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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #36

2000 3rd National Tour video bootleg

Ivan Rutherford (Jean Valjean), Stephen Bishop (Javert), Joan Almedilla (Fantine), J.P. Dougherty (Thénardier), Aymee Garcia (Mme. Thénardier), Sutton Foster (Éponine), Tim Howar (Marius), Kevin Earley (Enjolras), Regan Thiel (Cosette)

Marius kneels to plead with Éponine and she yanks him to his feet.

Once again, I turn back to Sutton Foster’s Éponine and Tim Howar’s Marius, this time doing something they didn’t do in the 1999 video. In “Éponine’s Errand,” as Tim sings “Anything!” in response to Éponine’s “What’ll you give me?” he kneels in front of her, grasping her hand. In response, Sutton takes both of his hands in hers and unsentimentally yanks him back to his feet on “…but God knows what you see in her!” It’s a funny moment that captures both Marius’s passionate, goofy romanticism and the tough, no-nonsense façade that Éponine presents to the world (though of course on the inside, she’s just as romantic as he is). 

Honorable Mentions:

*At the inn in the Prologue, the man Valjean fights with doesn't just shove him once, but repeatedly grabs at him as he tries to quietly gather up his belongings to leave. Valjean tries to shrug him off, but he won't stop, until finally Valjean snaps and attacks him.

*On “…can you be sure that I am not your man?” Ivan Rutherford’s Valjean holds out his wrists for Javert to handcuff him if he sees fit. (Valvert shippers must have loved that!)

*In “The Robbery,” Regan Thiel’s feisty Cosette struggles to break free from Marius’s protective arms and run to her father as the gang attacks him – Tim’s Marius is momentarily forced to lift her off her feet to restrain her, and she kicks her feet in the air.

*In “Attack on Rue Plumet,” Sutton’s Éponine jumps onto Thénardier’s back to stop him from reaching the gate. (She tries to do this in the 1999 video, too but doesn’t quite succeed) It reminds me of the Robber Girl in The Snow Queen clinging to her mother’s back and biting her ear in defense of Gerda.

*In “The Final Battle,” when Marius is shot, Grantaire and Enjolras both run to him. Grantaire gets there first, but Enjolras throws him aside, then holds the seemingly dead Marius in his arms, and tries vainly and irrationally to shake him awake, only stopping when Grantaire grabs his sleeve as if to tell him “It’s too late.”

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #35

1999 London video bootleg

John Owen-Jones (Jean Valjean), John Stacey (u/s Javert), Gunilla Backman (Fantine), Cameron Blakely (Thénardier), Joanna Mays (Mme. Thénardier), Jane Horn (u/s Éponine), Tom Lucas (Marius), Mark Powell (u/s Enjolras), Jamie Farr (u/s Cosette)

Éponine almost confesses her love to Marius.

Even though she’s an understudy, Jane Horn’s Éponine is the highlight of this performance. She’s such a brash, belligerent, feral cat-like urchin, yet with sad vulnerability under the surface, and such a tsundere toward Marius, all shoves, swats, and sass in his presence, but all yearning when she’s alone. Yet at the end of “In My Life,” she does something I’ve never seen another Éponine do at that point: she almost confesses her feelings. Instead of singing “In my life, there is someone who touches my life” to herself, she sings it to Marius as he grasps her hand in gratitude, and on the word “touches,” she touches his shoulder. But before she can tell him that the “someone” is him, he sings “Waiting near” and runs off to see Cosette, leaving her deflated. Not until she lies dying at the barricade does she dare to do such a thing again.

Honorable Mentions:

*When Valjean sings “Yes, it means I’m free,” John Stacey’s Javert hits him on the back with his nightstick as he shouts “No!” Evidently, he was directed to do this, because I’ve read that Hal Fowler, the regular Javert at the time, did it too. But this is the first time I’ve ever seen a Javert hit Valjean with the nightstick, and with so little provocation too!

*Valjean and Young Cosette’s idyllic walk back to the inn is harshly interrupted at the end, when Cameron Blakley’s Thénardier leaps up from his chair and snarls “Come ‘ere!” at Cosette, who huddles fearfully against Valjean.

*James Buckley’s excellent Gavroche playfully thumbs his nose at the audience as he introduces himself in “Look Down.” And in the same scene, instead of reacting aggressively to Thénardier as most Gavroches do, he tips his hat to him with mock respect.

*The utter desolation of Tom Lucas’s Marius after Éponine dies. His face crumples in a silent yet raw “ugly cry,“ and he tightly hugs and rocks her body throughout the subsequent lines. His friends are forced to gently loosen his arms from around her so they can carry her away, and then he weeps on Enjolras’s shoulder.

*John Stacey’s change in expression from contempt to open-mouthed shock when Valjean cuts the ropes that bind him instead of killing him.

*The young Earl Carpenter’s Grantaire runs to each of his friends at the beginning of “The Final Battle,” hugging them or clasping their hands, and then raises his fist in the air as if to say, “Long live the republic!” in response to Enjolras’s “…until the earth is free!”

