleepy now but overall 10/10 I love this cast so much
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kyle adams grantaire appreciation post
yall i cant stress enough how amazing of a grantaire kyle adams is and what a kind soul he was to meet at the stagedoor. i just know he could tell i am Very Autistic about les mis and he very kindly took the time to talk to me and sign my playbill and compliment my grantaire themed outfit and listen to me gush about grantaire and ahhhhhh. this guy is so gender. and his grantaire is just mwah. chefs kiss. the chemistry with enjolras obviously, but the chemistry with everyone!!!!! the way he is with everyone is so good!!!!! loved seeing how r is with all of his amis, he loves his friends and he loves gav and omg hes so funny with javert at the barricade. this man gives it all. this man is doing it for the autistic trans men who are So Normal about grantaire. i am biased because grantaire is my fav, but quite honestly kyle adams is one of the best on the us tour. (literally everyone rocks tho!!! seriously go see les mis tour!!!)
and yeah i cant not mention enjoltaire. hes playing the gayness for sure. its hella good. the devotion. the longing.
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Was NO ONE going to tell me that in the current North American tour Thenardier changes "this one's a queer, but what can you do?" to "this one's a queer, I think I'll try too"?!?!?
#Is this a change across the board now?#Did I miss something??#Or is this US tour specific#HILARIOUS though what an iconic move#les mis#thenardier#les miserables
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LES MISERABLES 22/23 CAST REVIEW
Wednesday, November 30th, 2022
ACT 1
Cast:
Nick cartell-Jean Valjean
Hayden Tee-Javert (Temporary Replacement)
Haley dortch- Fantine
Matt Crowle-Thénardier
Christina Rose Hall-Madame Thénardier
Hazel Vogel- little Cosette
Cora Jane Messer- Little Eponine
Christine Heesun Hwang- Eponine
Addie Morales- Cosette
Gregory Lee Rodriguez-Marius
Devin Archer-Enjorlas
Kyle Adams- Grantaire
Gavroche- Harrison Fox
Look down
-It looks like Valjean was about to tussel with the other convict
- javert has a very sassy walk, as he should
- when he's giving him the ticket of leave they both hold onto it longer than someone straight would💅
-once the convicts and everyone leaves its only Jean and javert on the stage, javert glances at him and then leaves
On parole/the bishop
-Jean stealing from petti garvis (which is later played Gavroche) was included it's when he says "the dirt beneath their feet" I believe
-otherwise I don't really have much to say on parole most of the time it is the same so-
-bishop comes behind him like hey girly and touches him on the back, making Jean move away
-from what I had heard nick carnell doesn't usually go all out for the flIGHHHHHT, but he does now and it's high
- when the bishop gives Jean the bag he pushed it away, only for the bishop to put it back in his hands
Valjean soliloquy
-WHATHAVEIDONESWEETJESUSWHATIHAVEIDONE
-"my life was a war that could never be won" was yelled
- it was really fast at first and then got slow (that's what she sai-)
-he held up the ticket at "I am reaching but I fall"
-he sounded a bit like Jon robyns when he started as jvj
-"begIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN" was held for so long
At then end of the day
-the transition into the factory women is really cool
-fantine is the tallest
-when fantine gets her letter she's standing away from the other girls but the male workers are walking past her, being snarky
-foreman goes over to her and starts pulling on her skirt
- ofc the gorls start fighting and Jean comes in and ZAMN THAT MAYOR FITTT
-fantine is still tall, taller than Jean but he was actually short to a lot of people
-when he leaves, he stops halfway up the stairs listening, which is at the same time she is talking about Cosette. Some foreshadowing it seems
- once fantine is thrown out she lays on the ground for a few moments, really letting it soak in with the audience as the factory women who read the letter went off stage laughing
I dreamed a dream
-beginning of the song she's sitting as if she's telling a story to someone, she keeps on having a sad smile
- she uses her hands a lot during the number
- "he took my childhood in his stride" was more sad than angry
- again as much as I loved the performance there wasn't a ton that stuck out to me this specific part since it's been performed so many times in similar ways
Lovely ladies
-the 3 men ofc come out with their parts while the rest of the stage is dark
-as soon as the prostitutes start singing the stage lights up on the staircase
-fantine has a green shawl now
- ima be honest I was trying to find the Cosette and ep actresses during this number so I wasn't paying that much attention to fantine at the beginning
-I love the prostitute with the hat and red dress, she's also the one that talks to fantine the most
- when fantine comes back with her hair chopped off, it's almost not that noticeable?? Maybe because I was sitting farther away but it looked like it was just in a bun (which probably wasn't the case since she had a lot of long hair and wouldn't of have been able to pull it back like that)
-the foreman is her first 'customer'
- they still kept it as the prostitutes singing the beginning of "Come on captain, did you wear your shoes?"
