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That Les Mis Review I Promised (dear lord this got long fast)

So, as many of y'all know, Les Mis is more or less my life. I pride myself on being very, very knowledgeable about the show, the movies, and the book itself. However, this was the first time I'd ever seen it performed live (the two anniversary concerts, of course, don't count), and I'm pleased to tell you that it exceeded every expectation and dream.

First, I'd like to talk about the theater itself (I saw it at the Queen's, obviously) and the set. I was immediately struck by how small the theater was, especially from our seats (we were in the Dress Circle, row D). As the show began, I realized that the size was a good thing, as it made everything so much more intimate and centered every bit of focus on the stage. In a way, it reminded me of the Music Box Theater on Broadway (where Pippin is currently playing).

Anyway, the set was perfection. It walked a fine line between opulent and sparse, depending on what each scene needed. Examples? The entire prologue used maybe two tables and five chairs, max, showing that the newly-freed Valjean wasn't welcome in even the humblest circles. But the set for the Paris slums was complex, almost maze-like, showing the extent of the poverty. The barricades, of course, were just as phenomenal as I'd hoped, and the wedding scene, with the banquet tables and background mirrors, provided a wonderful contrast to the barricade scenes and Valjean's departure. The scene changes were done beautifully as well--I remember especially Eponine running upstage and hiding her hair under her hat as the two parts of the barricades came together, missing her just in time, and Little Cosette coming in on the opposite end of the turntable from the recently dead Fantine.

And speaking of the turntable--I've heard many people express the opinion that it's trite, overdone, too complex, etc. and I have to tell you that it is none of these things. In fact, I would say that it makes it all the more artful, especially in the work scene during the prologue, the scene in which Vajean meets Cosette (and they have an adorable little duet that I'd never heard before) and, of course, during the barricades. I know the US tour did alright without it, but nothing--nothing--can compare to the moment that the barricade turns and you see Enjolras lying upside-down, flag still in hand, over the bodies of Gavroche and the National Guard.

Now then, being a Les Mis aficionado, I've listened to the CSR (Complete Symphonic Recording) a number of times (which I don't recommend unless you want to hear a country star sing Valjean--there are some things you simply can't unhear). And although that recording is very, very comprehensive, there are some things I simply had never heard, including the extra verse in Lovely Ladies and the crowd bits during the Runaway Cart scene. In addition, there were lots of things that I had heard but not understood until I saw them take place on stage (for example, did you know that, at the end of One Day More, Javert in his worker disguise joins the marching formation? Because I did not know this, and I loved it). And also, the One Day More marching formation is WAY, way cooler when spread out, because it looks more realistic and less over done and I really don't care what you say it's ICONIC and amazing when you've been dreaming about it for forever and you actually see it happen for the first time ever ok it's just great bUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT RIGHT. That's my little mini-rant on that.

Now for the part you actually care about: the actors. I saw Simon Shorten as the understudy for Valjean--and, trust me, the man did not disappoint. In the very beginning, he blended so seamlessly with the other convicts, as if to show that Valjean's story--at least, the first part--was by no means uncommon. He had this sort of gentleness about him, even when he was getting into bar fights and running into the police. The hesitance to accept the bishop's hospitality (showing his papers as an immediate defense, very book accurate) and the sheer shame on his face when he is brought back to face the bishop really stood out to me. During his Soliloquy, he's not as violent or angry as many other Valjeans, but rather full of regret, truly wishing for "another way to go," and hoping that this chance to turn his life around is actually real. In truth, Simon's Valjean seems to have this kind of inner light, especially when he is forced to make the hard decisions--as if he knows what the right choice is, and he knows that he is going to make it, but he makes a last-ditch effort to convince himself not to before doing it. His interactions with Javert are wonderful as well, as if he has zero patience for Javert and his narrow worldview--he brushes him off in the aftermath of the cart, he gives such attitude in "24601" (no, really, it's like he's saying "up yours" by ripping off his cravat and showing the brand), he ignores him at first during the Confrontation/Fantine's death, and when they meet at the barricade and Javert accuses him of being a killer and then a thief, Valjean basically says "I think you know by now that's not how I work." His actions towards Cosette are perfect as well; you can really tell that she is the absolute center of his universe. Basically, Simon Shorten's Valjean is a sweet cuddly bear who just wants to do good but will not take crap from anyone, especially you, Javert.