*In “Beggars at the Feast,” Cameron’s Thénardier walks up to the “queer” and gives him a full-blown, deep kiss on the lips.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #33

1999 3rd National Tour video bootleg

Eric Buckley (u/s Jean Valjean), Todd Alan Johnson (Javert), Joan Almedilla (Fantine), J.P. Dougherty (Thénardier), Sharron Matthews (Mme. Thénardier), Sutton Foster (Éponine), Tim Howar (Marius), Kevin Earley (Enjolras), Regan Thiel (Cosette)

“How to Build a Memorable Marius/Éponine Friendship”: A Guide by Tim Howar and Sutton Foster.

This is cheating again; it’s not just one moment. But with a young Sutton Foster as Éponine and Tim Howar as Marius, there are too many to choose from. They have the best chemistry of any Marius/Éponine pairing I’ve seen so far. She can be rough, he can be oblivious, and they both annoy each other at times, but all the same, they share a true and firm friendship: a cross-class brother/sister-type of bond, never flirty, yet full of unique touches and moments of connection, which would be engaging even without Éponine’s secret romantic love.

Here are some of the highlights:

*In “The Robbery,” Sutton takes advantage of her 5’9’’ height and holds Marius’s books out of his reach above her head. Tim’s Marius – who has been trying to get his books back with a helplessly annoyed expression – responds by gracefully holding out his hand, with a little mock-gentlemanly bow on “…in books like these,” and Éponine finally gives them back with a warm smile.

*In “Éponine’s Errand,” Marius gently touches Éponine’s chin on “Don’t let your father know,” then shocks her by giving her a passionate, pleading hug on “‘Ponine, I’m lost until she’s found!”

*In “In My Life,” Marius somewhat rudely pushes Éponine away from the gate so he can see Cosette through the bars. But then he makes up for it by tenderly touching her face and then exuberantly spinning her around as he thanks her for bringing him there (in exactly same way he later spins Cosette around in their wedding dance, making that moment seem like a bittersweet callback to this one), and then he boops her nose on “Waiting near.” 

*When Éponine reaches out to console Marius at the beginning of “One Day More,” he gratefully strokes her hair.

*When Éponine enters in “Upon These Stones,” she purposefully gets Marius’s attention by touching his back. She wants him to know she’s there – maybe she even hopes it will make him see her in a new light. And when instead he asks her to take a letter to Cosette, she’s angry. She snatches the letter out of his hand and storms away, setting up the rage in her rendition of “On My Own.”

*Finally, there’s “A Little Fall of Rain.” Sutton’s dying Éponine reminds me of Richard Armitage’s Thorin dying in Bilbo’s arms in the last Hobbit film: at first, she’s very tense, struggling to hide her pain, and anxiously clinging to Marius’s arm, but then she slowly relaxes into gentle joy and peace, quietly fading away. (But gathering up the last of her strength to kiss Marius’s lips.) Meanwhile, Tim’s Marius gently rocks her, strokes her face, rubs her shoulder, and finally hugs her body in quiet yet deep grief.

It’s a good thing Tim was dating his Cosette, Regan Thiel, in real life at the time, and has accordingly good chemistry with her too, or these interactions might have thrown the plot out of balance.

Honorable Mentions (i.e. the standout moments that involve the other characters):

*Joan Almedilla’s Fantine stumbles backward in startled horror as the whole factory sings “Sack the girl today!”, then approaches the Foreman’s desk doubled over in anguish, desperately holding out her hand for her pay, only to be coldly dismissed.

*At the end of "Fantine's Arrest," Joan's Fantine reaches out into the distance just before the constables carry her away, as if she's already slipped into delirium and is seeing Cosette.

*In “The ABC Café,” the uncredited Grantaire gropes Marius’s nipples through his clothes, causing Marius to provide the “AHH!” in “…ooh and ahh,” then chases him around the tables, holding his rolled-up newspaper to his crotch all the while. Then, as Enjolras sings the first lines of “Red and Black” as a direct rebuke to Grantaire, the latter points at Marius as if to say, “He started it!”

*Tim’s Marius kisses Regan Thiel’s Cosette on the cheek after their shared lines in “One Day More,” and then Regan desperately clings to his hand with both of hers and tries to hold him back as the invisible forces of fate draw them apart.

*This is the first bootleg I’ve seen with good quality stage business with Valjean, Cosette, and her childhood doll in “One Day More.” Regan’s Cosette is standing alone, lost in thoughts of Marius, when Valjean shows her the doll. She takes it, sinks to her knees, and spends a long while cradling and gazing at the doll, fondly remembering the past. But then she gently hands the doll back to Valjean to pack away: she’s no longer a child. Yet this nostalgic moment has also reminded her of all her father has been to her, and when they both stand up after closing the trunk, she runs to Valjean and hugs him. The fact that she was angry with him in “In My Life” makes this warm reconciliation especially valuable.

