#One of My Favorite Gavroche Moments!

[lesmisscraper]

Gavroche picking out the spy among the barricade. Volume 4, Book 12, Chapter 7.

Clips from <Il cuore di Cosette>.

[theatrehearts]

i saw the les mis arena tour today in oslo and i have thoughts that i need to share

Killian Donnelly as Valjean is so precious to me. I’ve seen him as the Phantom on West End so I knew he could do it but man he was breathtaking. Especially Bring Him Home!!! He ATE that song. I will say though some part of my brain always sees him as Combeferre.

BRADLEY JADEN my beloved. He is my favorite Javert ever. He just knocks it out of the park every time with this role. The intensity in his eyes, the earnestness in his voice. During Stars, he made me hope. During the Suicide Soliloquy, he made me weep.

Also during the Suicide Soliloquy, I don’t know if it was planned or not but he had what looked like blood running down his chin. It really added to the mad and frantic vibe of the sequence. This song really blew me away. Hands down the strongest acting of the night. Also, he’s so hot, jesus christ.

Killian and Bradley had what I would call a spitting contest during the Confrontation. It was strangely hot.

When Valjean frees Javert from the barricade and tells him to gtfo, Javert seems to snap and rushes Valjean and they grip each other tightly and stare at each other for a long while. It’s like Javert is torn between wanting to kill Valjean or beg him to stab him and get it over with.

I am incredibly gay for both Beatrice Penny-Touré as Cosette and Aviva Tullet as Éponine. Every time they sang I wanted to scream. Their VOICES. Their HARMONIES!!! GOD I ADORE THEM.

Bishop Jeremy Secomb what a babe. He killed it with the low notes. I cried when he and Valjean hugged super tight at the end.

JAMES D GISH AS ENJOLRAS: what a VOICE. What CONVICTION. Jesus I understand R now I would die for him too.

I loved how Connor Jones played Grantaire. As in many productions, he orbits Enjolras throughout the play. Grantaire’s eyes always drift to Enjolras throughout the show and he never kept them off him for long.

During Red and Black R tried TWICE to grab Enjolras’s hand, but both times Enjolras was juust out of reach (and too busy with the revolution to notice). There was also a moment when E had one hand on R’s neck and the other on his heart and they shared a long look and it hurt me.

In Drink with Me, E and R shared a reprise of their «tense gay silence while they touch each other and look conflicted into each other’s eyes» moment. When it is announced that the other barricades have fallen and Enjolras reacts by doubling down, Grantaire seems to lose his last shred of hope that Enjolras would survive and it kinda looks like R resigns himself and accepts that he will die too.

ANOTHER E/R moment: as in some other productions, Grantaire and Gavroche are tight. When the first bullets hit the barricade, Grantaire hugs Gavroche to shield him while Enjolras reacts by immediately (and instinctively) moving to check on them (or to shield them?). Their little group hug gave me major two dads and their son energy.

Thénardier’s queer line was changed to «this one is a bit queer but he’s more fun than you», followed by Thénardier flirting with said dude. I don’t remember seeing this before in any production before but it has probably happened before. Nevertheless, pop off bisexual Thénardier.

A Little Fall of Rain with Aviva and Jac Yarrow was devastatingggg. When Éponine dies, Gavroche looks really sad and then something in him seems to snap and he dives into Grantaire’s chest and R hugs him very tightly. PAINPAINPAIN.

The ending was beautiful as always. I will say though that I have never felt Javert’s absence from the Finale louder. I think Bradley just really succeeds in humanizing Javert and I want him in that Finale sequence and I will die on this hill.

Did I mention 👏🏻BRADLEY👏🏻JADEN👏🏻?!?

Overall a fantastic production and I feel so blessed I got to see it.

Unrelated but I spent over 100 euros on merch and I regret nothing.

[pain-and-chocolate]

my thoughts on the les mis tour, finally…(includes spoilers)

i am so happy i was able to see this amazing show twice last week, but let’s be honest, twice is not nearly enough. i saw the show when it was here in 2022, but i came at it this time from a whole new (slightly deranged, but hey, this IS tumblr) perspective, so here are my thoughts on the best musical of all time

GRANTAIRE: i think it goes without saying that kyle adams absolutely fucking rocked it as R. he perfectly portrayed the cynic in a way that felt more than a foil, but a person on his own. he was also just so flamboyant and dramatic and i love that for him. his interactions with the amis, enj, and especially gavroche (not to mention him teasing javert) were absolutely divine. special shoutout to him blowing a kiss at enj while in the cafe

ENJOLRAS: i don’t see enough posting about christian mark gibbs. he killed it (haha) as enj. i feel like, too often, enjolras is shown to be solely an embodiment of the revolutionary ideals, only focused on the goal. while this enjolras had that intensity, he was also very much a human who cared for his friends and the world at large. there was one moment in particular that i remember, where after bring him home, before he begins to sing “the people have not stirred,” he exchanges a look with courf, who is on the opposite side of the barricade, and it’s the most devastating thing - you really see him start to lose that desperate hope

GAVROCHE: OMFG gav killed me. he was so sassy and such a guy. his relationship with R is so personal to me you don’t understand. speaking of, gav’s death was gut wrenching. the whole theatre was silent, and when he was shot, a lady near me gasped. the blocking was amazing at this stage as well: enj caught him and handed him over to R, R shook him trying to wake him up, and enj was clearly devastated and had to be shaken multiple times by (ferre? i think?) before he interacted with the others again. also, kudos R standing there clenching his heart while gav was on the other side of the barricade.

this is already way too long so i’ll summarize: the entire cast, crew, and pit ATE! probably my favorite cast of all time, and the blocking was gorgeous and it was clear every actor deeply cared about their characters and the story. GO SEE THIS TOUR

[artfulacrostic]

some of my favorite moments from the 1995 10th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables bc it's BARRICADE DAY and thus tis the season:

the convicts during Look Down all being Valjeans from different countries

the bishop M is baby faced and has an angelic voice

the clips from the fully staged show that they insert whenever there is too long of an instrumental/to explain things

colm wilkinson and philip quast's confrontation makes me want to chew on my laptop screen. so good. so crisp

baby cosette gets spooked by a balloon popping during castle on a cloud but barely flinches and keeps singing

the entire cast in the background of master of the house bopping back and forth in time. they are so here for it and it's amazing

philip quast's stars. he's so fucking good. i'm insane about him

michael maguire as enjolras's little happy dance when gavroche tells them that lamarque is dead

michael ball as marius somehow gives himself literally heart eyes whenever he talks about cosette. i can see them. it's so funny

during a heart full of love, colm wilkinson and philip quast are so invested in the background. they're leaning over to whisper to each other. they are besties

lea salonga as eponine delivers "i know this house i tell you, there's nothing here for you. just the old man and the girl, they live ordinary lives" like a GODDESS she is EVERYTHING

michael ball surreptitiously wiping his sweat on lea salonga's hair during her death scene. mans is dying a little

drink with me features anthony crivello as a fucking stellar grantaire, and after his verse, enj comes over and puts his hand on his shoulder to comfort him for a very long time. complete with a lingering touch on the arm and everything. fantastic exr crumbs 👍

the clips from the full show of the final battle are hilarious. completely different cast (though only obvious to insane people like us.)

highlights include one of les amis right on the middle of the barricade doing like. a backwards worm he's so into his death throes. he always has me losing my shit

empty chairs at empty tables includes the fucking cruel choice to have the entire les amis cast of actors line up on each side of michael ball and just a step behind so that they're in shadows, all staring sadly at him for the whole song. gives the impression of all the ghosts of marius's dead friends looking on from the afterlife and demanding answers. heart wrenching. THIS IS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE A CONCERT, WHY ARE U DOING STAGING LIKE THIS

beggars at the feast has everyone in the background clapping/tapping along again. love seeing the thenardiers get their due appreciation

the 17 valjeans from other international productions enter after the finale and they all have their gavroches holding their country flags it's so fucking cute

and of course final encore with all the additional valjeans and the whole cast is fucking ACES

ANYWAY if ur looking for a production to watch that is good af this is the top of my list even though it isn't fully staged. it's sooooo. it's some good fucking food. happy barricade day!!

[notsve2]

DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?

Les Miserables US National Tour - September 13th

Les Miserables is based on Victor Hugo’s famous 1862 novel of the same name. It follows Jean Valjean’s life after he is released from prison, Inspector Javier’s chase for him, and the people and events he encounters until his eventual death. The climax of the show revolves around a failed attempt of revolution in the streets of Paris. The technicians, actors, and crew created a full and lively world, something that is hard to create on a stage. Every minute of this show could easily be a scene from a movie or TV show, where elaborate sets and extras are far more common due to cuts between scenes. It was really amazing how fast and smooth the production crew would transport the audience into an entirely different place and time.