-fantine doesn't sing her part until "easy money"
Fantine's arrest
-Probably the fight that looked the fakest
-ima be honest again I was watching javert in the back because he came out on stage way to early and had to play it off
-Jean was hanging around in the back watching
- javert's baton skills are kinda 🏃♀️
-"this prostitute attacked me😧😧😧"
-javert tauntingly lifts fantine's chin with the baton while saying "save your breath, save your tears"
-when Jean is on the floor by fantine She is grabbing him per normal, she's honestly death gripping him
- the way they drag her off- they don't even bother lifting her anymore, they drag her by her arms off stage
Runaway cart
-before Jean lifts the cart he takes off his coat, looks around, sees javert, and then hesitates before lifting the cart up
- after that whole thing javert had picked up his coat and hat
-he helped Jean up after holding his hand for like 20 seconds
- javert continues to hold his hand until he gives him the coat
-then of course they had their whole gay conversion
- javert held onto jeans hat until "he couldn't run forever, no not even Jean Valjean" HE GAVE HIM THE HAT WHEN HE SAID JEAN VALJEAN IDK THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL, it's like he was addressing him as it too
Who am I
-Ngl I was focused on how fine he looked
- javert was at the court (which is probably normal but shh)
- nick was really good at holding his notes as jvj like okay pop off king
Come to me
-the bed is on the side of the stage
-fantine doesn't get out of bed anymore, she just sits up and reaches out
- "where the children play" and "see her when I wake" where very light and softly sung
-the light got brighter on her when Jean laid her down
-you could see javert in the shadows for his entrance
The confrontation
-The chain hit the floor when he says chaiiinnnn which was satisfying
-they where very in tune with each other, vocally and blocking wise
-to the point where when then turn their tailcoats kinda fly a little bit at the same time and it looks snazzy
-MYRACEISNOTYETRUUUUUNNN
- ofc Jean strangles javert with the chain for a few seconds which was a little sus
-javert was coughing and gasping while Jean was singing to fantine
-he got up very quickly then ran at him, he ended up running into his side back which I'm sure didn't feel good
-he actually lifted up Jean a little bit and I thought he was gonna KO his ass for some reason
-there wasn't any chair breaking either
-just Jean knocking javert out
Castle on a cloud
-little Cosette just💔
-she's just adorable and I feel bad for her
-you could hear her sweeping
-madame came in with a bucket and threw in down on the ground, making Cosette go back to taking the stools of the table
-eponine comes skipping in, she's standing on the table across from Cosette
- ep points at Cosette who was holding the bucket, Madame then says the line "still there Cosette??"
