Tom Hooper and his film actors were referring to the acting freedom that live singing brought into the movie adaptation of Les Miserables, compared to the pre-recorded singing in older movie musicals... and had absolutely no reference to stage singing! So, instead of rejoicing that a stage show which was celebrated worldwide has also become an artistic and commercial movie hit, the sarcastic comment in the Opening number was unnecessary. Ironic that the brickbat came from the Broadway side of the pond, not the West End ( whose actors played some of the secondary roles in the movie - they do know about live singing on stage - from Colm Wilkinson to Samantha Barks to Bertie Carvel who played Bamatabois but now on Broadway for Matilda)... It is likely that the film success has helped the early revival of Les Miserables on a Broadway stage soon.
Also, according to credible Hollywood sources ( such as film blogger Anne Thompson), the major leads did not charge "
full freight" for their roles. With a budget of $ 61 million and a movie epic to film( with hundreds in the cast and spectacular filming locales and sets), it is doubtful that a huge chunk was spent on salaries of the key actors. Er...and who says that attending endless screenings, worldwide premieres and awards events... posing for tiresome pictorials, and answering almost the same questions over and over is such a pleasure to do ? It is akin to a roadshow for an investment banking project, almost. Maybe there is excitement at first, but not if one has to do it over and over? Especially if one was also filming another movie elsewhere( Jackman, for Prisoners).
It was a good night to celebrate the theatre and the past season. There was no need to inject a negative element to the celebration, especially if it is at the expense of another branch of the performing arts!
Updated On: 6/10/13 at 11:03 PM
