6,338 posts
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Post by danb on Oct 16, 2021 19:22:30 GMT
He could have a go? Where’s your sense of adventure?
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Post by inthenose on Oct 16, 2021 19:32:03 GMT
Oh I'd love to see it, just for a "what were they thinking?' moment!
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3,927 posts
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Post by Dawnstar on Oct 16, 2021 19:44:45 GMT
The Phantom's a tenor role & he's done that so maybe....
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Post by inthenose on Oct 16, 2021 19:53:27 GMT
The Phantom's a tenor role & he's done that so maybe.... And he sung it as baritone; loads of Phantoms have struggled with the highest notes, despite sounding gorgeous in their timbre when singing lower parts. Earl was definitely one of these, especially in the first few years. I like Earl, and have seen him in practically everything he has done - Beauty and the Beast, Subset Boulevard, Evita, We Will Rock You et al. I have never once heard him do anything close to Bring Him Home, where a pure tenor with effortless falsetto is needed. If Earl ever played Jean Valjean, I will eat my hat. More chance of him playing Fantine. I'm sure if you asked him he'd say the same.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2021 20:10:28 GMT
Sigh. Will Callan as Marius, professional theatre debut, lists his playing age range as 14-18. Nathania Ong as Eponine, Mountview Graduate 2021. Does at least have a credit in Be More Chill. I guess that makes her experienced enough for Les Mis. Paige Blankson as Cosette, Arts Ed Graduate, making her, sigh, professional debut. Imagine the ensemble will be packed full of kids again. Well, that's the tour out for me. So does that mean you also won't be going to see Moulin Rouge, given that the guy playing Christian is also making his professional debut?
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Post by inthenose on Oct 16, 2021 20:15:04 GMT
Sigh. Will Callan as Marius, professional theatre debut, lists his playing age range as 14-18. Nathania Ong as Eponine, Mountview Graduate 2021. Does at least have a credit in Be More Chill. I guess that makes her experienced enough for Les Mis. Paige Blankson as Cosette, Arts Ed Graduate, making her, sigh, professional debut. Imagine the ensemble will be packed full of kids again. Well, that's the tour out for me. So does that mean you also won't be going to see Moulin Rouge, given that the guy playing Christian is also making his professional debut? Well, I probably won't see Moulin Rouge, at least until I get a very cheap or free ticket, because I loathed the movie and am not a fan of jukebox musicals in general. However, unlike Les Mis which I've seen many, many times it would be a new show to me, with characters that don't have defined archetypes in terms of casting. So no, it wouldn't stop me seeing it if I were inclined to do so in the first place.
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3,927 posts
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Post by Dawnstar on Oct 16, 2021 21:20:47 GMT
And he sung it as baritone; loads of Phantoms have struggled with the highest notes, despite sounding gorgeous in their timbre when singing lower parts. Earl was definitely one of these, especially in the first few years. I like Earl, and have seen him in practically everything he has done - Beauty and the Beast, Subset Boulevard, Evita, We Will Rock You et al. I have never once heard him do anything close to Bring Him Home, where a pure tenor with effortless falsetto is needed. If Earl ever played Jean Valjean, I will eat my hat. More chance of him playing Fantine. I'm sure if you asked him he'd say the same. I was thinking in terms of if he's in the cast covering Javert & then they need an emergency cover Valjean & there's no-one else available he could maybe give it a go as a one-off. Not in terms of him ever being cast as Valjean full time. I don't recall him audibly struggling with the high notes when I saw him as the Phantom, but that was when he returned to the role for a short time in 2012, so perhaps by then he had worked out how best to manage it with his voice.
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Oct 17, 2021 14:27:00 GMT
I didn't know this. Brilliant!
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396 posts
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Post by djp on Oct 21, 2021 2:51:51 GMT
His previous theatre roles have been in amateur productions. He's too tall for Gavroche and has already played Valjean and Jesus....
