Les Miz in Chicago- review

[liotte]

Posted: 3/17/05 at 5:34pm

So is anyone interested in meeting up at the Cadillac theater in downtown Chicago to see Les Miz tonight for the 7:30 show?
Updated On: 3/18/05 at 05:34 PM

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 3/17/05 at 5:52pm

Sure! If you have a free ticket, I'll go!!!!! Of course, you'll also have to pay for my plane ticket from California too. :)

Adam
Updated On: 3/17/05 at 05:52 PM

[liotte]

Posted: 3/17/05 at 5:57pm

No, no free tickets and no plane ticket, sorry!!! I'll let you know when I am in CA and we can go to a show then!

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 3/17/05 at 10:00pm

if ur serious id love to, how much is ur ticket?

[shira467]

Posted: 3/17/05 at 10:02pm

Liotte, you're in Chicago now? My, you travel!

I'll go with you in spirit!

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 3/17/05 at 10:38pm

Too bad you're not going this satuday instead.

[liotte]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:16am

AHHH! Ticketmaster lies! They do have student rush tickets, I got my aisle 3rd row orchestra seat for $25 a half hour before curtain!!
The show was great, I'm glad I can still see the tour on occassion since it's no longer in NY.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:29am

Are you going to write a review? :)

[commasplice]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:31am

If I were in Chicago I would have gone :) But I'm still in Milwaukee, so I rushed the Mille tour instead.

[liotte]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:45am

A review: Ok- here goes- in order of appearance of main characters: (but first- the Cadillac Theater is huge compared to the imperial, so there is a lot more space to take up and less speakers. So from the front, it seemed that I heard what was on stage without any mics, and then it was amplified in the speakers as you went farther back)
Randal Keith was great as Jean Valjean, he seemed a little tentative at first but he grew on me as the show went on and was great by the time they got to Who Am I and the Confrontation.
Robert Hunt was fantastic as Javert, he had a great booming voice and definitely fits the role well.
Tonya Dixon- Fantine- Great voice, her boobs almost fell out of the dress in Lovely Ladies. I wish fantine had a larger role, I love her songs! However- the black/latina/darker skin? actress and very pale white Cosette didn't look like mother/daugher. I guess if Elphaba can come out green from two white parents...
Jennifer Butt was a great Madame Thenardier, wasn't very impressed with David Benoit as Thenardier though, he just didn't seem to bring the laughs and kidding around that comes with that role...
Marissa McGowan- Eponine- understudy tonight - Loved her! First time in the 10 times I have seen the show with a blond Eponine, she did a great job and On My Own and Little Fall of Rain were very soulful and heart wrenching.
Adam Jacobs was a nice Marius. Certainly not Michael Ball (who I love), nothing too special. He had a good voice but it seemed timid and quiet for a lot of the evening until Empty Chairs, then he was much better.
Leslie Henstock- Cosette- Beautiful voice, good acting, this role reminds me way too much of Christine in Phantom though. I really enjoyed her Heart Full of Love.
All the kids (Gavroche, Eponine, Cosette) were adorable, as always. Good spirit in John-Andrew Clark as Enjolras, when he started singing, I thought he should have been Marius.
The actual performance was the same as it always is- turntable stage, same costumes and sets. It was a fun night overall, and I'm glad I went to the show!
Updated On: 3/18/05 at 12:45 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:47am

I don't see how "not Michael Ball" is a bad thing, but anyway...

Glad you saw Marissa. I've been wondering what she would be like.

I loved Leslie as Cosette. She sings "Think of Me" on her CD and I really hope she does get to play Christine on stage sometime.

I hope your Tonya comments don't start yet another colorblind casting flame war.

[Derech2]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 2:58am

Glad you liked it. Thanks for the nice review.

I saw it in Novemeber when it passed through my town. I was really disapointed with Tonya Dixon. And I saw the show twice too, with her in it both times, when my friends got to see the understudy who was evidently better.

I'm glad the understudy for Eponine was good, but the original Melissa Lyons was one of the highlights of the show for me. Best On My Own I've ever heard.

I wasn't too thrilled with the Enjolras ... but he was decent enough.

Randal Keith .... oh my goodness .... I worship him ....

[ColumbiaMT]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:49am

Well, I did this once and pressed the wrong button and my lovely long review(ish) thing for erased. So here I go again..

Just wanted to say that I'm brand new to the happy little board here. I'm Guerin and I'm currently studying Musical Theatre at Columbia in Chicago.

