Hey, guess what? I FINALLY GOT TO SEE THE BROADWAY SHOW!!!! And I have the CSR too, so don't I feel worldly! Anyway, I've posted my responses to those somewhere in the middle; check 'em out! And once again, for those of you who have not, I reccomend reading the book... it's not as formidable as it looks (you'll be hooked! honest!) And it is almost impossible to understand the better jokes on the web without it. Anyway, now that Your Eruditity has finished spouting pretentiously on that, go read my equally pretentious reviews...

• Les Miserablés the Movie, 1998(?)- Starring Liam Neeson, Geoffery Rush, Claire Danes and Uma Thurman. Oyyyyy...
  Let us start by saying that Geoffery Rush (Who played Henslowe in Shakespere in Love, and Casanova Frankenstien in Mystery Men) is a rather tolerable Javert. The gendarme hat has GOT to go, but the problems with his interpretation were largely due to the screenplay (tying Marius up in an alley! REALLY...). The most hilarious part of the movie is Rush dressed as a revolutionary, walking down the street in those TIGHT, Ass-hugging jeans, looking like Robert Smith. But, I digress.
  Claire Danes is gorgeous, but she's NOT Cosette. That's all I'll say about her. As for Enjolras... Enjolras who? He was played by a black guy who's name is never mentioned in the movie- you only know his name is Enjolras from the credits. Eponine has a mention in the credits too... I guess you have to assume she's one of the many girls you see at the Barricade. MARIUS is the leader of the Rebels in this one... yeah, old dumb lovesick Marius. Go-friggin-figure. The Valjean is also tolerable, more so than the guy from the earlier movie, but I'll get to that in a bit. Now for... the SUICIDE SCENE!
  I have ENORMOUSLY mixed feelings about this interpretation! On the one hand, Rush does a wonderful job of portraying Javert's conflict. The Shackles were a nice touch, and the thing about killing Valjean to save him from the galleys was something to think about. BUT...
  It's just... not the book. First off, does ANYONE really expect to die by falling backwards one foot into a river? It's like going for a swim! You kind of have to assume that Javert couldn't. Next, there's the whole Valjean walking away smiling. Lot's of people hve complained about it... but I think I can see where it was going... Valjean thought he was gonna die, and not he's not. He's laughing in a "You-lucky-Bastard-That-Guy-Was-NUTS!" sort of was, not meanly. Unless, of course, you think that's mean. What I didn't like was the fact that they ended it there. Not a movie has had Valjean die. Not a movie has had Thénardier in it past the Inkeeper scene too- a pet peeve of mine, because Thénardier is the real villain of the show. Points for Gavroche's death, and including his little babbies.
  

• Les Miserablés the movie, (date?)- Starring Anthony Hopkins, John Gielgud.
  Another incident of mixed feelings. On the one hand, it is extrordianrily faithful to the book, but when it takes its liberties... WHOOO! Does it ever! It starts with the theft of bread and ends at the wedding of Marius and Cosette- which Valjean attends. Points for including M. Gillenormand, Double points for having him played by John Gielgud. Points for Enjolras, who is tolerable too. Lose points for no Eponine, Plus points for Catherine, Plus points for Sister Semplice. Now... Javert...

  Anthony Hopkins as Javert is both a blessing and a curse. He's good & Javert-ish, but.. a little to foppish (you expect him to come out in his mother's dress at any moment) and, for cryin' out loud, VALJEAN'S got bigger sideburns than he does! But Valjean has some massive burns there! In addition, Hopkins CANNOT, to save his life, pronounce La Belle Francais. "Mon-Sooer!" OY, it was painful! The Suicide was ok, except that YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE OFF THE DAMN HAT!!! Nitpicky, I know, but it was one of those things that speaks about Javvie's character in those final moments. The confrontation in the Sewer SUCKED (though they did include the quicksand). On the one hand, you can SEE Javvie cracking up, on the other, Valjean dosn't even mention that he's trying to save Marius' life. Emotions were a problem for everyone in the cast- either too much or too little. The Bishop's lines were the best I've seen- straight from the book. Oh! The Café Musain dosn't even exist (there's a gazebo in the park), Lemarque is never mentioned, You do get the feeling that Marius is sooo out of it he's only a semi-revolutionary... and Javert is a little TOO obsessed... Ok, I'm done with that.
  