As with most productions, the technical aspects of the show were something I paid much more attention to. Something that stood out to me especially with this show was the use of projections, and while projections aren’t uncommon in theater, oftentimes they have a hard time mixing with the onstage actors and set pieces which tends to draw me out of the world. In Les Mis however, they mixed amazingly with the color theme established with the show and at various times I forgot they were even projections. They were also used in unique ways such as in “One Day More” where the actors were ‘fake’ marching but the projections behind them made them appear to be moving. This effect was also used in the second act when Valjean was dragging Marius’ body through the sewers, and the projections moved along with the actor through the system. I found an article after seeing the show which interviewed set designer Matt Kinley in 2019 from which he stated that many of the projected images used Victor Hugo’s original drawings, which is such a neat detail to me. Also using projections, at the end of the ‘prologue’ the stage went dark and the title of the show was projected onto the stage, acting as a title card. This really stood out to me because that isn’t something often used in stage theater and something I had never seen before, but it worked really well as a transition to signify both a time skip, and the end of Valjean’s prior life. The various sets also utilized a lot of levels, which was necessary due to the large cast. Everything from the barricade, the Cafe Musain, the Thénardiers inn, and simple scenes that took place in the town, really helping to fill the stage and ‘void’ above them. Many of the actors also made really nice choices, my favorites were between Gavroche and Grantaire. Gavroche would often comfort Graintaire when he got angry especially in “Drink with Me”, and after Gavroche’s death Graintaire holds him for a long moment. This small choice was so special I forgot what happened at this point in the show because I was focused on them instead. It was one of the many decisions that made this production feel like a full world.

I happened to notice a lot of unique staging aspects. Especially during Fantine’s death in Act One, when Valjean was sitting on her deathbed. The entire song, despite him singing some parts, his back was faced to the audience. I noticed this because typically this should be avoided, but combined with Fantine’s light-colored costume in contrast to his, it drawed the audience’s focus to her. This was the first time I noticed it’s use in the show and where I believe they used it best, but it was also used in other moments throughout the show. The blocking for this show was also very unique, being able to transport between locations almost seamlessly. In the opening of Act One, it opens to the street of France, then quickly transforms into the factory where Fatine works. It was not very noticeable, but if you looked close enough, you could see the ensemble placing the set pieces behind the first row of actors, so that when they moved, it revealed an entirely new scene. This effect was a great choice, and a risky one if not timed right.

Photos taken from the LES MISERABLES US TOUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE

[cometomecosette]

"Les Misérables" musical character interpretations: Enjolras

Next on my list of characterization comparisons: our favorite revolutionary leader, Enjolras.

Once again, each of these three interpretations can work by themselves, or else they can be combined with each other. For example, I've found that some of the best Enjolras actors (e.g. Anthony Warlow, Ramin Karimloo, Kevin Earley) have combined "the Soldier" with "the Marble Lover of Liberty." And while Aaron Tveit's movie Enjolras is basically "the Marble Lover of Liberty," he's more subdued and boyish than most stage examples, with a possible undertone of "the Young Student."

While writing this, I also remembered the 2011 fan comic Enjolras and His Singing Brethren. Of course that comic isn't really a comparison of different characterizations, but mainly a way to praise David Thaxton's Enjolras and to make fun of Michael Maguire, Drew Sarich, and various bad actors in the role. But connections can still be drawn between my more earnest comparison and that silly one. A "G.I. Jolras" is "the Soldier," obviously; an "OMGjolras" is "the Young Student"; and a "Pwnjolras" is either "the Marble Lover of Liberty" or that type crossed with "the Soldier." A "Hunjolras" is just "the Soldier" overacted, while a "Hohumjolras" and an "Umm?jolras" are just weak actors with no stage presence.

The Soldier

            This robust, fiery Enjolras lacks the ethereal qualities of Hugo’s Enjolras, but he compensates with his unbreakable fighting spirit. While dignified, he’s also quite a rabble-rouser, who blazes with anger at injustice and charges into battle with the force of a cannon. His passion and vigor can be heard in his frequent emphatic shouts (“Where are the SWELLS who run this show?!” “…to call them TO ARMS!” “DAMN their lies!” etc.) and seen in his commanding presence on the barricade. Rather than Hugo’s “flower,” this Enjolras is a sturdy, towering tree. At times he might seem almost smug, and he might seem slightly overbearing and preachy toward Marius in “Red and Black.” Nonetheless, he earns our admiration with his staunch courage and our sympathy with his devotion to his friends. This Enjolras will be warm and demonstrative toward the other students, evoking the deep bonds of military comrades, and to Marius he’ll be like an older brother, sometimes impatient yet fiercely protective and caring. At first, he might have little patience for Grantaire, but will sincerely strive to convert him to idealism too, and will ultimately give him a heartfelt reconciliation, either in “Drink With Me” or in “The Final Battle.” His two truly vulnerable moments are after Gavroche’s death and, more briefly, Marius’s apparent death: while outwardly stoic, he’ll convey silent desolation at both. But then his grief will turn to fearsome rage, and he’ll charge onward to make the enemy bleed while he can. Although he dies, his strength and fire will never be forgotten.

The Young Student

            This Enjolras can best be compared to the student protestors of the 1960s, or possibly to John F. Kennedy. A passionate, charismatic idealist, whose vision for the future is grand and inspiring, but whose youth and inexperience make him unprepared for the battle, which he pays for in blood. His courage and zeal for the cause are just as fiery as the Soldier’s, but he lacks the Soldier’s sturdiness: instead, his fire is wildfire, blazing with boyish energy. The news of Lamarque’s death might make him nearly manic with excitement because the chance for revolution he’s been waiting for has come. Yet he can be kind and gentle too, and in his idealism, he relates to everyone – whether the poor in “Look Down,” or his beloved friends, or strangers – as an equal. When he lectures Marius or snaps at Grantaire, it never seems too harsh, because there’s no air of superiority in it. And as the barricade scenes unfold, though he stays strong on the surface, private expressions reveal his increasing distress, fear, and struggle to lead as the rebellion’s doom becomes clear. This might culminate in a total breakdown at Gavroche’s death, where he collapses in utter anguish and tears; or if not there, he might do it soon afterward over Marius’s “dead” body. (Or in a non-replica staging, over the body of Grantaire if he dies first.) But even if he doesn’t break down, we’ll feel his despair. Nonetheless, in his last moments, he picks himself up and faces his foes in a blaze of courage and defiance. Hugo’s “marble” Enjolras he isn’t, but as an all too young, very human martyr, he’s compelling in his own way.

The Marble Lover of Liberty

            This is Enjolras as Hugo wrote him, at least as much as the musical allows. He lacks either the Soldier’s machismo or the Young Student’s liveliness and vulnerability, but instead comes across as an almost angelic symbol of revolutionary idealism. His demeanor is stern, thoughtful, and defined by stately dignity and quiet strength. While his anger at injustice and his fervor for revolution are clear, and while there might be a subtle quality of wildness in his passion, he isn’t defined by fire. His anger is controlled and even-toned, not loud, and he’s able to command without aggression, but with a meaningful stare or simple gesture alone. When he sings of the future, gazing into the distance with a beatific expression, we see what defines this Enjolras: a shining vision of justice and freedom, which he worships with priestly devotion. He might come across as slightly cold and aloof, especially compared to his friends. But in his own quiet way, he’ll make his love for them clear. He likely won’t be overbearing toward Marius in “Red and Black,” but gently reason with him, outlining what he views as objective facts. He might treat Grantaire with cold disdain until the end, or he might show him a blend of frustration and caring from the start, but either way, their ultimate reconciliation will be meaningful and moving. As the barricade’s fall draws near, his sadness is quietly felt, but he never breaks. He dies with the same dignity, courage, and majestic idealism with which he lived. The sight of his body will inspire not just sadness, but reverence, and the resolve to keep his ideals alive.

More comparisons to come!

