In the late 1980s I was lucky enough to see the original cast of Les Miserables at The Barbican Frances Ruffelle won my heart as the urchin Eponine and stole the show over Patti LuPone who played Fantine and so forty years later,I was surprised to see a “new” Eponine that blew me away.
Nathania Ong plays the role a visceral, raw and painful way
She lives Eponine
And she breaks your heart
I love this show. Saw the original in NYC. Then saw it in San Francisco. I would definitely see it again, especially for this Eponine.
ReplyDeleteI saw it in New York and felt the labretto was rushed
DeleteI cannot hear "Bring him home" without tearing up.
ReplyDeleteI've seen Les Mis twice and would love to see it again.
I saw the new cast last year and they are in par with the original cast
DeleteIt's rare that someone really becomes the person they are playing. Makes you forget that you are watching a performance, you just get lost in their story, somehow. xx
ReplyDeleteI get that totally
DeleteOh, the heartbreak of unrequited love. What a performance!
ReplyDeleteJust wonderful!
ReplyDelete🤪🩷👍
DeleteLes Mis gets me right in the heart every time. Linda
ReplyDeleteIt’s a musical that appeals to all ages
DeleteUnforgettable and heartbreaking. Wow!
ReplyDeleteHugs!
The actress makes the character look ordinary with an extra ordinary voice
DeleteI've seen 'Les Mis' 4 times, as against 'Evita's 5, and 'Mayfair Lady' (as is sometimes surmised to be a possible origin of the 'MFL' title) even more times. But out of ALL the musicals I've seen live on stahge, a lot of them terrific productions,, I have to say that it's 'Les Mis' which never fails to affect me the most profoundly.
ReplyDeleteI hoped you’d chip in Raymondo , and I agree, it gets under your skin, I suspect because most of the songs stand up on their own
DeleteYup. So many of the sings get so 'under the skin' that they seem to reach and touch the heart.
DeleteHer face crumples
ReplyDeleteLee
Doesn’t it just
DeleteHard to believe, but at the time it was predicted to be a huge failure; it was written by two French men, (quel horreur!) and putting pop stars with classical actors in the same show would never work. They said. On press night all critics but one slammed it. But when producer Cameron Mackintosh rung the box office the next morning (trying to decide whether to scrap it!) He was told word of mouth from audiences meant the show was selling out and there were queues round the block. We saw one of the first previews when it was running at about four hours. When we came out there were no trains, but nobody cared. Two thousand people pouring out of the Barbican, skipping down Beech Street belting out "Do You Hear The People Sing?" I have never seen anything like it. Still lost none of it's power. (If you haven't seen it, hunt down the 10th Anniversary Concert in the Albert Hall, with the original Valjean, Colm Wilkinson, and the best Javert, Philip Quast.
ReplyDeleteI have a letter somewhere from colm Wilkinson and I personally thought that Roger Allam shone as javert
DeleteX🩷
ReplyDeleteWhat a spectacular performance! And performer! And real tears.
ReplyDeleteYes just at the end
DeleteWas this a film or a live performance? You Tube, Tok Tok?
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