And, speaking of Javert, DAVID THAXTON KILLED IT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. HE LITERALLY DID AND WAS EVERYTHING I LOOK FOR IN A JAVERT OH MY GOD like, I've seen bootlegs of his Enjolras and WOW did he revolutionize the role, but THIS. WAS. AMAZING.

I suppose I'd better be coherent now. See, Thaxton started his Javert as being extremely, insanely rigid--in manner, in movement, in tempo (such staccato), everything. But as the show went on and Valjean continued to elude him, Javert's perfect world order started to slip. Instead of being devoted to his precious law, Javert became devoted to vengeance, to capturing Valjean and preserving the flawed life view that he feverishly, and in vain, tries to hold onto. The madness slowly starts to creep in, until the final confrontation in the sewers, where Javert shows such passion (and such gorgeous legato notes, like that "waaaaarned you," oh my god) that you know, you just know that he's completely lost it. At at the end of his suicide? See, most Javerts I've known/seen in bootlegs, etc. seem to fall forward or place one foot out or something. But Thaxton's Javert? He jumps. He prepares for it, he crouches down, and he springs forward and plummets into the Seine, where he seems to violently embrace the water and his death. It was terrifying. It was magnificent. It was perfection.

And, speaking of perfection, CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER. Her Eponine was...oh my god, I can barely find the words. I've been hearing fabulous things about her Eponine for over a year now, and they did not do her justice in the slightest. Her Eponine is tough, unfazeable--when Montparnasse comes at her with a knife, she just laughs at him. When being faced down by her father and his gang, she snarls right back. But she shows a playful side around Marius, one that is obviously hard for her to maintain but is the only way to get his attention. Every time he touches her, she is elated; at one point, she puts her hand on her shoulder as if to preserve where he has just touched her. She also goes out of her way to not disappoint him, especially in regards to Cosette, but also when he sees her at the barricade and scolds her; her face just falls. Her "that shows you like me quite a lot" turns into a question, and her "little you know" just sounds so angry and hopeless, but she's so emotionally dependent on him that she can't be mad at him. Eponine's Errand and On My Own are both beautifully introspective; it's as if she is saying "yes, I know, I'm ridiculous, but that just how it it," and in her last three "I love him"s, she seems to say "I had to say it, I just had to, it's wrong and I hate it and I can't help it but god help me I love him." Now, I don't normally cry during On My Own; in fact, I usually wait for it to be over. But when Carrie did it, I was so riveted and so emotionally invested that I was sobbing by the last note. And her death--her death was perfect. Too often have I heard Eponines who sounded like they were perfectly fine and just decided to call it quits at the end. But Carrie was twitching and gasping and sounding like she was doing everything she could to hold on; when Marius sees her wound, she closes her jacket over it again, determined to have this one perfect moment. And then, after the last "and rain"--she grins, and uses her last amount of strength to kiss him--and fails, falling to the ground, dead. I don't know if that's just Carrie's interpretation or if all Eponines do that nowadays, but let me tell you, I was not prepared for that at all. I don't think A Little Fall of Rain has ever made me cry so hard.

