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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings," #19

1992 Original Madrid Cast Recording

Pedro Ruy-Blas (Jean Valjean), Miguel del Arco (Javert), Gema Castaño (Fantine), Joan Crosas (Thénardier), Connie Philip (Mme. Thénardier), Margarita Marban (Éponine), Carlos Marin (Marius), Enrique R. del Portal (Enjolras), Luisa Torres (Cosette)

Angela Muro as the Factory Woman.

This is only a 17-track highlights recording, but like the similarly short Stockholm Cast Recording, it still has its standout moments. For me, the one that stands out the most is the Factory Girl’s (Spanish equivalent of) “And what have we here, little innocent sister?” in “At the End of the Day.” The lines are transposed down and Angela Muro sings them with a deep, slightly raspy alto voice, not the high, thin voice that other productions give the character. She sounds worldly, mature, and jaded… like a married woman having an affair with the Foreman on the side, just as Fantine implies she is. This is reinforced by the cast list, which credits her as “Mujer de la Fabrica,” Factory Woman, rather than directly translating the English version and calling her “Chica de la Fabrica.” And when Gema Castaño’s Fantine sings “Give that letter to me…”, higher and lighter-voiced rather than the opposite, she sounds younger and more vulnerable than her nemesis. Not that I’m opposed to a Factory Girl with a high and youthfully catty voice, or a deeper, more motherly voice for Fantine, but this different approach is effective.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #18

1992 Original Prague Cast Recording

Jan Jezek (Jean Valjean), Marcel Kucera (Javert), Helena Vondráčková (Fantine), Jiří Korn (Thénardier), Petra Janů (Mme. Thénardier), Lucie Bílá (Éponine), Pavel Polák (Marius), Tomáš Trapl (Enjolras), Katerina Krejcová (Cosette)

Lucie Bílá’s interjections in “A Heart Full of Love.”

It wasn’t easy to find a specific standout moment in this recording, since again, it’s just a highlights recording, and I can’t comment much on the singers’ delivery of their lines because I don’t understand a word of Czech. But I finally settled on Éponine’s interjections in “A Heart Full of Love,” as sung by the famous Czech pop singer Lucie Bílá, who took on the role in this production. Despite the language barrier, the emotion of those lines comes across clearly, and she doesn’t opt for the gentle, wistful sadness that many Éponines do at this point. The pain in her voice is raw. It contrasts perfectly with Marius and Cosette’s innocent happiness, and since these lines serve as her first on this recording, they serve as the perfect introduction to Éponine’s unrequited love.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings," #17

1992 Scheveningen video bootleg

Henk Poort (Jean Valjean), Ernst Daniel Smid (Javert), Pia Douwes (Fantine), Door Van Boeckel (Thénardier), Irene Kuiper (Mme. Thénardier), Marika Lansen (Éponine), Danny de Munk (Marius), Bill Van Dijk (Enjolras), Joke de Kruijf (Cosette)

Enjolras consoling Grantaire during “Drink with Me.”

This is the original Dutch production, with most of the same cast as the Amsterdam Cast Recording, although by this time the show had transferred to Scheveningen. It’s also the second performance in my watch-through where “Drink with Me” has significant Enjolras/Grantaire interaction after Grantaire’s solo… and it’s the first where that interaction is tender. Granted, it doesn’t start out that way. Like their London counterparts, at first Peter de Smet’s Grantaire offers his bottle to Enjolras, but Bill Van Dijk’s Enjolras rejects it and drinks from Feuilly’s jug instead. (I think that must have been direction at the time, since it was also done in London and Madrid.) But afterwards, Grantaire crumbles in complete despair, gulping from his bottle and burying his head in his arms, and Enjolras seems to regret his harshness as he looks at him. Finally, Enjolras crouches down, puts a consoling arm around Grantaire, and pats his back. It’s not quite a hug, but it’s most definitely a warm, tender moment.

Honorable Mentions:

*In “At the End of the Day,” after the Foreman reads Fantine’s letter, instead of either keeping it or just disdainfully handing it back to her, he rips the letter up, then hands her back the pieces.

*Pia Douwes’ Fantine goes completely feral in “Fantine’s Arrest.” After she scratches Bamatabois, two other ladies try to hold her back, but she fights to break free from them and lunge at Bamatabois again, until he comes back over and knocks her to the ground with his stick.

*So far, Henk Poort’s Jean Valjean is second only to Gary Morris’s in his mourning at Fantine’s death. After folding her hands on her chest, he kisses her forehead, and then lays his head against her hands in grief.

*Henk Poort is also the first Valjean in my chronological watch-through to boop Cosette’s nose. He does it to little Cosette on “…to take Cosette away,” and to her older self in his death scene, on “…I will try.” I don’t know if he was the first Valjean in the world to do it, but he’s the first one I’ve seen do it so far, and he certainly won’t be the last!

