Les Miserables Review- Friday 8/29/14

[LesKris]

Posted: 8/31/14 at 11:05pm

Les Mis has been one of my favorite shows since I was a kid. I still put on the 10th Anniversary Cast DVD when I want to clean my apartment. I saw the Broadway show once, probably 15 years ago at this point.

I haven't read any reviews, professional or otherwise. Overall, I enjoyed myself quite a bit because I love the show and would go see it again from the mezzanine, but there were a lot of problems with this production that I did not expect. I rushed (see Les Mis rush thread for details) and we ended up in the 2-person front row for the right orchestra section. It's a little overwhelming to be that close for big ensemble numbers, but it's wonderful to be that close for the quieter scenes which I treasure.

THE CAST:

This cast is quite good and highly talented overall, but the whole does not soar above the individual performances. I thought the main cast would gel together a bit more than they did. Several things feel a tad overblown and overwrought in this production, including emotions, sets, etc.

-RAMIN KARIMLOO is a powerful singer and physically imposing Valjean but it's the quieter moments where his acting and singing truly shine. It's not his angry bitterness that moves me, it's his moments of brittle vulnerability and quiet restraint. "Who Am I?" did not land with the kind of heft that I was expecting (a testament to overly busy and distracting staging in my opinion), but I must say that his "Bring Him Home" was simply breathtaking. I cried through the whole song. His voice gets in your soul and moves you with its haunting, transcendent quality. He captures the character's journey quite well, and the Finale is a real highlight. Karimloo is certainly a force to be reckoned with and this was an excellent choice for his Broadway debut.

-EARL CARPENTER is by far the best actor of the bunch and completely embodies Javert with every breath, movement, and roll of the "R." He is absolutely convincing and riveting to watch. I hate when Javert is a caricature rather than a character, and thankfully he falls into the latter category. In my opinion, Javert's relationship with Valjean holds the show together and you really need someone who's going to be a solid antagonist. I found his death scene to be staged quite intriguingly though, as I was torn between laughing and thinking it was brilliantly done. However, Carpenter is pitch perfect throughout. Bravo!

-CAISSIE LEVY is an actress and singer I have enjoyed quite a bit over the years. I think she is very good as Fantine, but something misses the mark. I think her character has suffered the most from the new staging and modernization though, as Fantine feels overdone now. I would typically cry through her death scene, but I found myself curiously unmoved. However, she acts and sings with aplomb. The highlight of her performance for me was in the Finale scene, where the pure angelic tone of her voice really fits and shines.

-JOHN RAPSON is very talented and was a fine Thenardier. I prefer the character to be slightly more menacing and unctuous, but he commits to his portrayal and pulls it off quite nicely. There's still a hint of darkness to his comedy which I appreciated. Well done overall.

-KEALA SETTLE is a wonderful Madame Thenardier. Brassy, contemptuous, and bold. She commits and owns the stage whenever she's on it. Respect!

-NIKKI M. JAMES was a fine Eponine. There is a strength and a vulnerability to her character that few seem to capture, but she does a nice job balancing that here. An understated yearning made "On My Own" far more affecting than it usually is. "A Little Fall of Rain" fell a bit flat for me though. But oy, what a voice!

-SAMANTHA HILL was a fine Cosette. Typically this character grates on me or I find her rather forgettable. Hill doesn't add anything new to the portrayal, but she embodies the ingenue character with ease. I enjoyed her quite a bit actually.

-KYLE SCATLIFFE was a great Enjolras. He has a magnetic quality, which makes him a wonderful revolutionary leader. And his singing lands with force. There's an undeniable energy about this man.

-ANDY MIENTUS embodies the student revolutionary, Marius. His acting was a real highlight, as I found him extremely charming. I normally dismiss "A Heart Full of Love," but I found myself really enjoying it. But "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" did not land with me, as again it felt overwrought and like too much was going on at once.

GATEN MATARAZZO was a very enjoyable Gavroche, though a bit too adorable to fully pull off the street urchin vibe. DENNIS MOENCH was a fine and cynical Grantaire, though they could have turned his mic up a bit. His relationship with Gavroche is subtle and wonderful. MCKAYLA TWIGGS was also fine as Little Cosette- nothing stands out but that's saying a lot since I dislike watching child actors in general. ADAM MONLEY was a wonderful Bishop, which is one of my favorite parts. I cried the entire time he sang as the Bishop.