*In the first battle, Kevin Earley’s Enjolras, up to this point so stalwart and strong, falls backward in mute, stunned terror when he’s almost shot by the sniper, and needs Valjean to help him up.

*After Grantaire’s “Drink with Me” solo, Kevin’s Enjolras angrily grabs Grantaire’s shirt collar at first. But then he softens, and they stare at each other for a while, Enjolras briefly turning away but then looking back again, and finally, Enjolras offers Grantaire his hand, and he grasps it.

*Toward the end of “Every Day,” Tim’s Marius and Regan’s Cosette have their hands clasped and their faces almost touching, when suddenly they notice Valjean and draw apart, trying to be seemly in front of Papa. But Valjean lovingly joins their hands back together.

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Hi! In the cart scene before Valjean lifts the cart, have any particular choices stuck out to you? As in, I’ve seen Valjean cross himself, check on Fauchelevent, or stare at Javert — do you remember any other things actors have done?

Checking on Fauchelevant is the most notable thing I've seen an actor do. I've seen him kneel down and grasp Fauchelevant's hand on "Is there anyone here who will rescue the man?" and/or just before lifting the cart, and in performances with an uncut score, when he accidentally drops the cart on his first attempt to lift it, I've seen him check on Fauchelevant and make sure he hasn't hurt him before trying to lift it again.

I especially like performances where he does these things. It makes the point that for Valjean, this moment isn't about himself, or about Javert, but about saving Fauchelevant's life.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings #32

1999 3rd National Tour audio bootleg (closing night in Toronto)

Colm Wilkinson (Jean Valjean), Todd Alan Johnson (Javert), Susan Gilmour (Fantine), J.P. Dougherty (Thénardier), Sharron Matthews (Mme. Thénardier), Jessica-Snow Wilson (Éponine), Tim Howar (Marius), Matthew Shepard (Enjolras), Regan Thiel (Cosette)

Colm Wilkinson saying people’s names.

This is a cheat: it isn’t just one moment, it’s a recurring detail. I had read about this quirk in Colm Wilkinson’s later performances as Valjean, but now I’ve heard it. Whenever a person makes this Valjean feel strong emotion, he repeats that person’s name. (Anger doesn’t apparently have this effect, so we don’t hear him repeat Javert’s name this way, but joy, fear, surprise, and love all do it.) It starts in the Well Scene, when he whispers “Cosette… Cosette… Cosette…” after she introduces herself to him. Later, as he dances with her after giving her the doll, he exclaims “Cosette! Cosette! Cosette!” in ecstasy. In Act II, throughout his rescue of Marius, both at the barricade and in the sewers, he anxiously repeats “Marius!… Marius!” as he checks to be sure that Marius is still alive. Last, but not least, as Valjean is dying, he repeatedly whispers “Fantine… Fantine…” at the sight of her spirit, then “Marius… Marius…” as Marius reveals that he knows Valjean saved his life, and most poignant of all, after “…then gave you to my keeping,” he sobs “Cosette!” making her name his last earthly word.

Honorable Mentions:

*Another recurring detail: how slowly and meaningfully Colm sings various lines that are usually sung quickly. His star status and his history as the original Valjean seems to have given him permission to play with the tempos and give more emphasis to the text.

*Robert Mammana hams things up (in a good way) as both Bamatabois and Grantaire. As Bamatabois, there’s his ferocious “Make your excuse to the POLIIIIIICE!!!” and then his prissy high-pitched squeak on “…this prostitute at-tacked me!” as he plays the innocent victim. As Grantaire, he bursts out laughing when Marius insists that if Enjolras had seen Cosette he might have fallen in love too (that laughter can be analyzed in a few different ways, I think…), and then belts out a raspy “REEEEED!” and “BLAAAACK!” that outdoes even Kenny d’Aquila’s on the CSR.

*Jessica-Snow Wilson’s Éponine belts out “Little you knoooow!” in passionate heartbreak and anger, but then sings “Little you care…” very softly and shortly, as if she were on the verge of tears.

*Todd Alan Johnson’s Javert audibly pants as he frantically searches for Valjean’s body at the barricade. Without his uttering a word, we can hear that his inner breakdown has started.

*Regan Thiel’s Cosette sings “You saw me waiting and you knew” in “Every Day,” rather than “I saw you waiting and I knew,” which makes much more sense than the latter, because in Act I it was Cosette who was waiting in the garden and Marius who came to her. Although it makes nonsense of Marius’s response, “Waiting for you”; maybe instead, he should have sung “You knew it too.”

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The Different Eras of "Les Misérables," the Musical: Part II

Continuing from this post.

Les Mis 4.0: 2001-2006.