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396 posts
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Post by djp on Oct 21, 2021 3:01:10 GMT
And he sung it as baritone; loads of Phantoms have struggled with the highest notes, despite sounding gorgeous in their timbre when singing lower parts. Earl was definitely one of these, especially in the first few years. I like Earl, and have seen him in practically everything he has done - Beauty and the Beast, Subset Boulevard, Evita, We Will Rock You et al. I have never once heard him do anything close to Bring Him Home, where a pure tenor with effortless falsetto is needed. If Earl ever played Jean Valjean, I will eat my hat. More chance of him playing Fantine. I'm sure if you asked him he'd say the same. I was thinking in terms of if he's in the cast covering Javert & then they need an emergency cover Valjean & there's no-one else available he could maybe give it a go as a one-off. Not in terms of him ever being cast as Valjean full time. I don't recall him audibly struggling with the high notes when I saw him as the Phantom, but that was when he returned to the role for a short time in 2012, so perhaps by then he had worked out how best to manage it with his voice. Depends who the JV understudy/alternate is. If its Javert or the Bishop again, they need someone with a good vocal of a certain age to cover for them anyway, and will need that more often if they don't have a dedicated JV alternate? You don't risk not having a good replacement for the 3 top roles - Katie seems to have Olivia as her understudy.
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236 posts
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Post by undeuxtrois on Dec 3, 2021 17:08:26 GMT
Disappointing that the cheapest ticket in Liverpool is £30, even on a weekday, when in 2019 the cheapest was £13!
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144 posts
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Post by matilda1 on Dec 4, 2021 9:26:15 GMT
Any reviews?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2021 14:58:35 GMT
Les Mis UK tour is having to finish a week early in Glasgow now, due to new restrictions in Scotland from 26th Dec.
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18,811 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 22, 2021 15:08:09 GMT
Didn’t even realise the tour had started!! How’s it been going? What’s that kid like as Marius? C’mon regional members we need comments! 🙂
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Post by aingidh on Dec 23, 2021 7:18:31 GMT
Didn’t even realise the tour had started!! How’s it been going? What’s that kid like as Marius? C’mon regional members we need comments! 🙂 I should hopefully be going tomorrow matinee if it goes ahead, so I shall post my thoughts!
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Post by aingidh on Dec 24, 2021 19:32:05 GMT
As promised, my review.
The full principal cast were present apart from Katie Hall, so Tessa Kadler was on for Fantine. I saw Dean as JVJ in town a few years ago and his portrayal seems to have changed quite a bit. I remember him being reserved and subdued for the full show but he began bitter and angry, calming down after the prologue and wanting redemption for his crimes.
There’s something about Nic’s portrayal of Javert, he really appears threatening and tough. However it was lovely to see a more human and emotional side to him in the barricade body clearing scene. I saw him before during the previous cast and he’s gotten even better.
Tessa as Fantine was phenomenal, she has such a lovely voice and really showed the pain Fantine was in. No unnecessary riffing, but just a lovely clear singing voice.
Nathania is probably the angriest Eponine I’ve seen, and I liked that. Usually she’s portrayed as hopeless or self-pitying at not getting attention from Marius but Nathania chose to really embody the rage, as if she was saying “why her, why not me”
Will plays a very lovesick Marius. It is refreshing seeing someone so young get their break with this show, and it adds authenticity to the fact that they are students. He has a particularly strong singing voice and Empty Chairs was a real showstopper.
Samuel as Enjolras also had really powerful vocals and a real charismatic appearance which really added to the revolutionary status of the character.
Helen and Ian as the Thenardiers got the balance right between panto baddies and greedy sadists. Got a lot of laughs out of a Glasgow matinee crowd.
Finally, Paige as Cosette was stunning. A bit of a thankless role but she has the most gorgeous voice and definitely has a bright future in theatre ahead of her.
Lovely to see a Glaswegian Gavroche. He probably got the biggest cheer at curtain call.
Sets, costume, sound etc all fantastic. Really sad that the final week of it here has to be cancelled as a result of Scottish restrictions.
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Post by hannechalk on Jan 8, 2022 0:06:16 GMT
I saw it tonight at the Liverpool Empire, and it simply is a perfect night of theatre.
