Thought some of you might be interested that Drew Sarich was on for Aaron Lazar both shows this past Saturday. He did a very good job. His Enjolras was much more animated than Lazar's more stoic approach, but his passion was fabulous, especially the lead-in to "Do You Hear the People Sing?".
Matt Clemens was on as Grantaire at 2:00, and Stephen Trafton went on at 8. Stephen's Grantaire was much closer (and drunker) to Drew's, and he also played the guitar, where Matt did not.
Other things..hmmm....
It occurred to me during "Dog Eat Dog" that its kind of funny how people try to invalidate Gary's Thenardier because they don't like about 6 seconds of what he does (the finger thing). It's been said before, but anyone who knows acting, not people who know some theater, but acting; Thenardier is "sinister" because things the he DOES are sinister. To merely "act sinister" is general, and bad acting - and that is why Gary Beach doesn't do that!
Daphne's second to last I'll miss her.
Broadway Star Joined: 12/31/69
ahha ill miss her. was that a joke?!
i keep hearing people going on for aaron. i know a while back he had a back injury or something like that and had been out a lot, but i really hope he goes on when i go to see him mid-march! he is the one i want to see most! ahh!
oh, aaron. <3
I've seen Matt as Grantaire on tour many times and he was FANTASTIC. I'm not surprised he didn't do the guitar thing if he's sticking to what he did on tour.
I saw the show on Wed. I had forgotten how much I loved it. One of the things I walked out thinking was that there was definately something special about the actor who played Grantaire, would like to see him in the larger role some time.
If he didn't play the guitar, I wish I were there. I detest the Grantaire playing the guitar thing. The first time I saw it played that way I pretty much missed all of Drink With Me because I was too busy hating the guitar.
i liked gary's finger dance thing. just wanted to share that. when i saw it, drew was out so one of the other students played the guitar. i thought that worked. i don't know how i'd feel about grantaire playing the guitar.
How often has Aaron Lazar been off now? Too bad. Is it just the occasional show or has he been gone for a while now?
I think Drew is pretty much the unofficial alternate these days.
Thankfully I saw Aaron play Enjolras. I loved Drew in Lestat but he was TERRIBLE in his small Les Miz part--just lumbering around chewing scenery for 3 hours.
Featured Actor Joined: 4/10/05
And here comes the Drew Sarich defense:
Drew is about the only guy I know who can get away with playing the guitar. Drew also has a band for which I believe he plays guitar. Also, cut the guy some slack. You really underestimate what conditions under which he goes to work these days. Trustme, they're not peachy cream.
conditions = having twins to take care of?
I was at the evening performance that day, and was thrilled to discover the little program insert declaring that Drew would be covering the part. I've been a huge fan of his for some time now.
That said, I don't know that he was quite right for Enjolras. From clips I've seen and reviews I've read, it seems that Aaron Lazar has a broad, operatic voice and a conventional heroic quality that is perfectly suited to the role of the young revolutionary. Drew is...well, Drew is completely unconventional, and while that's kind of what I love about him, it doesn't work for everything. His special brand of crazy may be great for Quasimodo and Armand and getting into my pants, but in this scenario it felt a touch out of place. I suppose that - having grown up on the Complete Symphonic Recording - I'm just used to a more straightforward interpretation of Enjolras.
(I'd be very interested in seeing what he could do with Javert, though. His voice has a distinct Rock sensibility that might feel at odds with the score, but I think he could bring one hell of an edge to the character.)
Anyway, it was by no stretch of the imagination a BAD performance; I just didn't prefer his version of the character. I still love him, and - poor, miscast Daphne aside - I still love the show.
Trustme, they're not peachy cream.
I think you mean peachy keen...
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/16/05
I was SO happy when I saw the insert in January that Drew was going on and he did not disappoint. I am not a fan of Aaron's voice and felt Drew was fine in the part.
Broadway Star Joined: 2/1/06
The guitar in Drink With Me was my favorite change for the revival. It seemed natural to Grantaire's character, and it gave the song a more home-y feel.
I think i'm like one of the three people who have not yet gotten to SEE drew as Enjolras. From what I've heard, he's fantastic (like i had doubts. hah.).
I'm still as amused by the idea of him covering Javert as I was when he told us. In his words "I think they'll make me the second understudy...because...I've got nothin' down there." which is true, his range is usually much higher than your classic Javert, but 1) I've heard him sing in his lower range, too (sigh) and 2) since when is this production conventional?
I'll be thrilled if I'm ever fortunate enough to catch that. As it is, i'll be thrilled if i ever catch him as Enjolras lol. Aaron is not my favorite anyway...
but 1) I've heard him sing in his lower range, too (sigh) and 2) since when is this production conventional?
3) There is a precedent. Jérôme Pradon.
Featured Actor Joined: 5/2/06
I must be missing something because I don't see how Drew was bad as Grantaire...
Because some people have differing opinions?
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