Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert in Movie Theaters -- who's going? — Page 2

My sister wants to go but I am just wiped. May just wait for DVD on this.

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Went tonight and LOVED it. I thought the cast did a great job overall, and it was great to hear the score with surround sound and see the actors on the big screen.

Nick Jonas was HORRIBLE..such a weak voice to pull off Marius. He looked like he was straining to hit every note and most of the time he was singing off into space rather than looking at his fellow cast members. Other than Nick, it was a fantastic concert especially the surprise appearance of the 1985 original cast and performances.

Nick Jonas was terrible...... absolutely horrible!

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Pretty much agree with everything so far and even my daughter, who loves Nick Jonas, thought he was the weakest link. More projection issues than actual vocals, which, compared to his whiny normal delivery, were decent.

Loved Alfie Boe as well and I think my daughter and I are both obsessed with Ramin Karimloo now...him pretty and great vocals.

Les Miz is not my favorite show by a long shot but parts of this were pretty spectacular and the many encores and speeches were very emotional

Yep, pretty vacant here in Texas too. Have maybe 15 in ours, but great performances. Agree with what everyone has said.

just returned from seeing it in Long Beach, Calif. Our theater was packed as well, with lots of applause.

I'm not that familiar with Nick Jonas' work but I thought that he did a fine job.

Can't wait for the DVD of this -- and happy that the show is being turned into a movie.

Maybe Frances Ruffelle was hoping they'd let her perform in Lovely Ladies?

The women next to me were singing along all night. I must have missed the announcement that this was Sing Along Les Miserables.

My theater in Pittsburgh was also packed. I got there just before it started and had to take a handicap seat (mercifully so, as the only other option was front row).

Oh, Norm Lewis, why can't you act? "Look at me. I'm serious actor as Javert. Lots of serious face. SO utterly serious. Javert. Very serious." Alfie Boe was really glorious, vocally and physically. I wanted so many more long shots because with all the CamMac solo closeups, you sometimes lost a sense of his stature relative to the other actors, and it really worked in his favor.

Jenny Galloway -- am I the only one who was really glad to see that they had her do the role again? Admirable job, Matt Lucas, very admirable... though I've still yet to see an actor who manages to play Thénardier as both a clown first and a convincing, legitimate street crimtinal later.

Lea Salonga... did very little for me. She seemed to be either singing just a hair underneath her high notes or, if she hit them, in a very thin voice. Also, totally miscast. I know LES MIZ isn't the sublest of shows, but did she have to telegraph everything so hard? And who were those pieces of cardboard they got to play Eponine and Cosette? (Though, in fairness, Eponine girl displayed some good voice during "On My Own.")

Nick Jonas. What can you really say? I mean, honestly? Clearly a stunt, clearly does not have anything even remotely approaching the voice. So.. .that being said, taking his presence for what it was, I actually found that his sheer "outsiderness" did something for the character to make it connect. I never saw Marius so clearly as the callow, lovestruck youth that Hugo intended. Is that a credit to Nick Jonas acting? No. But it is a credit to his showing up.

Why do they always get like the awesomest person ever to play Enjolras? Seriously. I'll have his little performance babies. Excellent Grantaire, too.

David Charles Abell, also amazing, once again.

Ugh, but the whole spectacle of it was pretty disgusting. Let's be honest. Just when you think Cameron MacIntosh might be a flesh-and-blood person, he does something like this. Ah, well, he wanted that massive crowd on their feet, and that's what he got.

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This concert overall was quite good. It was beautifully filmed and while it still contains the edits and cuts that I absolutely hate, at least more scenes were sung in this version , e.g., the transition to Paris, than in the 10th anniversary concert.

Alfie Boe was EXCELLENT. I love hearing operatic tenors sing the role so he and Alexander Gemignani are my favorite Valjeans. Ramin Karimloo has those Cheyenne Jackson bug eyes but he was terrific as well. I prefer hearing him sing this score than LOVE NEVER DIES's. (Still regretting that purchase.)

Nick Jonas was an embarrassment: he was outclassed and outsung by everyone else in the company including the mediocre Cosette and Eponine, who cheated all the low notes in A LITTLE FALL OF RAIN (she spoke all of them). And why was he hunched the whole evening/performance? He looked so constipated and uncomfortable and his singing - if you could call it that - reflected it. His vocal shortcomings were made even more evident when Michael Ball sang the Marius lines in the ONE DAY MORE encore with the 1985 London Cast. The two men couldn't be any more different: Ball can sing the score, Jonas simply can't.

BTW - totally agree re: Frances Ruffelle's outfit. The audience burst out laughing when the camera panned to her. What she wore was completely inappropriate for such an occasion especially one that's been filmed for posterity. Whoever dressed her needs to be shot.

Updated On: 11/18/10 at 08:29 AM

"Nicholas" Jonas played Gavroche at some point late in the original Broadway production's run, so I at least give him credit for dipping his toe back into theatrical waters. Yes, he was vocally outclassed and his glowering grew monotonous, but points for effort.

Nick Jonas was actually the final Gavroche on Broadway the first go-around. (And, trivia: his brother was in the children's chorus of La Boheme with Alfie Boe.)

Ramin Karimloo's Enjolras was apparently fond of bondage bracelets, but not shirt buttons. Not that I am complaining much.

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