Am I bad at math, or did Victoria Clark play Madame Thenardier at the age of 28?
Victoria Clark was Madame Thernardier in the first national tour. I have the cast list from the souvenir brochure. Carolee Carmello was in the ensemble of this same tour, as was Olga Merediz (In the Heights) and Hugh Panaro (Marius).
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/18/10
She screams Fantine, I wonder why she didn't play that role instead...
Diane Fratantoni was Fantine on that tour. Wouldn't be surprised if Carolee understudied that role.
Carolee understudied Cosette
^Nice to know! Thanks.
Didn't she understudy both Fantine and Cosette?
Featured Actor Joined: 6/12/07
Carolee definitely understudied Fantine. I saw this tour company in DC. The day I saw the show, Diane Fratantoni was out and Carolee was on in the role. I still have the understudy slip in my program! She was very good in the part but I had no idea then that she'd become a star years later. Developed a major crush on Hugh Panaro though--the hottest Marius I have ever seen.
Was this the same tour where Melissa Errico played Cosette?
Featured Actor Joined: 6/12/07
Yes, I was going to mention that Melissa Errico was the Cosette. She was so pretty. Now this makes me want to dig out all my old show programs and find out who else I've seen (especially in tour companies) that went on to become a "name" on Broadway....
Updated On: 11/14/13 at 12:45 PM
I have the souvenir brochures from the first national tour, bus and truck and the LA company, but Melissa Errico isn't listed in any of them. The lists I have are from the original companies of each. I know she toured with Les Miz, but not sure which company and when.
A friend saw Melissa Errico as Cosette in Detroit... so whichever company that was. I think it was the 3rd national (bus and truck).
Featured Actor Joined: 6/12/07
I thought Melissa was the Cosette opposite Hugh Panaro on that tour. I know she was Cosette on one of the tour casts I saw. I'll have to go back and look at all my Les Mis programs to find out which.
Errico was 18 when she played Cosette, and she was born in 1970. So 1988 would be right. I think I remember her playing opposite Panaro, so that makes sense too. So much talent on one tour...so many future big names.
I'll check when I get home from work.
Stand-by Joined: 3/30/07
I saw the tour in Boston in '90. The cast I can remember from memory was:
Valjean - J. Mark McVey
Javert - Robert DuSold
Cosette - Melissa Errico
Fantine - Susan Dawn Carson
Eponine - Jennifer Naimo
Marius - Peter Gunther
Sorry - can't remember more and don't have the Playbill handy.
Featured Actor Joined: 6/12/07
Ok. Checked my playbill from 1988. Tamara Jenkins was Cosette at that point in the tour. I think Melissa was after that. Victoria Clark definitely was Madame Thenardier.
Updated On: 11/14/13 at 08:28 PM
Clark was the original Mme. Thenardier in the first national tour, which played Boston, DC, Philly, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore and LA, with returns to the first four cities. Panaro was the original Marius. Errico was Cosette in Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore and Boston--she never played opposite Panaro. Speaking of women who covered Cosette and Fantine, Barbara Walsh covered both in part of that tour! This was also the tour where Anne Hathaway's mother, Kate McCauley, briefly played the Factory Girl/Fantine cover. Laurie Beechman played Fantine in the second Philly run.
The 1st National Tour's Philly Stop (Fall '88 - Spring '89) was my first time seeing the show (seeing any show actually) so I have very fond memories of Victoria Clarke as Mme. Thenardier. If I remember, she played opposite Neal Ben-Ari as Thenardier.
Half that cast eventually got called up to the Broadway company (Schulman, Pistone, Panaro, Kolinski) and I think Melissa Errico was in the wave of replacements that came after the call ups. I could be wrong, but I know she wasn't in the company in the first Philly run.
I believe Ann Crumb also opened the tour as Fantine. I know a recording exists that identifies her in the role from that time period.
Wasn't that also the same tour that had Jarrod Spector (long-running Frankie in Jersey Boys; now in Beautiful) as one of the Gavroches?
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