[alenaphale]

gotta say that one recording of les mis on west end from 06/14/2014 is basically my favorite and my comfort watch (i’ve opened it on youtube 14 times this month and actually rewatching it rn) and i feel like we’re not talking about it enough.

jean valjean is perfect there and i mean it in terms of both acting and singing daniel koek is unbelievable (i almost cried when he was singing with tiny cosette when he found her in the woods). javert is extremely angry and hisses all the time and honestly i’m always here for that (also his soliloquy drives me insane every time just. oh my god). fantine is probably the best one i’ve ever seen in my life she portrays the character so beautifully. the thénardiers are literally so funny and their acting in the robbery is impeccable (i’ve rewatched the robbery more than any other part of the musical). enjolras is majestic and grantaire is fucking insanely good like you know how he is right? one moment he’s silly and goofy prankster putting his arms around enj and marius’ shoulders and then he’s literally grasping enjolras during drink with me with tears in his eyes and cracking voice. little cosette’s acting is SO GOOD AND ON POINT IT’S LITERALLY CRAZY??? marius and cosette for once don’t piss me off because they actually suit their roles perfectly and you really believe their acting when you see them. eponine is very edgy and sarcastic and also perfect. gavroche pats javert on a cheek during the barricade and i was speechless about how good his acting is in general. AND ALSO THE ENSEMBLE HELLO???? i always pay close attention to them and here they are doing such an amazing job, all of them (my personal fav is master of the house tbh i’m crazy about this song and scenography in this scene here is hilarious and amazing). i probably missed some details but only because fuuucking hell. fucking hell. please hear me out people this is probably the most important les mis recording in my life.

[justgayrevolutionnaries]

Hello guys guess what I (finally) saw Les Mis on the west end today so I need somewhere to rant about it bear with me here

(under the cut because 1- spoilers and 2- I have no idea how long this is going to be)

First of all just a small disclaimer : I am not in any part of this trying to be like "A was better than B in this role " or whatever it's just me being happy I got to see this show :)

Just hearing the opening live for the first time was amazing. Same goes for the whole show obv but this opening is the best

Also I did not know there were changing backgrounds this was so cool I really liked them

And the whole stage was super impressive I didn't expect everything to be that big it was amazing

Valjean was so good ??? I really liked his acting and his voice is actually incredible. Especially for Bring him home, I think it was one of my favorite versions of this song he has a really intense voice

Javert was incredible as well- I believe it was Stewart Clarke ? Point is he was a very good Javert I love him in this role

Anyway both of them have amazing voices so the Confrontation was very intense (or maybe it's just because it was the first time I saw it live ig)

Moving on but um. Lucie jones ??? Fantine ??? Like ma'am. Please. Your voice.

Literally I dreamed a dream ? So good. Made me tear up. If I am being honest I never cared for this song a lot but I can't even begin to explain how much I loved it here

Anyway she was definitely one of my favorite highlights of the show like yes queen

Also the factory scene was pretty great because I could finally know what was being said in the background- shoutout to whoever says "you bitch" to Fantine because I was not ready for that and the delivery was perfect

MADAME THÉNARDIER WAS AMAZING THANK YOU

Just- her mocking Cosette and her husband, the way she screams "COSETTE" when Thénardier messes up the name... Everything about her was so enjoyable I loved her

+ gotta love Thenardier just for the way he was sleeping and his head shot up when Valjean mentionned money for the first time

Also for being so funny in that moment after look down when Javert just comes to arrest them and he does his whole "may I go" act and then goes back to the policeman previously holding him and places the baton back on his neck I loved that for him

Anyway moving on to my favorite characters ever- tho actually I wasn't expecting to enjoy the beginning of the show that much but hey I did

Okay so Marius right ? If I'm being honest I had doubts about him, mostly because Ropert tripolino looked so much like a grantaire to me so I had a hard time picturing him as Marius but he was great

Very good at playing the part of the lovedstruck dumbass. Which is all it takes for me to like a Marius actually

No but also I loved his voice, maybe a bit shaky but it didn't strike me and I think it fit marius's character well so + it mixes really well with those of both Cosette and Eponine so that was cool, tho sometimes he was a bit drowned out by both of their voices but still.

The Gavroche actor was incredibly cute and funny I loved him so much- his mimicking javert was everything he is the best and must be protected at all cost

I'm doing this in no specific order so might come back to other things but I have said it before and will say it again... I don't like that little dance in one day more. It just kind of kills the vibe in my opinion because I find the dance rather funny but yeah

Anyway just because I have been dying to talk about him and he's all I've been thinking about for the past hours- shoutout to whoever was playing Grantaire. Like really. It was a cover so not sure who it was since I failed to look at the cast list (I wanna say ollie wray but I might be wrong) but oh my god. Sir. He ate it.

Everything about him was so great- I'll come back to him later just to pretend I'm keeping an order here (spoiler : I am not) but his part in Red and Black was incredibly funny it was just grantaire messing around and annoying Enjolras and I love that for him

Talking about Enjolras he was really good actually. I always have a moment of confusion when I see a brunette Enjolras just because I am not used to it but once I could actually focus on him he was very enjoyable

HAVE I TALKED ABOUT EPONINE YET BECAUSE I WANT TO TALK ABOUT EPONINE

She is. Really bitter I want to say. Like my brain isn't braining rn so I don't have words but she was rather sarcastic in a sad way. If that even makes sense. Anyway this attitude was great I loved everything about her

The whole part with Marius asking her for Cosette's adress just showed this and I really liked their dynamic it was exactly how I always imagined them to interact. Like Eponine obviously not being excited by this and Marius just blatantly missing every single cue

Point is I loved both of them

Okay just before I move on to the barricade's part which is all I wanna talk about, I am in love with this Cosette. That's it that's the post but lulu-mae has a beautiful voice, which again mixes really well with that of marius

Oh and also Marius trying to find a way to climb over the fence will never not be funny he's such an idiot I love him

Cue Eponine basically having to protect him while dealing with her own existential crisis- queen

ANYWAY

Actually moving on because this is getting long and I suck at ordering those notes but still

Firstly. Eponine singing On my own. I am actually not okay. She has such an amazing voice oml ??? 10/10 song I love her so much she made me tear up it was the best thing ever

So the barricade scenes

This is actually mostly me ranting about Grantaire and Gavroche because I literally missed a solid part of the barricade moment due to focusing on them

In my defense they were incredibly cute okay ? It's just the way Grantaire looks out for Gavroche and cares for him

And I love them so much I swear

Just two things before I just go on a full rant about them

1- A little fall of rain ?? Just Nathania Ong slaying all over again this was the saddest thing I heard her voice is just the best here

On the over hand this was one of the moment when Roberts voice seemed very much drowned out by hers but. She still carried the song. So it was very cool.

2- drink with me was so sad as well. Mostly because of grantaire. Again. Also I think it's always sad but seeing it live just made it worse- anyway it's just the way grantaire comes to feuilly's face to sing his verse. The way enjolras hugs him very tight when he's done. The way grantaire just pushes him away angrily and goes to stand in a corner. I am actually not okay about this

Also when Grantaire goes stand in a corner Gavroche comes to hug him from behind and he turns around to hug him back and that's basically where I lost it. Everyone was hugging all around but I was just looking at them because they were so cute okay bye

Sidenote but I still don't understand why the musical made Courfeyrac so angry and agressive- like the whole thing with Javert is kinda weird to me ? "Kill the bastard" is a good moment still just his cheering thing or whatever when valjean comes back- I am sorry but Courfeyrac would not do that like ever

Okay I already talked about bring him home and it slayed so yup

And anyway after this point I basically stopped looking at the barricade because I was just watching grantaire and gav so bear with me

During the attack grantaire just seats on a bench and does absolutely nothing. Just stares hopelessly into the void.

But after that there is the whole thing with ammunition and Gavroche volunteering

And okay first of all I really liked how everyone just zooms toward the barricade like Gavroche no- except then Gavroche is on the other side of the barricade right ? And nobody is moving. And you just have grantaire who gets up and starts walking slowly toward the barricade and it's absolutely agonizing

And after that Gavroche throws some ammunition to the guys and there is a short moment of victory- and then he gets shot and everything goes down from there

Enjolras gives his body to grantaire who is just below saying nothing. And it's utterly devastating.

