Les Miserables: Complete Symphonic Cast vs. All Star Cast

I'm in the minority in that I don't think Colm Wilkinson is the be all and end all of Valjean and I actually prefer Gary Morris' portrayal. I'm also in the minority in that the actress playing Eponine on the Complete completely destroys On My Own. Yeah, yeah, English is not her first language. She learned the role phonetically. Impressive accomplishment. I still hated her rendition.

I've had this problem too when introducing someone to Les Mis. Each CD has its problems. I would strongly advise against the Complete Symphonic. Gary Morris ruins every song. He has no understanding of realistic acting/human emotions. Also, the Fantine and Thenardiers are terrible.

The only flaw I can see in the All Star cast is this: The words in ensemble songs ("At the End of the Day," "One Day More," and the finale) can't be heard well. The orchestra overwhelms the singers at times. But the actors are all amazing. My mom loves the Thenardiers, and won't listen to any other actors/actresses playing the roles. So definitely the All Star cast.

Updated On: 5/2/06 at 05:10 PM

Personally I love Lea as Eponine. I think Frances is okay...but she doesn't amaze me! I also love Ruthie as Fantine and Michael MacGuire (sp?) and Michael Ball are awesome. To me Phillip is by far the best Javert. I guess that shows I like the All Star cast

You could buy her the Symphonic Cast album, and then rent the DVD of the Concert, so she can see them as well.

I personally would edge towards the TAC recording though.

Owning nearly all the recodings out there...I would say 10th Anniversary. Although I prefer Frances to Lea I think the rest of the cast are amazing. I adore Ruthie Henshall as Fantine and Alun Armstrang and whats-her-name as the Thenardiers. Actually I could gush about the cast all night but must go to bed.

Get the TAC - the best.

I've always thought that the complete symphonic recording just sounds a bit . . . lifeless. I've got more used to Gary Morris, though he's still not my favourite JVJ, and the woman playing Eponine is just painful IMO. As Kringas pointed out, the only truly great performance is from Anthony Warlow (well, and Philip Quast, but he's on the concert as well).

I'd go with the 10th Anniversary Concert

Updated On: 5/3/06 at 05:47 AM

I prefer the CSR to the All-Star myself. It sounds like Ruthie Henshall was having a bad day on the all-star, Lea Salonga isn't quite my favourite Eponine, and it completely lacks Anthony Warlow. As a bit of a Japanophile, I think Kaho Shimada is adorable as Eponine (and I've heard so much worse English pronunciation by Japanese entertainers; she's really awesome!). Debbie Byrne's voice is a bit of an acquired taste, I think, but now that I've acquired it, I absolutely adore her as Fantine. I prefer Judy Kuhn's Cosette to the CSR one (sorry, I forgot her name and my PC is playing up so Google isn't an option >_<), but I dislike Cosette immensely anyway so it doesn't matter so much to me. Gary Morris is a bit of a weak link; I'm used to him now but I get the feeling I might've liked Valjean better if I were more used to a different actor. But then, that's why I have two recordings. :3

So um... yeah. I would actually recommend the All-Star recording as a first recording to own, but it's always fun to mess around and listen to other casts, because your friend might find one she prefers. And Philip Quast is on both recordings, and that is the main thing. :3

(You cooooould tell her to get both recordings, rip 'em to MP3, and create her own castlist as far as possible. I did that with Beauty And The Beast, because I wanted Australian Gaston and Beast as far as possible with Broadway Belle and Lumiere. XD)

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Okay, I am in the minority, but I think you might want to get her the Original Broadway Cast for your friends first listen. I agree with you that Frances is by far te best and think her rendition is the strongest on the OBC recording, it is just very original. The only problem with the OBC is the marius (and I will get to Terrance Mann in a sec) who is horrible. Also, I know a lot of people don't like Randy Graff but I think all the Fantines are different, so your friend should listen to all of them. Now with Javert, if your friend has ever heard Philip Quast then buy her the CSR or the TAC becuase there just is no other Javert, though Terrance Mann is better then the London actor. And on broadway Colm just doesn't sound as good then on the OLC recording. Oh and im sorry but I've never heard the CSR

TO break it down for you:

OBC- my personal fav. like Randy Graff's strong rendition of I dreamed and LOVE On My Own onthis recording

OLC- The best recording out there, becuase of the ensemble and the sound is just great. Colm sounds the best on this one and Patti gives the most heartfelt rendition of I dreamed

TAC- the best cast, only have one problem on this and that is Lea. I love her but it just does not compare to the unique voice of Frances. And Michael Ball is just incredable.

I think you should introduce her to the musical by the OBC but get her the DVD of the TAC to see afterwards.

Updated On: 5/3/06 at 08:37 AM

"I agree on the "lifeless" sentiment. Not just because of some of the performances, but it all just sounds so sterile and mechanical, probably because it was. The overmixing, especially in "One Day More," does them no favors.

It wasn't to their advantage that so many of the cast members had never met -- there is very, very little chemistry between a lot of them. It's unfortunate."

They recorded it in several different countries, which I think was a HUGE mistake, becasue they couldn't act the songs. Also, the CSR has synthetic music, so if you want full-blown orchestrations you need the 10th Anniversary Concert.

The first recording I got was the London, but I much prefer the TAC. I felt it was better. I like the CSR too, but Gary Morris(I'm sure he's better in person) just got on my nerves and Tracy Shayne is okay, but I prefer Judy Kuhn. I like Frances, but her voice doesn't wow me like other Eponines have. If it's complete show you want go with CSR, but TAC just has a better cast for me. Alun Armstrong and Jenny Galloway as the Thenardiers is great, Philip Quast as Javert, Ruthie Henshall, and I don't know how many people share my sentiments but I really like Michael Maguire.

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You will find hundreds of different opinions on the topic of which English recording of LES MISERABLES is the best, frankly because none of them stands above the rest. Each has its good and its bad, which is why many fans of the show own numerous recordings.

How was she first exposed to the show? If she was exposed through a cast recording, then you may want to get her that one, seeing as people tend to prefer what they hear first.

My personal favorites are the complete recording on First Night and the original Broadway cast on Decca. I have never been a fan of concert CDs (I want to hear the music, not the audience), and the original London cast has so much altered material that it is almost a different show.

To best introduce her to the show, I would get the original Broadway cast and the Tenth Anniversary Concert on DVD. That way, she can have an excellent recording and see some great performances. If she enjoys the material as much as millions of others have, then she can take it into her own hands to buy other cast recordings.

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