Post by ilovegrayshaw on Jun 25, 2009 4:41:58 GMT -5
Les Miserables
Queen's Theatre, London
24th June 2009 (matinee)
3rd performance by the new cast
Circle Row A Seat 19
Anybody who knows me will know that I went to see Martin Ball who I loved in Mary Poppins. On the way to London I saw Gina Beck's (current Christine in Phantom) twitter page which said she was sitting with Martin in A&E. He was the first to fall upon this barricade. I became absolutely distraught and even started crying my eyes out. It seemed like such a wasted journey. I was stunned to see Martin's name on the cast board when I arrived at the theatre. I have recently found out that it was Matin Neeley who plays Grantaire who had broken his ankle. There are too many performers called Martin in Les Miserables at the moment.
Jonathan Williams as Jean Valjean (understudy): I find it very hard to enjoy listening to Colm Wilkinson and especially Gary Morris. Jonathan is so easy to listen to and he sings flawlessly every single note in the show. I think he is Jean Valjean to me. He's the only one I have ever seen live (I saw him in September last year) and to me he embodies Jean Valjean. I don't think I would want to see anybody else in the role.
Earl Carpenter as Javert: I saw him in Phantom in 2006 and in Les Mis last September. He is alright as Javert and for the most part I think he is brilliant in the role. It is just when he starts whispering that I go off him. He just has some moments where I think I really don't like you and then he will go and be brilliant in the following scene. I do think he has some diction problems but Stars and Javert's Suicide were perfect. I still think Phillip Quast is better than him. Phillip just gives so much more to the role.
Rebecca Seale as Fantine: I think she is better than Allyson but there was still something missing from her portrayel of Fantine. I can't really put my finger on it. She just didn't seem to have the power or the acting capacities of other Fantine's I have heard. I think they should have cast somebody else as Fantine.
Martin Ball as Thenardier: I didn't like him. Hahahahahaha. It's true. He is probably the worst Thenardier I have heard. He lacked the energy that many Thenardiers have. He wasn't very villanous and there was a lot lacking from his performance. I think he could have done so much more with the role. I saw Greg last time and he was brilliant. He was interacting really well with the other actors and made the role really stand out. He did lots of little things that Martin didn't. I think maybe that as time goes on Martin will start playing around with the role a little more. He seemed to be following the dots. He also did lack the vocal strength and acting capacity that the role needed. A huge dissapointment for me. I won't be seeing Les Miserables again whilst he is in it. Thenardier is my favourite character and I need to see someone brilliant in the role.
Lorraine Bruce as Madam Thenardier: She is perfect! Perfect! One of the best performers in this new cast. Her voice really suits the role. She pulls the funniest faces. She has the ability of turning from really sweet to really evil. She really shines and lights up the stage.
Nancy Sullivan as Eponine: WOW!!!! She was ten million times better than I when I saw her in this role last September. 9 months later she has become the most amazing thing in the entire show. Her voice is so perfect and she nails every song she is in. She just makes you cry because she is that brilliant. I am glad she is finally shining in Les Mis as much as she did in Never Forget. She has now become my favourite performer. Her "'Ponine" during Eponine's Errand was just amazing. It was like she was mocking Marius. I really liked it. I really love Nancy. She was worth the journey to London. My favourite Eponine will always be Kaho Shimada who acts the role perfectly and is still the only Eponine to really show how uneducated Eponine is.
Katie Hall as Cosette: I was wondering how on earth anybody would be able to replace the brilliant Leanne Dobinson as Cosette. Katie made it look effortless. She is just as brilliant as Leanne was. She has the voice of an angel and is one of the best performers out of the new cast.
David Thaxton as Enjolras: This is my second time seeing him in this role. He seems to pull funny faces (close his eyes) and really take an over-exaggerated deep breath before hitting his loud and long notes. It is awkward to watch. He is alright in the role and there were no flaws really other than this.
Alistair Brammer as Marius: His Marius really grew on me. At the end of Act 1 I was texting people saying that I didn't really like his performance. His acting in Empty Chairs at Empty Tables was brilliant though. I think Jon Robyns was a better Marius because he just seemed to play the role as one would expect. Alistair comes in with a completely different take on the role and in the end I really really liked him as Marius. I think he got better as the show went on. From the moments after the barricade collapses he was just stunning.
Jeff Nicholson as Grantaire: Jeff is so amazing. He is an understudy for the role since Martin Neely broke his ankle. I thought he was perfect. His "better than an opera" was so funny. He really played up his operatic voice. I thought it was a brilliant way to deliver the line. In fact he was funny all the way through and delivered every single line with perfection. I still have much love for Anthony Crivello as Grantaire. Nobody will ever be able to match his "I am agog, I am aghast, is Marius in love at last?, I've never seen him OOH and AHH". Nobody. I thought Jeff was absolutely amazing though. He really is a legend of the stage.
The Children were a huge dissapointment for me. We had Jessica Daugira as Little Cosette and her Castle on a Cloud was the worst I have ever heard it. She was the worst I have ever seen or heard. We had Ethan Beer as Gavroche and I thought he lacked a lot of the cheekiness I want from the role. He was alright though. Just not my favourite. Megan Keast was unnoticeable as Little Eponine. I never even looked at her.
PS: I probably won't be seeing Les Miserables again in a long time. I could see it again but I don't like putting my fingers in my ears during a show. I think it is extremely rude. Yet the gunshots that come from the box at the top left of the stage really made me jump and suffer from paranoia. I think my fingers were in my ears for about 15 mins. Most of the bangs I am fine with. It's the ones in Battle Number 1 and during Gavroche's Death that I can't stand.