-Madame mocks Cosette when she says "Please do not send me out alone"
Master of the house
-Thénardier was laying on top of the inn set apparently, him sitting up was a shock💀
-I love the inn ladies
-there was so much happening
-SHOUT OUT TO THE WOMEN WHO WAS PEGGING HER MAN AT THE TOP OF THE INN‼️‼️‼️(implying it ofc)
- Feathers came out of the 1820s version of a blender
-really loved the number but there was so much going on to the point where it's hard to remember
Waltz of Treachery
-Cosette is pulling her bucket, she accidentally tips it over and covers her face out of frustration
- I think nick becoming a father in real life really showed in his moments with Cosette
- he's got a very light voice while they are singing the la la la la laa
-when they get back to the inn Cosette was already hiding behind Jean
- madame came over and started trying to seduce him, causing him to pause and look at the audience looking completely done
- Jean had placed his bag by Cosette who was holding it while sitting
- Thénardier went over and dragged her by them, Jean instantly sat up straighter
- Thénardier picked her up at "if she hadn't so often been ill" , Cosette was literally straight as a plank. But then as they mentioned the medicine she went limp and put her hand over her head
-when Jean starts on his part after that he's on his knees singing to Cosette "Cosette shall have a father now"
-once they leave he gives her the doll and coat, she instantly hugs him, he hesitates but hugs her back
- then they did their little dance before men yelling came onto stage he quickly picked her up and left
Look down/Paris at your feet/the robbery
-everyone loved Gavroche
-Enjolras and marius run through the people, you can probably spot marius a mile away since he's t a l l
-they stand on these blocks now instead of the barricade looking things
-the set seemed very clustered
-BEFORE OUR BARRICADES ARISEEEEEEEEE
-eponine is watching marius from a distance
-she then goes up behind him, he turned around at the exact moment causing her to run into him
- marius seemed very nervous talking to her
- she took his book at "I know a lot of things I do" and trailed the book down his torso, he grabbed her arm after a few seconds
- she yEETED his book while he was in the middle of "I like the way you always- *book gets thrown* …tease"
- Cosette was giving to the poor women while Jean was off talking with someone else
-cosette was on the way back to Jean when marius ran into her
- marius helped Cosette up by taking her hands, he was gonna kiss her hand but let go when he saw Jean
-Jean walked with Cosette and he death glared at marius
-Cosette and Jean separated again to different sides of the stage
- once montrapzee ran up to Cosette with the knife marius pushed him away and got in front of her, she was very close behind him. God I just love how much of a simp he is
-ITS JAAAAAAAVEEEEERRRRRRT
- javert came over to Valjean, helped him up as normal, then looked at him for a few seconds then let go
-Jean checked Cosette if she was hurt instantly then they ran off
-the way marius just 🧍♂️🧍♂️🧍♂️🧍♂️ in the background
-Marius eventually ran off, you could tell because he ain't quite at all
- Thénardier was smooching up to javert at "it was me who told you so😗"
Stars
-pretty scene overall
-stars personally is a pretty boring number to me I'm sorry
-still good vocals
Eponine's arron
-all of these sets are really pretty
-"what's become of me" sounded very pretty
-you can always tell when marius shows up by the sound alone
- HE RAN INTO THE FUCKING WALL
- I DON'T THINK IT WAS PLANNED EITHER
-eponine was giggling half way through the number due to that
-you could tell that they are besties though
Red and black
-Hottie enjolras
- Grantaire's hair is half up half down
- "marius your late🙄"
-marius is still the tallest of the cast
-i zoned out half of it on accident
- grant wrapped his arms around marius at "Is Marius in love at last?"
-enj was sitting on the table, clearly dealing with them
-when grant got up on the table and swing his bottle around for "here he comes in just like Don juan" he was air thrusting very close to the back of enjs head💀
- marius snatches the bottle, and grant jumps off, puts his hand ontop of enjs head as support to get down
-Grant and marius start acting like they are sword fighting
-when enj is thrown the bottle, grant runs into him and quickly backs up like whoops
-when marius goes up on the stairs for his part grant gets on the other table which made enj look over at him like 'seriously??'