In January of 2001, starting in the Broadway production and then extending throughout the world, 14 minutes of the musical were cut to bring the running time just under 3 hours and save money in weekly overtime costs. Otherwise, the show was unchanged. It was in this form that the original Broadway production and the 3rd National Tour reached their ends in 2003 and 2006, respectively, and that new productions opened in São Paulo in 2001, Mexico City in 2002, and Berlin in 2003. (The second UK and Australian tours had already ended before this phase started.) Meanwhile, the London production went on running in this form (albeit with some slight re-staging and downsizing when it transferred from the Palace Theatre to the smaller Queen's Theatre in 2004, and occasional lyric and costumes changes over the years) even as the show moved on to new phases in other places.

All this said, yet again, the transition from phase 3.0 to 4.0 didn't happen all over the world at once. The São Paulo production retained the uncut versions of "Come to Me," "In My Life," "Attack on Rue Plumet," and "Dog Eats Dog," for example, and non-replica productions in other countries were still entirely uncut.

It was also during this phase, in 2002 to be exact, that the School Edition made its debut. From now on, high schools and youth theatre groups could perform the show, albeit with almost an hour of material cut in addition to the aforementioned 14 minutes.

Les Mis 5.0: 2006-2009.

In November of 2006, the first Broadway revival of the musical opened, reusing the set from the 3rd National Tour. This production featured all-new orchestrations, as well as various small changes to the staging, costumes, and lighting. Some of the passages that were cut in 2001 were restored, but other moments were cut to compensate. Most notably, the chorus of "Little People" was cut, and its reprise at Gavroche's death was replaced by "Ten Little Bullets," one of James Fenton's contributions from the show's early creative process that was cut when Herbert Kretzmer replaced him as lyricist. In 2008, a new Dutch production in Rotterdam also featured these changes. This was the last new production to use Trevor Nunn and John Caird's original staging with the original set, costumes, and lighting.

The actors were also encouraged to examine their roles in depth and make them their own in this phase, so we saw some rich, innovative characterizations: e.g. Celia Keenan-Bolger's novel-accurate Éponine on Broadway, David Thaxton's legendary Enjolras in London, and Drew Sarich's unique mark on all his roles. It was also in this phase that the rights to the show were made available to regional theatres in America (though they had already been available in Australia for some time), so a steady stream of non-replica productions began appearing.

To be continued...

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #31

1998 Duisburg video bootleg

Sándor Sasvári (Jean Valjean), Drew Pulver (Javert), Birte Holmboe (Fantine), Tom Zahner (Thénardier), Carin Filipčić (Mme. Thénardier), Milanie Sumalinog (Éponine), Aleks DiCapri (Marius), Chris Morandi (Enjolras), Petra Weidenbach (Cosette)

Cosette’s effort to connect with a withdrawn Valjean at the beginning of “Valjean’s Confession.”

Valjean and Cosette’s hug during Marius’s opening lines in “Valjean’s Confession” is standard blocking, but I’d never seen it played in this poignant way before! After “Every Day” ends, Petra Wedenbach’s Cosette approaches her father and affectionately puts her hands on his shoulders, but Sándor Sasvári’s Valjean just turns and walks away. She follows him, still tenderly touching his shoulder and back, but he doesn’t respond. Then she gently turns him around and hugs him. At this, he finally, very gently hugs her back, but then signals for her to leave the room so he can talk to Marius alone. It’s just a few seconds and completely silent, but this moment captures the essence of Hugo’s heartbreaking chapter “The Lower Room.” Valjean thinks Cosette doesn’t need him anymore and has resolved to withdraw from her for her own good, but poor Cosette doesn’t understand and wants her Papa.

Honorable Mentions:

*The crowd outside the Bishop’s house laugh at “You maintain he made a present of this silver,” only for the Bishop to shut them up with a calm yet firm and emphatic “That is right.”

*In “Fantine’s Arrest,” Birte Holmboe’s Fantine pulls away from Valjean as she sings “Can this be?” (some Fantines don’t seem to remember to be angry at “Monsieur Madeleine” until “M’sieur, don’t mock me now, I pray…” but this Fantine does), and then raises herself up on “You let your foreman send me away!” so her head is higher than his.

*In “The Runaway Cart,” Drew Pulver’s Javert suddenly grows quiet and uncertain as he sings “No, not even Jean Val… jean,” stuttering the last syllable and singing it through clenched teeth, and then abruptly turns his head to look suspiciously at “Monsieur Madeleine.” (This would be the standout moment if Valjean/Cosette interactions weren’t a weakness of mine.)

*Another unique Valjean and Cosette moment, in “One Day More”: as Sándor’s Valjean sings an especially anxious and brooding “These men who seem to know my crime…” Petra’s Cosette can see how troubled he is, and despite her own anguish at having to leave Marius, she reaches out to comfort her father. He turns around, and for a brief, sweet moment, they hold hands.

*After Éponine’s death, Chris Morandi’s Enjolras delivers “She is the first to fall…” as a reproach to Javert, as if to say, “Look what your side has done!” (Or maybe “Your friends have just shot you,” with Éponine in place of Jean Prouvaire.)

*Grantaire (at least I think it’s Grantaire, though the camera doesn’t show him) shouts “Noooo!!” when Gavroche is killed. Chronologically he’s the first actor I’ve heard do this, but he certainly won’t be the last!

