The New Les Miz

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 5:51pm

I recently had the opportunity to catch Les Miz. I'd definitely recommend seeing this production while it lasts. Highlights for me were:

Lea Salonga is beyond amazing as Fantine
Adam Jacobs is a wonderful Marius. I love this boy!!
Norm Lewis just blew me away. What else can I say?
Drew Sarich was on as Enjoras. He's friggin' awesome!
Great job Doug Kreeger too!

I'd see it again in a heartbeat.

Updated On: 3/9/07 at 05:51 PM

[lesmisforever]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 6:30pm

I'm glad you liked it! I also loved Adam Jacobs (didn't get to see Lea, unfortunately).

[vmlinnie]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 7:07pm

I didn't see it, but it didn't sound too great for me. Though I heard it pre-Salonga.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 7:53pm

Why is there always an understudy on for Enjoras?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 8:43pm

Because Aaron Lazar was injured for a while, and he calls out frequently anyway.

[lucydee]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 10:54am

Phantom2,
So Glad you enjoyed this show!

I can't wait to see Lea on Friday
March 23rd. I hear she is amazing as
Fantine.

[evadiva]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 11:36am

I'd love to hear another Lea's version of On My Own. The one who turned Eponine down.

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 11:40am

Glad you enjyed it! It's may all time, hands down favorite show ever. I can't wait to see Lea as Fantine.

Poor Aaron I hope he's back to 100% again soon!

[javertjunky]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 11:47am

Eh. Aaron should just throw in the towel at Les Miz. He hasn't been on alot lately and people seem to like Drew more anyway. I saw Aaron in November and dont get me wrong he is amazing but it's time for him to leave. You can tell he wasnt too excited about the extension. Its clearly visible in the backstage video on broadway.com when he is talking to Gary Beach. Drew should and probably will be bumped up to full-time Enjolras. Anyway... I'm glad you enjoyed the show. Its so amazing! Im going back in June to see it twice!!!

[BobbyErikValjean]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 12:00pm

Glad you liked the show, and glad you liked Drew! I love him as Grantaire and Enjolras!

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 12:07pm

Drew is amazing. He has a band and everything.

[NickHyper]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 12:20pm

That's interesting, because I saw Aaron in February on a Thursday (my point being it wasn't a Friday or Saturday night) and he was amazing. Granted, Drew Sarich was an amazing Grantaire, but I think both of them in their respective roles were perfect.

[Weez]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 12:22pm

I'm seeing Les Mis in a couple of weeks, and I was really really hoping for Aaron, but Drew's been on such a lot and got such good comments from you guys, that I honestly don't care anymore who I get. As long as he looks good in that costume...

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 12:53pm

Personally, I'd like to see him with a longer pony tail, but other than that he looks great!

[bnyc]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 1:05pm

I'm so sad that I didn't get to see Lea in the new production. I went about a month ago. Took my sister-in-law from Peru who had never seen it before and was dying to see it. Daphne Ruben Vega was ATROCIOUS as Fantine. I've seen the show 5 or 6 times over the years and i couldn't believe how bad she was. I have NO IDEA why they ever cast her in that role. She couldn't sing it AT ALL and her acting was weird too. I actually left the show angry because of her performance. Does anyone know why they miscast her so terribly? Did she sleep with someone? Wish i could see lea. Her voice is gorgeous. money money money...

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 1:28pm

Drew is amazing. He has a band and everything.

I want that on a t-shirt.

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 1:32pm

going saturday! =)
can't wait, but i reeeeeally hope aaron lazar is on, he's one of the main reasons i'm going! ugh!

[Marway44]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 2:03pm

Dramaqueen,

Are you going Saturday night the 17th like me? Anyone else here going Saturday night?

[secret-soul]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 9:46pm

I've seen the show three times now...all three times have been with Aaron as Enjolras (I think I'm one of..um...three people who haven't seen Drew in the part, live). ANYWAY, Aaron was good the first two times...but this most recent time (March 1) he was HORRIBLE. It was like he had no commitment to the role. His "Marius, you're no longer a child" sounded like a line reading by an eleven-year-old auditioning for Nickelodeon. Seriously. I'm not joking. Aaron was bad. As if he's given up on it. I wish he would give up already and that they'd just bump Drew up. He deserves it.

[desiree armfeldt]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 10:33pm

speaking of aaron.......do we know what he's leaving for yet?

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 10:36pm

Norm Lewis has confirmed that he is leaving April 22nd. Considering that was the original end date for the show and should be when everyone else is contracted through, I assume Aaron and Celia will leave that day as well.

[lesmisforever]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 10:38pm

Daphne said in an interview the Caird saw her in the 10th anniversary celebration performance for RENT and thought she would be a great Fantine... that's why she was cast.

Updated On: 3/10/07 at 10:38 PM

[Weez]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 12:21am

"Woman: Yeah, but just because you can play a dying crackwhore in Rent, that doesn't mean that you can play a dying crackwhore in Les Mis -- they're two different kinds of whores!"

http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/008304.html

^_^

[cridecar]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 10:32pm

Saw Les Miserables last March 7. First, to describe what happened in the show, the loudest and longest applause were for Lea and Jean Valjean. The standing ovation only started when Lea came out during the final bow. But she did come out together with eponine. I liked this production because the theater was smaller and i found it more intimate. There were changes compared to previous but I felt i did not loose any emotion as compared to when i saw it 5 years ago. For Lea, voice was awesome as usual. I was afraid she would do the same “singing” as what I saw/heard in youtube during some of her shows (don’t know where they were). I did not like those versions. , But her singing in the show was very different. It was beautiful with no flats/sharps. Perfect as usual. I guess because of coaching or because of directing….I don’t know. But what I heard was what I intended to hear from her. She did not dissapoint. Acting was the same as what was written in the book (i read it before i saw the show). Pls. read the book(at least fantine's part) because she rendered it differently compared to the others but i found it very close to the description in the book. The low notes were perfectly rendered, again awesome!! She was made heavier compared to her real size (to look more like a mother i guess). You can see that difference from the video in Broadway.com during rehearsal and during the actual show. In the part when Jean Valjean was dying, when she appeared as a ghost, she was very beautiful. The blending of her voice and Valjean’s was impressive. This Jean Valjean lacks the emotion of the original but in fairness he sings with the right pitch and his version of God On High was effortless.. When she died (the emotion was intense, at least in my row)) made almost everyone cry. I was a little bit distracted by the sniffing and blowing of the nose. Although I do understand that and I guess it was something positive so no complaints here. And the lighting for this part was SO WAY BETTER compared to the past. The revolving stage was used more so the storyline went on faster. HOWEVER, here’s the dissapointment: Lea’s role is too short and you somehow crave for more We all heard her as eponine so I was wishing she was the eponine more than fantine in the show. After she died somehow you have this feeling of “that’s it? It went way too fast and you just have to wait for the dying scene to come before you hear her again. By the way, for those people who want to “record” something from the show, don’t!! For some particular reason, I have never seen so much security on looking for people doing this. 4 people were reprimanded and I don’t know how they found them doing this.

Overall, it was perfect, IMO. Just left me wanting more which made me feel disappointed and I hate it. Well, the role was short......what can I say. I was blessed with the chance of seeing this Les Miz and I still complain? Can somebody just please slap me….hehehehehe.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/11/07 at 10:33pm

The revolving stage was used more so the storyline went on faster.

So what spun that had not spun before?