SOME changes to be in Les Mis Revival- Page 2

[Fosse76]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 10:27am

Les Miz is not now nor will it ever become the longest running show in Broadway history. When it opens, chnages or not, it is a *new* production (and eligible for best-revival), and the number of performances start all over again at no. 1. So whenever Phantom closes, Les Miz will have to perform at least for 18 more years beyond that date.

Also, there don't need to be any changes for it to be eligible for best musical revival. I don't know why people are questioning that.

[Sant]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 11:39am

Cathy, it is the longest running show in LONDON'S WEST END. On Broadway TPOTO still is the longest running show.

And as Fosse76 well stated above, once LES MIS opens in the Broadhurst, it is a REVIVAL, a new production of the show - no matter how little they eventually change it. The number of performances start from 1, not from where it was before it closed in the Imperial.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 12:06pm

Thanks guys. That's exactly what I thought. It was this sentence that was throwing me off:

"Les Miz is now billed as the longest-running musical in West End or Broadway history."

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 1:00pm

I hope 802 makes a big stink if they cut it down too much.

Same here, although I doubt they'd go so far as to cut any further than the tour's orchestra (at least in cities where there were no local musicans).

Updated On: 9/29/06 at 01:00 PM

[Colle]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 3:55pm

Fosse76, there are some people that probably just don't know or understand the rules about what can be considered for best revival. There are those on this board, I think, that believe this production of Les Mis does not deserve to be considered for best revival because there will not be many changes.

I am glad that they are not making too many changes, I thought the way it was on the tour, which was the same as Broadway was fine as it is. A couple of changes they could make are:

Tone down the sound of the gunshots, especailly during Gavroche's death.

Don't make Cosette wear a wig, often the wig does not look good on the actress that plays Cosette IMO. Luckily, Ali Ewoldt didn't seem to be wearing a wig when I saw her on tour, so hopefully she will not be asked to wear one now.

Lastly, I am kind of hoping BWW, takes pictures of a dress rehearshal so we can see the changes in the costumes.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 4:08pm

Word on the street has it that this time they will be using French accents instead of British Cockney.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 5:24pm

What do you mean "instead of"? They stopped doing that on Broadway/tour like 11 years ago.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 6:53pm

Why would they use British accents in a show that takes place in France?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 6:57pm

Luckily, Ali Ewoldt didn't seem to be wearing a wig when I saw her on tour, so hopefully she will not be asked to wear one now.

You were lucky, Colle, because she had one on when I saw it, and it was awful. She's very pretty and was so cute from the forehead down -- but on top it stuck up so much it was like she had extra ears. Poor girl; she's a great Cosette, too.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 6:59pm

That ended when Nick Wyman was criticized for it - and since, of course, he was there until the end (on and off, but mostly on)...

bwaylvsong - I think the reason for it is that it began in England so the cockney accent was used to represnet that "equivalent" in France. I think it works if you are in England, where it is a dialect.

But why does only Madame Giry have a French accent? Shouldn't they ALL have accents? Or they don't even need accents as the piece is being performed in English in an English speaking place.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 7:02pm

But the Thénardiers BEFORE Nick Wyman didn't do it. And when when Nick stopped doing it, it was still sorta there.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 7:04pm

This is also a good point.

I think they should use New York accents and hick accents for the lower class.

J/K

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 7:26pm

I think that everyone other than the Thenardiers should speak in Standard American Broadcast English. The Thenardiers should simply use character voices, with "stupid" accents.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 7:29pm

God, this argument never dies.

[blaxx]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 7:38pm

I think they should cut the reprises (or -pre-reprises, he he) of "Look Down", "Empty Chairs...", "On My Own", "I Dreamed a Dream", "Lovely Ladies", "Master of the House", "Do You hear...?:, "Bring him Home", etc...
This would make the show only around 20 minutes long!!! (Can it be more obvious they composed seven or eight themes that are repeated over and over for the whole three and a half hours???? hmph!)

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 7:49pm

If you cut the second "Look Down," Valjean has no time to put on the white wig, whiten his beard, and change -- and neither do the Thénardiers!

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 8:11pm

Ohh, they better not cut down the orchestra too much!

[soapguy17]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 8:28pm

son of a gun, it actually was originally written a fifth lower than it is on the original recording. Of course I wouldn't expect someone who hasn't sung the song before to know that.

[PalaceRent06]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 8:52pm

wait...i have a question. Because les mis will be changing something that may mean they might be elidgable for a tony nod.. Does this mean Chorus Line will not be eligable(sp?)

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 8:57pm

Of course it will also be eligible. Why not?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 9/29/06 at 9:17pm

They all will be.

Changes or no changes.

[sydney23]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 12:27am

i wouldn't expect someone who wasn't Colm Wilkinson to know that! Colm, is that you?

[mustard]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 2:41am

I'd love to see some costume changes. All the productions were so cookie cutter before.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 2:42am

The first thing they should do is throw out the rotten, banal, Eurotrashy score and replace it with real theater music.







Allison MacKenzie
Peyton Place, New Hampshire

[Julian2]

Posted: 9/30/06 at 2:52am

THE FANTASTICKS IS THE LONGEST RUNNING MUSICAL IN THE WORLD.

*8*8 off Cameron Makintosh.

Sry, just had to get that off my chest.

Back to topic . . .

I can't wait to see what the reveiws for this will be like. It's just ridiculous to think about what "changes" they could be making.