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Post by SageStageMgr on Aug 30, 2018 1:12:07 GMT
I know it's been said before, but after hearing the original cast recording of One Day More just now on EP's show, it's performed a lot faster now! The whole show is, in comparison. A line or two here, a bits and pieces throughout. But the general tempo of the show has gotten faster and faster even in the last ten years.
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Post by cheesy116 on Aug 30, 2018 1:54:54 GMT
Anyone know where this may be transferring to whilst the queens is closed for refurb? The Gielgud seems like the most sensible choice but we’ll see I guess? This is the first I've heard of this, I've googled it and can't find any info about it ?
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Post by Marcus on Aug 30, 2018 6:10:46 GMT
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Post by 49thand8th on Sept 7, 2018 14:32:00 GMT
LOL
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Post by daisy24601 on Sept 8, 2018 21:18:01 GMT
The acapella songs on the official Instagram account have made my day. Disco Bish particularly good.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 12:59:33 GMT
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Post by daisy24601 on Sept 28, 2018 14:11:12 GMT
Doesn't surprise me at all! That's good news.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 16:01:57 GMT
Fun fact (ok, not so fun actually). I will always remember the first time I saw this show... My friend had to go pee every 15-20 minutes cause he got a horrible cystitis. I wanted to kill him. At the interval he decided to move to the standing area at the back of the circle (or balcony, can't remember) cause everyone around him was getting annoyed.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 16:26:51 GMT
Fun fact (ok, not so fun actually). I will always remember the first time I saw this show... My friend had to go pee every 15-20 minutes cause he got a horrible cystitis. I wanted to kill him. At the interval he decided to move to the standing area at the back of the circle (or balcony, can't remember) cause everyone around him was getting annoyed. Oh don't, I can see the Follies fans with their bladder issues coming over as we speak. 😘
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Post by kimbahorel on Sept 29, 2018 18:41:30 GMT
As well as removing the cover announcements at the start of the shows they have taken down the cover board that sits on the merch desk. They still have at the moment the one in the box office. So if anyone wanted to go for covers you have to venture into the box office. There is one somewhere in the foyer but not visable from the outside of the theatre.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2018 19:44:46 GMT
What is it with Cam Mac and understudies?
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349 posts
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Post by kimbahorel on Sept 29, 2018 20:05:26 GMT
What is it with Cam Mac and understudies? I don't know, it's getting really annoying.
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Post by martello736 on Sept 30, 2018 9:07:36 GMT
I also don’t think it helps that the interval of Les Mis is shorter than at a lot of other musicals. Because of the running time being quite long they keep it strictly to 15 minutes every night whereas others often run to 20-22 minutes.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2018 9:35:28 GMT
I dislike 15 minute intervals. It’s not enough time for my thoughts of what I’ve just seen to digest, for me to go the toilet (TMI) and maybe get an ice cream or a drink. I know 20 minutes is only an extra 5 mins but I find I usually don’t rush around as much.
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Post by SageStageMgr on Oct 2, 2018 3:34:20 GMT
I saw this a few weeks ago.
I’ve written extensively about Les Mis throughout this thread, it’s a show very close to my heart and probably my favourite ever.
What I saw was the worst cast since around early 2005, when it was set to close. At that point they brought in an entire new cast and resident creative team to rescue it - and it worked, thanks to the likes of John Owen-Jones and Hans Peter Janssens. Two top quality stage performers with exceptional voices, experience and presence.
It has been going downhill for years now, but this was a new low.
Everyone is SO young. There was no finesse, no pacing - it was just nonstop rushing.
This show has been taking liberties for nearly a decade with younger and younger casts, faster shows with more cuts and everything in fast forward, higher ticket prices and smaller bands.
Frankly, after 100+ visits to Les Mis all around the world, this production really deserves to close, because the producers have lost the creative meaning of the piece and my respect.
I can’t see, short of a full blown 2005 massacre and reboot, any reason to see this production again.
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Post by talkstageytome on Oct 2, 2018 6:38:30 GMT
The problem being that she is fair skinned and blonde - a noticeably pale white lady. Cosette, introduced as a little girl, was a pale skinned white child with light hair. Cosette as an adult? A black lady. I find it an insult to the integrity of the piece, the intelligence of the audience and the legacy of the show that such a horribly misaimed piece of diverse casting has taken place. I know this has been discussed here before and I personally really really really don't think it matters, but even so calling it an 'insult to the integrity of the piece, the intelligence of the audience and the legacy of the show' and 'a horribly aimed piece of diverse casting' seems like a very strong reaction for what is, in my eyes, a totally normal and very common casting decision which Les Mis has been doing for years in productions around the world. Amara Okereke is a lovely performer who sings and acts the role very well as far as I've heard (I've not seen her in the show but friends have, and I saw her in the Sondheim Student Performer of the Year Awards). We're told very clearly a couple of times who characters are in relation to eachother, e.g. that Cosette is adopted by Val Jean, and Fantine is her mother, bio dad unknown. It's not hard to keep track, I don't think. As you know the show so well, even less so. Anyway, that's just my two cents. I've definitely heard a lot of people commenting on the youth of the cast recently too, and that's something I've also noticed. It's nice to have loads of grads in there, giving them a great job out of drama school and shaking up the production with new blood, but it'd be nice to have more of a range of ages. An ensemble comprised almost entirely of 21 year olds in very noticeable.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2018 7:31:28 GMT
The young cast is what makes this show a great debut for kids just out of drama school.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Oct 2, 2018 7:39:50 GMT
They’re not charging “just out of drama school” prices though are they.
