Personally, I love this recording of Les Miserables. Way before the revival was announced and long after I forgotten the show when I saw it in London. I thought that this was a good recording to help fill in the gaps of the story that were hard to figure out just by listining to the OBC.
As for the cast, I like Garry Morris. I do have trouble listing to him. But, I think that is because prior to getting the CSR the only other Valjean I had heard a fair amount was Colm so it was and still is wierd. Not bad just wierd to not have Colm on a recording.
I do think that the main reason why there is very little noticable chemestry is because of the way it was done. It literally was recorded in different places around the world and then edited together. That is why it does feel like there is not any chemestry. They had two or more actors singing thier section of a song alone and edited it all together. I do think that if they recorded it with everyone together the chemestry would be noticable. Even in a studio recording a cast album you can still work off your acting partner. It is hard to do that when your partner is recoridng thier bit in a different country. I did love Kaho as Eponine. I think her voice shows off the sexyness to the character. I do love her a whole lot more then I do Francsis.
Overall, this was the show for a good while. I know that on broadway they had to change the running time because of how long the show took. I think the reason was that if a show ran over three hours the stage crew gets overtime. And it did run over three hourse most of the broadway run and then was cut.
There was an old Les Miserables thread on the Loindojn board and someone there menbtioned that the CSR is the same as the current London production.
"If you try to shag my husband while I am still alive, I will shove the art of motorcycle maintenance up your rancid little Cu**. That's a good dear"
Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll
