#haley dortch
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with their voices soft as thunder
commission i did for @valjorts !!! thank youuu as alwaysss ^_^
#les mis#les misérables#les miserables#fantine#fantine les mis#les mis fanart#haley dortch#the loveliest#my art
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Haley Dortch as Jane Seymour
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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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Oh my god the OTHER thing I did yesterday was see the les mis us national tour and holy SHIT it was incredible. also if Kyle Adams who plays Grantaire needs anything- a kidney, my firstborn child, my immortal soul- he’s welcome to it
#Most grantaire centric production ever (which makes it a 10/10 in my eyes). Also that man was fucking ACTING#Fantine (Haley Dortch) has the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard in my life#Nick Cartell held the last note in bring him home for about 6 minutes#COSETTE AND MARIUS WERE SO CUTE!!!#les mis#les mis us tour 2023#Need a shirt that says ‘ask me about grantaire and gavroche in the les mis North American touring production’
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Yeah shoutout to Kyle Adams for forever changing Grantaire's look in my brain (and for being an 11/10 Grantaire and for making me cry and being super cool when I met him at the stage door - yes one of these days I will publish my 4k words worth of thoughts on seeing the musical)
#this post is very silly#also shoutout to nick cartell and haley dortch for also being awesome when I met them at the stage door#les miserables#les mis musical#grantaire#bern speaks
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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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I saw the Les Miserables US tour on Tuesday and am still IN MY FEELINGS about it, so here’s a random assortment of somewhat coherent thoughts/rambles/write up/review.
(Note: I saw the entire principle cast except Randy Jeter (who was out) and two ensemble swings. Andrew Marks Maughan was pulling double duty as both the Bishop and Combferre.)
• I didn’t know anything about Nick Cartell going in, but holy fuck, that VOICE. Tone is immaculate. Lungs of fucking steel.
• “Another story must beGINNNNNN” are you kidding me Nick. Who gave you the right to be this talented. Why is this man not more famous?!
• Preston Truman Boyd as Javert - voice is great, nice deep baritone. I wanted a smidge more from him acting wise though (this improved over the course of his performance).
• Nick and Preston sound phenomenal together, their voices work SO WELL.
• Haley Dortch has the voice of an angel and I loved her portrayal of Fantine.
• I appreciated that when Fantine was attacked/arrested all of the lovely ladies kept trying to stop it/help her. A nice staging touch.
• The whole transition into the courtroom was fantastic. Nick with that ending note of “Who Am I?” 🤯 I feel like I heard a few nods to Colm’s Valjean throughout Nick’s performance, this being one, which I appreciated on a cellular level.
• Confrontation sounded sooo good. It is a little goofy looking because Nick is so much shorter/smaller than Preston, which made the whole Valjean-as-stronger-man thing a bit silly. The blocking here didn’t do much for me. But what can you do. However! The “you’ll wear a different CHAInnn!” *cue Present with the chain hitting the stage floor* was fierce.
• It took a minute but Matt Crowle really won me over as Thénardier. Acting choices were 💯 without going over the top.
• There was a lot going on during “Master of the House” and it was a lot of fun, but also hard to catch everything.
• Gavroche was delightful. As usual.
• I’m not sure why Enjolras’ blonde wig was so bad, but it was really distracting. Devin Archer does a very decent Enjolras, but man that wig was not doing him any favors.
• Marius’ entrance was forgettable. I think this was more a staging issue than a reflection on Jake David Smith maybe? All the students kind of looked the same at this time. I had a hard time telling Les Amis apart all night, honestly. Except for Enjolras and Grantaire, obviously, which brings me to….
• Kyle Adams. You freaking fan-servicing national treasure. Cards on the table, seeing reviews of Kyle’s Grantaire was the single biggest reason I decided to catch this tour, and I was really, REALLY hoping to see him in the role. I did not think anyone would ever come close to eclipsing Hadley as my R of all time, but Kyle is right up there in his orbit. Omg that scene stealing little shit. He really put his all into “the drunk one”. Blowing the kiss to E at the end of Red and Black. Continually slapping people with his coat jacket. The dick-bottle in Enjolras’ face. Constantly goofing around with Gavroche. It was all gold. I really appreciate an actor who’s done their homework, and Kyle is very obviously well versed in both the source material and the rabid E/R fan fiction. His performance is a love letter to the fans - to those of us who have cried over the brick, who have watched every musical version we’ve been able to get our hands on over and over again - and I love that for all of us.
• Anyway, back to “Red and Black”. Devin is great, really brings the sassy Enjolras energy. Marius is….kind of forgettable again. Sorry, Jake. Enjolras when he grabs that flag…Devin is really serving.
• “Do You Hear the People Sing” was wonderfully rousing, as always. One of my favorites forever. The transition to the streets was very pleasing. Again, Devin with that damn flag. I might end up shipping Enj with the flag as much as E and R, he’s that passionate with it 🤣
• Delaney Guyer was a perfectly pleasant Cosette. No criticisms, I just haven’t really ever cared about Cosette much as a character. Her songs do very little for me. But Delaney was lovely.
• Mya Rena Hunter as Eponine was somewhat “meh” for me. Her vocals are killer and “On My Own” got one of the biggest ovations of the night, but I didn’t love her acting choices. Or maybe lack there of, it didn’t seem like there were any. I dunno.
• The staging/choreo for “One Day More” was really entertaining. Much better than the underwhelming marching I saw in the 2012 production. Devin serving sassy, dramatic Enjolras with flair and a rifle is a whole ass mood.
• I fucking love the barricade set. Seeing Les Amis climb all over that thing is such a moment. Enjolras literally leaping off the set multiple times. Dude gets AIR.
• Gavroche flipping off Javert was an audience favorite.
• “A Little Falls of Rain” was underwhelming. The staging was a bit awkward and there was no scene chemistry between Jake and Mya. I really wanted to feel something. I didn’t. Just eh.
