Les Miserables, anyone?

[ShiroiHikari]

I wasn't going to start this thread because threads that I start tend to die fairly quickly, but I can't take it anymore!

I first listened to Les Mis a couple of months ago when I saw part of the 25th Anniversary Concert on PBS. My husband has been into it for a long time, and played some of the songs for me a few years ago, but I never took to it because I found it difficult to enjoy without context. When I saw the concert on PBS, I was about 2/3 of the way through the book. Well, the musical made me finish the book in a hurry! (Actually it spoiled most of the ending for me...)

Then I listened to the Complete Symphonic Recording, which is the most...well, complete recording of the show in English. It's three hours long, and worth nearly every minute. I've been listening to the CSR constantly ever since I first discovered it. I'm obsessed! This is my favorite musical ever, hands down. (I'm quite fond of the book too.) But I have nobody to talk to about it, and it's driving me nuts.

So, is anyone here into Les Mis? Favorite songs? Favorite characters? Favorite performers? Favorite cast recording? You can talk about the book if you want, too, but DAT MUSICAL.

[Maledicte]

I watched the 25th anniversary concert on TV. Alfie, Lea and Ramin were awesome. Nick Jonas made me snicker.

I became a fan when my dad's friend shoved his recorded version of the 10th anniversary concert, which I enjoyed very much because of the music (and Javert). I then went on to watch the film starring Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush, and from there read the novel which I also love.

AND I'm going to see it live in September! \^o^/

[ShiroiHikari]

The 25th AC is pretty meh now that I've seen it again. Alfie Boe has a wonderful voice, but I'm not sure about him as Valjean. I like Lea Salonga better as Fantine than 'Ponine. I felt embarrassed for Nick Jonas. The poor guy just couldn't compete. I also didn't like Norm Lewis as Javert. He's too...nice and friendly looking.

I'm watching the 10th Anniversary Concert on Youtube little by little(hey, it's there, and I don't have $25 for the DVD). It's definitely better than the 25th, but the semi-staging is so awkward to me. Like, Fantine sells her hair, but...her hair doesn't go away. Little things like that.

However, the singing is mostly good. I know everybody loves Micheal Maguire as Enjolras, but he just doesn't sound that great to me-- at least not at this concert. I really love Anthony Warlow, from the Complete Symphonic Recording. He's just...<3

Also OMG JAVERT. I love Javert. He's my favorite. And I love Philip Quast as Javert. <3 Nobody can beat him, in my opinion.

I haven't seen the 1998 film, because I've heard about some of the changes and they're pretty lolwut.

Good for you getting to see it live! I doubt I'll ever get that chance.

[ADXC]

The 10th anniversary edition is my favorite!


Also love Master of the House and One Day More!

[Maledicte]

The 25th AC is pretty meh now that I've seen it again. Alfie Boe has a wonderful voice, but I'm not sure about him as Valjean. I like Lea Salonga better as Fantine than 'Ponine. I felt embarrassed for Nick Jonas. The poor guy just couldn't compete. I also didn't like Norm Lewis as Javert. He's too...nice and friendly looking.

I liked Lea Salonga as Eponine better than Fantine, but either way she has a great set of pipes and knows how to act. But...oh Nick. I kept yelling at the screen "HOLD A NOTE!" He is not cut out for theater. Yet he once played Gavroche on Broadway!

And you're right, Norm Lewis did seem too nice. He emoted a bit too much. Quast played the icy Inspector to a T.

Oh, and Alun Armstrong as Thenardier. He was hilarious! The other guy just didn't seem to have it. But it was weird seeing the same Madame Thenardier in both productions.

It's definitely better than the 25th, but the semi-staging is so awkward to me. Like, Fantine sells her hair, but...her hair doesn't go away. Little things like that.

*shrug* I just went with it. I do think that the International 17 Valjeans was the most impressive encore they could have done.

Also OMG JAVERT. I love Javert. He's my favorite. And I love Philip Quast as Javert. <3 Nobody can beat him, in my opinion.

****more love for Quast**** He even fits the book description, which is kind of creepy. But cool.

I haven't seen the 1998 film, because I've heard about some of the changes and they're pretty lolwut.

Yeah, it's pretty out there, Marius and Enjolras are squished together and there's no 'Ponine, and the ending - huh? But it's weird some of the random details they got correct from the book. It's not a terrific movie IMO.

[ShiroiHikari]

Yeah, the 17 Valjeans is awesome. I like to listen to that on occasion. The Valjean quartet at the 25th AC was also pretty cool.

I am actually not a huge fan of Alun Armstrong, but I'm like...the only one on the planet that feels that way. Lol. But then, I also hate the Thenardiers as characters, so that might have something to do with it.

