Les Mis at the Papermill aka - the new tour- Page 2

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/2/10 at 1:13am

OK.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/2/10 at 9:20am

"Could someone remind me of their Student Rush policy?"

From the Papermill website (note: I'm note sure, but I don't think they reserve seats for rush, I think it's whatever is available):


Student rush tickets could be purchased in-person, the day of the performance for $25.00. At that time, the student must present a valid student ID with the current semester sticker. Students can purchase one student rush ticket per valid student ID.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/2/10 at 9:38am

Yes, it's subject to availability. However, the only show from the past 5 years or so that I can remember not offering it was High School Musical.

Other than that show, Papermill shows, even Les Miz, aren't anywhere close to being sold out.

[AngusN]

Posted: 12/4/10 at 8:03am

In the opening night photos, Chasten (Eponine) looks more like a member of Destiny's Child than the street urchin she should be. Her costume and make-up needs addressing pronto.

[EdenIsMyHero]

Posted: 12/4/10 at 10:44am

I heard that Julie Benko is an Eponine u/s. Can anyone confirm that?

[WIZdeOZ]

Posted: 12/4/10 at 12:35pm

Julie Benko is indeed the understudy for Cosette!! Not sure about Eponine?


Updated On: 12/4/10 at 12:35 PM

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 12/4/10 at 3:57pm

Thanks for the refresher on the student rush policy. Could you perhaps tell me how strict it is? I graduated from college in May and do not have a valid student id. I studied abroad, however, and have been using my foreign school's id (without an expiration date) as my student id. It doesn't have a sticker on it with the current semester, though. My sister is coming in town and we want to go see it together- she is a current student. I just don't want to make her trek out to New Jersey with me if they're going to be real sticklers on the student id thing.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 12/4/10 at 4:10pm

My student ID doesn't have any sort of semester sticker (it never did) and I've never had a problem. I've never been to Papermill, though, but I think your "abroad" ID should be fine.

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 12/4/10 at 4:11pm

Thanks! I'll give it a try next weekend!

[supersam1026]

Posted: 12/4/10 at 10:34pm

Rush is pretty relaxed there. I've done at least 7 or 8 shows in the past couple of years and have never had a problem. I just have a high school student ID with a picture and name (no sticker). One time I even forgot my ID and just showed my license that showed my age! However, I do remember paying $25 for a show or 2. I can never remember if they have officially raised the prices, but I saw this production and it is definately worth the extra $5. Enjoy the show!!

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/4/10 at 11:36pm

Their rush tickets actually cost a total of $27, because they add a $2 processing fee.

They're VERY relaxed about rush over there, and the box office staff is exceedingly friendly.

I was gonna go tomorrow night, but plans changed, and now I'm going Thursday. I can't wait to see this production.

Does anyone happen to know which performance Ron Sharpe plays Valjean at? He goes on once a week, per another article.

[siny]

Posted: 12/4/10 at 11:44pm

I tried to buy tickets for Le Miz and it looks like most dates on the weekends and Fridays are sold out. Too bad

[p.s.]

Posted: 12/5/10 at 12:24pm

After seeing the show a second time (last Thursday night), I need to update and amend some of my previous comments.

There is now no excess smoke, nor funny smells; and very little backstage noise during On My Own. (By the way, I find no sense of a jazzy pop style in Chasten Harmon's rendition. The key, to me, is only just pretending where "pretending" is a pure, beautiful three syllables, rather than a warbled or jazzed up five or more syllables.)

The lighting and projections have indeed been perfected. It is literally now "spot on" with proper focus on each scene. The first time, there were extensive lighting problems and the amazing sewer backgrounds weren't depicted at all.

Lawrence Clayton is just so much better now. To me, he now seems to have a real feel for the Jean Valjean character. It shows in his acting, his singing, his understanding of Les Miserables and of the miserables themselves.

One suggestion: There needs to be more than a very short moment between the end of the factory scene and the beginning of I Dreamed A Dream ("There was a time ..."). Give us and Fantine time for three, four or five breaths, rather than a quick two.

I was wrong about Betsy Morgan. There is nothing bad about her singing. She is strong and beautifully voiced. I don't even believe now that there were extensive microphone problems the first time. My earlier expressed opinions must have been my reaction to an experience that was only in my mind.

The ensemble continues strong. And this time I noticed a beautifully depicted relationship between Grantaire and Gavroche (either not there the first time, or I just didn't notice).


p.s. Side note regarding Ron Sharpe: In the Les Miserables Paper Mill Playhouse program, his "Who's who" makes reference to an upcoming tour of ATOTC. (He and his wife, Barbra Russell, produced the Tale concert.) Does anyone here have information about an upcoming A Tale of Two Cities tour?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 12:19am

Saw this production tonight.

It is, in a word, phenomenal. After 25 years, this is exactly what the show needed- a fresh set of eyes to take a look at what made the show work so well for so many years and give it a sort of fresh coat of paint. I went in to the production with serious reservations- Les Miz is near and dear to me, and I was skeptical of the "changes" that I'd read about, but they're all for the better and serve the piece well.

I have been a loyal patron of Papermill since the late 90's, so I've been around for the "glory years" when Johansson was staging epic productions, but the place was bleeding money, to the lean years when the place almost shut down, to the recovery. In all those years, I have NEVER seen as much energy and buzz in the theater as there was tonight. The (completely sold out) audience was electric and the cast seemed to feed off of it.

Ron Sharpe was on for Valjean this evening- I have no idea if he does every Sunday evening, or if the schedule changes, but he was outstanding, in every sense of the word. Beautiful voice, strong acting, great presence.

The standout, however, was Andrew Varela, who I once saw go on as Valjean in the original production. His voice is fantastic, and Stars was the first number of the evening to receive loud, extended applause. More importantly, unlike a lot of Javerts I've seen, he doesn't take the easy route and play the role like the show's villain. I particularly enjoyed the sneer that was on his face during his time as a prisoner at the barricade. He also emphasized certain lyrics that most Javerts throw away- in particular, "I was born inside a jail" which I think is essential to the character. His suicide, which was wonderfully reimagined, was another highlight- you could actually see the doubt slowly creep into his face. His Javert ranks among my favorites, easily. A fantastic, beautiful performance.

The rest of the cast is all strong, though the men outshine all of the women. Jeremy Hays and Justin Scott Brown (who makes Nick Jonas' "performance" look so amateurish) were also each wonderful.

The ensemble sounded great, as did the orchestra. The sound of this entire production is wonderful- the 14 piece orchestra sounded so big and full, props to whoever the music director is.

The staging is all quite wonderful (I particularly loved how Javert's suicide is done), with the exception of the idiotic decision to stage Gavorche's death offstage. But everything else works, and it keeps the show moving crisply along.

This is definitely a production that deserves to be seen. I look forward to going back at least one more time before it departs Papermill.


Updated On: 1/7/11 at 12:19 AM

[kec]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 7:17am

"The staging is all quite wonderful I particularly loved how Javert's suicide is done)..."

Before I went to see the touring production at the Barbican in London in October, a friend advised me "wait until you see Javert's suicide!" She was right -- I was amazed at what they did, thought it was fantastic.

[p.s.]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 11:23am

the idiotic decision to stage Gavorche's death offstage

But we do hear him die. and it's not really offstage. More like out of our sight, back part of stage, other side of the barricade. And we do get to see him dead afterward.

By the way, the other kid, Lewis Grosso, is very cute, and very, very good. (The other Young Cosette, Katherine Forrestal is also the better.)

Ron Sharpe was on Saturday afternoon as well as Sunday night. His schedule varies, but is set at the beginning of each performance week.


p.s. John Rapson was on as Thenardier Sunday afternoon. Was Michael Kostroff also out Sunday night?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 12:41pm

Yeah, it's technically onstage, but I think it loses all of the emotional pull when you don't see him die, and (especially) don't even see the bag of bullets he retrieved.

p.s. John Rapson was on as Thenardier Sunday afternoon. Was Michael Kostroff also out Sunday night?

Yes, and Rapson was on for him.