Of course, it doesn't help that Rob Houchen was just as perfectly matched for Marius as Carrie was for Eponine. I've heard great things about him as well, and I was so pleased to find them all to be true. The first thing evident about Rob's Marius is that he has a heart of absolute gold--in the way he treats the poor, in his interactions with Eponine, in his eagerness to help Valjean before he even sees Cosette, and in his defense of Cosette with Montparnasse grabs her. You can also see that he is very studious and serious, which is why his friends seem surprised when he comes in after seeing Cosette. He (Marius, not Rob) is very young and though he means well, gives every indication that he has no clue what he's doing, both with Cosette and in the revolution; his impulsive decision to join and fight is therefore unsurprising. When confronted with Eponine's impending death, he looks so lost and angry, as if he'd fight away her death if someone would just show him how, and he takes her death very hard, kissing her and crying over her and withdrawing into himself afterwards. His Empty Chairs shows that he has had to fully mature in a very short period due to horrible circumstances, and the effect shows, even on his wedding day. Rob Houchen's Marius wears his heart on his sleeve, and that, to me, is what makes him perfect.

Now, like most Les Mis lovers out there, I am absolutely grieving over the loss of Anton Zetterholm as Enjolras (and to the rest of you, no, he didn't die, he just went back to Sweden which is basically the same thing). Luckily, his replacement, Michael Colbourne, is the real deal. Like Marius, he is clearly very very young, but he speaks with such assurance and sincerity that you can't help but believe him. He is gentler than many Enjolrati and calmer, but in that calmness is a ferocity, a passion that burns barely below the surface. He will not stand for talk of anything other than revolution and success, and makes sure everyone knows it. His interactions with Grantaire (played by the, quite honestly, smoking Christian Edwards) are perfect as well (and as most of you know, this can make or break an Enjolras for me). He is so disdainful of Grantaire's antics and drinking; Grantaire, for his part, absolutely goes out of his way to disturb Enjolras--messing with his plans and slapping him on the back and being a general nuisance. Enjolras just gives him the raised eyebrows and goes back to talk of Revolutionary Things. Michael's DYHTPS was amazing as well; every note shone with absolute conviction in himself, his men, and his cause. Small wonder they all followed him, I would too. Later, when they're building the barricade and he's directing everything, he takes Grantaire's bottle away and tries to talk to him, but he refuses to join the fight. When one of his men is shot in the arm, Enjolras is at the barricade and by his side in an instant (which really isn't the best thing to do when you're leading an insurrection, but, you know, it's sweet). During his verse in Drink With Me--and this is something I've never known to have happen before--Grantaire speaks directly to the others, ending with Enjolras in "is your life just one more lie." He then breaks off in a sob; when Enjolras tries to calm him down, he snarls "don't touch me!" and throws his bottle down at Enjolras' feet. Even after all this, he refuses to fight until Gavroche dies, and they realize that everything is hopeless; he is the first one to Marius' side when he's wounded, and then, per tradition, follows Enjolras up the barricade and is the last to die. Enjolras' body is then seen as previously described, and, yeah, it's heartbreaking. These two were absolutely wonderful, and Michael truly does the role justice.

This post is getting super long, so I'm gonna consolidate. Celinde Schoenmaker's Fantine carries an innocence and dignity about her throughout the entire show, making it all the more heartbreaking (although she got a little pop-y in her high notes which was distracting at times). The little boy who played Gavroche wasn't as smart-aleky as he could have been, but his death scene was absolutely, spot-on brilliant. Emilie Fleming's Cosette was pretty but nothing special; I wish I could see her again to determine if it was her or just the role, as it takes a lot to make musical Cosette interesting. Wendy Ferguson's Madame Thenardier was incredible; she walked the line between despicable and hilarious with ease and stole the stage each time she walked on (god I wish I could've caught her at the stage door). Tom Edden's Thenardier was hilarious, but too hilarious--there was none of the despicability, the sheer rottenness of character that really makes a good Thenardier a great one. And the ensemble worked in such incredible sync and was so strong that I could easily write a few paragraphs on them alone. But to save myself (and you) the trouble, suffice to say that they did not only carry the show, they propelled it.

All in all, my first time seeing Les Mis live was absolutely everything I've ever dreamed it would be, and I cannot be more thankful for the opportunity. I hope that the show continues to inspire the people of London--and of the world--for many, many more years to come.

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