Marius and Enjolras should not be squished together! Bah. As I recall from the book, they kinda didn't even get along all that well. Combining them into the same character is just...fjsdfg. Enjolras is one of my other favorite characters, and I could take or leave Marius. If Micheal Ball is playing Marius, I like him a good deal more than I would otherwise.

[Maledicte]

Marius and Enjolras should not be squished together! Bah. As I recall from the book, they kinda didn't even get along all that well. Combining them into the same character is just...fjsdfg. Enjolras is one of my other favorite characters, and I could take or leave Marius. If Micheal Ball is playing Marius, I like him a good deal more than I would otherwise.

Michael Ball makes any character more loveable, full stop. He strikes in me the near-irresistible urge to shower him with hugs and roses.

[ChristianKitsune]

Thread moved to General Entertainment, as I think it fits best here since it's not just a soundtrack or concert, but a multitude of media (Even an anime sort of! XD)

I LOVE this musical SO much. It's really my favorite musical right now, I try to listen to other musicals, and they just don't usually hold a candle to this production.

My first taste of Les Miz was when Maledicte showed me a link to Colm Wilkenson singing "Bring Him Home," which I thought was absolutely gorgeous. For Christmas I asked for a soundtrack to the musical, and my mom bought me the 25th anniversary recording of the musical (I think it's almost the entire thing, and it seemed to be performed live. It's also nearly three hours long XD) And I fell in love with John Owen Jones' Val Jean. (Note: This is NOT the concert that was recorded, but an actual performance of the musical itself. There's even punching and background information that I totally missed when I watched the 10th Anniversary concert lol.)



I'll admit though before I watched the 1998 film that stars Liam Neeson I wasn't sure of the context entirely and it was just pretty music. But Because I watched that film I really began to appreciate the musical and understand what the story was all about.

Kyaaah Great show I loved it so much I'm going to a performance of it in September! ^///^

Forgot to mention: My favorite songs were definitely Confrontation, One more Day, and Look Down.

[ShiroiHikari]

Ah, moving this thread was a good idea.

I'd like to hear that 25th Anniversary performance, just for comparison's sake.

I really wish I could go see this live somewhere-- I've never actually SEEN the musical except for concerts, so half the time I don't have a clue what kind of action is going on on the stage.

Yeah, the 10th AC cut a few songs that were plot-heavy. Like, the part where they introduce Eponine and establish that she is sorta friends with Marius? Totally not even in there. One minute they sing Look Down, and then suddenly Philip Quast is belting out Stars! Kinda confusing. XD

Colm Wilkinson is awesome and has a nice voice (to me he kinda sounds like Sean Connery when he sings, ahaha) but on the 10th AC he makes these funny faces sometimes that just crack me up. I know it's not supposed to be funny and I feel bad for laughing but I can't help it. >_>

One of my favorite parts of the show is The ABC Cafe/Red and Black. I seriously never get tired of that number. I think it's partly because of Micheal Ball and Anthony Warlow though. XD When Michael Ball sings "THE COLOR OF DESPAAAAAIR", I melt.

Also, I think I'm a weirdo for liking the Complete Symphonic Recording as much as I do. Most people complain about it but I love it. I like the way the orchestrations sound; they're so rich and full. I ADORE three of the principal actors, and think the rest are perfectly fine, except Fantine and Cosette. Fantine's acting is fine but her voice is...I dunno, it's all vibrato-y and stuff. Not my favorite kind of voice to listen to. Cosette, well, I don't like her anyway but the singer doesn't help. A Heart Full of Love is probably my least favorite number in the show. XD

Gary Morris is a pretty good Valjean, I think. He's not Colm Wilkinson, but I enjoy his performance. And I like Barry James and whats-her-name as the Thenardiers, because they sound squicky and nasty and evil, which I think fits them. I also like Shimada Kaho as Eponine; she really did a great job considering English isn't her first language. Her Eponine breaks my heart.

[ChristianKitsune]

What's really cool about the 25th anniversary CD I have is that the Marius that performed for this run actually has a stutter when he's not singing, but he really overcame it and performed the role quite fantastically. ^_^ (plus I think he makes a cuter Marius than Micheal Ball did >_> )

AH! RIGHT I forgot about the ABC Cafe/Red and Black (well not forget but I forgot to type it out) definitely one of my faves too ^^

I really think that John Owen Jones was a great Valjean (As mentioned earlier) but because of the way he can just belt and project his voice, it's quite powerful at times and I melt too X3

[Maledicte]

My fave songs are "Who Am I," "The Confrontation," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," and the Finale.

Like ShiHi, I've never actually *seen* the musical. Only concerts.

[ShiroiHikari]

Stars! Oh, how I love that song. It's beautiful anyway, but when Philip Quast sings it...<3

Warning: I will never shut up about Javert OR Quast.