- "Grantaire put tHE bottle down🙄🙄🙄🙄"
- Enj was very gentle with Gavroche, he lifted him in the air in front of him for a few seconds (like how Russell Crowe as javert did basically)
- Enj put up his arm when he sung "they'll Come when we call" I think it's just how he's able to hit the notes though since he did it 3 times
Do you hear the people sing
-to tHE STREETS
- the visuals are so pretty
-grant is holding Gavroches hand the whole time when they were in the back
-The one barricade boy who sings on top of the set that gets spinned around sounded really good
-enj wrapped his arm around grants shoulder for a few seconds during that
- when they start walking again Enj is either holding a gun or a flag I don't remember
-but grant and Gavroche are in the front following now
-during this ep and marius run out on stage, they talk, marius looks very concerned. Then he runs off only to come back 2 seconds later because he's confused and then ep drags him off
In my life
-God I love the lighting and THE SETS AGAIN
- Cosette runs in giggling
-"can people Reaaaallly fall in love this fast?" It sounds like she was asking the audience
- Addie has got to have the poofiest dresses for Cosette I've ever seen
-her dress is also more off the shoulder than how it usually is
- I love how it's more of Cosette just rambling
-Jean comes in through the gate then locks it again
-during one of her lines he booped her nose
- "in your eyes I am just like a child who is lost in the woods" for some reason I had thought the line was "I am still like a child" but I was wrong
-you can hear ep dragging marius again, they sound like a stampede, they hide behind the pillars that hold the gate
-after Jean and cosette go in marius runs out to the other side of the stage singing per usual
- "eponiNE your the friend who has brought me here :DD" they then hugged, lifted her up, and spin a little bit during that line which was cute cuz besties
- watching marius try to climb the gate-
- while singing 'there is someone who touches my life' he was sitting on top of the fence gate thing for dear life
-you could see Cosette's shadow in the window which was a little sus
-marius then gets down, grabs a rock and yeets it at her window
A heart full of love
-cosette opens the door and stands there like bro what are you doing here
-marius's voice cracked, Cosette went like 😟😃😀 and then went back in the house SLAMMING THE DOOR SHUT LOUDLY
- marius started having his crisis then when walked to the bottom door, Cosette came out at the same time almost running into him
- I think this is one of the cutest HFOL I have ever seen, they really did act in love unlike some other actors where it seems very forced
-once eponine comes out the lights get a bit dimmer on Cosette and marius
-ep looks over as they kissed
- both of them giggle and cosette pulls him off stage, making him nearly trip
The attack on rue plumet
-ep was blocking the main door most of the time
- Thénardier was holding onto Cosette's balcony railing, trying to get up there while saying his lines
- her threatening them was so girlypop
- the sound of marius running alone could scare the gang away (no I'm not gonna stop bringing this up)
-Cosette was very gentle helping eponine up
-they locked the gate on Cosette per normal
-again nick becoming a father irl really showed again
- Cosette was frantically looking around while making up the lie
- "Cosette my child what will become of you,,," sounded really dark or sad, I don't know how to describe it
-when Jean is going on his rant Cosette and marius now talk by the fence not the gate
One day more
-one slay more, another day another Yass queen
- ep on the right stage of the side by marius I think that's how it's always been tho
-Enj has the brightest spotlight, he does the whole show
-lowkey thought someone was gonna run into javert on accident
-THE BARRICADE PEOPLE WEAVING WHILE MARCHING WAS SO COOL
-jean now had a limp when he walked back on stage
-the way they sound at the end, chills
#les miserables#us tour#review#les mis#nick cartell#hayden tee#Haley Dortch#Matt Crowle#Christina Rose Hall#hazel vogel#Cora Jane Messer#Christine Heesun Hwang#addie morales#Gregory Lee Rodriguez#Devin Archer#Kyle Adams#Harrison Fox#Les miserables us tour
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Kyle Adams’ Grantaire is having me spend hundreds of dollars i literally don’t have
I saw Les Mis last week from good seats but I’m seeing it Again in May in those front row seats on the sides that have an obstructed view (bc I really only need to see stage right to get a good view of R ❤️)
AND as soon as I get new glasses I’m getting a rush ticket bc then it doesn’t matter where I sit
Anyways he’s literally the best Grantaire ever so I will do what I must
#credit care debt?? idk her#i’ll be fine dw#les mis toronto#les mis us tour#les miserables#grantaire#les mis#kyle if you see this i am so grateful for you <3
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if i had a franc every time i had intense emotions and started rethinking my life after rereading les mis/rewatching an adaptation, i would be richer than napoleon.
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I saw the us tour of Les Mis tonight and when Grantaire pushed away from Enjolras in Drink With Me, he went and put his head against the wall. Gavroche came up and hugged him from behind and he was just holding Grantaire's legs. Then Grantaire reached back and gave Gavroche a little hug, then turned around and bent down and gave him a big hug. They ended up falling asleep in the corner together, it was so sweet!