I think audiences are entitled to expect experienced actors up on stage when they book an expensive West End show. Yes everyone has to get a foot on the ladder but if the majority of the cast are that age it makes a mockery of it.
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Post by daisy24601 on Oct 2, 2018 10:07:52 GMT
Les Miserables shouldn't really be an out of drama school job. It's top of the game. Especially on the main roles. I haven't seen Bradley Jaden as Javert but I agree he is far too young. Someone like Nic Greenshields on the tour is much more apt casting.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2018 10:35:36 GMT
I saw Bradley in Wicked and he did seem to shout a lot to try and make his voice sound more powerful. I assume it’s the same in Mis?
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Post by SageStageMgr on Oct 2, 2018 11:47:49 GMT
The problem being that she is fair skinned and blonde - a noticeably pale white lady. Cosette, introduced as a little girl, was a pale skinned white child with light hair. Cosette as an adult? A black lady. I find it an insult to the integrity of the piece, the intelligence of the audience and the legacy of the show that such a horribly misaimed piece of diverse casting has taken place. I know this has been discussed here before and I personally really really really don't think it matters, but even so calling it an 'insult to the integrity of the piece, the intelligence of the audience and the legacy of the show' and 'a horribly aimed piece of diverse casting' seems like a very strong reaction for what is, in my eyes, a totally normal and very common casting decision which Les Mis has been doing for years in productions around the world. Amara Okereke is a lovely performer who sings and acts the role very well as far as I've heard (I've not seen her in the show but friends have, and I saw her in the Sondheim Student Performer of the Year Awards). We're told very clearly a couple of times who characters are in relation to eachother, e.g. that Cosette is adopted by Val Jean, and Fantine is her mother, bio dad unknown. It's not hard to keep track, I don't think. As you know the show so well, even less so. Anyway, that's just my two cents. I've definitely heard a lot of people commenting on the youth of the cast recently too, and that's something I've also noticed. It's nice to have loads of grads in there, giving them a great job out of drama school and shaking up the production with new blood, but it'd be nice to have more of a range of ages. An ensemble comprised almost entirely of 21 year olds in very noticeable. I very much respect your opinions on this forum, but we’ll have to agree to disagree here. I think such blasé casting is endemic of the production’s woes and should never happen. And I really want to reiterate that my issue isn’t the race of the character, it is the ridiculousness of the change in appearance from being an 8 year old to an 18 year old. In Chitty, Gary Wilmot was regularly the father of two blonde children. No problem. The show is about a magical flying car. But Les Mis? As I say, I believe it hurts the integrity of the show.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2018 11:52:44 GMT
I know this has been discussed here before and I personally really really really don't think it matters, but even so calling it an 'insult to the integrity of the piece, the intelligence of the audience and the legacy of the show' and 'a horribly aimed piece of diverse casting' seems like a very strong reaction for what is, in my eyes, a totally normal and very common casting decision which Les Mis has been doing for years in productions around the world. Amara Okereke is a lovely performer who sings and acts the role very well as far as I've heard (I've not seen her in the show but friends have, and I saw her in the Sondheim Student Performer of the Year Awards). We're told very clearly a couple of times who characters are in relation to eachother, e.g. that Cosette is adopted by Val Jean, and Fantine is her mother, bio dad unknown. It's not hard to keep track, I don't think. As you know the show so well, even less so. Anyway, that's just my two cents. I've definitely heard a lot of people commenting on the youth of the cast recently too, and that's something I've also noticed. It's nice to have loads of grads in there, giving them a great job out of drama school and shaking up the production with new blood, but it'd be nice to have more of a range of ages. An ensemble comprised almost entirely of 21 year olds in very noticeable. ...And I really want to reiterate that my issue isn’t the race of the character, it is the ridiculousness of the change in appearance from being an 8 year old to an 18 year old.... 19821992
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Post by SageStageMgr on Oct 2, 2018 11:53:35 GMT
Les Miserables shouldn't really be an out of drama school job. It's top of the game. Especially on the main roles. I haven't seen Bradley Jaden as Javert but I agree he is far too young. Someone like Nic Greenshields on the tour is much more apt casting. This, a billion times. The show used to have the creme de la creme throughout the ensemble, never mind experienced leads. Nic Greenshields is a hugely underrated performer. Saw him as UNDERSTUDY Javert, he is about 6’3” with a booming baritone, stage presence and was old enough even back then for the role. And he was only the cover. He was also a brilliant Phantom circa 2010 too.