Anyway after that Grantaire just kneels in a corner next to Gavroche's body

But when Marius gets shot him and Enjolras hug over marius's body and that was so sad

When Enjolras gets shot Grantaire just rushes on top of the barricade and starts screaming at the soldiers. And gets shot as well. And I did not know this happened I did not know Grantaire died after Enjolras I was not ready for this moment it destroyed me in so many ways

Anyway after that I basically zoned out because of what had just happened but what I can say is uh

I still don't like how javert's suicide is staged like it just looked to me like he was running backwards and the background was moving so. Yeah

Empty chairs at empty tables was- not the best. I liked the actor for all other moments but I just felt like his voice was kind of weak in this song ? It just didn't move me the way it usually does idk

Tho I still like how the women just laid candles down on the floor and then les amis arrive and pick them up

The Thénardier slaying again at the wedding <33

"I should have married your sister" always a highlight of the show actually

THE FINALE WAS SO GOOD

Lucie Jones again like love the voice love everything thank you queen

And just that moments when everything stops before the final "tomorrow comes" yeah that was that

Okay that's it that's the post if you read it down to here you're crazy and I love you

But still big shoutout to Fantine Eponine and Grantaire because those three really were the best parts of the show for me

[hermes-whistle]

LES MISERABLES 22/23 CAST REVIEW

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

ACT 2

Cast:

Nick carnell-Jean Valjean

Hayden Tee-Javert (temporary replacement)

Haley dortch- Fantine

Matt Crowle-Thénardier

Christina Rose Hall-Madame Thénardier

Hazel Vogel- little Cosette

Cora Jane Messer- Little Eponine

Christine Heesun Hwang- Eponine

Addie Morales- Cosette

Gregory Lee Rodriguez-Marius

Devin Archer-Enjorlas

Kyle Adams- Grantaire

Gavroche- Harrison Fox

Well uh, unfortunately my theater decided that they weren't gonna flicker the lights to let us know to go back to our seats so I missed all of building the barricade and eponine giving the letter

On my own

-"Now I can make believe he's here" that tone she had was gorgeous

- I couldn't focus on most of the number because some kids behind me decided to get chips during Intermission because they were bored

- the blocking feels a bit stiff

-the lights where pretty tho

-again unfortunately I couldn't pay attention due to the kids behind me

-bUT oh my God when that barricade comes out with all the fog, one of the best scenes ever

At the barricade

-seeing the boys climb over the barricade was funny ngl

-the barricade bits are blurry in my head sorry yall

Javerts return/little people

-it looked like javert picked up a stick and started drawing

- this is a Gavroche Stan page

- gav tried jumping off the barricade like enj does

-gav flipping javert off might be my favorite thing

-marius in the back literally went like :0

-meanwhile after that grant picked gav up for "your the top of the class" after enj had his whole speaking bit he came over and ruffled gavs hair

A little fall of rain/ night of anguish

-during the small battle scene or whatever happened (I'm sorry I'm writing this In a car and can't remember so) ep moved marius and got shot perusal, she had a very small scream but it was at the same time the gunshot went off so it wasn't as noticeable

-she basically stumbled off the barricade with marius

-the way he said "oh god it's everywhere" was chilling tbh, he sounded scared almost

-miss girl basically falls onto him and then he carefully lays her down

-towards the end Gav ran over, taking a few moments to realize what happened

-Enj and grant then walked in (more like enj strutting) gav then clung to grants leg once ep actual died

-rip bad bitch, you will be missed

-IM SO SORRY THE WAY THEY CARRY HER OFF IS SO FUNNY

- FELT LIKE I WAS WATCHING THE QUEENS FUNERAL OR SMTH

-"her name was eponine,," lawd that was a kick to the gut huh

Valjeans revenge

-wake up babes daddy is climbing

-javert is back on stage (I don't know if he left)

-the hesitant 'he belongs to you'

-jean pushes javert down onto his knees facing the audience

-javert stayed looking forward while Jean approached him from behind (📸)

- he kept shaking his head as Jean was talking, he then grabbed the gun and forcibly put it in his hands then made Jean angle it at him

-Jean seemed clearly upset about this and the way he says "you are wrong,," sounds like he was trying to remind himself that

- he then continued to grab onto his jacket while saying "clear out of here"

- the gunshot scared me and my mom, we knew it was coming but it's so loUD

Drink with me

-once Grant starts singing and goes to the middle, Enj now looks over and starts getting off the barricade

-"marius, rest please" was very gently said

-the boys gave a small cheer when grant started singing

-grant lightly shoves one of the boys

-once he sees enj his mood changed

- during "can it be your death means nothing at all?" Enj clearly tried to hug him and grant pushed him away then walked away

-gav was standing right by enj and then held onto his leg

-grant goes over where the sewer is and puts his head against it, enj looking down and told gav somthing

-gav then ran over and hugged grant for behind (more like his legs since grant was tall) and he then put his hand over gavs arm

Bring him home

-chills the whole song

-nick gave it all ON A RANDOM WEDNESDAY NIGHT

-he really does sound like he's begging for marius to be alright

-enj is at the left top of the barricade, has his head slightly tilted down watching (I can't blame him)

-grant and gav are still sitting against the sewers, it was dark where they where but I think grant was holding him while he was sleeping

-the way my soul actually left my body at his last note

-breath support is all I gotta say

Second battle/Gavroches death /Final battle

-I don't remember much pre gav dying sorry

-everyone is dead silent the second gavroche starts singing

-Enj holds out his arms for gav then puts his fist up for "you better run for cover when the pup grows u-" and then he's shot

-gav falls onto enjs shoulder, enj took a second to hold onto him and slowly turned around clearly looking upset before giving him to grant

-everyone looked horrified at what they just saw

-grant held him close to his shoulder

-eventually when the shooting did happen Jean ran over and took gavs body and took it off stage then returned

-Randy Jeter was really slaying for the loud hailer

- the "until the earth is free" note gets faded into the music

-I don't know if it was on purpose or not but when enj is supposed to be kicking people down from the other side he nearly fell off, thankfully one of the fake boards was there and he pulled himself back up

-enj waving the flag has got to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen omg, he was waving it very desperately

- the first one to go is Enj, before he starts falling grant starts trying to get up the barricade to grab him, only missing his hand by a little bit

-I'd like a moment to appreciate Jean basically t-posing while laying unconscious on the ground

-grant is the last one to die

-jean woke up then crawled over to marius whispering "shhh your okay please get up, get up" and then drags him off stage

-javert comes running over the barricade, the live fire torch looked so pretty for the scene

-when he got down he watched as the barricade opened

-Enj was vibing on the cart upside down per usual

-only one of his arms was hanging which is important in a second

-Javert walked over to Gavroche, prays over his body then lets the other dude pick him up

-gav gets thROWN in

-when the cart starts getting rolled off, enj was a little too far off the edge of the cart so it looked like he was gonna fall off, his other arm now fell off the cart

sewers/dog eat dog

-okay this scene deadass is my guiltly pleasure

-I got a tiny bit dizzy with the back screen visual

-the way Thénardier draggs one of the boys by the ankles💀

-I just love the song, it's so groovy

-valjean let go of marius and he just fell like the tower of terror

-when Thénardier goes over by marius he takes his hand like singing and puts it on his cheek acting as if it's his own hand

- "only the moon looks down" is still one of my favorite vocal moments, it scratches an itch in my brain

-"vALJEAN😧😧😧😧 AINT THE WORLD A REMARKABLE PLACE😧😃😧😃😧😃😧"

-marius seems to be like slightly awake

-I TRIED SO HARD NOT TO LAUGH WHEN IT CUTS 3 TIMES TO HIM CARRYING HIM DIFFERENT WAYS

- instrumental was such a bop

-javert is already waiting in the dark by the time Jean comes out

-once Jean looks over and sees him, javert points a gun at him (is this a new thing?? I don't remember seeing it before in boots)

-just gay old men arguing

-when Jean leaves with marius he looks back at him the same way javert did to him at the beginning, same places on the stage

Javerts suicide

-This is one of the scenes that is so so much better in person

-i personally think Hayden is one of the javerts that perform this scene best

-the stage is completely dark during the first Part

-but in the background you can see the bridge coming together on both sides which was so cool to see

-I definitely got more of a panic attack vibe from him instead of angry

-he kept on literally reaching out but his hands where extremely shakey

-javert was very slow about getting up on the bridge, he seemed hesitant

-"I am reaching but I fall" part was almost the exact same way nick as Jean performed it at the beginning with his hand reaching up

-once javert starts his final note I wasn't expecting the bridge to come out from Underhim and MANS WAS FLYING

-ofc he was up on wires but I never seen them and was shocked because I didn't know the scene is done like this (usually the bootlegs are taken from a weird angle for this scene)

-the visuals behind him are going down and eventually he gets pulled back into the darkness, the last thing you see is his hand reaching out

Turning

-interesting but sad scene transitions

-some of the women where dressed upperclass and half lower

-the little girl :((

-I'm not sure which actress is the one who says "what's the use of praying when nobody will hear??" But it was said very raw and emotional almost angry

-very beautiful song though

Empty chairs ar empty tables

-the tree is back

-yet another nice song transition

-love the performance but I don't have much to say???

-when le boys came in enj was the closest to him

-they pick up the candles, marius then waves his arm behind him like he was trying to make them go away during "don't ask me what your sacrifice was for"

-everyone blows their candles out except marius and enj

-enj is the last one to leave, marius looks over then enj blows his candle out then goes bye bye

-marius raises his candle at the end

Everyday/valjeans confession

-marius In his emo era then there's Cosette westing purple like hey lol

- cosette helps him walk over to the bench, once he sits down Cosette takes his cane and puts it behind the bench

- pretty vocals but everyday is kinda a basic song

-here comes the dilf, and he's got his limp again

-when he tells Cosette to go inside Cosette kinda looks between them like what's going onnnn and then leaves

-the change in tone when Jean talks to marius is interesting

-"who am i?" Idk man you tell me

-its 2:34 am when I'm writing this sorry I ain't remembering much

Wedding/beggers at a feast

-holy shit that is a very fast quick change for marius, I know he wears his coat over the wedding costume but sTILL

-again height difference between Cosette and him>>>

-Cosette's veil is gorgeous it's a shame it's only worn for like 5 minutes

- them dancing is the cutest thing ever and they kissed again before walking off the the side of the stage

- Marius introduces her to someone then goes over by the Thénardiers

-i was focusing on Cosette dancing

-the way the ensemble and cosette dance is interesting because they are clearly listening and moving to the tune

-Marius punching Thénardier was a slay per usual

-once they run off the plates drop ofc, overall the audience loved them

- the little hops during "among the elite"

- the line is back to "there goes a jew, this one's a queer but what can you do"

-the chaos that is the rest of the number>>>

Epilog

-Lmfao the change between songs

- he struggled for a sec to light the candles but got them eventually

-Nick made me appreciate jeans final solo part

-the chills I got when fantine comes out, I know she's an angel and she looked like one, she came out from stage right and had an orange haze casting over to her

-Jean looked relieved when he heard her, just ready to die

- Nick said a few times that his favorite line in the show is "she's the best of my life" and it shows 🥲🥲🥲

-Fantine got about 3 feet away, she was reaching out for him then Cosette comes running in

-this part is a bit of a blur since I was trying to get my phone out to get a small audio

- Marius comes in a few seconds after her, then he goes over behind the candles and looks at them until "you must forgive a thoughtless fool" then he sits by Cosette

- during the confession he slowly reached over and gave it to her, during "those who always loved you" He booped her nose again

- cosette is holding onto his hand until he gets up, more like he dies

-i wasn't paying attention to eponine I was trying to figure out why my camera didn't show the stage, turns out it was facing the wrong way

- "to love another person is to see the face of god" I'm not religious but that line always gets to me

-by the time Valjean gets up the chorus is starting, and the bishop comes out

-listen I know some people think it's stupid but I do like the Jean and bishop hug💔

-marius is holding Cosette and kissing her hair while rubbing her arm

-the ending just is so🤌🤌🤌 probably one of my favorite musical closers

Bonus if you made it this far

[inappropriatestork]

Oh man, so I got to see Les Mis again tonight (a bit over a month after seeing in it Charlotte), this time with my friend Heather in Greensboro.

It was the same production, of course, but we did have a different Valjean this time (he was an understudy, but holy shit, he might have been BETTER than the usual one?) and I have more yelling to do.

Also, I will forget all the details I don't write them down, so here goes:

We had an understudy Valjean, which worried me after my last understudy Valjean who couldn't hit the high notes on Bring Him Home. This time we had Randy Jeter, who was the Bishop when I saw it in Charlotte. But holy SHIT, he was AMAZING. He might have been better than the regular Valjean, Nick Cartell.

He had just a slightly more powerful voice, maybe, a bit more contrast and depth, I don't know. He was incredible. His Bring Him Home absolutely hit me harder than last time. Maybe I was just paying closer attention because I was worried once we saw we had an understudy but from his first line I was like "HOLY SHIT he's good!!'

Most of the same notes from last show still apply, Once again Gregory Lee Rodriguez was particularly good as Marius - and I don't even especially like Marius, but he makes him somehow a little more likeable, and like, you think he's just likeable and a perfectly good singer and then Empty Chairs comes around and he finds a whole new level with his voice and emotion and blows you away.

And I still just want to give all the awards to Kyle Adams as Grantaire. Because he's so spot on perfect, but it's subtle. Like probably a majority of the audience don't really know who Grantaire is or his motivations or character, he's just another barricade boy, so they don't pay him any particular attention. But the fans who do know more of the backstory, if you watch him in particular, he's so good.

The way he keeps to the edges of the barricade boys crowd, always a bit apart, the mocking touch to his gestures and mannerisms even when he has no lines, the undercurrents of bitterness and devastation...just so good. Like when Gavroche arrives and says Lamarque is dead, he kind of drops into a chair abruptly and slumps, like he's realizing "oh shit, this is about to get real."

And after Gavroche died, in the final battle on the barricade, Enjolras comes down for a moment to comfort him about Gavroche, and when Enjolras turns to climb back up, Grantaire grabs at him as if to stop him. Enjolras goes anyway, of course, and Grantaire kind of makes some abortive efforts to follow him but the battle intensifies and he falls back to the ground. A moment later though, he climbs up again; he still doesn't make it to Enjolras, who falls on the far side of the barricade as he's shot, but Grantaire is one of the last to fall.

Anyway I just love his Grantaire. It's probably unnoticed by a lot of the audience who don't know the story and characters as well, but if you do know to look for it, he's spot on.

And a random nerdy note - I never noticed before that there's a blink-and-you-miss-it nod to the Petit Gervais bit from the book. I definitely missed that last time.

Anyway, I'm both on cloud nine because it was so good and also sad because it's over and I don't know when I'll get to see it again and it's just honestly one of my favorite things on earth.

Anyway, I suppose I'm off to read some Valjean/Javert fic.

[art-for-my-sake]

“Les Misérables" - encore

On Wednesday, April 12, 2023, I attended “Les Misérables,” my second time seeing it at the Kennedy Center, and the third time I’ve seen it live, and it was every bit as wonderful as before. I walked away from the performance feeling inspired and moved. It was a perfect example of the wonder and magic of live musical theater.

Because I’ve previously chronicled my experiences with Les Miz (here and here), I felt I wanted to add a few thoughts on this particular performance:

- The man performing Valjean (Nick Cartell) was wonderful. He sang notes that I felt resonate in my soul, like the very air was vibrating on such a pure level.

- Javert (Preston Truman Boyd) devolving from self-righteous to self-doubting felt clearer than some productions.

- I’m familiar with Les Miz, so it was peculiar to have some feeling of ‘prescience’ at various moments; I’m not usually upset knowing the outcome of a plot, but I found myself watching the characters interact and felt sorrow that they didn’t realize they were headed toward their doom. Maybe some of this was because this production had a sense of urgency; everything moved faster than I expected. There was very little lingering, some lines felt stepped on or like maybe the musicians were rushing. For the most part, it wasn’t a bad thing because the haste made the action feel more real. However, there were very few moments to stop and savor. It felt very fleeting.

Now we get to the biggest takeaway for me: Grantaire (Kyle Adams) and Gavroche (Milo Maharlika or Henry Kirk). For whatever reason, my favorite character is Grantaire. One of the students, he is the token cynic of the bunch. He is not actively involved in the planning of the revolution but instead drinks a lot and makes snarky comments (“Give me brandy on my breath and I’ll breathe them all to death!”). He is generally portrayed with a suggestion of homoeroticism towards Enjolras, the de facto leader of the students; it’s never explicitly stated, but it’s usually agreed upon. Grantaire does not support The Cause so much as he supports Enjolras. Gavroche is the Parisian street urchin who inserts himself into the group of students, delivering news or providing useful information.

In the lyrics, Grantaire has exactly one line directed to Gavroche, praising him for revealing Javert’s identity to the students. This could be the extent of their interactions, but I really enjoyed that they were given a friendship to be acted out in pantomime when they were out of the central action. They are both on the edges of the group – Grantaire because he isn’t truly committed to the cause, Gavroche because he is a child – so it makes sense for them to have a bond.

During the song “Drink With Me,” Grantaire is not just waxing philosophically about death, but making one last argument for abandoning this suicide mission.

“Drink with me

To days gone by

Can it be

You fear to die?

Will the world remember you

When you fall?