Queen's Theatre, London
24th June 2009 (matinee)
3rd performance by the new cast
Circle Row A Seat 19
Anybody who knows me will know that I went to see Martin Ball who I loved in Mary Poppins. On the way to London I saw Gina Beck's (current Christine in Phantom) twitter page which said she was sitting with Martin in A&E. He was the first to fall upon this barricade. I became absolutely distraught and even started crying my eyes out. It seemed like such a wasted journey. I was stunned to see Martin's name on the cast board when I arrived at the theatre. I have recently found out that it was Matin Neeley who plays Grantaire who had broken his ankle. There are too many performers called Martin in Les Miserables at the moment.
Jonathan Williams as Jean Valjean (understudy): I find it very hard to enjoy listening to Colm Wilkinson and especially Gary Morris. Jonathan is so easy to listen to and he sings flawlessly every single note in the show. I think he is Jean Valjean to me. He's the only one I have ever seen live (I saw him in September last year) and to me he embodies Jean Valjean. I don't think I would want to see anybody else in the role.
Earl Carpenter as Javert: I saw him in Phantom in 2006 and in Les Mis last September. He is alright as Javert and for the most part I think he is brilliant in the role. It is just when he starts whispering that I go off him. He just has some moments where I think I really don't like you and then he will go and be brilliant in the following scene. I do think he has some diction problems but Stars and Javert's Suicide were perfect. I still think Phillip Quast is better than him. Phillip just gives so much more to the role.
Rebecca Seale as Fantine: I think she is better than Allyson but there was still something missing from her portrayel of Fantine. I can't really put my finger on it. She just didn't seem to have the power or the acting capacities of other Fantine's I have heard. I think they should have cast somebody else as Fantine.
Martin Ball as Thenardier: I didn't like him. Hahahahahaha. It's true. He is probably the worst Thenardier I have heard. He lacked the energy that many Thenardiers have. He wasn't very villanous and there was a lot lacking from his performance. I think he could have done so much more with the role. I saw Greg last time and he was brilliant. He was interacting really well with the other actors and made the role really stand out. He did lots of little things that Martin didn't. I think maybe that as time goes on Martin will start playing around with the role a little more. He seemed to be following the dots. He also did lack the vocal strength and acting capacity that the role needed. A huge dissapointment for me. I won't be seeing Les Miserables again whilst he is in it. Thenardier is my favourite character and I need to see someone brilliant in the role.
Lorraine Bruce as Madam Thenardier: She is perfect! Perfect! One of the best performers in this new cast. Her voice really suits the role. She pulls the funniest faces. She has the ability of turning from really sweet to really evil. She really shines and lights up the stage.
Nancy Sullivan as Eponine: WOW!!!! She was ten million times better than I when I saw her in this role last September. 9 months later she has become the most amazing thing in the entire show. Her voice is so perfect and she nails every song she is in. She just makes you cry because she is that brilliant. I am glad she is finally shining in Les Mis as much as she did in Never Forget. She has now become my favourite performer. Her "'Ponine" during Eponine's Errand was just amazing. It was like she was mocking Marius. I really liked it. I really love Nancy. She was worth the journey to London. My favourite Eponine will always be Kaho Shimada who acts the role perfectly and is still the only Eponine to really show how uneducated Eponine is.
Katie Hall as Cosette: I was wondering how on earth anybody would be able to replace the brilliant Leanne Dobinson as Cosette. Katie made it look effortless. She is just as brilliant as Leanne was. She has the voice of an angel and is one of the best performers out of the new cast.
David Thaxton as Enjolras: This is my second time seeing him in this role. He seems to pull funny faces (close his eyes) and really take an over-exaggerated deep breath before hitting his loud and long notes. It is awkward to watch. He is alright in the role and there were no flaws really other than this.
Alistair Brammer as Marius: His Marius really grew on me. At the end of Act 1 I was texting people saying that I didn't really like his performance. His acting in Empty Chairs at Empty Tables was brilliant though. I think Jon Robyns was a better Marius because he just seemed to play the role as one would expect. Alistair comes in with a completely different take on the role and in the end I really really liked him as Marius. I think he got better as the show went on. From the moments after the barricade collapses he was just stunning.
Jeff Nicholson as Grantaire: Jeff is so amazing. He is an understudy for the role since Martin Neely broke his ankle. I thought he was perfect. His "better than an opera" was so funny. He really played up his operatic voice. I thought it was a brilliant way to deliver the line. In fact he was funny all the way through and delivered every single line with perfection. I still have much love for Anthony Crivello as Grantaire. Nobody will ever be able to match his "I am agog, I am aghast, is Marius in love at last?, I've never seen him OOH and AHH". Nobody. I thought Jeff was absolutely amazing though. He really is a legend of the stage.
The Children were a huge dissapointment for me. We had Jessica Daugira as Little Cosette and her Castle on a Cloud was the worst I have ever heard it. She was the worst I have ever seen or heard. We had Ethan Beer as Gavroche and I thought he lacked a lot of the cheekiness I want from the role. He was alright though. Just not my favourite. Megan Keast was unnoticeable as Little Eponine. I never even looked at her.
PS: I probably won't be seeing Les Miserables again in a long time. I could see it again but I don't like putting my fingers in my ears during a show. I think it is extremely rude. Yet the gunshots that come from the box at the top left of the stage really made me jump and suffer from paranoia. I think my fingers were in my ears for about 15 mins. Most of the bangs I am fine with. It's the ones in Battle Number 1 and during Gavroche's Death that I can't stand.