• Broadway production, 2000, imperial theatre, sat Feb 18th, eve.- JVJ- Andrew Varela (U/S for Tim Shew) Enjy- Christopher Mark Peterson, Marius- Peter Lockyear, Javert- Gregg Edleman
  So i finally got to see LM in the theatre! And it was a fantastic experience, natcherly. But...
  First of all, 'Stars' and 'Suicide' have never struck me as comic songs. So why the hell was I laughing so hard i was in tears during them? Because everytime i laid eyes on Gregg Edleman i burst into hysterical, wracking laughter! His head bobbed up and down like an anamatronic Abraham Lincoln puppet, and he seemed to have either spent a little too much time with R's bottle (Paul Truckey, who is a Javvie U/S and spent the entire show looking bitter as hell), or taken one too many pinches of snuff before coming on stage. Varela seemed to have listened to the TAC just before the show, and spent the first act trying Not to sound like Colm Wilkenson... but, given the general lack of energy, by the second act (and almost losing his voice) he gave up and WOW! The man had contracted anamatronic puppet disease too, but the pipes are such to bring jesus into your heart quicker than a pair of silver candlesticks...
  By far, the best performances were given by CMP, Peter Lockyear, and David McDonald, who played Combeferre. Christopher carried the energy for the whole show, and 'Red and Black' was awe inspiring. he is now my very favorite E!, though I still love you, Mike McGuire... As for Lockyear, he can sing, but, unlike much of the cast, he is obviously an actor first- and that was wonderfully refreshing. His Marius is gentle, but firm with Eponine, and he actually moved me to toleration in his scenes with Cosette. Jane Bodle as Fantine was also excellent, and Megan something-or-other (demmit, what is her last name!?) was a splendid 'Ponine. Nick Wyman and Fuchia as the Thenardiers were hilarious, and Wyman's 'Dog eat Dog' was suitibly sinister... the reverb made it positively chilling. Now, general ranting...
  Whoever blocks the show needs to be shot. This night, perhaps because of the energy, the only scenes where it looked like the actors had any motivation other than 'this is where the director told me to go' were the Student scenes, the Waterloo inn, and the Wedding. Everything CMP was in was excellent, until Javert shows up, but after he got offstage the energy returned... are we noticing a pattern? I thought the man was going to shake to death during his release, and niether his expression nor his laconic- 'hey-Jean-let's-go-get-a-beer' tone changed at all during the show. When he collapses and rolls off stage at the end of 'Suicide', I'd swear he'd been wanting to do that the whole show! The absolute worst scene was 'Confrontation'- normally one of my favorites. For want of tension- for want of a threat!- it fell flat. I think Gregg forgot his lines at the beginning of 'Suicide' too... it was, "Who is this man..." *long pause while the orchestra waits in frustration for Gregg to remember line...* "What sort of devil is he..." *oh damn, what comes next?! Well, the orchestra will wait some more...* And so on. And then, there is the 'One Day More' two-step. The revolutionaries are doing this little box-step march thing, and, while they are in unison, it is rediculously off beat. it completely sucked the spirit and power form one of the most vibrant (and my personal favorite) songs in the show! Arrg! And during curtain call... what the hell do you do with a smiling Javvie? Edleman wins the award for Javert most deserving to be called 'Snookums' to his face, and relieved of Nightstick...
  But other than that, it was awesome. :)

• Complete Symphonic Recording- Ahh... My dear, sweet Philip Quast as the Cher Inspector, once again... this CD is what saved me on the ride home from NYC. Listening to his ferocious 'Intervention' salved over the experience of Gregg Edleman... but I digress. Gary Morris as JVJ is tolerable, Anthony Warlow as E! Is also alright, but not my favorite... though I, too, love when he shouts, "There is WORK we have to do!" Debbie Bryne is a lucious Fantine... second only to Ruthie Heneshall, in my book. Barry James is a truly evil Thénardier, and I think that Gay Soper (Mme. T.) Sounds like she could be Frances Rueffle's mother... but the 'Ponine, Kaho Shimada, is way too quiet. During 'One Day More' and 'Little Fall of Rain', you lose ehr voice completely... and does anyone else find it odd that a Japanese girl sounds Southern when she sings? Hmmm...
  The only other thing is Kenny D'Aquila, who played Grantaire... the roughness of his voice annoys the hell out of me in 'Red and Black'. He's fine by 'Drink with Me', but up till then, it's just irritating. Long live Anthony Crivello! Nevertheless, due to the fact that it is the completeness of the show, i recommend it to any-and-everyone. Go out and spend money!

• The Original Broadway Cast Recording- Well... um... As I've mentioned elsewhere, I am warming greatly to Terrence Mann, ever since learning that he was Chauvelin in the Scarlet Pimpernel But.. during 'Stars' the guy sounds like Sean Connery! "At the doorwaaay to Paradishe!" It is Hil-AI-rious. On the other hand, I almost like Mme. Thénardier's singing better than the TAC. M. Thénardier is OK too, and Michael Mcguire is the Be-all, end-all as Enjolras. Colm Wilkenson seems to be showing off... and I've heard it said that the hate shown between him and Mann seemed a little bit more than just character. I don't think I'd disagree with that. Either they thought they were in a High School show, or they really didn't like each other. I don't like the Cosette in either show, but after Lea Salonga, I have real problems with this Eponine, and also the Fantine. She is soooo NOT Ruthie Henshall. Vibrato should NOT sound like you are driving on a bumpy road!
  

• The 10th Anniversary Concert- My Favorite... can you tell? Philip Quast is the Ultimate Word in that Parisian Dog-tiger known as Inspector Javert! But let's slide away fron the preformance for a minute. The REAL best thing about the TAC is... what the actors are doing when they're not singing! Ok, so usually it's drinking water, or having some conversation, but... read some of the fanfic that circulates througout the web, and THEN watch the show! Watch Michael McGuire, while Cosette and Marius are signing, staring at Philip Quast (who alternates between watching Michael Ball (Marius) and talking to Colm Wilkenson). Watch that little Hobbit, Michael Ball, bouncing up and down like a Scottish Terrier while Wilkenson is taking his bow, then do the Arsenio Hall thing. Oy Gevalt, it's a riot! Sometimes I really wish I could hear what they are saying... but I think I read too much into the stuff. Anyway, the show is lovely, Quast has the voice of a God, Wilkenson is So much more mature, and Ruthie Henshall as Fantine is Exquisite. Does anyone else think that the Grantaire looks a bit like Kramer? Hmm...
  

So that's what I think for the moment. If I have another thought, it'll wind up here. Au Revoir!