Les Miserables - The Staged Concert

I normally never do this, but as the run has ended, I'm going to make an exception. I disliked almost every moment.

Shame the streaming worked perfectly, apart from Cam Mack's speech at the start.

Because of the concert format? I said after seeing it live that I don’t think it works in that respect and I still believe that’s the case. You couldn’t see the concert as a newbie and have the foggiest about what was going on. But I guess this is for the people who are already converted and just want to “consume” more Les Mis. 

The new version going into the Sondheim is better than this though, regardless of cast. 

Row R stalls at the theatre and this was, in my opinion, better than Saturday night. A really involved audience who thankfully didn't applaude over the last notes (pet peeve) and were fully engaged. Loved Alfie, thought Michael in the first Act was great, seemed a little hoarse coming back in the second Act. Hate the Thenardiers but that's a personal thing.

A buzz in the theatre that was quite thrilling. Sold out cinemas up and down the country. I am going to try and book a cinema viewing as I'd like to see how it's been shot - there was a rolling camera at the foot of the stage, 2 cameras each side of the stage and one at the back (centre of row R stalls), and one on a moving crane from the dress circle which interfered slightly with sight lines when the students were on the upper gantry, not enough to bother me.

A great evening.

Have to say I wasn't impressed tonight either. The performance itself was average at best, you would've thought everyone would be on fire/buzzing for this special occasion- I've seen Boe & Ball do better last month. I've seen this production 14 times now so my judgement may be harsher than some, but still I'd like to contribute my observations to see if it matches or contradicts everyone else's experience.

The "Stars" encore was the biggest highlight, as was being introduced to Herbert Kreutzer sitting in the audience. "Bring Him Home" sounds better as a quartet than a quintet, or perhaps it was the way it had been divided- John understandably got the honour of the whole first verse, but Dean barely got more than one solo line, then of course Alfie did his key change, but he was either too excited or had no control of his volume as always, it was actually grating on the ears. Sound will probably be mixed down on the DVD though so least of worries.

Regarding the show itself, it was interesting to see the makeup had been toned down to make everyone look more natural on camera. I noticed a few additional acting directions for those on the barricade set- perhaps to make the overall scene more coherent and dramatic as seen by the camera, look forward to seeing the result. The Amis and ensemble were their usual fantastic-sounding selves and made the best of how much they could act in this staging- no complaints at all. It was obvious everyone was told to “act more”, and those who usually don’t/can’t do it, properly overdid it.

Alfie shouted and barked his way through, and I am sorry to report the return of "acting in spite of singing" if it ever departed- there was a very clear separation between his singing and acting. He managed to vary the tone and colour of his voice a bit more than usual since I saw him last month to my pleasant surprise, and there were moments where I thought I could finally be convinced that his Valjean felt and expressed real emotions. Sadly as we progressed to more intense scenes ("What Have I Done", "Who Am I") he would suddenly seem to recall his character's emotional turmoil and drop all the nuance he had managed to achieve so far, in favour of shout-singing while making large erratic bodily movements. I always think of Alfie's voice & volume control as one that goes up in steps (as opposed to John who transitions smoothly between levels), now I can say the same for his mobility as well... there is no communication between his voice and body (and emotions, and facial expressions). Very disappointed this is the version that gets recorded forever. He has done 3 runs as Valjean and unfortunately he still hasn't got it.

Michael definitely tried to up his ante for tonight and I give him credit for that. I was amused to notice that his costume seemed further tailored to look good for tonight, which it did. Very exaggerated emotions, convincing in some places and slightly laughable in others. His Javert tonight had the most depth out of the 8 other times I've seen him throughout the run. The added emotion, however, messed up his pacing even more than his usual disregard for tempo, and he got a lyric wrong during a very pivotal moment for his character. I'm guessing footage of Saturday will be spliced in. Someone should tell him dragging out the last notes of every line using his signature vibrato does not automatically equal more impressive singing/acting. But given he was only able to develop this for 3 months it is forgivable.

Carrie's solo was the most emotional I have heard, and her acting was commendable during her limited stage time. Bradley predictably shone as Enjolras, with his clear voice and infectious self-confidence of his character. Rob tried to shake off his awkwardly-sweet persona for bigger emotions, which in my opinion backfired as his singing lost its usual sincerity as well as making his grief in "Empty Chairs" less believable. I loved seeing Shan improve over the course of this run as influences from the Sondheim production rehearsals seep into her Gielgud performance. Lily was lovely as usual, making the most of her character as a breathy giddy young girl in love. Matt and Katy were okay, though I think they goad each other into overdoing everything; the ad-libs were too many and too unnatural, and I always feel something is lacking when a Thenardier pair go full comedy instead of exploring their sinister side.

All in all this was definitely not the best show I've seen in this production, and I'm glad it's had a relatively (definitely commercially) successful run and everyone gets to experience the special encore in cinemas- but I can't wait to get back to the fully staged production next door in 2 weeks.

As I haven't seen the screening I should not say anything yet but my heart has started to sink. I am hoping watching the final performance on screen will not make me turn against the show I have dearly loved for more than 30 years.

I guess CM needs cash and this star-casting has been a cash cow for him. But at the same time, putting money over substance over and over again could amount to a kind of shorttermism.

It's thanks to his money that the show has survived this long but I wish he could also pay a little more attention to running a business of repute and not a circus.

Still, I am very happy to hear due tributes were paid to the creaters of this masterpiece.

Loved this last night. Perfect sound and picture in our cinema. Thought michael ball tried his best to be evil but is just too nice! Carrie and Shan stood out for me. Loved he encores! Looking forward to seeing the show this sat in WMC and will certainly be booking to see the new cast in the Sondheim next year.

Genuine question, and honestly no snark intended at all, but why have you seen it 14 times? You don’t seem to rate any of the leads particularly highly? 

What no Earl, surprised to read considering all the times he stepped in.

Kind of, many of the people at our screening did that quiet not-making-much-noise applause to themselves, grinning knowingly at the people we were sat with if you know what I mean - all very British and reserved! (I would have applauded louder, but was waiting for others to start first, which I expect everyone else was waiting for too!)

I noticed a few tears after One Day More as the lights came up for the 10 minute interval.

I've been to a few of these musical screenings and this was by far the busiest I've seen for this type of event. Particularly given it was a Monday night in December!

Love this photo, especially bottom left

http://instagram.com/p/B5m9kgao3oB

No, I don't think that was the reason, and if the concert version ever comes to the Lyceum I would certainly book.

More a combination of bad behaviour in the cinema, and principles that, mostly, did little for me.

Michael Ball was clearly still below par, but having started, he obviously had to finish.

We should be laughing AT the Thenardiers, not WITH them. We certainly shouldn't be clapping along to Master of the House.

One my Own should not be sung in a Gospel style. I don't care if you're a former X Factor contestant!

Lily Kerhoas was so forgettable I've already forgotten her.

As for Alfie Boe...I've never rated him, and I neither saw nor heard anything last night to change that view. How on Earth has he got away with it all these years?

Which just leaves Rob Houchen and, much to my surprise, Carrie Hope Fletcher, with a reputation that precedes her, as the pair I was most impressed with.

Just my opinions, of course.

The ensemble, orchestra, lighting and especially sound design were all excellent, to the extent I heard lyrics I don't ever remember hearing before in any of my 10 previous viewings. (Am I right in remembering that Javert used 'ages' rather than 'years', which seems more appropriate for the period?)

I kinda think I now need to see the tour, to get the bad taste of last night out of my mouth!

Bet you wished you'd never asked?