Thanks for the information about the schedule. I'm definitely going to revisit the production at least one more time, and I'd like to see Clayton. Not that I was the least bit disappointed with Ron Sharpe, who I thought was wonderful (as I posted).

[theminutepast]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 5:54pm

For Gavroche's death, do we hear all the same lyrics? Are these the original lyrics and not the revival's "Ten Little Bullets?"

I haven't seen this tour yet, but I have wondered before if Gavroche's death could be more poignant if it was unseen. You would imagine what was happening, and perhaps that would make it all the more horrifying. But it wasn't good?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 5:58pm

It's the revival lyrics.

Look, for me, it didn't work not seeing him die. Others may feel differently, but for me, in order to make the moment poignant, I needed to see that. One way it could work with this staging is if right before he sang his last line, the bag of bullets flies over the top of the barricade- as if he used his last bit of strength to get the bullets to the students. As it is currently staged, we never see the bullets, which makes his death appear to be fruitless.

But, this is a very minor quibble for me in what is a fabulous production.

[lstbutifulgrl2]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 6:46pm

I would agree with Adamgreer here. I saw the tour Saturday night. I saw the Original Broadway production 6 times and never saw the revival. Not seeing Gavroche's death made it seem less impactful.

Overall though, I did love this version. I do not know how it compares to the revival having not seen it, but i was reminded what an amazing piece of theater Les Miz is.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 6:53pm

I thought the exact same about Gavroche's death first time I saw this production. But second and third time I saw it, I came around, and I loved it. Just look at Grantaire's face in that scene - heartbreaking.

Just to clear up, Gavroche sings "Little People" and not "Ten Little Bullets" At least, he did when it was in Europe...

[theminutepast]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 7:31pm

I agree with the idea that he should throw the bullet bag up.

I hope he sings the original lyrics. "Ten Little Bullets" was an interesting idea, but god it was awful.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 7:48pm

He sings Little People, worry not. I was referring to other lyrical changes, not Ten Little Bullets.

His earlier rendition of Little People is still shortened, though.
Updated On: 12/13/10 at 07:48 PM

[p.s.]

Posted: 12/13/10 at 10:59pm

I haven't seen this tour yet, but I have wondered before if Gavroche's death could be more poignant if it was unseen. You would imagine what was happening, and perhaps that would make it all the more horrifying. But it wasn't good?

It was very good. What's the big deal? It used to be that you heard the shot as he was singing, and he stopped singing, and you see him fall dead. Now you hear the shot as he is singing, and he stops singing, and you know he has fallen dead. There is no need to see him die.

One way it could work with this staging is if right before he sang his last line, the bag of bullets flies over the top of the barricade- as if he used his last bit of strength to get the bullets to the students. As it is currently staged, we never see the bullets, which makes his death appear to be fruitless.

It used to be that he threw a bag of bullets all the way up to the students at the top of the barricade. But 15% to 20% of the time the bag didn't make it anyway (bad throw or no catch). Does his death mean any more or does it mean any less depending on whether the bullets make it or not? I don't think so. Whether his efforts to recover bullets is fruitful or not, this little kid is dead.


I thought the exact same about Gavroche's death first time I saw this production. But second and third time I saw it, I came around, and I loved it. Just look at Grantaire's face in that scene - heartbreaking.

The first time I saw this production at Paper Mill, there was audible reaction from that one woman who was fighting at the barricade and had a view of Gavroche getting killed. Grantaire's face was indeed heartbreaking. Now Grantaire's reaction is the most audible, matching the heartwrenching look upon his face. Either way, it didn't matter that Grantaire didn't actually see the boy die.



p.s. I recall that (in previous productions), those times that the bag didn't make it back over the barricade we would feel bad not for Gavroche, but rather for the little boy actor who played Gavroche - like he screwed up.

In my opinion, in terms of the tragedy of it, there is no need for him to actually successfully recover bullets. And no need to actually see him die.

And, even though Enjolras, as well as Gavroche, ends up dead beyond the barricade -- even without a turntable, we do get to see both of them dead.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 12/14/10 at 12:42am

I hate to be the one that asks, but are the gun shots as loud as they were in the original production when Gavroche dies?