*Another moment from Birte’s Fantine: in the Epilogue, she’s less ethereally remote than other spirit Fantines are, and makes the post–10th Anniversary blocking of “Fantine kneels in front of Valjean” make sense for a change. She kneels to console Valjean with her hand on his shoulder, intimately and tenderly assuring him that he’ll be with God.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #30

1998 3rd National Tour audio bootleg

Gregory Calvin Stone (Jean Valjean), Todd Alan Johnson (Javert), Holly Jo Crane (Fantine), Michael Marra (u/s Thénardier), Aymee Garcia (Mme. Thénardier), Julia Haubner (u/s Éponine), Tim Howar (Marius), Matthew Shepard (Enjolras), Regan Thiel (Cosette)

Regan Thiel’s rebellious Cosette.

As we come closer to the turn of the millennium, Cosettes are becoming feistier! Up to this point, in “In My Life,” Cosette’s lines to Valjean have virtually always been sung in a sweet, pleading way; sometimes with a hint of frustration too, but just a hint. But Regan Thiel breaks the trend. Without sounding bratty or lacking dignity, her “…in your eyes I am just like a child who is lost in a wood” has a distinct note of complaint in it, and her “In my life I’m no longer a child…” sounds genuinely angry. From this point on, if I’m not mistaken, angry Cosettes would become just as common as sweetly pleading Cosettes, if not more so. It’s a choice I have mixed feelings about: yes, it makes Cosette less insipid and it speaks to the universal tension between teenagers and their parents, but still, Valjean and Cosette’s loving bond gets so little stage time, it seems a shame to waste part of that time in anger. Still, it’s a choice that stands out.

Honorable Mentions:

*Todd Alan Johnson’s fierce, half-shouted “Do not forget my name!” followed by a soft “Do not forget me…” in the Prologue. His Javert is calmer in this recording than in the 1997 bootleg (that is, until he finally melts down in his suicide scene), which in an audio-only performance is less interesting. But he does offer a unique reading of these lines.

*Aymee Garcia’s Mme. Thénardier ferociously growls “Our Éponine would kiss their feet!” and “…stay on the job and watch out for the law!” It’s clear that her days as a doting mother are gone and she now treats Éponine little better than she did Cosette.

*The excellent uncredited Grantaire (whom I think may be Stephen Bishop, though I’m not sure) gleefully hams up his “ABC Café” solo, especially “DON JU-AN!” and the other students applaud and cheer for him more than I’ve ever heard in previous performances.

*A woman at the barricade ­– one of the few who stay for the final battle against Enjolras’s orders – screams when Enjolras is shot.

*Greg Stone’s Valjean brokenly stammers “Tell her my h-heart is too full for farewells…” in “Vajean’s Confession.” Not enough Valjean’s sound truly distraught in this scene, but this one does.

*Another touch from Regan’s Cosette, this time showing her love for her father: she audibly sobs throughout Valjean’s death scene. Not enough to be over-the-top, but still audible, all the way from the reveal that Valjean saved Marius’s life until after he dies.

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I loved your post about autistic!Fantine!

Honestly, I've read Javert as autistic for ages. He's the kind of autistic guy who Takes Ideas Seriously- read: rigidly. He genuinely believes what he believes, with no hypocrisy, rationalization of inconsistencies, or room for exceptions. He thinks everyone else believes what they believe in the same way, and is absolutely baffled when they have room for ambiguity.

I think a lot of us on the autism spectrum can relate to Javert on some level for these reasons.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #29

Original Antwerp Cast Recording

Hans Peter Janssens (Jean Valjean), Jan F. Danckaert (Javert), Hilde Norga (Fantine), Marc Lauwrys (Thénardier), Daisy Thys (Mme. Thénardier), Chadia Cambie (Éponine), Rein Kolpa (Marius), Addo Kruizinga (Enjolras), Deborah Dutcher (Cosette)

Hans Peter Janssens’ last “Let him live” in “Bring Him Home.”

Yet again, we have a one-disc cast album that consists only of highlights, and though the cast is excellent, it’s hard to choose a standout moment from so little. But I finally settled on Valjean’s last (Flemish equivalent of) “Let him live” near the end of “Bring Him Home.” Hans Peter Janssens was a controversial Valjean when he joined the London cast a few years after this, but here, singing in his native Flemish, he sounds excellent to me. The feeling he brings into his last “Let him live” is poignantly raw, and he intersperses the line with a gasp, which may have been just a necessary breath after belting “If I die, let me die!” but which sounds as if Valjean is panting with emotion.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #28

1997 3rd National Tour audio bootleg

Gregory Calvin Stone (Jean Valjean), Todd Alan Johnson (Javert), Lisa Capps (Fantine), J.P. Dougherty (Thénardier), Aymee Garcia (Mme. Thénardier), Rona Figueroa (Éponine), Clifton Hall (u/s Marius), Jerry Jay Cranford (u/s Enjolras), Kate Fisher (Cosette)

Todd Alan Johnson’s ferocity in “Confrontation.”

