LES MISERABLES Reivews- Page 3

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 10:09pm

I'm very happy to hear that non-Ramin related portions of the show are getting such great reviews as well. With a few quibbles (mainly Nikki's book scenes) I happened to really like this production, including Ramin's understudy the night I saw it.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 10:14pm

The Times is Isherwood, and he's MIXED, with high praise for Karimloo & Swenson.

"While I was watching the new revival of “Les Misérables,” it occurred to me that this beloved stage adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel may have helped pave the way for the pop singing contests that have proliferated across the globe in this century....

The highlight of his performance, and perhaps the production as a whole, is Mr. Karimloo’s beautifully restrained but richly felt rendition of “Bring Him Home,” one of the score’s less thundering songs, in which Valjean sends up a prayer for Marius, who has fallen at the barricades after falling for Cosette (Samantha Hill), whom Valjean has raised after her mother’s death. Mr. Karimloo’s croon is as sweet as his belt is big.

Mr. Swenson, who has played nice guys with big hair in “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” and “Hair” on Broadway, makes for an unusually dreamboaty Javert. (A beauty contest between hero and villain would be a tough call here.) He musters his inner sinister to snarl and glower with gusto, and his singing has both power and precision. (I liked the way Mr. Swenson emphasized an extra syllable in the word “God” when he sang it at one point, as if the name of the deity naturally stuck in the throat of this vile character.) Javert has his own climactic soliloquy mirroring Valjean’s opening one, in which he is forced to question his life’s purpose, since Valjean’s good seems to be triumphing so annoyingly over his evil. Eyes still glowing with thirst for vengeance, Mr. Swenson’s Javert met his end with soul shaken, but vocal resources firmly intact."

From what BWW posters were saying about this revival, Isherwood seems to have hit the nail on the head.
NYT Review

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 10:14pm

Isherwood's New York Times Review:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/theater/les-miserables-returns-to-broadway.html?_r=0&referrer=

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 10:15pm

Explain to my why we care so much about his body? You want realism in his body but no one cares about.... the fact that they are French with American/English accents.... Or the whole race part of it (Which I don't give a sh*t about, but if your'e going for realism...) So who cares if he waxes or not? Dude can sing. Dude can act. He's great.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 10:17pm

"The consensus of opinions among BWW posters and the consensus of theatre critics has been pretty disparate lately."

In the words of one Nelson Muntz….HA-ha!

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 10:22pm

Variety is MIXED:

"Audiences go to musical comedies to laugh themselves silly. But when they go to musical plays, they want to be stirred by melody and shaken with emotion. Like it or not (and it’s always been more of an audience show than one for the critics), that’s what “Les Miz” delivers — beautiful melodies and unbridled emotions...

The folly of this revival is allowing this thematic darkness to overwhelm the whole production and the raging emotions to color every single musical number. Perhaps not every last one: The night before the battle, Karimloo is allowed a still moment so Valjean can sing the heartbreaking “Bring Him Home” without having the mood destroyed. And after the battle has been fought and lost, Mientus’ Marius is left to quietly contemplate the loss of his friends in “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.”

But like the overwrought sung-through recitative, the songs are mostly delivered at high decibels. Even Eponine’s despairing “On My Own” escalates from mournful reflection to belting brassiness. Technically and stylistically, this is quite a good show and sure to please the fans. It doesn’t really need to twist and shout to be heard."
http://variety.com/2014/legit/reviews/broadway-review-les-miserables-1201143947/

[morosco]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 10:35pm

That six pack looks more like creative shadowing done with makeup.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 10:44pm

I love how all of the shows that everyone hates here are getting great reviews! :P

Yes, all.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 11:16pm

Wow, the NY Times described Andy Mentius as "bland." Well...at least he didn't say "bad"?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 11:23pm

That's because Andy Mentius *is* bland. I enjoyed Isherwood's review, but I'm not sure in what world you could call Burger a " nice guy with big hair," he might be one of the leads, but Swenson never played him as a "nice guy." I bet the two leads are happy with that Times review, he also seemed to like "Master of the House."

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/23/14 at 11:23pm

Double post

Updated On: 3/23/14 at 11:23 PM

[Joviedamian]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 12:14am

"That six pack looks more like creative shadowing done with makeup."

What about here?



and here...



These pictures were taking before LOVE NEVER DIES...though I sure he has some makeup to detail his abs more, I will have to say that most of that is very natural!

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:15am

Nice, the critics seemed to see the same show I did... I went in not really familiar with the hype or history of Karimloo, and left wondering how his name had eluded me for so long. His "Bring Him Home" brought the house to a hush the other night, and no one wanted to miss a single breath or syllable. Exquisite. And this isn't even one of my favorite shows...

