The Official Daphne Rubin-Vega Appreciation Les Mis Thread

i think she's a wonderful actress, not the best singer, but she's still wonderful. but, i don't think there's going to be many "positive" posts on this thread...

If I started a thread to support Charlotte d'Amboise as Cassie, it would be full of snide, rude comments...

She certainly acted the part to some degree. But Fantine needs to sing... and she can't... Well, not this role, anyway. She will not have much time to grow in the role as she is leaving for some stretch of time for another show.

She wears a dark wig.

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Updated On: 11/5/06 at 06:58 PM

Hooray!

Ok, I haven't seen Les Mis yet but I love Daphne and can't imagine disliking her in this role. Especially since I have never seen the show so have nothing to compare her to.

To those of you who say she can't sing . . . go buy her cd. Maybe you don't like the way she is singing the song, but that doesn't mean she can't sing. Is her voice unique? Absolutely. Are you entitled to dislike her voice? Of course you are. But that doesn't mean that she can't sing.

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I have been about as negative as anybody.
Now, however, I'm singing a different tune.

I was at Preview #1 (10/24) and at Sat night 10/28 performance.
I've wondered why, with all the negative discussion about the "Fantine problem", the "creatives" couldn't or wouldn't replace Daphne Rubin-Vega. It just wasn't fair to the theatergoers.
I asked, "Do they hear the people sing?".

Now, however, I am singing a different tune.
At today's performance (Sunday 11/5 3:00 p.m.), Daphne was not just all right; she was terrific.
There was no cringing or moaning in the audience.
The comments were like: She's different than the old or original Fantines, but they lowered the key or something and she sounds great.
I'm not especially musical, but my own feeling is that whereas in the earlier previews Daphne couldn't reach a note -- today her voice was strong, she didn't swallow or miss a single syllable, and she was confident in her performance. She hit everything right on, and deserved the final curtain ovation.
I don't know who contributed to this miracle; probably some of you can explain how this came about.
As a layman, I suspect it's a combination of private coaching, reworking of the orchestration, and her own professionalism and talent.
I'll be back Wednesday night, as well as Thursday.
I hope the professional reviewers don't base their reviews on the early previews; they must watch the show again.

p.s. Seriously, I'm confused too. She really was that awful early on.

Updated On: 11/5/06 at 09:51 PM

I'm not sure you do know what I mean.

She really was that awful early on.
She did sound terrible.
She was that far off.

Now, her performance is different than early on.
It all works beautifully now.

p.s. Now I look forward to seeing the show again (and again and again and again).

Ok, I haven't seen Les Mis yet but I love Daphne and can't imagine disliking her in this role.

I don't get your logic. I can think of plenty of performers who I "love," but can imagine a few roles I know I wouldn't like them in.

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Saw it (20th time seeing Les Mis), didn't like her at all in the role, and feel she's now an unnecessary big distraction. Maybe that's what they wanted?

Personally, I loved her in the role.

No, she's not the best person who's ever gonna sing this role - not even close. But she just may be the best person to ever act it.

I was moved by her performance, and her interpretation of I Dreamed A Dream is superb. She made me feel for her character in a way that no Fantine has even come close to doing before, save Ruthie Henshall.

I would personally prefer to be moved by a beautifully acted performance than to see an unmoving but beautifully sung Fantine (yes, even in Les Mis, with all its singing).

I realize that it shouldn't always come down to that choice (acting OR singing), but sometimes people come in and do things and you can't pass up the opportunity to cast them, even if some things don't match up as perfectly as you'd first hoped.

It has been said time and time again how some of the greats such as Mary Martin and Ethel Merman would never stand a chance nowadays since we seem to put so much focus on pop belting in musical theatre, and so little on acting. Daphne's performance in this role just made me realize that there are plenty of performances that are finely sung but horribly lacking in their acting and interpretation. So who decided that it was alright to neglect one aspect - that if you're a great singer but not a great actor, that's okay, yet if you do the opposite, what business do you have on broadway?

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Did someone just compare Daphne Rubin-Vega to Ethel Merman?
Turning. In. Grave.

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As opposed to the "I'm a RENThead, I've never seen Les Miz, but I <3 DRV Thread"...

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Yawn. Its got nothing to do with making myself feel superior, I just find RENTheads amusing.

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Why come into this thread at all ken? It says Daphne APPRECIATION. You are commenting on the exact opposite of that.

As for the "Acting it isn't enough" comment...I think that's pretty sad that Broadway has come to this. Does this mean no more Carol Channings on the horizen?