• “Drink With Me”, on the other hand, was so wonderfully emotional. Kyle’s stying of R’s verse is an angrier, grittier interpretation and I’m sooo here for it. Enjolras goes to console him and R pushes him away. The pain feels so real.
• “Bring Him Home”….Nick. Fucking. Cartell. I have no words. He cast an absolute SPELL over the theater. His breath control is super human. His last “home” note went on FOREVER. Absolutely phenomenal. Hands down best version I’ve ever heard live. Biggest ovation of the night.
• Gavroche’s death 😭 So sad, so well done. It was very striking how he was shot just as Enjolras’ hand reached up for him as he returned. The timing, the lights, sound everything was excellent. Then he crumpled onto E’s shoulder. E handed his lifeless body to R, who was just devastated. I love the relationship they created between Gavroche and R this production. The entire build up of their interactions made this moment so poignant and believable.
• Christopher Robin Sapp really took his 5 seconds of National Guard Officer/Loud Hailer time and absolutely slayed it. I want to see more of this guy in the future.
• The choreo of the final battle was very satisfying. I totally missed Marius getting injured and just mistook him for another student because again….Marius was just not catching any of my attention this tour, lol. The frantic moment between E and R in this scene was so raw and well done by both actors. R reaching for E’s face, clasping hands so very briefly. Ugh.
• Then E with the flag again. This scene is so striking and Devin gives it EVERYTHING. Then R climbing up after E once he gets shot and falls off of the barricade. The way it takes a few moments for R to die after being shot and Kyle freaking Adams makes sure the audience knows it…
• I was lucky enough to see a production with the revolving stage back in the day and I’m really glad I did, because the reveal of Enjolras’ body hanging upside down off the other side of the barricade with the flag is one of those theater moments that will haunt me forever. Enjolras’ lifeless body in the cart just doesn’t have quite that same punch, but it’s timed very nicely with the music swell, and the way his body shifts/almost falls out of the cart when it’s carried away again is quite effective.
• Ok so the sewers. That was cool. I felt like this production used just enough of the screen to really assist the set design without relying on it too much. It worked really well for the orchestration and gave depth to Valjean just dragging Marius across the stage 3 times.
• Thénardier dragging in that corpse by his ankles for “Dog Eats Dog” lol. Matt really showed up for this scene. I think he did a good job of dipping into the “comedic” aspects of Thénardier as well as balancing the really rotten parts - this was a really great rotten part. I thoroughly enjoyed his turn as the infamous innkeeper.
• Javert is such a little drama queen.
• “Stars” was A++++. One of my forever favorites anyway, but Preston took this song to church. Also, I do NOT remember this staging, if it’s what I saw in 2012 (I don’t think so?!) and holy shit. I was not expecting what they did, which got quite a few gasps from the audience. The falling/floating/reaching while holding that last “ONNNNNNN” was a fucking MOMENT. Props to this production set up. Major props to Preston. Just wow.
• The transition from “Turning” to “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” was beautiful, and I love love love the candle choreography. When Les Amis blow their candles out….ugh 😭 This number was a bit of redemption for Jake David Smith, who until now had kept slipping into the background. I found his Marius to be a bit uninspired and unrecognizable for the most part. He did not bring much of a presence to the role until this moment. But his vocals were great here, and the anguish felt genuine.
• I don’t have much too say about “Beggars at the Feast” because I was too busy watching no one but Kyle Adams as Major Domo for the entire scene 🤷🏻♀️
• But omg the change of Thénardier’s lyrics from “this one’s a queer / but what can you do?” to “this one’s a queer / I might try it too” and then he dips that random wedding guest dude was a giant yes from me.
• Finale left a touch to be desired blocking/staging wise. I remember feeling that way with the 2012 production as well. Les Mis is just such a powerful musical, I feel like it deserves a bigger ending than basically everyone just standing in two lines behind Cosette and Marius. The cast’s vocals made up for the lack of production though. Truly so, so good.
• In conclusion: Nick Cartell has an otherworldly voice and Kyle Adams is the Grantaire we all deserve. I am so, SO glad I got to experience this cast.
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For all that I love Les Misérables (the musical), I've only seen it once on stage; when the local high school was performing it, and I was in elementary school/early middle school. (I don't know why my Mum took us to see it, but some things definitely went over my head lmao.)
So my brother got my Mum and I tickets to see the US tour, and holy shit. Holy. Shit.
Some of the things I enjoyed may be common to the play! Maybe I'm just out of the loop! But I still really liked them! (In no particular order.)
Nick Cartell and Preston Truman Boyd were really good as Jean Valjean and Javert, but I have to give a special shout out to Haley Dortch whose Fantine was exquisite and Randy Jeter who played the Bishop and whose breath control/ability to hold long notes I envy deeply.
Gavroche flipped Javert off at the barricades. 🤣
Is Grantaire caring for Gavroche a common theme in the musicals? Because in this one, Gavroche ran to give Grantaire a hug during one point at the barricades - I think after Eponine dies? And then Grantaire gave Gavroche his coat to sleep under. Later it's Grantaire who takes it the worst when Gavroche dies, and is the one to hold him and take him down from the barricade.
I have a confession… I don't actually know the difference between the different Les Amis. I know that they're popular, and I know some of their names, but I have to double check the lyrics to see who Grantaire was. >>; That being said, they're death scene was really amazing but also probably be very careful if you're sensitive to flashing lights. They had spotlights flash to represent the bullets as each Les Amis died and it was gorgeous and brutal.
Our barricade wasn't a turntable, but the sets in general were really cool. They had a projector screen on the back that they used to great effect, especially during the sewer scene and Javert's suicide.
THE RUNAWAY CART. I have no idea how they did that but it was so well done.
The Turning transition to Empty Chairs at Empty Tables and how each lady in Turning left a candle and then each dead Les Amis picked one up and toasted like it was a cup. Ugh. Gut punch.