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Review: Les Misérables, US National Tour, Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco (July 15, 2023) (long)
This review is very late, but better late than never.
This was my first time seeing Les Mis live onstage since 2018. While YouTube has kept me well supplied with performances in the meantime, I was overjoyed to finally see it live again.
The production, of course, is still Laurence Connor and James Powell's "25th Anniversary" production that premiered in 2009, and which is now the official "replica" production all over the world. My views on it are still the same: it can't hold a candle (or a silver candlestick) to the original Trevor Nunn/John Caird production, but it's still effective, still handsome and atmospheric, and still a good, solid way to experience the musical.
I did notice some changes from when I last saw the show, however:
*Once again, I noticed that a few costumes have been redesigned. The convicts' uniforms now feature historically accurate red smocks. Fantine's factory dress has been redesigned yet again (not to my liking – I preferred the solid turquoise dress from the previous tour). Mme. Thénardier now wears a red bodice at the inn. Éponine no longer wears her overcoat before Act II. Both Thénardiers' "Beggars at the Feast" costumes have also been slightly altered: her skirt is now trimmed with a pattern of ruffles instead of feathers, and his trousers are slightly less poofy (both improvements, IMHO – the costumes are still gaudy, but not cartoonish anymore). And in the final scene, Éponine's spirit now wears a floor-length version of her overcoat, giving her a subtly more "angelic" look, much like the train added to Fantine's nightgown.
*There seemed to be more spoken ad-libs from the cast than I remember from past performances. Not to the extent of, say, the 2014 North Shore Music Theatre production, but notable. For example, this exchange between the Thénardiers just before "Master of the House": Thénardier – What time is it? Mme. T. – Time to get to work! Thénardier – There she is! My daily reminder that you can be happy, or you can be married!
*The "Waltz of Treachery" gave comic business to Young Cosette, of all people! On "That would quite fit the bill..." the Thénardiers picked her up and held her horizontally, stiff as a board, and then on "...if she hadn't so often been ill," she dramatically went limp. It seemed as if they had trained her to play sick in this way, presumably to earn charity from rich travelers. I didn't care for it, though: Young Cosette isn't a character who lends herself to slapstick comedy.
*Grantaire didn't scream "No!" when Gavroche was killed. Instead the whole barricade went deathly silent, as they used to in the old days of the classic Nunn/Caird production. I'm not sure if this was a change in direction or just an acting choice, but I'm assuming the former, because every past Grantaire I've seen or heard in the Connor/Powell production has done the "No!"
*The gag from the previous tour of Mme. Thénardier stuffing her face with cake in the wedding scene is gone. Just as well: it was goofy slapstick at best and fatphobic at worst.
*In "Beggars at the Feast," instead of "This one's a queer, but what can you do?" Thénardier sang "This one's a queer. I might try it too!" then grabbed the man and "romantically" dipped him.
One thing I definitely like about the current tour is the commitment to diverse casting, which wasn't seen nearly as much in the classic Nunn/Caird production until its last few years. In this particular performance, Jean Valjean, Fantine, Marius, Éponine, Cosette (both older and young), and Gavroche were all people of color.
But of course, diverse casting would mean little if the performers didn't give good quality performances. Fortunately they all did. Some performances I liked better than others, but there was no denying how talented the whole cast was.
Randy Jeter (Jean Valjean u/s)
How ridiculous it is that in the musical's 37 years of existence, this man is only the third black actor to play Jean Valjean in an official Cameron Mackintosh production! While I was a little disappointed at first not to see Nick Cartell again, I'm very glad now that I saw Randy. His voice was rich, clear, and alternately powerful and sweet: excellently suited to the music. And he did full justice to Valjean's journey, with all its transformations and wide range of emotions, making every one of the believable. My only reservation about his performance was that physically, he was a little bit youthful and slight for the role. I hope that either in this tour or in future productions, more people get a chance to see his Valjean.
Preston Truman Boyd (Javert)
One of the best of the last several Javerts I've seen live. He was a solid, imposing stage presence, who sang with a rich, handsome baritone voice with a bite to it that almost recalled Philip Quast, and was an appropriately inexorable force of the law until he was ultimately broken. I was relieved that he wasn't too aggressive or neurotic, but gave a traditional, hard and stolid characterization.