I did like Mientus, and thought his voice was pleasant and used much more broadly than we ever got to see in Smash, although that role always seems out of place to me, all his friends are dying in the street, and he needs to get a note to a girl, etc. Sort of like how Tom Cruise starts courting a girl as the aliens are attacking...

And, from the annals of another show I didn't think I'd care for going in, and left a fan, it was so nice seeing Keala Settle (from Hands on a Hardbody) chew up every inch of the scenes in which she appeared.

I do question the NY Times saying this staging is meant to capitalize on the movie version. Are people really sitting around thinking "You know that movie version with celebrities that we can buy on Blu-Ray for $15 and all watch at home? How would you like to spend $135 each and see people you don't know sing it on Broadway!"? I don't see it.

There's such a built-in audience for this production, all of whom are in for a treat, so you can probably attach any theory to why the audience is showing up and claim you were right, I suppose...

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:45am

I do question the NY Times saying this staging is meant to capitalize on the movie version. Are people really sitting around thinking "You know that movie version with celebrities that we can buy on Blu-Ray for $15 and all watch at home? How would you like to spend $135 each and see people you don't know sing it on Broadway!"? I don't see it.

That's probably exactly why people are going to see this. I think fans of the movie coming to Broadway for the first time are a large part of their target audience.

I didn't like this production at all, but good lord are the producers smart...
1) bringing the classic home to its classic landmark theatre
2) bringing the show to Broadway not long after the movie did killer business on the big screen
3) casting Broadway names and some pretty well known newcomers in the show
4) making it quite clear this is not the same production people have been seeing for years through the marketing and promotional material - which, let's face it, they are promoting this on every lamppost and have their promo reel playing in Times Square every five minutes

From a business standpoint, I'm really impressed with how well this has been brought back. They generated tons of hype and build up coming in, and it clearly worked.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 1:50am

Can Ramin even grow chest hair? Maybe he can't. Some guys can't.

[tazber]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 6:06am

He's Iranian. He can grow hair.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 8:07am

I wonder what happened to Ben Brantley, it seems Charles Isherwood is getting all the big gigs now?

[jkstheatrescene]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 8:22am

Interesting that finally the BWW reviewer could come up with a negative review finally. He LOVES everything. This bad review should make all the negative nellies on here happy AND give all the Les Miz groupies something to wave their flags at before they pretend to swear off this site, then come back to gloat that in spite of any negative press, Les Miz will be at the Imperial for the next few years. Shrewd move, BWW.

And a genuine question - I've read people saying that the Imperial is Les Miz's "classic home" and even the show website refers to it as "bringing it home." I get the show's play on words. But isn't the Broadway Theatre its Broadway home? I remember when they moved the show to the Imperial, and everyone was outraged! They shrunk the production, shrunk the orchestra, and shrunk the running time.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 8:44am

The Broadway was only its home for 3 years whereas the Imperial is where it spent the majority of its run.

I think the good reviews will help Les Miserables have a decent run, longer than the last revival at least. I imagine if Miss Saigon is a hit in London, it'll be on Broadway in 2016 maybe replacing Les Mis if it's run of steam by that point.

Updated On: 3/24/14 at 08:44 AM

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 9:09am

Or maybe if Cinderella closes, Miss Saigon could possibly head back to the Broadway Theater...

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 9:52am

They shrunk the production, shrunk the orchestra, and shrunk the running time.

Didn't they not shrink the running time until 2000? http://www.playbill.com/news/article/57351-Trim-for-the-New-Year-Broadway-Les-Miz-Now-Runs-2-Hours-58-Minutes

[jkstheatrescene]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 11:08am

^
Thanks for the correction, Lizzie. It doesn't really change my point, though. Everything got "smaller" at the Imperial. And (as you corrected me) both times it sent the Les Miz fans into a frenzy of "how could they"s.

And actually, it is my understanding that little trims here and there were on going for some time when the musician's union held firm to overtime pay past a certain hour, and the producers weren't going to pay it, so they trimmed, until they were ready to announce a "slimmer Les Miserables" as in the article you posted. I might be wrong about that...

Either way, people were up in arms. Today, does anyone care? OK, maybe the newest generation of Gavroches who have a much smaller part than the kid who played him on opening night in 1987.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 11:15am

It's even shorter now. It runs about two hours and forty minutes not including the intermission.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 11:19am

I wonder what happened to Ben Brantley, it seems Charles Isherwood is getting all the big gigs now?

The trillionth production of this show is hardly a "big gig".

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 3/24/14 at 11:39am

Disagree with you on this.

Les Miserables and Aladdin are the biggest shows opening on Broadway this year, both being reviewed by Isherwood add to that the biggest play of the season All The Way and that too is beong reviewd by Isherwood.