The Les Miz revival

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:05pm

When it opened last year, it was advertised as, like, a 14 week run, I think? Is it now open ended? Or has it just extended several times?

[AnnaK<3LMIP]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:10pm

As far as I know, it was only extended once.

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:14pm

I think it has been posted, but as far as I know, there's no closing date.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:16pm

Oh, okay. I forgot it was even running until recently. lol. Is Gary Beach still with the show? Wasn't Chip Zein supposed to replace him?

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:17pm

Drew Sarich as Jean Valjean
Sarich was most recently seen as Grantaire and Javert in this production of Les Miserables. He made his Broadway debut as Armand in Lestat and was also recently seen off-Broadway in Jacques Brel is Alive and Well... MORE

Lea Salonga as Fantine
Salonga won almost every theater award imaginable for her portrayal of Kim in the international sensation Miss Saigon. MORE

Gary Beach as Thenardier
Although Beach was well-known before his Tony-winning performance in The Producers, it is undoubtedly the role with which he is now most associated. MORE

Also starring:
Robert Hunt, Javert
Ali Ewoldt, Cosette
Ann Harada, Madame Thenardier
Adam Jacobs, Marius
Megan McGinnis, Eponine
Max von Essen, Enjolras

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:20pm

Chip joined the cast to sub for Gary while he was on a 10-week vacation over the summer. He'll be back!

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:23pm

I had no idea that Ann Harada was in it! How is she as Madame Thenardier?

How was Chip in the role? He seems perfect for it!

Updated On: 8/19/07 at 09:23 PM

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:26pm

Supposedly, Anne isn't all that much to write home about. Chip? I haven't seen - I'm sure he's great in the role, but Gary's just PERFECTION (imho).

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:28pm

I've seen clips of Gary and he looks perfect for the role, as well. When I heard he was cast last year I was excited about him being in the show...not so much for the revival (still not hot about that idea).

[AnnaK<3LMIP]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:30pm

Gary was great. Or is, since he's still there.

[americanboy99]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:39pm

"Gary Beach as Thenardier
Although Beach was well-known before his Tony-winning performance in The Producers, it is undoubtedly the role with which he is now most associated."


WHAT?!?!

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 9:46pm

He is now labeled as the guy who dressed up like the Chrysler Building in The Producers.

[OOTI2004]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 3:14am

I thought Ann Harada was HILARIOUS in the show.

[Marianne]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 4:18am

Gary Beach is unfunny as hell. He ignores all the jokes that are actually in the lyrics, and tries to insert them where they don't exist.

Chip Zien is hilarious.

Ann Harada isn't great with either of them, but she plays better off of Chip, because his Thénardier is drunk and overbearing, and her Madame is terminally exasperated.

[dramarama2]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 7:38am

Does she play her like Christmas Eve?

Coz if she did that'd be hilarious. I'd pay big bucks to see that!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 10:25am

Unfortunately, she did, and no, it was not funny at all. I could barely stand her.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 12:51pm

I thought Gary Beach did well with the jokes. But I'm biased. I love Gary Beach in anything.

I'd love to see Chip Zien's take on it! He sounds great.

[joanna2]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 5:37pm

Ann in this show makes me want to scream and kill people (most notably - her!)

[Broadwayboy2631]

Posted: 8/20/07 at 5:43pm

Gary and Lea are so fantastic in this production, but unfortunately neither has very much stage time.

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 11:09am

Chip seriously blows Gary out of the water. If you have a chance to see him, DO SO. Don't wait around until Gary comes back. Chip is perfect.

[g4rat]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 12:17pm

Well I saw Chip on Saturday and thought he did a very good job, he was very good at being drunk almost the whole time....Ann wasn't amazing or anything, but she was very entertaining....Actually I loved the whole cast and the whole production.

[Kalimba]

Posted: 8/21/07 at 4:00pm

I didn't even like Ann Harada in Avenue Q, but everyone I know who has seen her in Les Miz say she's dreadful.

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 3:41pm

ann harada was out last night at les miz. her understudy was great! lea salonga was also out and i was sad, but i thought her understudy also was great....

i saw it in november and loved it because it's les miz, but was very disappointed in daphne rubin-vega and celia keenan-bolger....megan mcginnis is an absolutely refreshing change of pace!! i thought she was great!! i missed aaron lazar last night, but i really enjoyed some of the other performances. les miz always makes me cry haha

les miz never should have closed in the first place, but it is stupid that they called it a 6 month run...oh please...

[zooxanthellae]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 3:51pm

I don't get why they even bothered re orchestrating it and whatnot, why couldn't they just made a carbon copy of the original run... I mean its close enough to it, only not as good....

[winston89]

Posted: 8/22/07 at 4:20pm

Apperently, it was in the cards for a while to close the original and have a smaller version of the show open a couple of years later. I think that they did this because they were spending a lot of money on running it at the imperial which they didn't need to do. So, they closed it and opened it at the smaller Broadhurst theatre.

As for the reason why the orchestrations are different is also because of money. Broadway theatre orchestra pit sizes are determined by the number of the seats in the house. The Broadhurst has a few hundread seats less then the Imperial so the maximum number of people that could be in the pit is less. However, on broadway no matter what theatre a show is in producers always go with the minimum number of people in the pit to save money. Les Miserables was no different however they couldn't lower the number of people in the pit and have it sound the same so they had to change it. They made the pit at the Imperial as small as they could to save money for reasons I just said. They couldn't possibley make what they had any smaller and still work so they had to re do the entier thing.