Les Miz Matinee Review 3/17

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 3/17/07 at 10:06pm

so i just saw les miz for the first time this afternoon! (3/17)

and all i have to say is, that this production blew me away!!
and i know that it is "the" les miserable. and that it's one of those shows that every theatre-goer needs to see, a right of passage if you will. so needless to say my expectations were very high. and boy, did it go above and beyond! magnificant show! i'm so happy!

loved the teching of this show. loved the turntable and the lighting. just superb.
and the costumes were wonderful, really captured the mood and the time period of the piece. as a french scholar, i took special notice to those things, and they were very accurate, i would say. lovely.

anddd..

FANTASTIC PERFORMANCES ALL AROUND!!

valjean was jawdropping. he was just.. wow. wow. he needs to win a tony for that role, it was that amazing. his acting was just top-notch. and often times actors can get weak when they have to act the song, and alexander just nails it. truly. he makes you feel the way the character does. he was perfect.

norm lewis as javert. ooooh, it's so hard not to love him. i'll admit, when i first heard his name in that role, i was a bit skeptical; however, now i can't picture anyone else! those are going to be big shoes to fill, let me tell you. he captures the "essence of javert" perfectly. i really see into the heart of javert. he was amazing.

adam jacobs as marius. he was so cute! really fit the part. he made me tear up on several occaisons. loove <3

ali ewoldt as cosette. okay, she wasn pretty good. probably my least favorite, i thought she was a bit whiney in the beginning, but she got progressively better as the show went on. but, she meshed really well with the rest of the cast. she & jacobs looked great together.

celia keenan-bolger as eponine. oh she was fantastic! lovely, lovely voice. perfect as eponine. my heart went out to her several times throughout the performance. she is tiny! and a sweetheart at the stagedoor!

lea salonga as fantine. well, how much can i say? she's lea salonga!!! performance was definitely up to par, i loved her and was so lucky to see her! her rendition of 'i dreamed a dream' was heartbreaking. loved her performance.

gary beach as thenardier was hilarious! very subtle humor and he was the perfect combination of silly and kiniving. loved the comic relief of he & jenny galloway together. great pair. definitely did the parts justice.

aaron lazar as enjolras. saved this one for last.
my favoriteeeee <333333
i'm a bit biased because i'm a big fan of his; however, he was just wonderful. and may i say i thanked my lucky stars he was in today, as i heard there have been frequent understudies for his role.
for a role that isn't necessarily the largest, man did he play it well, and with such passion. i got the chills when he say, really. i honestly think he has one of the strongest, best voices on broadway to-date. what a talent that guy has.
a perfect fit as enjolras. i would love to see him again.
and i hope he lands himself an original cast leading role someday. he is such a bright star. i loved him, and he's in my thoughts!

seriously, GO SEE THIS SHOW.
very powerful performances by all, a wonderful theatrical achievement IMO. there isn't much to dislike here, so i guranteed you'll all love it. =)

[lesmisforever]

Posted: 3/17/07 at 10:20pm

I'm glad you enjoyed the show so much!

[J604]

Posted: 3/17/07 at 10:39pm

I saw the same performance you did, and agree with everything you said. I started crying after "I Dreamed a Dream," I'm still crying, and I'll probably still be crying tomorrow on the plane back to Vancouver.

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 3/17/07 at 11:46pm

hahahaha!! <3

i teared up after that one too! and full out crying during "a little fall of rain" and got chocked up when gavroche died. =(
gawd, what a great show!
and i just about cried..and died.. when i met aaron lazar. i love himmmmmm. !

and my mom cried about 2721856192 times. and actually, continuously through the second half. and she never gets worked up about that type of thing, she usually only cries when bad things happen to animals haha.

lalala les miz<33

Updated On: 3/17/07 at 11:46 PM

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 3/17/07 at 11:47pm

ooops double post.

whatever, i love les miz doubley?!

Updated On: 3/17/07 at 11:47 PM

[liotte]

Posted: 3/17/07 at 11:51pm

I saw the show tonight. Celia was out.

[J604]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 12:05am

Oh yes, Gavroche's death. At that point, I was just *bawling* and trying not to make loud choked up noises that would distract my neighbours (and embarrass myself in the process). This is my 15th (if I count correctly) Les Miz production, and it hits me every time.

[secret-soul]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 2:40am

the last time I saw it, Aaron was completely...

horrendous.

Sorry, he just doesn't do it for me. He's just not very convincing. His voice may be nice when he's having a good day, but he throws lines away like they're the loose tear-off ends of his paycheck. there's no life in his Enjolras...at least not anymore. At the first preview he rallied and stomped and he was great. Since then...

and I'm not saying this as a Drew Sarich fan, as I still have yet to see Drew in the role.

