The 2014 Broadway Revival of "Les Miserables" Review ☑
NOTE: There is nothing new to say about the "Les Miserables" on its own, so this review is just about the cast, sets, etc.
Christmas Day, 2015. It happened....I saw my first Broadway show, that show was the 2014 Broadway production of "Les Miserables". Nearly everything about it. The cast, the sets, the costumes, almost everything was breathtaking. I have said this in my past reviews of "Les Miserables", and I am saying it again, "If you don't know what 'Les Mis' is about, Google it.
I did not see Alfie Boe (Jean Valjean in the 25 Anniversary Concert) as Jean Valjean. I saw his understudy Will Ray. Ray did a wonderful job as Jean Valjean. I thought that he sounded very similar to Hugh Jackman and Ramin Karimloo. Same goes for Adam Monley as Javert who gave a haunting rendition of "Stars".
I was very taken with Brennyn Lark's portrayal of the role of Eponine. Her acting was very tough and she had a voice that made me question the talent of the well known Eponine, Samantha Barks. She is up there with Lea Salonga. I was expecting just a tad more from Chris McCarrell (Marius) and Alex Finke (Cosette). But, their singing voices were absolutely gorgeous. The trio with Eponine at the end of "A Heart Full of Love", just might have been the sweetest sounds I have ever heard.
Gavin Lee and Rachel Izen were HYSTERICAL as the Thenardiers. Their numbers lit up the stage and had the audience dying of laughter in their seats. Montego Glover was incomparable as Fantine. Out of all of the people who I have seen play Fantine, she has been the most unique, vocally. I am not going to lie, but I thought Marcus D'Angelo was a bit boring as Gaveroche, but that didn't stop my heart from breaking when he died (Oops, spoiler alert: EVERYONE DIES). Rounding out the cast is Wallace Smith who played Enjorlas, who had such a pure singing voice
The technical aspects of this production were some of the best that I have seen ever. The sets were spectacular and the lights and sound were thrilling- I really loved how the gunshots during the scenes at the barricade were coming from all around the the theatre. The Tony Awards NEED to bring back the sound design category!
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you have more than likely noticed that I talk about projections. Well, the backdrops of this show were projections and I didn't notice until the scene in the sewers near the end of the second act. I thought they were switching out backdrops for the entire show. That caused me to learn something about the shows that I see. All of the shows I have seen that have used sets for projections didn't do it right. For example, at the "Ragtime" tour. That show was 95 percent projections. "Flashdance: The Musical" was 99 percent projections. This show was 15 percent projections. This show has huge balconies, the barricade, and more to make up for the projections and make them look like actual backdrops. The other two shows, I mentioned did not.
The staging of this production is probably the most realistic one that I know of. As a result of this, I don't think the blocking is as well paced as it should be. There were a few scenes where I thought things got a bit chaotic Other than that the blocking was great.
The New York Times called this show "Thrilling, spectacular, and unforgettable", and that is exactly what this show was. You have until September of 2016 to see it. Go. You will not regret it.
As of March 1 2016, the current cast of "LES MISERABLES" on Broadway consists of
Jean Vajean- JOHN OWEN-JONES
Javert- HAYDEN TEE
Fantine- ALISON LUFF
Thenardier- DAVID ROSSMER
Madame Thenardier- RACHEL IZEN
Enjorlas- MARK UHRE
Marius- CHRIS McCARRELL
Eponine- BRENNYN LARK
Cosette- ALEX FINKE
Christmas Day, 2015. It happened....I saw my first Broadway show, that show was the 2014 Broadway production of "Les Miserables". Nearly everything about it. The cast, the sets, the costumes, almost everything was breathtaking. I have said this in my past reviews of "Les Miserables", and I am saying it again, "If you don't know what 'Les Mis' is about, Google it.
I did not see Alfie Boe (Jean Valjean in the 25 Anniversary Concert) as Jean Valjean. I saw his understudy Will Ray. Ray did a wonderful job as Jean Valjean. I thought that he sounded very similar to Hugh Jackman and Ramin Karimloo. Same goes for Adam Monley as Javert who gave a haunting rendition of "Stars".
I was very taken with Brennyn Lark's portrayal of the role of Eponine. Her acting was very tough and she had a voice that made me question the talent of the well known Eponine, Samantha Barks. She is up there with Lea Salonga. I was expecting just a tad more from Chris McCarrell (Marius) and Alex Finke (Cosette). But, their singing voices were absolutely gorgeous. The trio with Eponine at the end of "A Heart Full of Love", just might have been the sweetest sounds I have ever heard.
 |
| Brennyn Lark as Eponine |
The technical aspects of this production were some of the best that I have seen ever. The sets were spectacular and the lights and sound were thrilling- I really loved how the gunshots during the scenes at the barricade were coming from all around the the theatre. The Tony Awards NEED to bring back the sound design category!
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you have more than likely noticed that I talk about projections. Well, the backdrops of this show were projections and I didn't notice until the scene in the sewers near the end of the second act. I thought they were switching out backdrops for the entire show. That caused me to learn something about the shows that I see. All of the shows I have seen that have used sets for projections didn't do it right. For example, at the "Ragtime" tour. That show was 95 percent projections. "Flashdance: The Musical" was 99 percent projections. This show was 15 percent projections. This show has huge balconies, the barricade, and more to make up for the projections and make them look like actual backdrops. The other two shows, I mentioned did not.
The staging of this production is probably the most realistic one that I know of. As a result of this, I don't think the blocking is as well paced as it should be. There were a few scenes where I thought things got a bit chaotic Other than that the blocking was great.
The New York Times called this show "Thrilling, spectacular, and unforgettable", and that is exactly what this show was. You have until September of 2016 to see it. Go. You will not regret it.
As of March 1 2016, the current cast of "LES MISERABLES" on Broadway consists of
Jean Vajean- JOHN OWEN-JONES
Javert- HAYDEN TEE
Fantine- ALISON LUFF
Thenardier- DAVID ROSSMER
Madame Thenardier- RACHEL IZEN
Enjorlas- MARK UHRE
Marius- CHRIS McCARRELL
Eponine- BRENNYN LARK
Cosette- ALEX FINKE
Comments
Post a Comment