The ENSEMBLE was great overall. Energetic, on pitch, and fun to watch. NATHANIEL HACKMANN and ANDREW KOBER stood out to me particularly as the Foreman (seedy and slightly disturbing) and Bamatabois (comically pompous and the only thing I could stand about "Lovely Ladies"). Also, I found myself following ARBENDER J. ROBINSON's intense eyes around the stage. Two minor quirks- it sounded like someone came in a beat too early in "Turning" and I wish some of them would watch their diction a little more.

THINGS THAT MISSED THE MARK FOR ME:

-MODERNIZED LES MIS. Perhaps it's just me, but I was disturbed by how violent the show felt. If they're going for grittier, they nailed it... and it's awful. They spend a lot of time slapping the women around, particularly Fantine. And "Lovely Ladies" is now absolutely painful to endure, as it has gone from heightened vulgar tragicomedy to brutal, grope-y, and blatant pseudocommentary on the role of women in society (which completely overstates the message). Valjean gets assaulted more than once in the show and yet he doesn't endure the same kind of demeaning gendered humiliation that the women of the show get gratuitously treated to. Realistic violence is not better in my opinion-for instance, the use of the word "slut" instead of "tart" kicked me right out of the story. However, if the goal was to make me uncomfortable than they succeeded. On the flip side, the violence of the barricade scenes seemed very toned down and much less affecting. I feel the show suffered from a less operatic vibe.

-SHORTENED LES MIS. The cuts do not add to the show in my opinion. They serve to make things slightly more confusing and difficult to follow. Beats in the show that should feel like a pause are skipped over in favor of keeping things moving. Also, the music seemed ever so slightly sped up which I found a little distracting, but I can't tell if it actually was sped up or if it was just my perception. There was an abruptness to parts of the show that I couldn't help but feel, no matter the reason. Though kudos for avoiding Equity overtime, I suppose.

-NEW STAGING. I don't think it adds anything to the production and I think it has taken away quite a lot actually. I miss the turntable set, which I thought added an urgency to the show and reinforced the themes a bit better. I may also just be slightly curmudgeonly about it. However, it's obvious to me that they don't trust the score to speak for itself. For a complex and intricate musical like this, I feel that simpler would have been far better. The staging was distracting at times, and at key moments. Also, echos of the movie abound here, which do not necessarily add to the stage version.

HIGHLIGHTS:
-The Bishop's scenes
-"Bring Him Home"
-Finale
-Everything Earl Carpenter did

WHAT I WANTED TO BE A HIGHLIGHT BUT WASN'T:
-"Who Am I?"
-"I Dreamed a Dream"
-"Fantine's Death"
-"The Confrontation"
-"One Day More"
-The final barricade scene
-"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 8/31/14 at 11:30pm

Thanks for that review. I'm curious where in the script they changed "tart" to "slut". I can think of two times "slut" is said in the show--to Fantine when she is about to get fired, and again to Fantine when she is about to get arrested. Those were both in the original 1987 production as well.....

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/31/14 at 11:52pm

Bamatabois' lines in Fantine's Arrest.

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 8/31/14 at 11:54pm

Yeah I googled "tart Les Mis" and a lot of interesting stuff came up lol.

[mikey2573]

Posted: 9/1/14 at 5:58pm

SPOILER (for the one or two who still have not seen this musical)
One of the music cuts that I find unjust is Gavroche's LITTLE PEOPLE when he exposes Javert for a spy. In the original production at the Barbican, Gavroche had a complete song with multiple verses. That was not necessary and was thankfully cut completely. But, the LITTLE PEOPLE verse when he exposes Javert is the only time we hear him sing the song prior to his death. Since LITTLE PEOPLE is basically Gavroche's "theme", it seems odd that the only time we hear it is upon his death. (This bothered me in the movie too). The additional bars of music amount to a whopping 24 seconds on the Complete Recording. Seems like an unnecessary cut.

PS--I am glad the Death of Gavroche now takes place on stage. It is far more effective than the way they did it in the last revisal (off stage), but less effective than the original staging with the turntable. But that can be said of most of the staging of this production.


Updated On: 9/1/14 at 05:58 PM