Les Miserables Anniversary Concert — Page 2

Michael Ball was Marius; Colm Wilkinson was Valjean. Philip Quast was Javert.

Yes I do believe there is a DVD. I want to get it for the special features; my VHS is from like 1996.

sorry I accidentally read everything wrong.
Okay... I liked Javert (Philip Quast) better than Valjean (Colm Wilkinson).
I think Marius (Michael Ball) was amazing, and his chemistry with Eponine (Lea Solanga) was very evident in the TAC.

---

dotmarie - Yeah, the TAC cast was pretty awesome. I love watching it.

kangaroo: sorry I accidentally read everything wrong.
Okay... I liked Javert (Philip Quast) better than Valjean (Colm Wilkinson).
I think Marius (Michael Ball) was amazing, and his chemistry with Eponine (Lea Solanga) was very evident in the TAC.

Did you just dis Colm Wilkinson as Valjean? We may have to take this outside. Hehe.

I think Marius (Michael Ball) was amazing, and his chemistry with Eponine (Lea Solanga) was very evident in the TAC.

The ironic thing is, I don't think they got along outside the show. That may be just a rumour, but I think it's a true one....

I loved Colm Wilkinson more than Philip Quast, but that certainly doesn't diminish Quast's phenomenal performance as Javert. He was absolutely mesmerizing to listen to and watch, as perfect and cold as crystal. One of the best performances I've ever had the pleasure of seeing.

But Colm IS Valjean. His angelic voice soars to the heavens, and I've never seen any musical character played so naturally and with such an inner light as Colm's performance. It's hard to separate the actor from his role.

But the two (Colm and Philip) play off each other so well, though, that it's like choosing yin and yang. Their chemistry in the 10th Anniversary concert is electric.

Interesting story: Trevor Nunn wanted Colm to shave off his beard; he didn't see the Valjean character as having one. So Colm went through dozens of drawings and artistic renditions of Valjean that have been done of the decades, and pulled out the only one he could find of Valjean with a beard. Trevor Nunn conceded, and let Colm keep his beard. Now, Valjean is ALWAYS played with a beard in Les Miz!

---

Updated On: 11/10/04 at 01:08 AM

Yes, the DVD has chapters.

I could be wrong about this, but I actually think the VHS is longer. I think they cut some of the speeches (a lot of Cameron Mackintosh's in particular) on the DVD, but the VHS is all intact. Again, I wish I had them both at hand to compare them.

I believe there's also some editing of "Turning" on both DVD and VHS as well, to conserve time (a line is missing on video, but it's intact on the CD). I know the score extremely well, and I remember finding it a bit strange that a line was missing while I was watching it.

---

Updated On: 11/10/04 at 01:22 AM

I could also be very biased... because I loved both Lea and Michael as their roles. Then again... I also had Peter when I saw Les Miz for the first time on Broadway. I was young, and thought he was hot. Well, I did pay attention.

I'm off for the night. Have a good Wednesday. ~Kangaroo

---

Colm is a show stealer as Valjean. His voice is powerful and engaging. Sigh. I wish I had seen him perform it fully as more than a concert version, but it will certainly do! Perfection.

I still consider it one of my fondest memories, seeing Colm as Valjean three times when he was doing the 1998 return engagement of Les Miz in Toronto. At the last performance I went to, I sat in the front row, just an armslength away from Colm when he sings "Bring Him Home". To see him so upclose, to feel him breathe and hear him hold that ethereal final note a-capella for a solid minute was truly one of the most amazing and spiritual experiences I've ever had in the theatre.

(He really does hold that high note for a gasp-inducingly long time!)

---

Updated On: 11/10/04 at 02:45 AM

while you guys are on the colm wilkinson path: does anyone know what happened in toronto between Rebecca Caine and Colm Wilkinson? I heard the producers didn't renew her contract because of that.

Anyone know the gossip?

Musetta1957: Peter Lockyer ruined the role of Marius.

Aw, that makes me sad. Why didn't people like him?

I saw Peter Lockyer as Marius (with Colm Wilkinson and Michael McCarthy, incidentally, as they warmed up to go to Shanghai), and he just didn't seem like he was paying attention. I can believe that he probably was good in the role at one time, but he seemed to spend every moment that didn't revolve around Marius in staring blankly off in to space. Plus his vibrato nearly punctured my eardrums.

---

Does anyone know if there will be a recording of the 20th anniversary concert, either audio or video? I'm a huge Michael Ball fan, and I would love to hear him play Valjean. It will be weird having him onstage and see someone else playing Marius next to him... :P

kec,

I thought I read that Michael Ball will be coming out with other performers at the END of the Les Mis performance for the Queen. (Probably in the big finale). I don't think he is Val Jean all the way through.......

As I understand it, Michael Ball will be at the performance in the theatre the night of the gala. He will be introduced to the audience at that time. Whether he sings at that time I do not know. He will then join the cast at Windsor Castle for the gala for the Queen and Jacques Chirac, and perform in concert as Jean Valjean. I think I have written it all correctly.