Scared About Daphne Rubin Vega as Fantine?- Page 5

[moulinrougehk]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 4:55pm

I was surprised when I saw Daphne in the video of the rehearsal on Broadway.com and I just WOW out loud. She just gave out a totally different style of Fantine and it's positive. With Gary Beach in the show, I think Les Mis is reborn in glamour!

[justafan2]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 5:00pm

I also saw the video of the rehearsal and I thought her voice was awful in that--I cna't imagine they're worse in person----so I'm choosing not to see Les Miz---I want to remember the vocals the way they were----(just my opinion, tho')

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 5:08pm

You can always wait----she's scheduled to be out -- for like 7 weeks later this year----you wouldn't have to see her.

Updated On: 10/27/06 at 05:08 PM

[Colle]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 6:35pm

All this talk about how bad Daphne is as Fantine and how people want her to be sacked for real makes me wonder: are there examples of actors being fired from a show because of bad reviews?

[jewishboy]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 12:23am

It is the fourth preview!! Calm down.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 1:00am

All this talk about how bad Daphne is as Fantine and how people want her to be sacked for real makes me wonder: are there examples of actors being fired from a show because of bad reviews?

You have to have misbehaved or otherwise sucked in some other way than just bad reviews. Reviews don't matter that much as far as an individual's continual employment -- only from the people directly involved IN your employment.

Updated On: 10/28/06 at 01:00 AM

[Anakela]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 1:20am

I went to see Les Miz tonight with my roommate who is slowly becoming a Broadway person- this was only the third show she'd ever seen on Broadway, (she's seen Chicago once, and Wicked once), she has never seen any touring company of Les Miz, she knew none of the music- she'd never even heard "On My Own" until tonight (nope, not even the awful Katie Holmes/Dawson's Creek rendition). She's pretty much as much of a Les Miz newcomer as you could get.

So during intermission the conversation went a little something like this:
Me- "So...what do you think?"
Her- "So, um, Fantine? I mean, she's not good. What's with the whole breathy thing? And the voice. Has she done other shows before? Why does she sound like that, is that supposed to be her having street cred or something? But everyone else is so good, yay! But the Fantine- I wish I could've seen it with a good Fantine."

And I felt pretty much the same way- I mean, except for the 'has she done other shows before' question.

I've been reading this thread over the past few days, thinking that there's no way this is going to be as bad as some are saying it is, that maybe since I've 'only' seen Les Miz on stage five times, all of them on various tours, that I won't notice and be as critical of the Fantine performance as someone who saw it more often than that on Broadway, etc. But it was really bad- honestly I felt that her Fantine was distracting enough that I have already, within the space of just the past two hours, told people I know to wait until she's taking those weeks off before going to see Les Miz.

Everything else tonight was brilliant- I almost cried during "On My Own" and "Bring Him Home," I did cry during the Finale. I loved seeing Les Miz on stage again, and finally being able to see it on Broadway. I just wish it had been with a good Fantine.

As they say, your mileage may vary.



eta: my roommate borrowed my iPod on the ride home to listen to "I Dreamed a Dream" from the OBCR, which is when Fantine finally got an "oh, ok- I like it!" Updated On: 10/28/06 at 01:20 AM

[WesternSky2]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 2:13am

Maybe tonight was just an "on" night for her, or I'm just crazy... but I really enjoyed her performance tonight. Is it different? Absolutely. And it's nice to see something so fresh. Her voice is NOT gone, even remotely. She belted a good portion of 'Dream' tonight and sounded great.

Maybe I just love her voice - because it really is a love/hate thing when it comes to that.

Her acting was far from over the top, it was even very subtle at some points.

I went in expecting to be diasppointed with her, and came out thinking I must be nuts for enjoying her so much.

[Radioactiveduck]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 3:04am

I think Daphne has an incessantly irritating voice, but she's got some pretty good acting chops. If Gary Beach likes her, then so will I.

[Trekkie2]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 7:13am

They should make her feel more at home. I say, install a metal bar in the middle of the stage. If she gets self-conscious during "I dreamed a dream," she can just hump the bar. Just like old times.

[lucydee]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 9:44am

I saw it last night and I liked her acting, but I didn't care for the singing voice.

I know she is supposed to sound like shes suffering and dying, but I did not care for her voice. Just my opinion here.