Some Javerts are the same person from the beginning until Valjean derails his world at the barricade: staunch, unbending, unchanging. Other Javerts become increasingly fierce, obsessive, and unhinged over the course of the story. Based on this recording, Todd Alan Johnson’s Javert seems to have been the latter, at least at this early point in his three years in the role. In his first scenes, he sounds calm, cold, and efficient; not especially fierce or angry. But starting with “Confrontation,” all that changes. The way he growls “Valjean, at last…” and “I’ve hunted you across the years!” makes it clear that the reveal of “Madeleine’s” identity as Valjean has caused a snap inside him. From this point on, cold efficiency is replaced by ferocious obsession, and there’s no turning back from it until it finally breaks him and kills him. Even without any visuals, his voice alone vividly conveys this transformation.

Honorable Mentions:

*Lisa Capps’ Fantine sounding especially raw, tearful, and possibly drunk in her arrest scene, especially her terrified “I don’t want you!” and her mocking laughter while fighting off Bamatabois.

*The uncredited Grantaire singing a lovely, semi-operatic “It’s better than an opera!” with a rolled R, but then letting out an undignified, high-pitched, snickering laugh at the end.

*Kate Fisher’s solo as Cosette in “In My Life.” She’s definitely one of my favorite bootleg Cosettes: not only does she have a gorgeous voice, but without breaking the melody, she infuses her solo with so many little giggles and sighs, and so much feeling. This Cosette is a real person experiencing the thrill and yearning of first love, not just “the ingenue.”

*Clifton Hall’s angry “In God’s name, say what you have to SAY!!” in the wedding scene. I remember @professorspork writing that his Fiyero in Wicked could be too shouty, and maybe here as a Marius understudy, he shows a little of the same tendency. But it’s nice to hear a Marius sound as if the Thénardiers are truly trying his patience at the wedding.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #27

1997 Chelmsford Concert proshot video

Jeff Leyton (Jean Valjean), Michael McCarthy (Javert), Ruthie Henshall (Fantine), Chris Langham (Thénardier), Gay Soper (Mme. Thénardier), Frances Ruffelle (Éponine), Matthew Cammelle (Marius), David Bardsley (Enjolras), Annalene Beechey (Cosette)

Ruthie Henshall’s ending of “Lovely Ladies.”

Several cast members from the 10th Anniversary Concert appear in this concert too, either in the same roles or in different ones, and the most prominent role reprise is Ruthie Henshall’s Fantine. The standout moment of her performance here, and of the whole concert, is her delivery of “Come on, captain…” at the end of “Lovely Ladies.” It’s a passage that she sings very differently than in her TAC performance, and arguably better. Instead of being overtly seductive, she delivers the first lines in a gentle, casual, friendly way – a different yet equally valid way of flirting. Some bitterness creeps into her voice on “Don’t it make a change to have a girl who can’t refuse?” but she passes it off as a joke, adding a little laugh at the end of the line. But then on “Easy money lying on a bed…” the lighthearted façade dissolves completely, and her true, scathing anger spews forth.

Honorable Mention:

*David Bardsley becomes the first Enjolras I’ve heard chronologically to sing a high B-flat on “…until the earth is free!” I don’t know if he was the first ever to do it or not, but he’s the earliest one I’ve heard.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables Recordings, #26

1996 Karlstad proshot video

Björn Eduard (Jean Valjean), Marcus Jupither (Javert), Ann Sigurdsson (Fantine), Bengt Krantz (Thénardier), Sylvia Harwell (Mme. Thénardier), Annica Edstam (Éponine), Trond Teigen (Marius), Patrik Martinsson (Enjolras), Monica Danielsson (Cosette)

The surreal Prologue and “Valjean’s Soliloquy.”

This Swedish non-replica production is full of creative staging, but nowhere is it more creative than when Valjean is on parole. The scenes aren’t performed realistically: instead, from “Freedom is mine…” until “Valjean’s Soliloquy,” Valjean stands at center stage, singing his lines looking out at the audience, while the farmer, the laborers, the innkeeper, his wife, the Bishop, and the constables move and sing around him. Maybe it’s a slightly cold way of staging the scenes, but it vividly conveys Valjean’s sense of isolation from the rest of humankind. I only might have liked the Bishop to actually interact with him. But he makes up for it by staying onstage during “Valjean’s Soliloquy,” and as the kneeling Valjean sings the last lines, he stands behind him and holds his hands over his head, while a heavenly light shines onto Valjean’s face, heralding his new life.

Honorable Mentions:

*At the beginning, rather than laboring, the convicts are all chained to a wall, immobilized with their hands above their heads. It creates an even stronger sense of hopelessness than the usual staging.

