Post by vampbear on Oct 9, 2005 13:20:10 GMT -5
Just returned from seeing the 20th Anniversary performance of Les Mis at the Queens last night. Managed to get tix in the ballot, the tickets available to 'ordinary' folk were mainly right at the back of the stalls (we were in row T) and the Upper Circle which had been on sale in advance.
The theatre was decorated in the foyers with balloons with the Cosette logo plus 'One Decade More'. There was also a special extra 'One Decade More' cover on the souvenir brochures.
The show started at 7pm, usual show with no changes. It was the first time I'd seen the new cast since they arrived in the summer. For me, alas, not a great cast as a whole
John Owen Jones shone out as the star performer
He's always been a good Valjean, but this time he was amazing! Of course he has a wonderful voice, but he's added lots of extra touches to his performance that work so well. I liked the way his anger resurfaced at times, especially when letting Javert go at the barricade. His 'Bring Him Home' was *wow* Biggest applause of the show and rightly so.
The same cannot be said for Cornell John not doing very well at my favourite character Javert
I did not like his voice Not the rich warm deep sound of Javert that I like best (made worse by the fact that Philip Quast was in the audience!!) And it was not tempered by good acting, in fact quite deliberate false movements with some odd choices at times. In the suicide though he did seem to 'get' the character with the way he approached it. But overall not good Wouldn't mind seeing his understudy, Jeff Nicholson. Jeff was playing Grantaire (very well) and had a gorgeous voice.
Kerry Ellis was a decent but not exceptional Fantine. Didn't think too much of Cosette or Marius Nor Enj - not a great voice and wasn't the man in charge but merely the man in the red waistcoat. But at least he was an improvement on Oliver Thornton!!!
The show ended in the 'normal' way, but on the second time they came out in a big group, they parted to let Cam Mac through the middle. He then introduced a finale of excerpts from the Schools Edition of LM with 35 handpicked kids from various productions in the country. They were mainly 14 - 17 years old. Javert, Enj and JVJ stood out in particular. The youth playing Javert could have shown the main Javert a thing or too as he had a lovely voice and put lots of feeling and acting into 'Stars' that worked a treat (and got more applause too!). Enj had a good voice and good stage presence. JVJ had a good operatic voice.
They finished this section with 'One Day More' with the child performers being shadowed by the adult ones, so they sang in pairs.
Cameron came back on stage and then also invited some of the original creative team on to the stage including John Caird and obviously Alain and Claude-Michel. This was when there were a handful of speeches.
The swings handed out champagne to those on stage and then a cake was carried onto the stage which Cameron, Alain and Claude-Michel cut. (Fun Fact: most of the cake was not real!!! Apparently they were afraid of it being dropped, so only a small part at the top was real edible cake and this was the bit they cut and had a taste of ;D )
Also, before the show there was a LM carrier bag on every seat and in it a plastic cup with a 20th Anniversary logo sticker on, and a couple of champagne bottles for every row in the theatre were handed out so that the audience could also toast the show and sing 'Happy Birthday' :-)
The evening ended with balloons coming down from the ceiling and red tape streaming down. As the press took some photos on stage, the audience left, topping up the champagne on their way out!!
The cast and invited guests (having the best seats in the house!) then had a party to go to.
Of those I spotted in the audience, at least in the stalls where I was (there were more invited guests in the dress circle) there were Philip Quast and Roger Allam. Plus Cameron, Alain and Claude-Michel, John Caird, Nick Allott, Anneka Rice. Also Simon Bowman, Frances Ruffelle, Peter Polycarpou.
A good night out if not an exceptional main performance, worth going to to celebrate another milestone in Les Mis history. The main celebration is mooted for next year for the 21st anniversary and when it also outlives Cats as the longest running musical in the West End.
The theatre was decorated in the foyers with balloons with the Cosette logo plus 'One Decade More'. There was also a special extra 'One Decade More' cover on the souvenir brochures.
The show started at 7pm, usual show with no changes. It was the first time I'd seen the new cast since they arrived in the summer. For me, alas, not a great cast as a whole
John Owen Jones shone out as the star performer
He's always been a good Valjean, but this time he was amazing! Of course he has a wonderful voice, but he's added lots of extra touches to his performance that work so well. I liked the way his anger resurfaced at times, especially when letting Javert go at the barricade. His 'Bring Him Home' was *wow* Biggest applause of the show and rightly so. The same cannot be said for Cornell John not doing very well at my favourite character Javert
I did not like his voice Not the rich warm deep sound of Javert that I like best (made worse by the fact that Philip Quast was in the audience!!) And it was not tempered by good acting, in fact quite deliberate false movements with some odd choices at times. In the suicide though he did seem to 'get' the character with the way he approached it. But overall not good Wouldn't mind seeing his understudy, Jeff Nicholson. Jeff was playing Grantaire (very well) and had a gorgeous voice.Kerry Ellis was a decent but not exceptional Fantine. Didn't think too much of Cosette or Marius
Nor Enj - not a great voice and wasn't the man in charge but merely the man in the red waistcoat. But at least he was an improvement on Oliver Thornton!!!The show ended in the 'normal' way, but on the second time they came out in a big group, they parted to let Cam Mac through the middle. He then introduced a finale of excerpts from the Schools Edition of LM with 35 handpicked kids from various productions in the country. They were mainly 14 - 17 years old. Javert, Enj and JVJ stood out in particular. The youth playing Javert could have shown the main Javert a thing or too as he had a lovely voice and put lots of feeling and acting into 'Stars' that worked a treat (and got more applause too!). Enj had a good voice and good stage presence. JVJ had a good operatic voice.
They finished this section with 'One Day More' with the child performers being shadowed by the adult ones, so they sang in pairs.
Cameron came back on stage and then also invited some of the original creative team on to the stage including John Caird and obviously Alain and Claude-Michel. This was when there were a handful of speeches.
The swings handed out champagne to those on stage and then a cake was carried onto the stage which Cameron, Alain and Claude-Michel cut. (Fun Fact: most of the cake was not real!!! Apparently they were afraid of it being dropped, so only a small part at the top was real edible cake and this was the bit they cut and had a taste of ;D )
Also, before the show there was a LM carrier bag on every seat and in it a plastic cup with a 20th Anniversary logo sticker on, and a couple of champagne bottles for every row in the theatre were handed out so that the audience could also toast the show and sing 'Happy Birthday' :-)
The evening ended with balloons coming down from the ceiling and red tape streaming down. As the press took some photos on stage, the audience left, topping up the champagne on their way out!!
The cast and invited guests (having the best seats in the house!) then had a party to go to.
Of those I spotted in the audience, at least in the stalls where I was (there were more invited guests in the dress circle) there were Philip Quast and Roger Allam. Plus Cameron, Alain and Claude-Michel, John Caird, Nick Allott, Anneka Rice. Also Simon Bowman, Frances Ruffelle, Peter Polycarpou.
A good night out if not an exceptional main performance, worth going to to celebrate another milestone in Les Mis history. The main celebration is mooted for next year for the 21st anniversary and when it also outlives Cats as the longest running musical in the West End.
I thought he was really very goooood! i loved him in that role! But that's more than i can say for him as the Phantom...