The Thénardiers were terrible and hilarious as always. We were high up in the cheap seats, so I couldn't always tell what everyone was doing, but the Thénardiers were always so over the top that I could always tell what they were doing.
Diversity win, one of the worst characters in the musical made canonically bisexual (?) with the lines in Beggars at the Feast changed from, "This one's a queer \\ But what can you do?" to "This one's a queer \\ I might try it too." At which point M. Thenardier started dancing with the gentleman in question and dipped him.
I really could see why Marius would be clueless about Eponine's affections; every time he actually is interacting with her, she's either teasing/friendly bullying him (pick-pocketing his book then throwing it across the street), or helping him find another woman. It's only in her asides/inner monologue that she acknowledges it. It gave very, "boy pulling pigtails" vibes and I would understand why Marius wouldn't necessarily see it.
In general, Marius and Cosette were adorable. His "I'm doing everything all wrong" was pitch perfect and he had the audience laughing.
...I know that J/J (?) Valvert (?) is the most popular pairing, but honestly I came out of the first act wanting an AU where Fantine's illness is less deadly, and she ends up leaving w/ Valjean, and they figure the easiest way to hide is to get married and pretend to be a family; it hides Cosette's parentage, and gives them a cover in Paris; Javert is looking for Single Convict Jean Valjean, not Married Family Man Normal McLoving-Husband-and-Father. And later Javert can join in making them a weird poly trio, as a treat. (Not weird because they're poly; weird because Javert is Like That.)
(...Maybe in a modern AU where Javert gets some major therapy.)
(My first thought was fake-marriage AU where Valjean marries Fantine to get her on his health insurance and then I remembered that that's an American Problem Probably.)
(I'm not saying it would work for all versions of Valjean and Fantine, just in this one.)
The Bishop was with Fantine and Eponine in welcoming Valjean to heaven and that's when I started crying.
In the applause, all the child actors held hands with Valjean and did a bow with him & then he picked up the child!Cosette of the night and carried her. It was adorable. Everything about Valjean and child!Cosette was adorable.
In general everything with the children was so fucking cute.
I already loved the songs, but hearing them echo and reverb in the theater was amazing and I'm super jealous of people who can go on the reg. |D
Just. Ugh. It was so good. I didn't realize how much I missed live theater.
I even bought merch for the first time. 🤣(A keychain and some pins, nothing fancy admittedly.)
I wish every traveling group put out their own soundtrack. I want to listen to these guys 5ever.
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Just got back from seeing Les Mis for the…4th? Yeah, 4th time. Twice the last time the national tour rolled through the Midwest (once in Madison, once in Minneapolis), and once when it was in previews the last time it was on Broadway.
Quite different this time, since I was not up in the balcony, but instead waaaaaay up front, waaaaaay to the side. I could've thrown something onto the percussionist in the pit easily (though, of course, I would never, because that would be an incredibly jerk thing to do)
More under the cut to spare everyone's dashes.
First of all, Nick Cartell as Valjean was freaking amazing. What a voice. Like, he did definitely hold out the last two notes of "Bring Him Home" almost uncomfortably long, but it was a flex he could absolutely pull off. His Valjean was actually someone you could buy as a "dangerous man" pre-Bishop (though during the scene where he helped out with the harvest, one of the women gave him a very appraising up-and-down look and then ran over to her friends, where they were clearly checking him out). Probably one of the more violent stage Valjeans I've seen overall, though he also very clearly cared for Cosette (both in tiny and grown-up editions) and when he told Éponine to take care after she'd delivered Marius' letter, it was with a fatherly-type air.
Second of all, kudos for whoever came up with the, "In 1832, very few people had cameras or cell phones. Therefore, we ask that you put them away for this performance," announcement.
Haley Dortch was the first Black Fantine I've seen since watching Les Mis Dallas, and she was also really good. Just an absolutely heartwrenching "I Dreamed a Dream." Unfortunately, my below-stage seating angle meant that the foot of her bed perfectly blocked her face for most of "Come to Me," but vocally it was amazing. I did notice how her post-haircut wig(?) still had the hair along the temples pulled back, which might be because otherwise, that hair type with a shoulder-length bob would just be a chaotic poof, possibly getting in the actress' face.
Bamatabois was played by Ben Cherington, the understudy, for this performance, and I credit that with him being the least weirdly swishy Bamatabois I've ever seen live. This guy was a rich asshole, but his threat came from his willingness to use violence (he raised his cane threateningly multiple times) and the fact that he knew the police would be on his side. He wasn't, like, foppish, and that helped give his character a weight that he doesn't usually have in recent productions.
I noticed that overall, this production did less of what I've noticed with a lot of more recent performances, where you'll get people ACTING to the point where the rhythm of the songs is lost. This cast generally didn't do that, except for chunks of "Lovely Ladies" and "Master of the House," which incidentally are the two songs that have been drifting towards becoming "comedic" over the years. (I have Opinions about that trend)
Little Cosette (Olivia I. Lu) for this performance was an understudy, and unfortunately, it was kind of obvious that she was. Just. Not a great singer. Very cute, though. Did a great bit where she just ragdolled when Thenardier picked her up.
Little Éponine (Cora Jane Messer) got in some good bits during her 15 seconds of stage time, pulling faces at Cosette and then snapping to being a sweet, innocent darling while her mom sang about what a delightful girl she was…and then sticking her tongue out at Cosette again.
I was kind of surprised at how Mme Thénardier was the biggest ham in "Master of the House," but then I figured out during intermission that M Thénardier was played by an understudy, which might explain why he was relatively subdued. But only relatively. Still played the character completely for laughs, zero menace.
Honestly, I spent most of "Master of the House" tracking a couple of guys — who I'm pretty sure were played by Joly and Lesgles' actors (Les Amis were surprisingly multicultural, which helped a lot in telling them apart) — who came into the inn together and were doing a bit about, "Why did we come here, this place is sketchy," on the corner of the stage nearest to where I was sitting.
