"Les Miserbales" Previews — Page 6

^ I don't think that is necessarily true. The consensus is that if you're going to take an iconic piece of staging a way, you have to find some creative way to supplement that to not make us miss it. Instead it sounds like they've just staged it without it and stopped. Nothing new or innovative at all. They didn't add anything, just took the turntable away.

If a show's staging success is dependent on any one piece of scenery, chances are it's more an overall problem with the show - which is something I don't think LES MIS has.

Don't forget about how authentic it is now because the projections are "based" on Victor Hugo's art!! *Exciting*

Well that's too bad, since it's a sung through musical!

I agree, though! This definitely is the definition of a revival!

"I would check out the most recent revivals of Cabaret, Chicago, South Pacific, Hair, and Pippin and maybe re-evaluate your definition."

Why do you think I called it the definition of revival? Because It really belongs with those productions as they've done a completely re-imagined production!

"And you people are so simple-minded, you're all just going to hate this production all because it's different!"

Ha, that's not true at all. The Sunday in the Park revival was one of my favorites ever, and it was completely different from the original. No one is disliking it because it's different. Theatrekid hit the nail on the head with, "if you're going to take an iconic piece of staging a way, you have to find some creative way to supplement that to not make us miss it. "

I personally don't want to see exact replicas of original productions when I go to a revival. If that was the case I would just go to Lincoln Center and watch old videos. Being "different" isn't the issue here.

Kad- It isn't a re-imagining at all. It is a scaled-down, simplified, cheaper version of the original. To its credit it doesn't look cheap and tacky like say the recent Jekyll & Hyde revival. This just feels empty, almost like an Encores production. It would be more forgivable if the singing and performances were better.

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Updated On: 3/5/14 at 08:24 AM

I have to agree with Theaterkid3. I have seen the original staging numerous times and the new version twice and I have to confess that I was a little disappointed with the new staging. The one really iconic moment that this show's staging cannot recreate, emulate or even come up with an answer for, is that scene in the second act after the fighting is over. In the original, the orchestra softly played the "Bring him home" instrumental interlude as the barricade on the turntable slowly revolved showing the bodies of the dead. That image of Enjolras hanging backward with his arms outstretched and bathed in white light with the red flag behind him....that was SO powerful. Everyone got a lump in their throat and many were moved to tears. It was such a great theatrical effect. The bodies on the stationary barricade and then some being hauled across the stage in a cart, just doesn't resonate the same way. We need something to fill that void.

Not to mention that I did like the original way the barricade was formed. The lowering of the two towers on the sides of the stage and interlocking in the middle was a very cool effect. And the turntable just seemed to keep things moving.

I haven't seen it yet but...they cut Enjolras draped over the barricade? That is deeply upsetting.

Reading through this thread, it seems that there are many who would have preferred a "faithful" re-mounting of the original staging.

I don't know if its so much that people want a faithful restaging of the original, its just that this production is a weird mutation of the original with a few new ideas. A completely new staging would at least present a completely new take on it and a fresh look at the show.

But here you have a mongrel of a show, where some of the changes are to the shows detriment making key scenes far less emotional and lacking impact, and the lack of dates make the show harder to follow for those coming to it fresh. If anything its the producers that were too scared to do anything too radical.

At least with the recent Phantom tour it was pretty much a fresh take (some that really worked in my opinion)

neonlightsxo: I haven't seen the Broadway version, but if they are staging it the same way as the latest tour, then yes, Enjolras is no longer seen draped over the barricade. Instead, Javert is inspecting the scene of the barricade and, as the instrumental "Bring Him Home" reprise swells, a cart (to carry away the dead rebels) is turned around to reveal two rebels: Gavroche, slumped in the back, and Enjolras, surrounded by a single beam of golden light and falling back in the classic "crucified" pose.

"1 - Removing the dates and locations "

This REALLY bothered me with the revival. There was no concept of passing of time. This revival just assumes that everyone has seen the show before. I really do not understand cutting the dates and locations being projected in between scenes.

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I often prefer original productions, even if it is true that recreations of them more often than not can seem soulless. But it would be kinda ridiculous to mount one of Les Miz so soon. But as others have said, in most ways this is just a cheaper to tour watered down take on the original... CamMac seems to have purposefully hired (and I know this is mean) no-name directors whose main experience is being assistant directors on various tours of the earlier shows (this goes for Phantom and Miss Saigon too) which seems very cynical to me. So the show is cheaper and easier to run (I imagine.) But?