Could it be your death

Means nothing at all?

Is your life just one more lie?”

He’s getting into a confrontation with the others and Enjolras attempts to intercede. Grantaire spits his last line (“Is your life just one more lie?”) at Enjolras as he attempts to touch Grantaire’s face. Grantaire then storms stage left where he turns to face the wall, closing himself off from all the others. Gavroche follows, hesitates, then throws his arms around Grantaire’s waist from behind. It’s an awkward embrace -- Gavroche’s face is planted in Grantaire’s back -- but heartfelt. This child sees his friend in pain and does his best to offer comfort. And Grantaire accepts it; reaching behind, he pats Gavroche on the back.

Usually, Gavroche’s death is off-stage; we do not see him again after he climbs over the barricade to gather ammunition off dead National Guardsmen. In this production, Gavroche is returning triumphant over the center on the barricade when the fatal shot strikes. Enjolras, his hand outstretched to help Gavroche over, now holds the child’s body suspended for a moment before Gavroche tumbles forward into his arms. In that moment of suspension, Gavroche is spot lit center stage, his arms flung outward, the wings of the barricade rising to either side of him. I love that Gavroche gets the most visually striking death of this production.

And then there’s the tenderness of Grantaire receiving Gavroche’s body from Enjolras. Turning his back on the fight, Grantaire carries Gavroche away from the barricade, towards the audience. He stands downstage center somewhat in shadow, holding his little charge, for quite some time before moving stage right. Eventually, he collapses to his knees and lays Gavroche on the ground, carefully arranging the child and oblivious to the chaos behind him. It is only once he has finished whatever funereal rites he needs to observe that Grantaire joins the fray. This is not a Grantaire going boldly to death by standing next to the man for whom he harbors affection. This is a Grantaire consumed by rageful vengeance caused by the loss of the child who showed him affection.

By giving Gavroche an on-stage death, several things are accomplished. Firstly, Gavroche’s death is given the same gravitas as the rest of the deaths. It allows him to be mourned better, by both the characters and the audience. It also takes his death from the theoretical to the actual – children die when men fight.

Showing a friendship between Grantaire and Gavroche, giving Gavroche an onstage death, showing Grantaire’s grief and rage – all these things add to the already complex experience that is “Les Misérables.”

-l'art pour l'amour de moi

[angstics]

I have many thoughts about les mis live, and they are all beautiful and complex.

to get it out of the way, things that sucked: the face spotlights were RIDICULOUSLY distracting and ugly use wide spots. the context tidbits are so useless lmao everything is explained in the main songs. it kind of made eponine irritating because she would always appear in these ugly sounding tidbits just to yearn. The surprise is kind of the point. The video effects were kinda distracting BUT also really good which i will expand on later. The tempo was so off, at least to how im used to it. I really dislike how they elongated the notes (though it was impressive tbf). I dislike the weird pauses that were obviously not mistakes. I HATE the line changes. They removed my favorite part of paris look down when the ppl go “whens it gonna end somethings gotta happen now somethings gotta give itll come itll come” then the FANTASTIC fanfare. GOD. Watching it live, i felt act 1 was so rushed — i do think it had abnormally fast tempo… this one’s silly bc it depends on actor intuition but i wish they laughed at the points the characters laugh in the 2010 recording (theres like 3 points that just so perfectly punctuate the sadness). Noticeably awkward staging during rain will help flowers grow. I wish grantaire fell with enjolras SORRY.

Also i wish everyone who talked went to hell, everyone who coughed endlessly took some PILLS, everyone who went up and down the stairs pissed in their seat -_- the worst was when the idiots in front of me (WHO WERE TALKING THE WHOLE SHOOOOOW they were shushed by the usher Three times I need them to be tried for this) were whispering during To love another person is to see the face of god and i wanted to STRANGLE them

anyway, onto the good. And be sure it far outweighs the bad. Great casting, great singing, SUCH a good band, good lighting (spots otherwise). There were no obvious acting missteps that i hear in recordings which was a nice surprise

The set was SOOOOOOOO dynamic and fluid and lighting was used in a simple but CRAZY effective way to morph and splinter the setting. Augh. When the set pushed in during paris, i fell to my kneeeeessss (in my brain). The gate, the barricade, the houses were GORGEOUS

Lighting during the final battle. I wanted to die it was so good. I didnt know or forgot grantaire dies last. I remembered it was voluntary but not like that. Jesus god

There were a lot of surprises in staging acting etc that had me genuinely jump in my seat from shock and delight. I have never acted like that in a theatre, much less for a show ive seen and listened to a MILLION times. Some moments like this: enjolras falling over in the cart and being Dragged out, heart full of love starting so reluctantly (i was DELIGHTED by this it was a nice surprise laugh), the wigs (love), the staging during one day more (god when enjolras is dead center stage haloed by light).... there are so many other moments that had me shook i cant recall rn...

gavroche was so Present in the set, which you really miss in the audio. His little added dialogue bit was my favorite of those. His relationship w grantaire was particularly pronounced, which kinda shifted the source of grantaire’s sacrifice. Ofc there are many reasons he chose to die for the cause, but i hadnt thought one being grantaire seeing the police state for the robbing force it was. Hard yes, but evil. He didnt know it was *evil*. I think that realization was pushed by Gavroche’s killing and something so interesting in the discussion of how sheltered these kids were (or not). Rich boy’s game to play… what did enjloras know…

On the same line, i felt the “message” very strongly seeing it sung at me. Is there a world you long to see… i also felt the faith themes distinctly. Vaguely christian ending lol ill lead you to salvation, the only survivors being a couple. Wait the thenadiers are also a couple. Lol?

On that lot, they were fun and good lol. They changed one of his beggar at the feast lines and it was kind of silly. “this one’s a queer but what can you do” to “this one’s a queer, i might try it too” ????? I dont know if we want to wokeify this guy in particular

There was a part duringggg i think drink with me before grantaire’s verse where both he and enjolras are in the shadows on literal opposite sides of the stage (e is high right upstage, g is low left downstage) and grantaire is staring Right at enjolras. And enjolras turns to him through the first verse. I was watching this going crazy that they actually fanfictionified them i didnt think they would more than ive already seen. There is one movement in particular ive never seen and would have Definitely been in the compilations i watched (lol). This will have its own seperate joke post

Speaking of, watching it live made me realize how Present enjolras and grantaire’s relationship is. Besides the lovey dovey achilles-and-patroclus slash thing, i loooovveeeee their ideological conflict SOOOO much. It is so genuis. So i love that it was center stage when it isnt really in the lyrics (or 2012 film or other adaptations)

And they were both blond. Which was crazy

Javert at the end made me so crazy. Again, the staging — mourning Gavroche, seeing valjean carry marius — shifted how i thought of his suicide as well. I think maybe he had the same awakening as grantaire

Hey guys maybe the police state and prison complex is bad lmfao

The candlesticks at the end ❤️ (this is a bit of hater moment but i was watching the ramin 14 boot and the moment the bishop walks away from him at the end he does the same thing fredric march does where there is a pause and jean is kneeling infront of the bishop and he holds the bishop’s hands to his head in silence and. It is so vulnerable and meaningful and i adore it. And i wish theyd kept that staging)

I always found it weird that eponine is for some reason fantine’s right hand man in heaven. If we’re being haters i still dont like the caricatured costumes and behaviours of “the poor” and “whores” companies. AND they shouldve really tried harder on boy eponine. cut her hair at the very least and mirror her further w fantine -_- well that makes make me like heaven more

This also really made me think about how valjean saw javert as Just A Man, while javert saw himself as The Law. Which they literally say but seeing how they acted around each other cemented it. Javert was so very humanized by his sadness and anger and all that emotion Destroyed him because there is no compassion in the law lol. Maybe there is something wrong with our governments Lol

for a bit that kinda meanders and strays from the main action, they made "heart full of love" et al. really really wonderful. the staging was so great, like marius actually climbing the gate and throwing rocks at her window, cosette running to him, marius and eponine hiding along the gate in times i didnt think they were listing. the thenadier climbs the house set it's so fun

i love that eponine is consistently black. it adds. so much. and i will always judge a production if their eponine is white. this one had a great black actor play her -- her voice was nicely different from the recordings

i liked the video sets, especially when it emphasized character mvmt. sometimes it was bright and looked kind of bad, so the darker the better lol. there was a moment when we dip in the sewers where thenadier enters from upstage center from the darkness of the sewer in the backdrop and it was AWESOME.

