Les Miserables — Page 4

Brilliant! Let's talk about the Broadway cast on the West End board! Marvellous idea!

Or let's not. I've recently booked me a ticket to see 'Les Mis' in June. Any ideas who'll be in the cast then? I'm kinda hoping Simon Bailey will still be Enjolras-ing, but don't they do regular cast changes? Anyone able to fill me in on anything will be gratefully received. :3

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Weez, This thread has been going between the London and Broadway productions since it started.

Lizzie Curry, I know mem. Thenardier is not really a strong singing roel. The point I was trying to make was that anyuthing she even tries to sing ends up as her screaming. It's as if she is choking a chicken and no sexual pun intended.

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I wanted to revive this thread a little, so here goes!



SondheimFan2, I'm a single reed player, so I'm sure there's much I can learn from you! I didn't notice any change there, but I did notice just from listening to the Broadway revival that it sounds like a toy that you wind up. It's attrocious. Cameron's original orchestrations are the best. Of course, if I could have any orchestra, I'd have the 80 piece that played Martin Koch's Full Shymph arrangement, but realistically, that's not going to happen, so I think Cameron's 20-odd piece ensemble would be best. I don't wee why they had to change it so much, with all the money they have, exending the pit a little wouldn't break the bank.

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"Megan McGown is the standby for Eponine and was on tour with the role prior to it comming to broadway."

It's Megan McGinnis.

"As someone from NYC who has seen this production several tiems and who listend to the Comlete Symphonice Recording non stop for awhile in anticipation for its broadway returem. I must say that it is true that the production is shorter by about 20 min. However, It is still closer to the three hour mark. I can asssure all of you that One Day More is fully intact exepct for orchestrations sp? As you al know every song was changed because of the new orchestarations."

3 errors, but when you asked for spelling you spelled it right. How ironic.

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This is the reason as to why these changes took place. They took place because the number of people that where in the pit when the show used to play had to change. Anyone recalls How Camren had to make cuts during the shows original broadway run to save money? Reason why he did that is because he had to pay a lot of money for the crews overtime becuase the show as longer then three hours. Now, three years later the pit is the problem of concern. He doesn't want to get stuck with more fees from actors equity. However, the only problem with this change is that it for the most part sucks.

I however, am just happy as a pig in SH*T that Les Miserables is back on broadway. Bad orchestrations or not.

And for any of you that don't unjderstand what I said bout Camorn having to cut the broadway productions due to overtime. Actors Equity says that if a show is longer then three hourse then the rew has to get paid for overtime. Camron paid for overtime for many hyears and the charges were starting to kick him in the ass. That being said he had to re tool the show for that reason to make sure that it doesn't run more then three hours.

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There has been a lenthy fight between the orchestra pit members on broadway and the producers. Producers want to have it so that there are as few players in the pit as possible that way they can spend more money on sets ect. The people in the pit realize that in a heartbeat their jobs can be replaced with a computer. I guess that the broadway fans who see this show should be lucky that they are getting any live music with this production at all.


I think that given the fact that the typical number of people in the pit has changed since three years ago, they are doing a good job making do with what they have.

And, i find it sad that the typical numbers for people in the pit is around 14 these days.

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Thank you so much Marianne! Did you get that from the programe or Playbill, or is it available online? I couldn't find any info on Playbill.com.

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Don't forget that in the US, productions have to adhere(theoretically) to agreed 'House Minimums' for orchestra members who must be employed in each theatre. Unfortunately the numbers have slowly been eaten away over time, allowing producers to hire fewer and fewer musicians...

If Les Mis had gone into it's previous home (the Imperial) it would have to have hired 18 musicians. The minimum at the Broadhurst is only 12

The fact of the matter is that over the years the producers have relized that they could spend more money on otherthintgs if they could ditch a few musicians. they were able to do that and now this is what we have. Orchestras that have very few players in them. I am not at all happy with the ew orchestrations. i would rather have the old ones. But, the reason why they created the new ones is because the old one woulden't work for the new smaller orchestra it. i am and I think everyone should just be lucky that there is a pit full of musicians as oppose to one big computer and a computer operator.

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On Broadway the proudcers realized that the pit musicians were just another expence that could be gotten rid of. The way to get rid of it would have been to put a computer in the pit. The musicians keep figthing back because tehy want their jobs. Anad as a result they have been downsized. And, the amoutn of money that they makee by saving musicians is not that much. It's a small expence in terms of a multi million dollar (or Pound) musical. But, an expence that does add up over the course of time.

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The only expence it doesn't need to make is the sets. Costume people, makeup wigs, hair ect were all hired as new staff when the show came to new york. The sad thing is that the producers think of musicians as secondary because they feel that their jobscan easilly be replaced. The money that they use that could be used for the musicans is usally used for other things. I am not saying that this is true with Les Miserables. I am speeking in general terms for gbroadway shows. There has been an ongoing problem for a number of years between the pit and the producers. Shows that have been playing since gbefore they started to make musician cuts worked around the problem so if you were listing to it you couldn't know the difference. But, new shows work it in a way so that the fact that there are less people in the pit are a non issue.

Les Miserables is stuck between a riock and a hard place on this partiucalr topic. They closed around the time that drastic changes in the pit started to happen. Yet, the current boradayw production is treated as new. They couldn't really treat the show as one that had been open up during the time that they reduced the members of the pit. Only because it wasnt' around then and they wouldn't be sure of what to do. So, because they had to put less members in tthe pit and they wanted itto work they re did the orchestrations. It is sad that this is what they had to do. But, it is what they had to do.

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It has bden a constent problem on broadway for years. The producers would downsize the orchestra to use that money for other things. There has been a huge fight between tthe musicans union and the producers because he prducers want to still decrease the number of people in the pit. It is sad that this is going on but it is.

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