Hayden Tee was Javert for this performance — apparently a recent cast addition since his bio was a loose page in the program despite being listed as Javert for December 6–11…and also today, I guess. Vocally, I loved his performance. Unfortunately, his body language struck me as weirdly fruity for the character, and I think it might've been because he would very precisely walk putting one foot directly in front of the other, which does things to your hips while you walk that definitely read a certain way. He also did this amazing snappy little twirl with his police baton before tucking it under his arm. Like, he had the very stiff, stick-up-your-butt, razor-sharp precision that works for a certain Javert interpretation, but it was undermined by a lot of other body language elements.
I also, thanks to my seating position, could see the robot(?) (that's what some folks who were sitting next to me called it) that stealthily comes up behind Javert during his final scene on the bridge and hooks onto him for the "jump." If you were watching it, you could catch the moment it actually hooked onto him, because he had a little hiccup in his singing.
Devin Archer was Enjolras, and he had this intensity to his performance where you could absolutely buy that this guy was suffused with revolutionary fervor. It was almost enough to distract from the truly terrible blond wig he was wearing. At least, I'm hoping that's a wig, otherwise he has done a great injustice to his actual hair.
Grantaire was also an understudy for this performance, played by Daniel Gerard Bittner, who's usually Feuilly and is also the understudy for Enjolras, Bamatabois, and Grantaire, which is quite the range. I wouldn't have had any idea he was an understudy. The fact that Grantaire was the last to die on the barricade, after climbing up, weaponless, to the top of it was a big oof.
Feuilly, for the record, was played by Christopher Robin Sapp, a swing, and again, I'd have had no idea if I hadn't taken a photo of the standee in the lobby with tonight's cast and cross-referenced it with my program. He nailed that one shining moment that Feuilly gets, where he's like, "THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS WILL WATER THE MEADOWS OF FRANCE!"
I kind of loved how David Young, who played Prouvaire, and is Black, had a hairstyle that looked almost exactly like some contemporary illustrations I've seen of young Alexandre Dumas. Very vertical in its poofiness.
Harrison Fox, who played Gavroche for this performance, was the tiniest Gavroche I've ever seen. Even when he climbed up on a table to announce, "General Lamarque is dead," he was barely taller than the members of Les Amis. Nothing to write home about, acting-wise, but. so tiny.
Gregory Lee Rodriguez and Addie Morales as Marius and Cosette, respectively, were perfectly adorkable. There was some great body language in "A Heart Full of Love" where Cosette was the one taking initiative, which I really liked. Their body language while reading Valjean's final message at the start of the "Do You Hear the People Sing" reprise was also just so good. Cosette, absolutely heartbrokena and overwhelmed, and Marius supporting her, which was a perfect mirror of how Cosette had supported a grieving Marius during "Every Day." Also, yay for Black!Marius and Brunette!Cosette!
Grownup!Éponine was played by Christine Heesun Hwang, who's actually from the local area. She was very solid, definitely played up the musical character's very sassy, independent nature, and had a few bits with Montparnasse threatening her and her being like, "a knife? Is that the best you got?"
I definitely noticed, especially during the "Waltz of Treachery" that the Thenardiers seemed like they were coming from a completely different play than Valjean and Little Cosette. The "comedy" drift of those characters has been that bad, which I feel does a disservice to the story. For Cosette's situation to really hit home, it needs to feel like she's in an actually terrible situation, not a slapstick comedy.
Other people have noted this recent lyrics change, but the "Beggars at the Feast" lyric switch from "This one's a queer/but what can you do" to "This one's a queer/I might try it too" both undermines Thenardier being an asshole (the line directly before it, "This one's a Jew" has stayed intact, and works better in terms of "oh hey, this guy's just a prejudiced jerk") and, especially with the choreography I saw, where Thenardier pulls the "queer" from his (female) dance partner to twirl and dip him, actually makes it look like being "queer" is something Thenardier is on the side of. And he's a TERRIBLE character. No one is supposed to want to be like Thenardier, but here they are, saying Queers are something he enjoys and supports. Ick ick ick. Last time I saw the musical, they didn't have this lyrics change, and I don't like it.
Overall, a really solid performance. I'm sure there's some folks out there who disagree with "race-blind" casting going, "How did a Black woman give birth to an Asian kid who grew up into a white lady?" And honestly, I'd love to see a cast someday with a POC Cosette and a white Éponine, since it's always the other way around.
But on average, this was probably one of the strongest casts I've seen, and they absolutely deserved that standing ovation that they got.
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got the wonderful opportunity to see the les mis north america tour last week & last night in dallas! some thoughts:
- nick cartell’s falsetto was absolutely angelic. maybe the best rendition of “bring him home” i’ve ever heard
- haley dortch (fantine) was beyond amazing. she genuinely took my breath away both nights. her stage presence was understated but deeply powerful
- kyle adams (grantaire) had a wonderful connection with gavroche. they were all but inseparable and it made both of their deaths absolutely heart rending
all in all, the show was amazing. crossing my fingers than this means it will be coming back to broadway in the next few years.
a final note: stewart clarke’s javert, the inimitable elf cop, is still hands down the best i have ever seen. i would sell my soul to the great old ones in a heartbeat to see him perform even just one more time.