OH MY GOD turning -> empty chairs. GOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD. turning is such an underrated song and they just so beautifully staged it. the all female cast who communicated such different perspectives on the massacre that was a nice change from a monolithic company. and the lights. when i saw theyd set them down, i knew what was coming. and then it came. God. empty chairs. so good. So good.

the choreo during the wedding was great

Enjolras had the red vest. W

god i feel im missing so much. hope i get another cheapo ticket. Eek. im so glad i get to see it at all. limit hit <3

[cypresscoffin]

Where is my Javert and Jean Valjean DC superhero au??? It wouldn't be a perfect one-to-one, but stay with me moment as I paint the picture my melatonin brain is concocting.

Obviously to do Batman and Superman we must strip Javert and Valjean of their history and parts of their backstory, which as we all know waters down their characters and creates an unfulfilling experience, but as long as we can provide alternative reasonings for them to maintain their core beliefs, attributes, and dynamics then it can still work out. Also, I'm putting a caveat here to say we also just need to maintain the essence/major roles of Batman and Superman in order for this to work, and you'll see why in a second.

Step one would be Javert, which as OP suggested would be Batman. It's clear why as Javert maintains a broody aesthetic while being a brilliant detective with an incredibly strong and inflexible moral compass. And that would translate well for the bat, but beyond that it all fizzles. Now, as much as he would like us to forget, Batman is not just Batman but also Bruce Wayne. Already we run into four major complications.

1 - Bruce Wayne is a charming personality that convinces the world he is a dumb playboy. Javert on the other hand is very straight forward and unchanging of that. He could never be the same character if we changed that. You could put him and in a suit and call him Javert but it wouldn't be him.

2 - Bruce Wayne is wealthy to the extent that none of us will ever be able to truly fathom. Had Bruce not been born into wealth I could maybe argue this, but the fact of the matter is that being born poor (and also marginalized through his race but that's a separate issue for this topic) influences everything he's ever done. Javert was born into a society that would never accept him which is why he scrambled so hard to be part of the law.

3 - Bruce Wayne loved his parents and even after they were killed he had Alfred to love and be loved by. Through the entirety of his life, Javert had no one. His mother might had raised him as a boy, but clearly he killed all his affections for her, and there was no one to talk him off the ledge. That ledge might have been more metaphorical for Bruce but without Alfred there to reign in his grief Bruce would have been entirely consumed by vengeance.

4 - No matter what Hollywood has been trying to convince us, Batman, at his core, believes in mercy and second chances. While Javert never directly kills anyone he is cruel, violent, and unforgiving. I love Javert, don't get me wrong, but the fact of the matter is he was written to be a symbol of the law and all of its faults. He is not the kind of man that would fund Arkham so it could better rehabilitate its patients, he'd be funding the guards so they wouldn't break out again! And in no world would he allow himself to work alongside criminals like Harley Quinn or Cat Woman.

Truly insurmountable odds to overcome, and I'm not going to even begin to try and solve them because I don't have to! Javert should not be Batman! Valjean should! Every problem I've outlined as for why Javert would not work as Batman fits Valjean perfectly, and we can turn our favorite pseudo-father/butler into our favorite bishop. We can even work the various batkids into it in an organic way

Which batkid is which character is a whole other discussion that I'm not sure I can do justice, but personally I can see Eponine as Dick Grayson, Enjolras as Jason Todd, Cosette as Tim Drake, and Gavroche as Damien Wayne.

What then of our dear inspector? Surely he can't be Superman, or heaven forbid, Joker??? If you actually thought I'd suggest that then I'm ashamed at how I've presented myself. No, it's simple really. Javert would be the Green Lantern.

While it might sound like I threw darts at a wall to end up casting Javert as Ryan Reynold's nightmare, I assure you this works out perfectly for two reasons.

1 - The Green Lantern is just a moniker. While it's true there are many Green Lantern's to pull from in this case we don't have to pick any one man to shoehorn Javert into. This allows us to give Javert an origin story as close to canonical as possible without sacrificing anything. He can still have grown up poor, marginalized, and incredibly bitter and determined. Hell, he can even still have become a cop who served the letter of the law and not the spirit of it. All that needs to happen to make him the Green Lantern is that he is chosen by the ring. How someone is chosen by the ring is simply being able to overcome great fear, and it could be argued that Javert's fear of staying in the gutter his whole is something he overcomes.

2 - The Green Lantern ring is powered by willpower. Look me in the eyes and tell me there exists a man more full of will power than Javert. Sure, it's misguided but by God is it there. It could even be a fun arc to explore where Javert after having spent time with Valjean loses his ring as he loses his faith in the system and he only gains it back as he redefines how he wants to serve and protect.

Javert tried really hard to be like the 19th century french version of Batman if you think about it.

[toomuchsky]

les mis us tour (in pgh last night): (pls keep in mind i literally only care about grantaire i'm so sorry):

it was my first time seeing it!! so now les mis is my favorite musical i've ever seen rather than just my favorite musical i've never seen

valjean was INCREDIBLE

it was so much easier to pick up on the musical motifs throughout in the stage play rather than the musical lmfao (that sideways video about why the movie musical was so bad was just screaming in the back of my head the whole time lmfao)

fantine was potentially one of the best singers i've maybe EVER seen

it was so nice to see it w a fellow les mis nerd :)

kyle adams played grantaire and oh. oh my god. he's so tall and lanky and he used every inch of that to his advantage on stage - his character work was so fun to watch

also his green coat :)

grantaire and gavroche have really cute blocking. in red and black when he comes in to say lamarque is dead and enj is talking about how they will come when we call (spoilers: they did not :( i was hoping this time they might!) he goes and like pulls gav away from the other boys. after drink w me he like collapses against the wall and gav runs and hugs him. during eponine's death gav goes and stands there watching and then grantaire puts an arm around him.

red and black was so good in person oh my god. i loved kyle's r doing things as like, feral bastard asshole grantaire rather than blagden's sad pining grantaire (not that one is better than the other!!! i love blagden's r, just cool to see a diff perspective)

he like got up on the table and started using his bottle like a dick thrusting it toward enj.

LOTS of exr touching lmao even in this song. the way that r stared at him throughout a lot of the lyrics. SIGH.

and then at the end of the song he like goes and sulks in the corner next to marius before getting up to pull gav away. there's a moment where it's all of the boys next to enj and just r and gav to the other side.

you get the sense that this r is ANGRY. angry at all of these lives being lost for no reason

and it was also cute bc you could tell that his friends loved him!!! bc he's funny and makes them laugh!! lots of "r omg" moments, it was really cute

lots of moments in the songs when someone is making like an impassioned point and he just sarcastically raises his bottle as a "hear hear" very in character

"grantaire put that bottle down" is played extremely exasparated, it's cute.

these exr are exes lmao

he's very theatrical about his lines, like drink w me is played for very much laughs and there's a lot of like thrusting and purposefully "bad" singing

he's put in charge of javert after he's captured which is fun to watch, there's a lot of like pushing javert back into the seat etc

r's also doing like, a lot of orbiting around enj on stage, and they're positioned next to each other a lot

drink with me is SO over the top it’s so good but also more like angry than sad?? enj at the end tries to cup r’s face and r like pushes him away at the end before running out to the wall

ok so he's angry UNTIL the moment that gavroche dies on the barricade. and they're MEAN about gav dying in this one - there's a moment where there's a shot and everyone looks down sadly and then you hear gav's voice again and you're like IDK MAYBE THIS TIME. MAYBE THIS TIME HE SURVIVES. and then he makes it to the top of the barricade and he dies. enjolras picks him up and slowly carries him over to grantaire who's waiting at the bottom. r turns to the audience and like slowly puts gavroche on the stage. all the fight seeps out of him and u get the sense that he's like i couldn't even save one (1) child.....

there's a moment where r and enj are looking at the body of another student and they like grab each other's faces before enj runs back up the barricade

and then in the death scene everyone's getting shot and then r yells "i'm one of them" and runs back up the barricade and gets shot - their bodies end up symmetrical next to each other which is. oof.

in non barricade boys news eponine and marius were also fucking incredible. it was so cool to see the new (i mean new to me regardless but apparently without the revolving stage new) version of turning - all the ladies leave out candles that then the barricade boy's pick up during empty chairs.

javert's death scene was SO well done. the entire set has this illusion of like breaking apart when he falls, and then the screen changes to like a whirpool and it's so fucking cool to watch

valjean and javert had really fun interactions too! it was fun to watch.

the sets were INCREDIBLE also!! so beautiful, so big, so much of it moved and it was really really fun!!!!

at the wedding scene they make a funny reference to phantom where the chandelier like breaks and they all look up at it like "?"

i really loved these thenardiers!!! so over the top in such a fun way!

why did they keep the "jew" line while changing the queer line lmfao? this makes no sense

anyway. all i wanna do is talk about les mis at all times!!!! to love another person is to see the face of god!! let others rise to take our place until the earth is free!!!! victor hugo said intersectional solidarity!!! i love les mis!!!!