*In “Lovely Ladies” instead of two random old women, the Pimp and the chief lovely lady buy both Fantine’s locket and her hair. When they see that she’s desperate, they hone in to buy what little she has, and when they see that she has nothing left, then in Hugo’s words, they take “the rest.” And during the hair sale, the Pimp grabs her hair and chops it off onstage as she sings “Ten francs may save my poor Cosette!”

*The Thénardiers are both more subdued and serious than usual, and Mme. Thénardier’s abuse of Young Cosette is taken truly seriously: she takes her offstage after “…and I never ask twice!” and then we hear a loud slap and a scream from Cosette.

*This is the first production in my watch-through that switches Enjolras and Marius’s first lines in “Look Down,”: Marius sings “Where are the leaders of the land?…” and Enjolras sings “Only one man and that’s Lamarque…” It won’t be the last time this is done.

*Éponine accidentally causes Marius and Cosette to meet, even more directly than she usually does. When Marius tries to follow her on “Why is he here? Hey, Éponine!” Cosette happens to be standing right next to them, and Éponine shoves Marius, making him stumble backward and bump into Cosette from behind.

*Éponine also announces the news of General Lamarque’s death rather than Gavroche. So much fanfic potential in the thought of her being acquainted with all the Amis!

*On “Let’s give 'em a screwing they’ll never forget!” the ever-bawdy Grantaire holds his gun out from his crotch.

*A minor acting moment: in the intro to “A Little Fall of Rain,” after Éponine reports that she delivered Marius’s letter, Marius turns and grins at his friends, who are gathered around, as if to say “Yay! Did you hear that? Cosette has my letter!” A last moment of innocent joy before the horrifying reveal of Éponine’s wound.

*At the end of “Javert’s Suicide,” we don’t see Javert’s fall from the bridge, we only hear his final cry. But then we see the aftermath: some men carrying a simple wooden coffin with Javert’s hat placed on the lid.

*This production introduces some staging innovations that later became standard around the world. For example, Gavroche is shot at the top of the barricade, falls into the students’ arms, and then is carried away by Grantaire. And in the final scene, the Bishop’s spirit appears: in this staging, he’s the first spirit to appear, and stands at center stage watching over Valjean from the “Bring Him Home” reprise onward.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #25

1996 Duisburg proshot video

Jerzy Jeszke (Jean Valjean), Hartwig Rudolz (Javert), Cornelia Drese (Fantine), Tom Zahner (Thénardier), Anne Welte (Mme. Thénardier), Sanni Luis (Éponine), Felix Martin (Marius), Martin Berger (Enjolras), Deborah Dutcher (Cosette)

Felix Martin’s reserved grief for Éponine.

I’ve chosen the same moment here that I did for the 10th Anniversary Concert, but here it’s played very differently. Felix Martin is a reserved and gentlemanly Marius, nowhere near as amiable and effusive as Michael Ball, and Sanni Luis’s ruggedly vulnerable Éponine clearly belongs to a different world than he does. He treats her with amusement and sympathy, but not as a close friend. But as she brings him to Cosette, protects them from the gang, and ultimately dies for him at the barricade, he sees her in a new light and learns her true value. His reaction to her death suits this arc and his personality in general. At first glance it might seem cold: no tears, no kiss, no cradling, just a long, motionless, sadly disbelieving stare at her body. But as he stays in that stance even after she’s carried away, it becomes clear that he’s shaken to the core by her passing. Especially when he finally picks up her hat and gently presses it to his heart.

Honorable Mentions:

*At the end of “Master of the House,” instead of the standard closing comic business (i.e. Thénardier drinks his own bad homemade wine, runs to the kitchen, and throws up), Mme. Thénardier withdraws into the kitchen gulping the wine, and her husband follows her, angry that she just humiliated him in front of everyone. He snatches the jug from her, and they get into a vicious pantomime argument, seeming about to come to blows as the turntable sweeps them out of sight.

*Felix’s Marius putting his hand on Enjolras’s shoulder as the latter sings “…before the barricades arise?” and smiling idealistically at Enjolras’s vision. This one quick moment establishes Marius’s devotion to Enjolras as a friend and to their cause, setting the stage for his inner conflict when romance threatens to interfere.

*Valjean hugging Cosette on “Cosette, my child, what will become of you?” and Cosette resting her head on his chest, as if she really did just have a bad fright and wants comfort. A sweet, tender father/daughter moment in a scene that’s not always played for tenderness… yet with a double edge, because Cosette is lying to Valjean to hide Marius’s presence.

*Enjolras rallying his friends during “One Day More!” Martin Berger doesn’t just stand with his rifle aloft throughout his solo lines: he does it briefly at first, but then he turns and interacts with the other Amis, touching their shoulders, addressing them individually, and actively being a leader and friend to them, not just a figurehead of revolution.

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Standout Moments of "Les Misérables" Recordings, #24

1996 Original Duisburg Cast Recording

Jerzy Jeszke (Jean Valjean), Hartwig Rudolz (Javert), Cornelia Drese (Fantine), Tom Zahner (Thénardier), Anne Welte (Mme. Thénardier), Sanni Luis (Éponine), Felix Martin (Marius), Martin Berger (Enjolras), Deborah Dutcher (Cosette)

The Foreman’s “Right, my girl. On your way!” (or rather “Tja, mein Schatz. Raus mit dir!”)