Dean Chisnall was born to play Jean Valjean. He was phenomenal, as was Nic Greenshields.
To be honest, all the cast were simply fantastic.
Understudies Eponine and Cosette were on,but I couldn't quite work out which understudies (it wasn't announced, and I didn't see any boards).
Will Callan is home, but it's a shame not many people seem to be aware of this. He had me silently sobbing at 'Empty Chairs and Empty Tables'.
The only downside was nothing to do with the show itself, but the constant sounds of people in the audience chewing, slurping, rustling, glass clinking etc was annoying.
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Jan 26, 2022 13:58:16 GMT
Samuel Wyn-Morris who used to be Feuilly and 2nd cover Enjolras in the West End and who was meant to be temporarily playing Enjolras on tour for Glasgow and Liverpool has now been promoted to full time Enjolras! He will be staying with the tour into 2023. However, his temporary replacement in the West End Niall Sheehy is leaving after January 31st and they have yet to announce a new full time Feuilly. http://instagram.com/p/CZHiLHUoAMx
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Post by inthenose on Jan 26, 2022 15:05:16 GMT
Any idea why Barnaby Hughes left the production?
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Jan 26, 2022 15:25:04 GMT
Any idea why Barnaby Hughes left the production? Not sure, but I think he was probably planning on coming back for Dublin onwards given that they kept him on the website while Sam was listed as just Glasgow and Liverpool.
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Post by inthenose on Jan 26, 2022 15:41:13 GMT
Looking at his LinkedIn, he appears to have simply left the biz for now at least, taking a promotion to a very senior marketing executive job at a water company he worked for prior to LM. Perhaps with Covid and everything he wanted some stability, which I can respect. Mystery solved and good luck for the future Barnaby!
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Mar 16, 2022 9:52:24 GMT
Can no longer make the evening show on 22nd March 2022 in Southampton!! Put a post in the notice board if anyone wants to buy my ticket off me.
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18,811 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 27, 2022 11:36:12 GMT
£20 standing tickets released for the Lowry run starting next week.
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2,149 posts
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Post by richey on Mar 27, 2022 11:40:00 GMT
£20 standing tickets released for the Lowry run starting next week. i was just looking at tickets. Can't believe some of the prices. Not sure I could cope with standing for the length of the whole show.
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190 posts
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Post by tsxmitw on Mar 27, 2022 12:03:18 GMT
Nathania Ong is such a good Eponine.
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Post by crabtree on Mar 30, 2022 23:08:41 GMT
I'd like to see the show report from the performance at the Lowry tonight. Just as I was marvelling at how hey manage to pack up and set up such an epic show in such a short time, the show ground to a halt. I saw a red torch behind the barricade after the second big barricade scene, and someone muttering on stage, then the orchestra stopped and the safety curtain came down. A friendly voice announced a couple of times that they would continue, and eventually they did, with not a barricade to be seen. Sadly the atmosphere disappeared with it, and everything was definitely off kilter after that. Odd lights coming on here and there, but I hope no one had been hurt in any sort of accident. In a way I wished they stopped the performance then. In great shape, packed with business, but I still rather hate the whole of the wedding scene. very tacky.
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Post by crabtree on Apr 1, 2022 11:32:12 GMT
sill thinking about this production that i saw a few nights ago. I did see it when it first came to Manchester twelve years ago (!). There are some great moments, where it really does look like a classical painting, but there is a lot of business and so much clutter with the set. The various staircases that form the Maser in the House setting, are they the same pieces redressed for the barricades. I assumed that the point of this production was that it was simpler to tour, but heck there's a lot of set involved. I wonder how many trucks this takes to move round. Maybe the revolve was just too complicated. i do miss the deceptive economic theatricality of the original. This one is so full of 'stuff'.