[apolloandr]

An Exhaustive Review of BBC Les Mis (Part 1)

So this review ended up being long. Like ABSURDLY long. So long that I had to split it up into multiple posts. But after 5 years of bad faith superiority I finally got around to watching the 2018 BBC Les Mis miniseries! I have…a lot of thoughts.

This post is going to go through the things I liked about the series, because believe it or not there is actually quite a bit that I liked. Then the next post will go over the things I didn’t like, and the final one will be a sort of “what did I think/what did I learn” thing. Without further ado:

My favorite thing about this whole series was Jean Valjean. I LOVE Dominic West’s performance and I love the way he’s written. Turns out this is an unpopular opinion, because the fandom tends to perceive Valjean as this innocent, bread loving, do-no-wrong grandpa type which is not in keeping with his character in the book at all. Remember, Valjean is a person who tries very hard to be good, not a person to whom goodness comes innately. He has a huge heart, is incredibly charitable, and is always ready to help those who need him. He also steals, lies, acts selfishly, has violent thoughts, and is not above making threats. I really appreciate that this series allowed Valjean to struggle, and be brutal, and do morally dubious things without undercutting any of his goodness. This is the most nuanced portrayal of Valjean I’ve ever seen.

Every scene between Valjean and Bishop Myriel was GOLD. I’m very fond of this firmer, more authoritative Myriel and the way he bounces off of Valjean’s hostility. The final scene with the candlesticks is particularly fantastic.

This is the first iteration of Les Mis I’ve seen in any medium in which representation is integrated consistently. Tokenism is not an issue here; BIPOC people are everywhere at all times. There is definitely an implications issue, but we’ll discuss that later in the second post.

OLIVIA COLMAN AS MADAME THÉNARDIER AND NO ONE TOLD ME?!??!! It’s so nice to see her in her element doing the kind of character work she’s known for in the UK, especially for western viewers who have a very fixed perception of her as a dramatic awards show darling.

Gavroche is a Thénardier! I am a little miffed that his name is Gavroche, because in the book the Thénardiers cared about him so little that they never even gave him a name, but that is very nitpicky.

I didn’t love the sequence of Fantine losing her teeth and hair, but I DID love the man who did it. It was nice when he sat Fantine down and said “you don’t have to do this.” A single moment of kindness before the enaction of violating and commodifying a body. Very Brechtian. Fantine’s relationship with the man at the post office was also a nice touch for the same reasons. We’re lured into a false sense of security where we see him as an ally, but then he turns on her the moment he perceives her as having lost her value. VERY powerful stuff.

Some of the hair and costumes are really well done, key word being SOME but still, credit where credit is due. It’s great to see women in bonnets and men with lace up back vests and high society hard top wigs. My favorite thing: Black hair that looks good!!! Holy hell it is so common for Black hair to look horrendous on film because white people don’t know how to properly care for or style it (filmmakers PLEASE start hiring Black stylists,) but here the hair looks awesome! We have locs, we have afros, we have kinky curls, and everything looks natural. A+.

Every time there’s an allusion made to Valjean’s past it hits hard, especially when Cosette enters the picture. That moment when Cosette says “this place is like a prison” and Valjean responds with “you don’t know what a prison is…” OOF just twist that knife a little harder why don’t you. 

I don’t mind this Grantaire. Just because he’s not George Blagden doesn’t mean he’s not good. It’s kind of a nice change to see a Grantaire who’s crass and bumbling and not at ease on the battlefield. Also, there is definitely ExR present in the series, you just have to pay attention. In general I’m pretty neutral on the depiction of all of Les Amis. They don’t have a lot to them, but they’re very minor characters who appear in less than a third of the source material; it makes sense that they would be kind of glossed over. (Remember guys, the actual story of Les Mis does not revolve around Les Amis just because you made it so.)

Marius threatening to light the barricade on fire is awesome, it’s great to see him be a badass for once. Love that for him.

This rebellion is BRUTAL. People are getting stabbed with bayonets left and right, bullets flying everywhere, bodies in the street, people have bits of shrapnel stuck in their face, someone starts swinging on soldiers with an axe. I love it. I love that we get to see how UGLY and THANKLESS this moment was. It heightens the tragedy of the moment and the reality of the history.

The died holding hands scene is GREAT.

Javert’s suicide is quite well done. It was an interesting choice to have him resign from his position and leave behind a list of prison reforms, and I like that we got to see him break down and cry, especially since Javert is usually played in a very closed off, unemotional way. 

So those are the things I liked! It’s not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but things I like I REALLY like, to the point that some of them have become my favorite adaptational moments. See y’all in part 2 for the negativity! Hooray!

[jules-of-the-sea]

I would love to see a Blorbo ranking for your blorbos from Les Mis, if you are willing to share :)

so i made a character tierlist, i dont actually hate thenardier but its funny to hate him. for side characters: m mabeuf would be guy!!!, fauchlevent would be eh (although the graveyard scene was funny), and marius's relations would all be in eh/mildly annoying because i have no strong feelings about them.

you did say blorbo ranking though and i have no idea what exactly that entails so im just going to do everything i can think of. so heres a list of everyone on the tierlist and a few thoughts on each of them

enjolras 12/10 love of my life, top kin, red <3, hes literally just a guy god i wish i was him its all i ever want hes so !!!!!

grantaire 10/10 love him, probably more like me than enj lmao, jaded, alcoholic, cynic, ao3 always makes him an artist but i dont remember them saying that in the book??? maybe i missed it though, it did say that he knows all the best spots in paris though so thats pretty cool

feuilly 10/10 self taught king, he makes fans, he wants to deliver the world and i support him. we all need a feuilly in our lives

combeferre 10/10 (these ratings are a little redundant at this point) fan interpretation always makes him a bookworm nerdy guy (which i have also done) which i understand bc in the book hugo talks abt how he wants to learn everything and he loves progress and education, but honestly i feel like hes a lot warmer and more social than people characterize him. like they talk about how compassionate he is and how he focuses on the actual people in the revolution more than the movement as a whole

gavroche literally just a little guy, hes got his two children in his wooden elephant what more could a street urchin want

courfeyrac party guy, literally tholomyes but if he wasnt a dick, love him for it. actually thinking abt it, tholomyes was a poet right?? and hugo compares him w courf so,,, poet courf???

bossuet unlucky, actually named lesgle, bald, in a poly relationship w joly and musichetta

eponine bro she was not that close with marius in the book, and i dont think she even knew the amis. its fun to pretend she did though. also the musical makes marius actually care that she dies which is sweet i guess. also i love every queer eponine interpretation.

jehan jean provaire, medieval enthusiast, just a little guy i guess. trans/nb jehan is one of my favorite things actually

joly happy guy, apparently nicknamed jolly because of that, doctor(?), likes self diagnosing, must suck being a germaphobe in 1832

bahorel tbh i forgot like everything the book said abt him. im pretty sure he was the guy who saved marius from being kicked out of law school though?? and also visibly expresses disgust when he passes by law school??? king.

javert single-minded policeman, love the themes and internal struggle, javerts soliloquy and stars are some of my favorite songs in the musical

jean valjean all around a good guy, white bread personality but like,, nice. so i guess hes more like the pre-made pound cake you can get at the store. certified girlboss tho

cosette pretty? i like the cottagecore interpretations but also shes literally just a lonely child from 1832 so i guess its just by default. she seems like the type of girl who would be a pleasure to have in class

fantine sad lady, cosettes mom, i wish she had just gotten cosette back from the thenardiers when she had her job but oh well.

marius annoying little bitch boy mf i swear to god he deserves very little of what he gets. also isnt he like 10 years older than both cosette and eponine??? 1832 moment i guess. anyways hes not that bad but its funny to hate on him.

madame thenardier me when child abuse, kinda a girlboss in the musical but in the book shes just kinda there

monsieur thenardier little rat bitch man, fuck that guy, but also hes literally a cartoon villain and its funny

also the tierlist is made in mspaint, i would have found pictures for everyone but a lot of them arent in the 2012 movie long enough for anyone (me) to know whos who so. crunchy mspaint version