#i would give anything to see les mid west end again why are plane tickets so god awfully expensive#go see the north america tour if you can it’s absolutely worth it#the thénardiers were also excellent#elf cop fanclub#les miserables#stewart clarke#les mis north america
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i saw the national tour of les misérables! and i have THOUGHTS
light spoiler warnings ahead!! ⚠️
-randy jeter and cameron loyal were SO GOOD as valjean and javert, bring him home was so so beautiful and javert’s soliloquy was one of the best i’ve ever heard
-matt crowle playing thenardier was also SO good, thenardiers tend to be a bit over the top for my liking but he was greattt and his dog eats dog was so haunting, him saying “you can be happy or you can be married” took me OUTT
-devin archer and haley dortch have BEAUTIFL voices and were another amazing highlight i couldn’t stop thinking about haley’s fantine, enjolras had a PRESENCE and he was haunting at the barricades, christopher james tamayo playing montparnasse was so slinky and even though he has such a small stage time i couldn’t keep my eyes off him
-I met jake david smith at the stage door !! his marius was the PERFECT blend of book accurate and musical accurate marius, he was silly and awkward at the same time and he was very kind after the show and i had a conversation with him! his empty chairs was of course beautiful but i thought he really stood out in a heart full of love and one day more
-the gun shots are VERY loud
-THE RUNAWAY CART SCENE WAS. INCREDIBLE. I WADNT EXPECTING THE CART OR THE BARRICADE IN LATER SCENES TO BE AS BIG AS THEY WERE
-speaking of the barricade, the final battle was. so good. the deaths of the les amis was. just so good. i think enjolras dying was the most beautiful and tragic thing ive ever seen in my life, (some light spolier) they gave him his spotlight at the top of the barricade and then he just. fell. weightless. and they had enjolras die first and grantaire die last, symbolizing how he was the last to commit to the republic and the parallels were just so good, r reaching out for r and running up the barricade was so. i’m speechless
-another really good scene was javert’s soliloquy, as aforementioned cameron loyal was AMAZING, but the staging of it was also incredible and everyone gasped and cooed and it was just impossible to look away from the stage, the bridge moving in and out was so symbolic and the whole scene was just incredible
-during red and black grantaire checked out enjolras’ ass after the bottle toss bit and it was hilarious
-i really like the book allusions !! the staging for éponine death !! it gives her back some of her book ending with her taking a bullet for marius and i thought it was a nice tidbit, or at the thenardiers inn they had the sergeant de waterloo sign, and kyle adams as grantaire addlibbed a “you’re new here!” to marius
overall, the show was absolutely beautiful and absolutely worth the wait, everyone was phenomenal and seeing it live was an experience that i’ll think about for the rest of my life
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Les Miserables US Tour 2022 (Philly)
Probably some spoilers I guess if you really don’t want to be spoiled!
Wow where do i begin. It was phenomenal. Every single actor up on stage blew me away. The staging was just absolutely amazing and involved. I had the best time and will 100% be looking for a bootleg of it later as the tour progresses. Now for some of my favorite things.
-The opening. Just w o w. Nick Cartell as Jean Valjean was absolutely perfect. He hit every note and made me cry four times just himself. Valjeans Soliloquy was also absolutely amazing
-After the opening before At the End of the Day they projected “Les Miserables” on the thin screen and the applause lasted the entire time up until they started singing
-Every piece of the set moved and it was awesome. They were climbing up and down the barricade, Marius climbing over Cosette’s gate, the houses moving together, just it was all amazing
-Haley Dortch as Fantine. That’s it.
-Lovely Ladies was great and had amazing energy
-Master of the House was so funny and just all around amazing. Thénardier and Madame Thénardier were s o funny and they had the best chemistry
-LITTLE COSETTE WAS SO CUTEEEE SHE SUNG BEAUTIFULLY
-Jean Valjean and Little Cosette were adorable. He gave her a little doll and then picked her up in a hug and spun her around and my heart was just so full.
-Gavroche
- Gavroche was so small he was amazing and adorable
-After The Robbery and before Stars when Javert was clearing the streets Gavroche went around saying “You heard the man” and chases the rest of the people off the stage including another officer. Then he turned to Javert and saluted him while Javert just stared at him like “Who is this child”
-Stars was just amazing Javert was awesome he was just wow
-Eponine has a p o w e r f u l voice and blew me away every time she opened her mouth
-Marius was perfect
-Enjolras, Grantaire, Courfeyrac, and just all of the rebels were perfect
-Grantaire and Enjolras though 😚
-During Red & Black Grantaire got his drink stolen and passed around the men and he tried to like fence them it was really funny
-After Gavroche stood on the table to announce Lemarques death Enjolras grabbed him by his armpits and yanked him off the table it was so cute but funny cause of how small Gavroche was and how hard Enjolras picked him up
-Grantaire and Gavroche
-Do You Hear the People Sing was fabulous. The red flag is just so good.
-In My Life and A Heart Full of Love were both so beautiful. Cosette had an absolutely incredible voice and a beautiful vibrato
-One Day More. Wow. The formation of the rebels, marching in an out of each other was just amazing. Again Jean Valjean hit every note. The end with the acapella “Oneee Dayyy” literally made me burst into tears and cry even harder at the flag in the back. Such a powerful part of the show.
-The barricade looked amazing. It was set so nicely. Also the lighting was insane for everything
-Did not recognize Javert when he came dressed as a rebel it was kind of funny
-The shooting between the rebels and police was so cool. They had lights flashing everywhere, the guns actually fired like fake rounds so it was actual gunpowder, it was so loud and ugh it was amazing
-Lots of people started coughing after the shooting started. Thought that was really funny
-On My Own was beautiful and I cried and the end opening up to Eponine being in front of the barricade with like 10 spot lights shining down on her from different directions was just 😚
-Gavroche flipped Javert off and it was just so funny. He was so small
-A Little Fall of Rain was so sad but beautiful. At one point towards the end of the song everyone at the barricade realized what was happening and started watching Eponine and Marius on the ground. Gavroche ran over and stopped in front of them and Grantaire came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him and it was so sweet. After Eponine died and they took her body away, Gavroche leaned down and gave her hat to Marius 🥺
-don’t know what he did with the hat
-Drink With Me was so sad but so good. Grantaire drunkenly tried to
fight Enjolras and was just so sad. Gavroche was behind the two of them trying to stop Grantaire from his drunken babbling. Grantaire then walked away to the far wall and leaned against it, facing towards the wall and away from the barricade, and Gavroche ran over and hugged him from behind 😢 They then fell asleep together, with Gavroche curled up next to Grantaire.