Again, it’s not easy to choose a standout moment from a highlights recording. But I finally chose one, although it doesn’t involve any of the leads. It’s the way that Steffen Friedrich as the Foreman delivers the German equivalent of “Right, my girl. On your way!” (Which literally translates as “Well, my darling. Out with you!”) In my experience, very few actors deliver “On your way!” as a full-blown ferocious shout: yes, Michael McCarthy and Jeff Nicholson in the anniversary concerts both roar it, but that seems to be precisely because those performances are grand-scale concerts. Most actors in my experience either just snap it or else speak it in a chillingly quiet voice. This German actor is the first Foreman I’ve heard outside of a concert who truly shouts the line, in a vicious snarling tone. Poor Fantine.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #23

1995 10th Anniversary Concert

Colm Wilkinson (Jean Valjean), Phillip Quast (Javert), Ruthie Henshall (Fantine), Alun Armstrong (Thénardier), Jenny Galloway (Mme. Thénardier), Lea Salonga (Éponine), Michael Ball (Marius), Michael Maguire (Enjolras), Judy Kuhn (Cosette)

The moment of Éponine’s death.

Most Les Mis fans seem to agree that Lea Salonga and Michael Ball give us an especially poignant rendition of “A Little Fall of Rain” in this concert. And of that rendition, it’s the very end that stands out for me. The way Lea draws out her last note on “…flowers…” so that her voice sweetly blends with Michael’s, then gives him one last tender glance before her eyes close and her head falls lifeless against his chest. Michael’s soft, short “…grow,” which sounds as if Marius is so overwhelmed with emotion that he can barely utter the word. And the way he tenderly caresses her hair and kisses the top of her head, then mournfully cradles her body. Even though this is a concert with the performers standing in front of mics, this moment is just as tender and poignant as it is in any fully staged performance.

Honorable Mentions:

*Colm Wilkinson’s fearsome “I will see it DONE!!!” at the end of “Fantine’s Arrest.”

*Ruthie Henshall’s shimmering, ethereal tone as she trails away her final note on “…and I’ll see her when I wake!” We seem to hear Fantine’s spirit rising to heaven on that note.

*Hannah Chick getting startled by an accidental balloon pop during “Castle on a Cloud,” but continuing the song without missing a beat.

*Alun Armstrong and Jenny Galloway’s pantomime bickering as the Thénardiers at the end of “Master of the House.”

*Michael Maguire’s “Lamarque is dead…” in which at first, he seems to reel in grief, but then suddenly realizes that this can be the catalyst for their revolution, and then rallies his friends with mounting excitement that finally becomes ecstatic fervor.

*Lea Salonga’s fierce and angry “Without me, his world will go on turning” in “On My Own.” The melancholy waif Éponine of the ‘80s is gone: this girl is a fiery urchin and she’s mad at Marius for not returning her love.

*Michael Maguire placing his hand on Anthony Crivello’s shoulder after the latter’s solo in “Drink with Me.” It’s a small gesture, but it shows that by this time in the musical’s history, everyone seems to agree that Enjolras and Grantaire should have some meaningful interaction in this moment.

*Philip Quast loosening one lock of his hair to convey the unhinging of his mind during “Javert’s Suicide.”

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #22

1994 Japanese Red Cast Recording

Takeshi Kaga (Jean Valjean), Kunio Murai (Javert), Yuhko Ema (Fantine), Takashi Sasano (Thénardier), Rika Sugimura (Mme. Thénardier), Kaho Shimada (Éponine), Kazutaka Ishii (Marius), Akira Tomemori (Enjolras), Yuhko Miyamoto (Cosette)

Kaho Shimada’s “Attack on Rue Plumet.”

Of the six Japanese cast recordings of Les Mis, this one seems to be the only one easy to obtain in the US, and it features Kaho Shimada reprising her role as Éponine from the original 1987 Tokyo cast and from the Complete Symphonic Recording. As a seasoned performer in the role, and this time singing in her native Japanese, she brings a whole new level of passion and vividness to her performance on this recording, especially in “Attack on Rue Plumet.” Her (Japanese equivalent of) “I’m gonna scream, I’m gonna warn them here!” sounds frantic and feral, as does her half-spoken “Well, I told you I’d do it! I told you I’d do it!” Her raw fear, anger, and desperation transcend language, and though she’s never been an Éponine who can do a classic high-pitched scream, the fierce animalistic screech she utters instead is fully effective. Adding to the scene’s rawness is the fact that during Claquesous’ “What a palaver…” we hear Thénardier slapping her twice!

Honorable Mention:

*The Javert of Kunio Murai (a.k.a. the Japanese voice of Harrison Ford) softly yet madly laughing after “I am reaching, but I fall” in “Javert’s Suicide.”