Haley Dortch (Fantine)
A lovely and passionate Fantine, with a beautiful, powerful voice. Past Fantines whom I've seen in the Connor/Powell production have tended to be slightly too delicate and passive for my taste, so I was glad to see her bring a good amount of fire to the role.
Matt Crowle (Thénardier)
A talented, enthusiastic performer, but not quite ideal for this role. Besides seeming slightly youthful for the part (not uncommon), he was a flamboyant comic Thénardier, without the edge of nastiness or realism that other actors bring. Still, as I discovered from an interview, he's read the novel, and he did do a good job of creating a ferret-like stage presence and a "scratchy, vermin-like voice" (in his own words). I've seen better, but he was fine.
Christina Rose Hall (Madame Thénardier)
A decent Mme. T., but like her onstage husband, she wasn't as nasty as she could have been. This might have been intentional on her part, though: she often seemed as if she was trying to play a more sympathetic, comically put-upon Thénardiess. But to make that portrayal fully work, I think her husband should have been more of a domineering emotional bully than Matt's Thénardier was. Overall she was good, but both Thénardiers needed more of an edge.
Christine Heesun Hwang (Éponine)
A good Éponine whom I'd like to see again sometime. Her voice was rich and powerful, and while she wasn't particularly wild or gritty, she brought good, solid toughness to the role that I like to see, as well as plenty of feeling. Her "On My Own" went beyond mere pining into desperation, as if she were on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and "A Little Fall of Rain" was beautifully gentle and tender.
Christopher James Tamayo (Marius u/s)
I liked him very much. His voice was a warm, rich baritenor, which I prefer to the thin, high tenors of so many recent Marii. His characterization was excellent too: gentlemanly and dignified, yet youthful, innocent, and tender, and believable in all his many emotions. He deserves to be the regular Marius, not just an understudy, either in this tour someday or in a future production.
Devin Archer (Enjolras)
Until after the show, I had forgotten that I saw him as Marius in a regional production back in 2015. He's definitely grown up nicely from a Marius into an Enjolras. While too "human" and "manly" to be Hugo's "marble lover of liberty," he was an appropriately strong, dignified, courageous leader, staunchly dedicated to the cause, yet a caring friend too, with a reserved yet commanding stage presence and a handsome, powerful voice to match.
Addie Morales (Cosette)
Good, but not a favorite. Her voice was light, pure, and slightly thin, but pretty. Acting-wise, she was a very lively, bubbly Cosette, often giggly in Act I, and an angry "rebellious teen" toward Valjean (though still with all-important moments of affection). I used to favor that characterization because it made Cosette "stronger," but now I have mixed feelings about it, because it's not really true to her upbringing or to the novel. Still, as a whole, she was good.
Ciaran Bowling (Grantaire u/s)
In a US tour performance, I wasn't expecting to see a British veteran of the London production who also had a minor role in the 2012 film! But he was a welcome presence: appropriately funny and boisterous in "Red and Black," angry and despairing in "Drink With Me," and touching in his reconciliation with Enjolras and his death.
(Though I must admit, I'm not the biggest fan of the current staging of Grantaire's "Drink With Me" solo, where he goes to center stage, sings the solo angrily and aggressively, and then pushes Enjolras away when the latter tries to talk to him. It annoys me that every replica-production Grantaire now performs it that way. I miss the variety from the old days, when individual actors and resident directors were allowed to do what they liked with that moment and bring all sorts of different emotions and nuances to it.)
Milo Maharlika (Gavroche)
An excellent, lively, likable young presence.
(I do like the fact that in the current staging, Gavroche is everyone's emotional support at the barricade, comforting both Marius after Éponine's death and Grantaire in "Drink With Me.")
Vivian Atencio (Young Cosette)
An appropriately sweet little girl.
The ensemble was excellent all around.
Going to see this performance was such a wonderful experience. It would have been a thrill no matter what, because I've been waiting five years to see the show in person again, but the good performance quality made it truly shine. I hope that within the next few months, while the show is still in California – most likely when it comes to San José in October – I can see it again.
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