[NJRae]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 11:00am

WesternSky: Hooray! Glad to hear you didn't think Daphne was bad. Part of me is getting nervous about seeing her, but I really do love her so the other part of me is like, "Oh come on, she can't possibly be that bad!" It's so good to hear some positive reviews of her. I wonder, out of all the people complaining about her, how many of them have seen her live before. Also, how many of them were fans of her other live performances. I do think that with Daphne you either love or hate her voice . . . and unfortunately people walking into the theater who don't know who she is (not saying people on this board, just people in general) have no idea what they are in for where she is concerned. So I can see where some of them may ask if she is sick or what is up with her or whatever. Personally I love her and will reserve judgment until I see it.

And I'm going to her cd release performance Monday (anyone else going?) so will get to hear then if she has somehow "lost her voice" since I saw her over the summer.

[IveGottaBeME]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 11:08am

daphne is incredible. she can touch emotion and is a fearless performer. i'm extremely excited to see her fantine. it wouldn't matter if she had no voice at all, because she is a true singer-ACTOR. thank god that she is brining a fresh, new take on this role and giving people something to talk about.

[eb412]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 1:43pm

i love her too...shes a great actress and great singer...but her voice doesnt work for the role...iv heard her singing part of i dreamed a dream...and though im sure she can act the role...her voice kinda ruins the beauty of the song...her voice is beautiful in a different way...and the two ways are not working together well

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 4:41pm

"I also saw the video of the rehearsal and I thought her voice was awful in that--I cna't imagine they're worse in person----so I'm choosing not to see Les Miz---I want to remember the vocals the way they were----(just my opinion, tho')"

Are you choosing to not see Les Mis just because of Daphne's voice? Because if so you are making a huge mistake. Les Mis isn't all about Fantine...overall from what I saw in the video the cast seems extremely talented. I really wished they showcased more of Celia as Eponine!

[justafan2]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 4:55pm

That is a large part of why I'm not going to see this production. I just remember the last cast(s)j(which was amazing to me) and since it was not that long ago, I'd rather remember the vocals of Fantine, etc. that way. To me (and only to me), Daphne's raspy voice is very distracting----I'd see an actress singing a role---I think it might be difficult because I have a mental image of Fantine's voice as being purer. (again, just me)

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 8:39pm

Oh, good god. Just go during her scheduled absence, then, if it hurts your soul that much.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 8:42pm

I didn't think she was that bad. She's on stage for a total of 20 minutes. Get over it.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 9:35pm

Poor Mimi! Getting raked across the coal must burn like gonorrhea.

Updated On: 10/28/06 at 09:35 PM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 6:42pm

She isn't even on stage for that long...she has one major song in the beginning, and then things happen and she's not on till the end of the show. Suck it up.

[Isabella2]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 6:44pm

Updated On: 10/29/06 at 06:44 PM

[AudreyTwoTwo]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 7:09pm

Actually, I wouldn't know whether to be "scared" or not-- I wouldn't be "scared" anyway, because really I only get "scared" is when it's possible that someone is sick or something like that, but I am excited because I have the RENT cd, I thought DRV was good in that, and I like to see people that I have heard sing on CDs but didn't see them in the production. Although I know this is totally different, it's cool to see them on stage and think, "Wow, I listen to them practically every night. So cool to be breathing the same oxygen" :)

[NJRae]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 7:23pm

IveGottaBeME: I agree with you completely. She knows how to act a song, which is so different from just singing it. Maybe some people don't like her portrayal, maybe some just don't like her voice, but I for one am very excited to see her in this, and any role. Since I haven't seen the show before and haven't listened to the obcr yet, I don't know if her voice works for the role or not, but someone must have thought so since they cast her! Just two more weeks til I get to see her! :)

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 7:41pm

Saw it today . We did not care for her in the role. From intermission talk, most other people in the audience felt the same way. Thankfully, the rest of the cast was outstanding

[Anakela]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 7:54pm

Yes, it's only 20 minutes on stage or whatever, but it is a *long* 20 minutes-
People sitting around you should not be going 'ugh' and 'oh my God- again??' when Fantine appears onstage again during the finale.
My roommate, who has never seen/heard any of the show beforehand, should not be asking "I mean, is she supposed to sound like Bjork?" and saying "I just wished I'd seen it with a good Fantine" after the show- she's never seen the show before, how does she know that she didn't see it with 'a good Fantine?' Because it really was that bad.

Mybe Fantine's not a big part, but I never realized how big of a part it actually is until I had to watch every second of Daphne onstage.