The Confrontation is awesome as well. As a random Youtube commenter once said, real men sing in counterpoint.

The Finale is just...amazing. I would love to see that performed live. I like the Prologue a whole lot as well.

I went out and bought an unabridged version of the novel today, mostly because I wanted to read more about the ABC boys. I think I'm obsessed!

[Radical Dreamer]

The Confrontation is awesome as well. As a random Youtube commenter once said, real men sing in counterpoint.

I feel like I need to post this video now. XD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhXsJjVdj1E

Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel sing "The Confrontation" during an interview for How I Met Your Mother. XD

[mechana2015]

Oh WOW. That kind of just made my day.

[ShiroiHikari]

LOL oh wow. I don't watch HIMYM but that was awesome. They even got all the words right! XD

Also you can find a lot of random Les Mis goodies on this Tumblr. There's book-related stuff and musical-related stuff.

http://hylesmis.tumblr.com/

And of course, there's a Tumblr dedicated to Javert, too, but I can't seem to post the link here because the title and URL contain an F-bomb. *cough* But if you want to see it, just copypasta and replace the **** with you know what. http://****yeahjavert.tumblr.com

[ShiroiHikari]

Sorry to double post, but I found this, and I wanted to share it because it's hilarious.

[Maledicte]

LOL wow, that was an awesome vid.

[Sheenar]

I saw Les Mis live my freshman year of college with the Honors Program at Theater Under the Stars in Houston. It was amazing!!! I love, love, LOVE this musical!!

I tried to buy a CD that was the full recording of the musical on Amazon, but after I ordered it, they told me it was out of stock and returned my money.

I forgot who the actors were who performed when I saw the musical. It was in 2005, I think.

[ShiroiHikari]

Aw, that's sad about the CD! If it was the Complete Symphonic Recording, they have it in stock now. (I checked the other day because I was thinking about ordering it.) I ended up buying my copy on sale at Borders.

[K. Ayato]

LOL, those pictures made me snort. Thanks for making my day, 'Nette!

[ChristianKitsune]

X3 That video was awesome I totally want to memorize the Confrontation now XD.

[ShiroiHikari]

Well, tonight I spent a couple of hours with my husband comparing different recordings (CSR, 10th, Broadway, and 25th). It was really fun!

I've actually decided after listening again that the 25th is better than I originally gave it credit for.

Norm Lewis is not my favorite Javert, but I think he did pretty well-- way better than the guy on the Broadway recording. Actually, pretty much the entire Broadway cast is just...meh. Maybe it's just a bad recording, but man, some numbers are just embarrassing, like Red and Black.

Colm Wilkinson's Valjean is growing on me a little more, but Alfie Boe totally owns Bring Him Home. His is probably my favorite version.

Ramin Karimloo (did I spell that right?) is a pretty awesome Enjolras! Anthony Warlow is still my personal favorite, but Ramin did a really great job. Honestly, all of the ABC boys in the 25th AC were pretty awesome. (Let us not speak of Nick Jonas.)

[Maledicte]

Ramin Karimloo (did I spell that right?) is a pretty awesome Enjolras! Anthony Warlow is still my personal favorite, but Ramin did a really great job. Honestly, all of the ABC boys in the 25th AC were pretty awesome. (Let us not speak of Nick Jonas.)

Ramin's pretty awesome. I have one criteria for my Enjolras's (Enjolrasi?): When he sings, do I want to follow him wherever he goes or not? Ramin fits the bill quite nicely.

[ShiroiHikari]

After watching the 25th AC yet again (I bought the Blu-ray, haha), I have yet more things to add:

Things that make me go yay:
- Holy crap, Ramin Karimloo. I think I have a crush on him. ♥ (Don't tell my husband? lol)
- Alfie Boe. Seriously, I love this man. ♥
- Micheal Ball in the encore. He's all like "OMG YAY" and it's a joy to watch.
- Valjean quartet!

Things that don't make me go yay:
- The new orchestrations. I really don't like them. :< Some of the instrumentation is just baffling to me. Also, maybe I'm weird but I like the synthesizer/keyboard they always used to use.
- Some songs are played WAY too fast, like Master of the House. It's really irritating.
- I-- I don't really like Lea Salonga all that much. ._. The more I watch her, the more I'm just like...:\

[Maledicte]

- The new orchestrations. I really don't like them. :< Some of the instrumentation is just baffling to me. Also, maybe I'm weird but I like the synthesizer/keyboard they always used to use.
- Some songs are played WAY too fast, like Master of the House. It's really irritating.

Yeah, I personally didn't like how they sped up the beginning. I thought the more ponderous pace of "Look Down" fit the rock quarry much better, though I hear they're changing the setting of the scene for the 25th anniversary update? Not sure.