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Post by inthenose on Apr 1, 2022 17:06:20 GMT
sill thinking about this production that i saw a few nights ago. I did see it when it first came to Manchester twelve years ago (!). There are some great moments, where it really does look like a classical painting, but there is a lot of business and so much clutter with the set. The various staircases that form the Maser in the House setting, are they the same pieces redressed for the barricades. I assumed that the point of this production was that it was simpler to tour, but heck there's a lot of set involved. I wonder how many trucks this takes to move round. Maybe the revolve was just too complicated. i do miss the deceptive economic theatricality of the original. This one is so full of 'stuff'. Nothing to do with the revolve being hard to tour, it stacks and you can fit the whole thing in pieces (including motor) basically into a transit van. The reason for the lack of revolve is similar to the situation at Phantom, it is about making a legal distinction as to what forms a "new production". The revolve is so closely related to John Napier's original designs that he could claim (well paid) credit if a court deemed they had mimicked design/staging concepts from the original. The same residuals he was being paid for decades. The original production team had sweetheart deals, same as Phantom (and lots of other failed shows!) namely percentages of gross for key people, in lieu of huge salaries/freelance fees. Crawford was taking a percentage per night right up until the original production closed. We have to remember, nobody thought when they opened that either of these shows would run beyond a few years, let alone over three decades(!). There will never be a revolve in Les Mis again without a private financial settlement with the original creatives.
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Post by scarpia on Apr 2, 2022 16:31:10 GMT
sill thinking about this production that i saw a few nights ago. I did see it when it first came to Manchester twelve years ago (!). There are some great moments, where it really does look like a classical painting, but there is a lot of business and so much clutter with the set. The various staircases that form the Maser in the House setting, are they the same pieces redressed for the barricades. I assumed that the point of this production was that it was simpler to tour, but heck there's a lot of set involved. I wonder how many trucks this takes to move round. Maybe the revolve was just too complicated. i do miss the deceptive economic theatricality of the original. This one is so full of 'stuff'. Nothing to do with the revolve being hard to tour, it stacks and you can fit the whole thing in pieces (including motor) basically into a transit van. The reason for the lack of revolve is similar to the situation at Phantom, it is about making a legal distinction as to what forms a "new production". The revolve is so closely related to John Napier's original designs that he could claim (well paid) credit if a court deemed they had mimicked design/staging concepts from the original. The same residuals he was being paid for decades. The original production team had sweetheart deals, same as Phantom (and lots of other failed shows!) namely percentages of gross for key people, in lieu of huge salaries/freelance fees. Crawford was taking a percentage per night right up until the original production closed. We have to remember, nobody thought when they opened that either of these shows would run beyond a few years, let alone over three decades(!). There will never be a revolve in Les Mis again without a private financial settlement with the original creatives. This is correct (though I didn't know Crawford's royalty for Phantom went beyond his actual run...is that right?!). John Napier has publicly stated that Cameron Mackintosh approached him shortly before he commissioned the Laurence Connor/James Powell version (which is really Cameron's version, with others just doing what he tells them) to buy the intellectual property rights in the designs for the original production. Understandably, Napier declined, on the basis that getting an annual royalty would be far better than a one-off payment with no sums ever again. Then there was the matter of the RSC having a co-producing cheque too. Mackintosh unfortunately figured out that if he just jettisoned the entire show and built it instead in his own image with an entirely in-house team with the usual crowd (Kinley, Connor etc) who wouldn't be entitled to royalties like the original creatives, then that would allow him to do what he wanted with the show without having to pay other people or get their consent.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2022 6:12:36 GMT
I saw the UK tour the other week and for me it was possibly the strongest I'd ever seen the show anywhere in terms of cast. There really wasn't a weak link, with possibly one of the best eponines of the last 15 or so years. Everyone was outstanding, even Marcus and cossette were strong and likeable.
The orchestra also sounded great, certainly one of the fullest sounding for a tour in a long time.
The physical production is fine, but the changes don't add anything and its not as impactful. The barricade deaths don't have quite the same impact and aren't quite as moving and the storytelling isn't as clear thanks to the removal of dates and places behind projected. The projections were sometimes surprisingly shaky considering its a high level production.
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