I know I'm the minority on this but I actually like the newer production compared to the original. I do think they improved upon the sets and costumes. The projections actually work and are not distracting. The only time I miss the turntable is Gavroche's death and the reveal of Enjorlas' body. Otherwise, while it is a smaller production, it does feel bigger to me. What I don't like about the new production is the tempo of the numbers and how the big ballads all seem to have to be belted by the performers.
Odd that people would criticize any actor playing Valjean for being ripped. Remarkable physical strength and fitness are not only character traits given to him by Hugo but are essential to the plot.
"The constant comments in reviews about this being "darker and grittier" than the original strike me as odd." This frequently happens with the revival of any musical with a somber libretto: an absurd amnesia that the show was always dark and an insistence that the gravity of the proceedings is some kind of innovation. Updated On: 3/24/14 at 04:33 PM
Having never seen or heard Les Miserables (not even the film), what was our reaction to seeing Les Miserables for the first time on Broadway? Watch our review and find out! Click for review of LES MISERABLES
Oh my goodness Andrew Andrew, you guys are actually my favorite. How on earth have you never seen Les Miz? No matter, I still love your reviews. PS, it's pronounced like Rameen
Anything regarding shows stated by this account is an attempt to convey opinion and not fact.
Thanks for the heads up with pronunciation tip; he was truly phenomenal!
We thought that we would get slack for not seeing it! But now we are slightly obsessed with the score. Truly it is a great work of art. Guess we saved one of the best for last!
Cheers! ~AA
@FindingNamo Thanks for the heads up on our typo Updated On: 3/24/14 at 07:20 PM
That was a fun review, A&A! Glad you enjoyed it! Check out the 10th and 25th Les Miz anniversary shows if you want to see more, there are lots of great performances out there. Ramin Karimloo plays Enjolras in the 25th anniversary show done at the O2, and the 10th anniversary concert performance features several actors from the original 1985 West End cast.
Thanks! So glad we finally saw it! In regards to other productions, the moment we got home that night we scoured Apple TV / YouTube for any and all shows! :)
:) Fortunately there's tons of Les Miz stuff out there! You'll have a blast going through all the goodies.
I highly recommend 'Les Miserables: Stage By Stage', a documentary done around 1990 that detailed the show's genesis and its (then newly launched) international productions. There are several fascinating clips of segments of the show done in different languages on stages around the world.
There's also a really interesting segment done on ABC's 20/20 that aired right before the show opened on Broadway in 1987. I'm pretty sure that's on YouTube.
Saw it last night and it is really a first rate revival
We joked immediately that the turntable was gone. Seriously, everyone in the cast is first rate. Ramin acted and sang the hell out of Valjean. Swenson held his own as Javert. From top to bottom, the cast is uniformly great.
Much has been said of darkness of the sets. Well duh that is what they are supposed to look like. There were plenty of 3 dimensional sets. What helped this revival immensely was the projections by the same team that did similar duties on Big Fish. Whether it was Valjean in the Paris sewers or the rebels marching in Paris or Javert suicide, the projections really did the trick.
The orchestrations were up to the task.
During the opening chords of Bring Him Home, we immediately started thinking about Forbidden Broadway and the song "Bring It Down/The Keys To High". We looked at each other & had a silent laugh.
Naturally they were selling stuff. Inexplicably, there was no hoodie or baseball cap or sleep shirt much to my wife's unhappiness. She had to settle for a $40 tee shirt and naturally the fridge magnet. Food was being hawked like at a baseball games including a $ 14 wines in their shubert cups. Latecomers were few and far between except some couple who came in midway thru act 1
I have seen the obligatory standing ovations everyone mentions . The standing O here was instantaneous and heart felt. This was a standing o that raised the roof.
P.S.
If you want to see what the evil Mr R looks like with his wife, go onto facebook. It is under name Marsha Hoffman Diamond(my wife's account)