-Bring Him Home ding ding here comes the tears. Wow. Best version I have every heard.
-Gavroche :’(
-Gavroche’s death was so so sad. He slid down behind the barricade and allll of the rebels tried to grab him. It was sweet. While he was down there Grantaire looked away from the barricade and out towards the audience. After the first gun shot everyone started to look away sadly, but once Gavroche started singing again they all, including Grantaire, looked up and went towards the top to see him. Gavroche made it to the top of the barricade, but got shot and fell right into Enjolras’s arms. He gently handed him to Grantaire, who stared at him in utter disbelief.
-Before the final battle, Grantaire laid Gavroche’s body towards the front of the stage and sat there with him.
-Before Enjolras went to the top of the barricade to die he went down to Grantaire and grabbed his arm gently. Grantaire reached out and cupped Enjolras’s cheek with his hand 😭
-When Enjolras got shot he just fell of the barricade
-Mans literally just fell face first off of this giant structure
-They shone a spotlight down on every rebel who got shot, showing their deaths
-Grantaire was the last one to die, and he died the exact same way Enjolras did, by climbing up to the too of the barricade and getting shot. He fell back down on the barricade though, into like a sitting position
-They brought the barricade away with all of the rebels, so it was literally just Gavroche lying on the stage. Javert and another officer cane on stage after that
-The officer was pulling a cart and in the cart was Enjolras, upside down facing the audience, lying on the red flag. instant tears
-Javert kneeled down next to Gavroche and crossed himself before gently touching Gavroche’s arms and signaling for the officer to get his body and he was put next to Enjolras. As they were wheeling them out, Enjolras’s other arm that was on his chest or something, fell limply down and it broke my heart
-Javert’s Suicide was really sad but reallyy well done. The projections and animations were so cool and it made it look like Javert was actually falling. Awesome visuals. Dog Eats Dog was really good as well
-Turning was really pretty. They all brought out red and white candles and placed them on the floor and it was really nice
-By far the best Empty Chairs at Empty Tables I have heard. So much emotion and beautiful vocals. All of the rebels came out during the song and stood behind Marius, watching him. They moved to pick up the candles, still while watching them. Marius then kind of lashed out with heavy emotion and kind of scared them all off. They all went off except Enjolras, who watched him for a couple seconds more
-Marius and Valjeans confession was so good and heartbreaking
-The wedding was so prettyy they all had on such pretty dresses
-And of course Thénardier and Madame Thénardier stole the show again by being absolutely hilarious
-Valjean’s death was so sad :(
-Fantine and Eponine showing him the way to heaven was just beautiful
-Everyone coming out at the end, standing behind Cosette in Marius’s arms, singing Do You Hear The People Sing was enough to make me cry the rest of the show. The last chord made me cry even harder
-Don’t think I’ve ever cried that hard at a curtain call. Maybe in Hadestown or Hamilton. but i don’t think so
Just all around I’m so happy I finally got to see my favorite show live. And it was absolutely fabulous.
Thank you for getting this far and reading! And thanks for letting me rant!
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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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Finally got to see Les Mis live again after almost 10 years. And since my memory is terrible nowadays and I barely remember those shows other than what I recorded on Tumblr, I figured I better do so again, LOL.
The anticipation dramatically rekindled my Les Mis obsession. I watched the 25th and the Staged Concert versions again about 5 times each in the span of a week and a half or so, developed a bit of a new Thing for Javert in general and Michael Ball's Javert in particular, abruptly became a Valjean/Javert shipper, dove into Les Mis fic (I'd read a few E/R things here and there but not a lot), and decided to give The Brick another try (the new Donougher translation this time, which I've really enjoyed - especially with helpful historical and cultural footnotes on Kindle - though I've gotten a bit stuck at Waterloo again).
Anyway, this was by far the best of the three times I've now seen it live. The first time, in 2012, I had an unsatisfying understudy playing Valjean. The second time, in 2013, the cast was mostly great but there were some technical glitches. This time was more or less perfect and the cast was amazing.
And yes, I painted my nails to match the program.
Loooong rambling review/notes/thoughts, mainly for Future Me, below the cut.
It was opening night in Charlotte, January 31 with my mom and Jeff, and I think we had the full cast with no understudies or anything.
Nick Cartell as Valjean, Preston Truman Boyd as Javert, Haley Dortch as Fantine, Christine Heesun Hwang as Eponine, Devin Archer as Enjolras, Gregory Lee Rodriguez as Marius, Addie Morales as Cosette, Kyle Adams as Grantaire, Matt Crowle and Christina Rose Hall as the Thenardiers.
Looking at their headshots beforehand I wondered if Nick Cartell and Preston Truman Boyd weren't a bit young for the roles, but they were fantastic.
Cartell's voice was a little higher and lighter at times than some Valjeans, but also a bit deeper at others, and he held his own in duets with Javert. His Bring Him Home was gorgeous and his Finale was beautifully emotional and moving. Boyd was perfect as Javert. Powerful voice but still a lot of feeling and emotion.
Haley Dortch as Fantine was wonderful but a little soft and quiet at times. When she put some volume into it, like on I Dreamed A Dream, she was great, but some of her factory bits and deathbed bits were a little too soft and hard to hear. Addie Morales had a beautiful clear soprano as Cosette, and Christine Heesun Hwang was amazing as Eponine.
I thought Gregory Lee Rodriguez as Marius was perfectly good for most of the show but then his Empty Chairs at Empty Tables was absolutely showstopping, maybe the best I've ever heard.
All of Les Amis were good, and Harrison Fox as Gavroche. Devin Archer especially was extremely good as Enjolras. I feel like in the other live shows I've seen Enjolras didn't have a lot of interaction with Grantaire or anyone else outside of specific lines that require it, really? This one had a bit more humanity and feeling to him and I really liked him. Kyle Adams as Grantaire was also excellent, even apart from Grantaire's relatively few lines, his mannerisms and acting were spot on and compelling - cynical and mocking, knowing what's coming and scared for his friends, heartbroken as they begin to fall, starting with Gavroche.