But seriously Aaron...*shakes head*...

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 3:07am

SO glad you enjoyed your debut LesMiz venture!

From a 19 yr. old fella who's played 'Valjean' to critical acclaim, I'm beyond thrilled that you enjoyed yourself (and your mother, as well). It's an emotional show, without question, and I LOOOOOVE it when audiences grasp onto that concept and come along for the ride!



Best,
- Mike

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 3:36am

I am amused how you take a spokesman's tone. Are you an intern at Wasser?

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 3:59am

DramaQueen, I understand that English is not your native language so no offense intended, but I am sure you did not mean these two comments to come off as ignorant as they do...

and often times actors can get weak when they have to act the song

Why do you feel that way? Can you give specific examples? Do you mean PHYSICALLY weak?

And...

for a role that isn't necessarily the largest, man did he play it well, and with such passion.

What does the size of the role have to do with the way an actor plays it? Is the passion usually reserved for the actors in the leading parts?

The other very interesting post in this thread is from LimeLightMike who told us...

From a 19 yr. old fella who's played 'Valjean' to critical acclaim

Could you provide a link to those reviews?

[BroadwayPenguin2]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 4:19am

I saw the matinée today and I have to disagree.

This production was a let down except for Celia, Lea, and a few others.

The orchestrations were so over the top and bad.

The show itself wasn't engaging either.

I might try to give it another chance. But... yeah.

I sat through it thinking "is it going to end soon?".

Les Mis is my #1 show, but I was a little disappointed with this production.


Line Notes that are not important but funny:
Valjean: "I found her wandering in the woods." (puts his bag down on the table. Looks up) "And I am here to help Cosette..."

Gavroche: "LIAR! Good Evening dear inspector lovely evening my dear" "I won't..."
"This man his name's Inspector Javert!"
"I..."
"So none of it's true!"

He was adorable and recovered well.


I wanted to LOVE this show, but it's not cutting it right now.


Updated On: 3/18/07 at 04:19 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 4:40am

Valjean, one word! No space!

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 6:47am

i agree that lazar was the best....i already had a hopeless crush on him after Light in the Piazza, but his performance in Les Miz made the crush bigger haha....gorgeous and can truly sing up a storm..

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 6:59am

"I sat through it thinking, is it going to end soon?".

If you felt that way, why would you see it again?

[BroadwayPenguin2]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 3:29pm

Cause Les Mis is my favourite show, and I want to give it another chance.

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 4:31pm

"DramaQueen, I understand that English is not your native language so no offense intended, but I am sure you did not mean these two comments to come off as ignorant as they do...

and often times actors can get weak when they have to act the song

Why do you feel that way? Can you give specific examples? Do you mean PHYSICALLY weak?

And...

for a role that isn't necessarily the largest, man did he play it well, and with such passion.

What does the size of the role have to do with the way an actor plays it? Is the passion usually reserved for the actors in the leading parts? "

my dear sueleen, allow me to explain myself..

in response to the first comment..

as a performer and frequent audience member myself, i find that certain actors can become a little weaker in their performances when they have to act the song. i mean that, though their acting may be very strong, when they go to sing a song that requires much acting and emotion they can focus more on the singing and less on the acting, giving a sort of uneven performance, leaving them to fall a little short of pleasing.
this is my opinion of course, and some may disagree, but like i said.. that is my take.

to the second comment..

i am simply saying, that often times smaller parts can go unnoticed and can be underappreciated. i was refering to aaron's enjolras in this case, and was saying that even though his part was small, he played it very well. what's not to understand? and he was very passionate in doing so, causing me to take more notice and appreciate his skillful portrayal of the character. i'm sorry if you don't understand, but i don't really know how else to explain.

and secret soul, i'm sorry you feel that way, but he was truly excellent yesterday! gave me the chills several times over! =)

and lizzie curry, if you were referring to me, i'm no spokesperson? just a big fan, is all.

and to singingshowgirl, join the club. i'm glad we agree. =D
<3

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 4:39pm

Well of course you have to act a song. Do you just sit there and sing the song? I don't find that making to much sense.

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 4:55pm

yes, i know becoz.. of course you have to act the song. and i've found that either some people hardly do it at all.. or are not very good at it. and i was saying that valjean did it well. that's all.

gawd, you people.

Updated On: 3/18/07 at 04:55 PM

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 4:58pm

Great review

[BDavis0092]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 5:24pm

I'm almost hoping to see Drew when I see the show. I have heard nothing but great reviews for him.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 8:33pm

Dramaqueen, sorry I misread your post.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 9:02pm

and lizzie curry, if you were referring to me, i'm no spokesperson? just a big fan, is all.

No, not to you at all! I was addressing the LMSE superstar...

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 10:26pm

...Why do you dislike me so?