I went to go see Les Mis last night (Wednesday) and was my first time seeing the show. I saw a "school addition" back at home and well.. no comment.

I was very impressed with the set, costumes and all that goes with it. I really liked how the stage was lit and how the set and characters tended to pop out of nowhere - it made the transitions very nice.

As for the characters go, I was actually very impressed with Tonya Dixon. I loved her voice and she played Fantine with great emotion - I really felt for her. I was bummed that she died in the first 15 minutes - thank god for the resurrection at the end! My other fave was Jennifer Butt as Madame Thenardier, she had very good comic timing and had a good voice to boot. Her other half, though, was a disapointment. He just didn't carry the Thenardier flag very high.

I kinda wanted to tape Adam Jacobs' hands to his side because he kept on raising them up like Jesus and it got old after the first few times - but he impressed me. Now during "On My Own" I was totally into the song and the moment and getting all emotional and Melissa Lyons did something VERY weird with her voice that I actually said "What?" outloud and the old lady in front of me turned around and gave me a friendly look. It was a moment. I really didn't like Melissa all too much - she has an amazing voice and is very talented - but I just didn't get the feel for the character all too much. But you can't win them all.

But every member of the cast has an incredable gift from god and their beyond talented and definatly enjoyed my time watching the show.

I'm going to try to go see it on Friday with a few friends. God bless the man who invented the idea of 25$ tickets. I love that man forever. But anyways, I'm rambling and its in the butt crack of night.

Hope to talk to you on here soon! :)

I'm cut like rost beef.

-Guerin
Updated On: 3/18/05 at 03:49 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:53pm

I saw Tonya Dixon's first performance as Fantine (it's been two years now, as of a couple days ago) and I liked her then, but she has improved exponentially since then. Still, I know her take and her voice aren't going to be to everyone's likings.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:12pm

i'm one of the only people I know who really didn't care for Melissa Lyons in the role of Eponine... and that's me being too kind right now... I saw her twice in the role and did not like her acting choices, heck her acting in general, nor did I like her voice at all... her On My Own was one of the worst renditions I've heard that had absolutely no emotion whatsoever... i'm upset because everyone seems to rave about her and love her to death so i have no clue what i'm missing... oh well... to each his own...

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:15pm

Aw. Maybe you caught her on an off-night. Then again, everyone else seemed to like Jessica-Snow Wilson and Dawn Younker except me.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:18pm

i guess i was spoiled also because the only Eponines I have seen live were Sutton Foster and Diana Kaarina.... both two of the best Eponines I've ever ever heard

Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:21pm

Wow- I had no idea there were so many Chicagoans on the board! I'm not going to see Les Mis, but we should do a Chicago meet up some time- Maybe show tuen night at Sidetracks some Monday?

And Welcome Columbia!

Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:22pm

Oops-- I HATE Double Posts Updated On: 3/18/05 at 03:22 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:28pm

I should've mentioned, Lasagna, that I saw Melissa as an understudy and I thought she was better then than after she got promoted. Hm.

[maybethistime]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 4:31pm

I saw the show when I was in Houston a few weeks ago (twice!) and I absolutley fell in love with Tonya Dixon. She sang some of the most powerful notes I've ever heard and even though I have to 10th, London & Broadway Recordings, her "I Dreamed a Dream", which I downloaded from cafewhatever.com is my definitive version of the song, even though I'm a HUGE Patti fan. She is gonna be big someday! I hope she gets to Broadway and SOON.
<<--- Note icon. :)

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 4:37pm

I have tickets for tommorrow. How long is the production? I am taking my 6 year old son.

[maybethistime]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 4:47pm

Good luck with that! Its about 3 hours or less. They cut it down from the original broadway version becuase after 3 hours, they have to start paying all the actors & crew, etc. overtime. Its not as long as it used to be, but still long. I think your son will enjoy it just becuase its a big spectacle and there's always something to look at. It's not the ideal show to introduce your 6 year old kid to broadway with, but what can you do? I forwarn you that explaining the plot to him is gonna be a trick!

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 4:52pm

He has seen Wicked, Hairspray, JCS, All Shook Up and many others. He is pretty patient and truly loves shows. (He also sings).

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 4:53pm

as for Tonya Dixon... anyone else see her in Lion King... i saw her as an understudy for Rafiki when the show was at the Pantages here in Los Angeles and she absolutely blew me away... her voice was incredible... she definitely needs to do that role on Broadway...