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Post by 49thand8th on Oct 2, 2018 14:09:00 GMT
The problem being that she is fair skinned and blonde - a noticeably pale white lady. Cosette, introduced as a little girl, was a pale skinned white child with light hair. Cosette as an adult? A black lady. I find it an insult to the integrity of the piece, the intelligence of the audience and the legacy of the show that such a horribly misaimed piece of diverse casting has taken place. I can't believe this is even a thing to anyone anymore. The first time the ethnicities of the kids vs adults/teens didn't "match" was probably back when Natalie Toro was playing Eponine in the '80s. Nothing collapsed then and it's not now.
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Post by theatremadness on Oct 2, 2018 15:22:48 GMT
I think I've said it on this thread before, but young casts = cheaper to pay.
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Post by indis on Oct 2, 2018 15:50:28 GMT
it gets confusing, especially for people seeing it for the first time when they change a characters race while groing up. Would not mind Cosette being black , but would prefer to have a small black Cosette then too
apart from that, the first cast Cosette did nothing for me, the Cosettes i had the years ago all had stronger voices, the current one did not really get the high notes
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2018 15:58:35 GMT
It's hard to argue the cast of 'artistic integrity' for a mega musical production where the producers openly consider it a 'machine'. Les Mis, like many others, have become victims of business.
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Post by SageStageMgr on Oct 2, 2018 16:18:40 GMT
It's hard to argue the cast of 'artistic integrity' for a mega musical production where the producers openly consider it a 'machine'. Les Mis, like many others, have become victims of business. I hear what you’re saying. But I believe it DOES adversely effect the quality of the show having such a uniformly young (and inexperienced) cast, especially those elevated to lead roles written for older performers. Having a main character change skin colour half way through the show without explanation is an inexplicable decision in what is meant to be a “serious” piece. If nothing else, it causes an unnecessary distraction and feels like liberties are being taken with the piece and with the paying audience.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2018 16:26:51 GMT
It's hard to argue the cast of 'artistic integrity' for a mega musical production where the producers openly consider it a 'machine'. Les Mis, like many others, have become victims of business. I hear what you’re saying. But I believe it DOES adversely effect the quality of the show having such a uniformly young (and inexperienced) cast, especially those elevated to lead roles written for older performers. Having a main character change skin colour half way through the show without explanation is an inexplicable decision in what is meant to be a “serious” piece. If nothing else, it causes an unnecessary distraction and feels like liberties are being taken with the piece and with the paying audience. Absolutely agree. Especially with regard to the casting of inexperienced, fresh out of college faces. For a musical of this size and reputation they should have some prestige about them and not be casting based on budget. I do wonder how far it will all go before numbers drop, but currently producers are happy to take these liberties as tickets remain to sell in abundance.
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Post by SageStageMgr on Oct 2, 2018 16:44:28 GMT
I hear what you’re saying. But I believe it DOES adversely effect the quality of the show having such a uniformly young (and inexperienced) cast, especially those elevated to lead roles written for older performers. Having a main character change skin colour half way through the show without explanation is an inexplicable decision in what is meant to be a “serious” piece. If nothing else, it causes an unnecessary distraction and feels like liberties are being taken with the piece and with the paying audience. Absolutely agree. Especially with regard to the casting of inexperienced, fresh out of college faces. For a musical of this size and reputation they should have some prestige about them and not be casting based on budget. I do wonder how far it will all go before numbers drop, but currently producers are happy to take these liberties as tickets remain to sell in abundance. It’s cyclical. A producer friend was talking to me about this with regards to panto. Most of a theatre’s house each show is booked many months in advance by audience members. Say a “badly received” show sells very well in 2018, but the audience don’t like it - they simply won’t come back next year. They’ll see something else. Then the show in 2019 is much better received critically, but your core audience haven’t booked. So your “better” show goes unseen. Essentially this is, in my opinion, how these long runners work. There isn’t a “downswing” until the prebooking market is exhausted for that cycle. Packed houses every night to see Peter Andre as Valjean, with half the cast forgetting their lines and only two lights working. (I exaggerate) A year or two later, that audience cycle plans their theatre. No way they’re seeing Les Mis again! Les Mis box office advance takes a huge dive and suddenly it’s at TKTS every day and offers galore. The producers realise they’ve messed up and reboot the show with a quality cast and new resident creatives. This brilliant new cast is paying for the previous years’ weakness. Steadily people start to rave about it again and people go back. Then that cast changes and the cycle repeats. I believe with long running musicals like LM, it’s a slow deterioration of standards over time which gets it to this point.
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