Les Miserables Tour 2017 — Page 4

Marway44 said: "Miles2Go2,

Are you seeing it in New Haven?

Actually is anyone seeing it at the Shubert in New Haven? It's a great venue to see Les Mis. It's cozier than these huge touring houses and everyone is closer and more connected to the action. Plus, the sound system is awesome."

No. I’m seeing it in Oklahoma City at the Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre. I’m slightly concerned because we had awesome seats for Book of Mormon there this year (Left Orchestra, Row A, first 2 seat’s off center aisle). This time there were very few front Orchestra seats available so I snagged us 2 Right Orchestra seats, Row B, but they are the last 2 seats on the far side. Hoping they’re not obstructed view. They’re not marked as such, so fingers crossed.

Miles... The good news is that they removed the big block of speakers that plagued the sides the last time it toured. The bad news is when the two sides come closer to center stage you will most certainly be blocked a little bit. However, I sat at the extreme left side in Hartford Connecticut and only found one or two brief moments when I could not see but it did not disturb the show at all. I specifically recall having a hard time seeing where in Valjean was letting Javert go at the barricades and when the sailors came for the lovely ladies scene. So I would say you are basically going to be fine with the exception of one or two brief moments. This is all of course assuming you are sitting on the left side. If you are on the right and you might miss a couple of ladies in the lovely ladies scene and maybe when Valjean is opening the door to the sewers or they are using that door for the inn. In any case to enjoy and please let us know what you thought after you see it.

Updated On: 8/24/18 at 03:48 PM

Saw the last performance of the Oklahoma City stop tonight. I’m primarily acquainted with the music from the movie and the accompanying soundtrack and it’s not music I’m overly familiar with. This was my first time seeing a stage production. It was my belated birthday present to my friend.

I went in tonight with diminished expectations. From what I knew of the show, I was worried I was not going to have a good time, but I actually walked away impressed with what I saw. The cast was uniformly good to great. During the first few songs, I couldn’t make out many of the lyrics, but either the annunciation improved, the sound tech adjusted something or my ears just adjusted because things became clearer. I do think Act 1 drags in places perhaps because so much is crammed in then Act 2 whizzes by, but this seems commonplace with a lot of modern musicals. I thought I was going to make it through the show dry-eyed, but Empty Chairs at Empty Tables hit me right in the solar plexus. I was actually sobbing as the lyrics seemed also to relate to so many who are no longer here (my friends included) due to AIDS and of course those lost in so many wars.

There were a few substitutions in the cast, mainly among the child actors although Caitlin Finnie went on as the understudy for Cosette. She was suberb. Also, Nicholas Edwards went on as the understudy for Enjolras. I had a hard time keeping some characters straight, but if he is the leader of the resistance who is usually wearing a red vest or coat, he was in great voice and was quite easy on the eyes.

While I had a good time and I’m glad to have finally seen a staged production of Les Miz, I don’t feel a need to see it again for awhile. It was by no means a disappointment, but I don’t see it becoming one of my favorites.

I do have a question for those who have seen the tour with Joshua Grosso as Marius. When he is nervous when talking to Cosette, his mannerisms reminded me of Ben Platt’s Dear Evan Hansen. Of course, I’m not aware if this is something every actor portraying Mariius does in quite the same way. But I found it quite endearing and wondered if it was a homage to DEH.

Lastly, from the merchandise table before the show I purchased a magnet and mug. After the show, I purchased the program and the black t-shirt with Les Miserables printed three times across the front.

The rest of our season is a bit disappointing: Love Never Dies, The Phantom of the Opera (my favorite part of the show is the chandelier so I think I can skip this plus the sequel), On Your Feet (I was a Estefan fan [not super fan] back in the day, but still not excited by this), Waitress (loved it on Broadway and might consider seeing it again), Cats (my friend said she wants to see it. I told her they’d have to pay me to suffer through it again). But at least the season ends with Hamilton. The lady who walked out ahead of me tonight said this was the fifth time she had seen Les Miz including traveling to other states to see it. I think she said she first saw it on tour 25 years ago. Not surprisingly it’s her favorite musical. That’s exactly how I feel about Hamilton.


Oh, and regarding my earlier post concerning my worry that our far right Orchestra Row B seats would be obstructed view, my concern was unfounded. If our row had indeed been the second row, we would have missed a couple moments from far stage left. However, the way the Orchestra is designed there are two rows then an aisle behind them then Row A. So we were probably the equivalent of five or six rows from the stage. In fact, those first two rows had two far right seats available each and I thought about suggesting to my friend that we move up at intermission, but I noticed we would’ve traded closer proximity to the stage for missing some extreme left stage activity especially on upper level so we stayed put.

Also, a belated thought on the stage craft. I was impresssed with the set and how the pieces moved into place. They do rely on some cost-saving projections in place which of course isn’t ideal. I did think the tunnel projections worked best. My friend and I were both blown away by the stage craft involved in Javert’s demise. It was much more inventive than I had anticipated.

Updated On: 9/24/18 at 02:57 AM

I agree with the Joshua Grosso comments. He played it awkward with humor but it worked perfectly for the character. For him, it is love at first site so it makes perfect sense. It was a refreshing, honest take on the character. I still do not care for Jillian Butler as Cosette in the end. She does not cry. She just sits there with no emotion. When I saw her last, she almost looked bored in that scene. I feel the actress playing Cosette should be crying to show how much she loved her "father" and it gets the audience more emotional as well.

Josh Davis does have some interesting vocal choices but they all work as he is so hardened. His "Stars" is perfection in every way and you can really fell his emotion in his final scene. I will miss him and Nick dearly. Nick's "Bring Him Home" is beautiful and sincere. Also, in my opinion, no one will come close to Alisson Guinn. Her take on the role was the funniest I've ever seen, yet she doesn't appear to be acting. She is so genuine in the role, it's not like a cartoon. I will miss the 3 of them and am glad to see them once more in Waterbury in a few weeks.