The Thenardiers were pretty good, maybe a little more exaggerated and broad humor than some I've seen, and M. Thenardier's voice seemed a bit obviously a put on funny/evil caricature sort of voice? IDK, I've never heard his natural voice, but this seemed more obviously fake and cartoony than most, sometimes kind of tilting toward Billy Crystal as Miracle Max?
I also thought he played Dog Eats Dog much too funny. I kind of feel like that scene should lean more into the sinister aspect of Thenardier, which Matt Lucas does very well. This one played it a good bit lighter and sillier with his mannerisms and tone, which kind of made the dark lyrics about God being dead and the harvest moon feel a bit out of place and less impactful. I feel like Master of the House should be his sort of genial host persona, even if he's humorously admitting to being a scheming crook at the same time, but Dog Eats Dog (and the robberies) should be more a brief glimpse of his real sinister and base nature without the veneer of humor, what he truly is when there's no one to fawn and flatter and manipulate - and then by Beggars At the Feast he's back to scheming and flattering, craven and vulgar but the darker side hidden away again.
Other stuff:
I'm not sure how much the staging changed since I last saw it live? The souvenir program says the visuals and scenery were revamped in 2009, and a lot of that looked the same, though I think the Paris and barricade sets were a bit different?
I think the opening and Look Down were a little different from what I've seen before. And I've definitely never seen a version that included some extra scenes of Valjean being abused and driven away by the townspeople after his release and before meeting the Bishop. There was even an extra verse about the Mark of Cain? that I had definitely never heard before at all. It was a nice addition, though.
The Fantine scenes were good and about the same as I've seen, I think. One slightly jarring note was the American-ness that showed through in a few parts. I guess I'm just used to British versions, but Mme Thenardier had a very sort of brash American accent, and the factory foreman sang "sitting flat on your ass doesn't buy any bread," which just seemed glaringly out of place? Like I could buy "arse," maybe, but "ass" just seems jarringly American and modern. I kept thinking about the Fry & Laurie "American Ass" sketch.
I'm pretty sure the staging of Lovely Ladies was a good bit different than I remember. One of the whores also had a verse I've never heard in Lovely Ladies, something about "will the bleeding ever stop?" And instead of Fantine singing "Come on, Captain, you can wear your shoes - don't it make a a change to have a girl that can't refuse?" they changed it to "did you wear your shoes?" and had the other whores sing those lines when Fantine came back after her first time with a customer. Which seemed a slightly odd decision to me, I always thought Fantine bitterly singing those lines was pretty central to showing that she's accepted her lot and how far she's fallen as she joins the fallen women.
There's a few other bits that I'm not super familiar with as they're not in the recorded versions I know best - Valjean's lines to Cosette just after they've left the Thenardiers', Grantaire's "fleas will bite" part, Cosette's "you are loving and gentle and good"/"in your eyes I am just like a child who is lost in a wood" verse of In My Life - but I had at least some familiarity with them. I'm still quite sure I'd never heard Valjean's Mark of Cain verse or the one in Lovely Ladies before at all.
I'm not sure if Who Am I? was a bit different from the other times I've seen it in person too. In the recorded versions I've seen most, they mostly skip Valjean actually going to court and revealing himself. I only recently saw a recording of a London version that had the end of Who Am I? in the courtroom and Valjean opening his shirt to show his brand, and it was new to me, so I don't think the previous versions I've seen did it that way? I like this version of it, though.
(ETA: Found the playbill and program from the 2012 show and it does have a Champmathieu - normally played by the guy who ended up as my disappointing Valjean that night instead - in the credits, so perhaps it did have a court scene and I've just forgotten ever seeing it 🤷♀️ Goodness knows what else I've forgotten, lol.)
I'm not sure about Enjolras' verse admitting the people have not risen and telling the women and fathers to leave the barricade to not waste lives - it was unfamiliar enough that I was startled by it, but I think I might have at least heard of it or read the lyrics or something at some point but mostly forgot about it? It still surprised me. I also feel like the others I've seen must have had some form of the runaway cart scene, but I'm quite sure never as in depth as this one? Usually just more suggested or glossed over quite quickly, I feel like. Here we had Valjean asking around desperately trying to get the townspeople to help (more like the book) before doing it himself and Fauchelevant thanking him afterward, which I haven't seen before.
I definitely liked Les Amis (and the bits of E/R content) more in this version than past ones. If I remember right (and judging by my notes) the other versions had only the bare minimum of Enjolras & Grantaire interaction, and Grantaire mainly interacted with Gavroche? This version kept the Gavroche & Grantaire bond, which I rather like, but did have a fair bit of E/R too. Early on in the cafe, Enjolras sort of grabbed Grantaire while he sang "don't let the wine go to your brain." and in Drink With Me, Enjolras was up on the barricade looking all statuesque and dramatically lit when Grantaire began his verse, but he quickly came down and stopped the others from bothering Grantaire, looked into his eyes for a long moment, and clasped Grantaire's arms in a somewhat comforting way for a moment, at least.
This Grantaire was not very comforted, though - he turned away and sort of staggered miserably off to the corner of the room and hid his face in his arms against the wall until Gavroche ran and threw his arms around him. Enjolras looked after him for a moment, but didn't follow. I really liked this Grantaire, he was very mocking and sarcastic early on, then pretty wretchedly angry and scared and bitter knowing what was coming for his friends and Enjolras, and showed all of that even in his manner and gestures when he didn't have lines. On the barricade he hung around the fringes, hanging back when the others had all climbed up. He was the one to stay and watch the captive Javert during the first battle and clearly wasn't in any hurry to join in. It was subtle enough that if you didn't know the characters you probably wouldn't catch much of the nuance, but if you do and you were making a point to watch Grantaire especially, he was absolutely perfect.
And then when Gavroche died! Apparently the other versions I've seen, his death was off-stage. Here he'd climbed down behind the barricade out of sight and Les Amis and Grantaire all panicked when there was a shot but cheered when he turned out to be fine. He'd climbed back up the barricade and was standing at the top finishing Little People when he was shot and fell forward across Enjolras' lap. And gah, the way they all reacted, but especially the tender sorrow of Enjolras picking up his body and the sad, lingering touch as he handed him down to Grantaire. And then Grantaire carried him to the front of the stage and just sat bowed over him for a good long time. I also liked how after everything was over, Javert stopped and looked sadly at Gavroche's body, bowed his head and crossed himself (I can't remember exactly where but earlier in the Paris street scenes there was a quick, cute little sassy interaction between Gavroche and Javert at one point, too.)
I wasn't expecting the Grantaire & Gavroche relationship the first time I saw it live, being mostly familiar with the 25th and YouTube clips of older versions, but I like it (though I prefer they don't make that Grantaire's *only* real interactions, which I think the first versions I saw live kind of did). It gives Grantaire a little more softness and humanity. This version had a cute moment, I think maybe during Red & Black? where Gavroche, feeling like one of the grown up rebels, is enthusiastically swallowed up in a crowd of most of Les Amis singing fervently about rebellion and stuff, and Grantaire, who has kept his distance from the passionate crowd, sort of sighs, walks over, reaches into the crowd and extracts Gavroche at arms length and pulls him away. I thought it was sort of a sweet moment of Grantaire not wanting Gavroche to get so enthusiastically swept up and involved in this adult (albeit young) rebellion that he's quite sure is doomed.
(Another minor Gavroche bit - after Eponine died, he was standing next to Grantaire and turned his face into Grantaire, who hugged him for a bit. Then Gavroche went and hugged Marius for a long moment and then picked up Eponine's fallen hat after she'd been carried away and handed it to Marius. The show usually doesn't acknowledge him being Eponine's brother, but it was a nice little touch.)
I really wish I'd followed the final barricade death scene better. I'm seeing it again in March, so will pay closer attention to that. It's quite dark and strobey, so that makes it harder to follow, but it seemed like Grantaire kept trying, at the very end as his friends began to fall, to climb the barricade at last, maybe toward Enjolras, but never made it all the way? It's not quite "will you permit it?" but if I was reading (and am remembering) it right, at least it's a sort of nod to Grantaire still being willing to die with his friends and Enjolras in particular even if he can't truly embrace their cause.
While I'm on a shippy note, I have recently found myself enthusiastically on board the Valjean/Javert ship (IDK how I wasn't before, tbh, but I blame Michael Ball for giving me a new appreciation for Javert that I never quite got from Norm Lewis) and there were some good moments for them too. I'm so used to recorded concert versions with minimal acting, so it's always nice to actually see stuff. And this Valjean and Javert had pretty good chemistry, quite a lot of physicality, pushing each other around and grappling and a lot of long tense eye-contact. Especially after saving Fauchelevant, if I remember right Javert ended up holding Valjean's coat when he went to lift the cart? And there was some lingering eye contact as Valjean cleaned up and put his coat back on. And it might have been there or some other scene around that time, Javert holding onto Valjean, like they shook hands or maybe Javert was handing him his coat and kind of grabbed him and lingered for a moment while singing the "I have only known one other" stuff? Something like that, anyway, and I enjoyed it.
Boyd did a great Javert's Soliloquy, enough convincing fury and despair and agony. Some Javerts don't put enough emotion and absolute end-of-his-rope despair into it for my liking, but his was excellent. And as I mentioned, Gregory Lee Rodriguez was very good as Marius in general - even a few humorous touches I hadn't seen before when he's in the throes of awkward infatuation with Cosette - but then his Empty Chairs at Empty Tables blew me away, both the voice and the emotion.
The staging of the finale bugged me a little. I did like that once Valjean joined the company for DYHTPS, the Bishop stepped forward and hugged him in welcome - I've seen that in other versions but never live. But it drove me nuts that from the "take my hand" line on, well into the DYHTPS reprise, Marius and Cosette were just sitting at center stage holding each other sadly, which felt a bit distracting? Valjean was a bit off to one side, but it would have felt more fitting to me to have him at center stage and let Cosette and Marius move off to the side to comfort each other. It's not their moment! And then they stayed sitting there when the rest of the cast was gathered singing the closing lines, which still felt a bit off. I think they finally got up and joined the company on the very last line or two? Meh.That staging bothered me a bit.
That scene, especially once it gets to "take my hand" and he's actually dying, should be entirely Valjean's moment. Fantine and Eponine too for the gorgeous harmony, but Valjean and "to love another person is to see the face of God" should absolutely be the focal point. And then the DYHTPS finale should be about unity, everyone together. So it just seemed weird to have them just sitting around in the middle of the stage for so much of that transcendent ending.
(Very on brand for Marius though, that boy can never read a room. Always making him and his love life center stage when everyone else is busy with serious things like dying.)
Overall, though, it's definitely the best of the three times I've seen it live. Really no significant complaints about the cast or anything at all, other than fairly minor nitpicking. I loved it and was just in heaven from start to finish. I'm seeing it again in March with my friend and I already can't wait.
My mom, who has seen the movie long ago but isn't super familiar with the story, said she found it a little hard to follow a few bits (at least from our upper level seats, though I did bring my binoculars). It took her a while to realize that M. Madeleine was actually Valjean, as he looked quite different between leaving the Bishop and showing up there, and she didn't realize who Javert was on the barricade until he'd gone and returned and Gavroche called him out. The musical also doesn't really mention Valjean's having been famous on the chain gang for his strength, which makes it not super clear why the runaway cart scene makes Javert suspicious. But overall both she and my brother loved it too, though not quite as rabidly as I did, lol.
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