*In “Look Down,” at the side of the stage during the final chorus, Marika Lansen’s Éponine has what looks like a vicious argument with her parents, in which Thénardier grabs her menacingly only for her to push him away.

*Joke de Kruijf’s Cosette leaps to her feet in shock when Marius appears in the garden in “A Heart Full of Love,” flailing her arms. For the most part her Cosette is a very proper, reserved, and graceful lady, but every now and then she shows hints of an excited and passionate young girl beneath that façade, and nowhere more so than in this moment of physical comedy.

*As Valjean is opening the sewer grate, Danny de Munk’s Marius languidly rolls over before fully losing consciousness again, making it absolutely clear to the audience that he’s alive.

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I love as a community we have all forgotten how Victor Hugo written that Grantaire is supposed to be ugly and they have put the most attractive men to play Grantaire. I love that.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #16

1991 London video bootleg

Stig Rossen (Jean Valjean), Paul Leonard (Javert), Jenna Russell (Fantine), Martyn Ellis (Thénardier), Sue Kelvin (Mme. Thénardier), Meredith Braun (Éponine), Darryl Knock (Marius), Mike Sterling (u/s Enjolras), Sarah Jane Hassell (Cosette)

Enjolras and Grantaire’s unhappy interaction in “Drink with Me.”

So far this is the first filmed performance to have any significant interaction between Enjolras and Grantaire after Grantaire’s “Drink with Me” solo. After Grantaire (whose actor is uncredited, though according to Ovrtur.com it was probably Andrew Hesker) sings an especially belligerent solo that ends with him standing in front of Enjolras, he bitterly laughs in Enjolras’s face, then offers him his wine bottle. But Mike Sterling’s Enjolras pointedly drinks from Feuilly’s jug instead – “the wine of friendship,” not the wine of cynicism. Then he stands and stares at Grantaire for several moments, and vice-versa. I only wish the video quality weren’t abysmal, so I could see their expressions. But finally, Grantaire sits down in despair. Enjolras seems to soften, approaches him, and puts his hand on his shoulder, but Grantaire angrily pushes it away. Not a pleasant moment on either side, but poignant. Especially because it’s their last interaction. They don’t get to reconcile in “The Final Battle”: Grantaire sits lost in a stupor until suddenly he sees Enjolras die, then screams a heartbreaking “NOOOO!!” and dashes up the barricade to his own fate.

Honorable Mentions:

*The desperation of Jenna Russell’s Fantine as Javert rejects her pleas in “Fantine’s Arrest.” She sobs audibly, clinging to Javert’s boots until he pulls away and causes her to fall, then wails “Coseeette!!” as the two constables seize her.

*The first meeting of Darryl Knock’s Marius and Sarah Jane Hassell’s Cosette in “The Robbery.” They both fall down when he crashes into her, which is funny and cute. But I also like what Sarah Jane does afterwards. In most performances I’ve seen, Valjean comes over and hustles Cosette away from Marius, establishing him as a protective and possessive father; that’s all well and good. But here, Cosette is the one who shyly breaks eye contact with Marius and goes to find Valjean. A believable choice for a sheltered young girl who’s never felt romantic love or attraction before. Yet she can’t resist stealing backward glances at Marius throughout the next few moments until the gang attacks.

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Once again remembering the '90s VHS release of the 1958 French film of Les Misérables that obviously tried to trick buyers into thinking it was the musical.

A black and white illustration of little Cosette, obviously not Bayard's but similar in style and tone.

The title written in a font similar to the musical's Caslon Antique.

"A vivid retelling of the French Classic that inspire the award-winning musical!" with the word "musical" in the biggest letters.

I wonder how many people these tricks actually fooled?

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #15

1991 US 1st National Tour proshot video

Gary Morris (Jean Valjean), Richard Kinsey (Javert), Susan Gilmour (Fantine), Drew Eshelman (Thénardier), Rosalyn Rahn (Mme. Thénardier), Susan Tilson (Éponine), Peter Gunther (Marius), Pete Herber (Enjolras), Gretchen Kinglsey (u/s Cosette)

Gary Morris’s grief for Fantine.

This high-quality proshot is a truly outstanding glimpse into the early years of Les Mis in America. For me, it’s especially exciting to see Gary Morris’s Valjean after years of hearing him on the Complete Symphonic Recording: despite my mixed feelings about his singing, I now realize how passionate and engaging his acting performance was. In this performance, the moment that stands out the most for me is his abject anguish when Fantine dies. Most Valjeans I’ve seen have just solemnly bowed their heads over her body, but Morris breaks down completely, sobbing silently into her chest. His grief continues through “Confrontation,” where his voice breaks on “And this I swear to you tonight…” and into “The Bargain,” where his loud, sharp delivery of “Now her mother is with God” (which has always surprised me on the Complete Symphonic Recording, since most Valjeans sing it softly and gently) conveys how raw his emotion still is about her passing. I’ve never seen a Valjean do this before.

Honorable Mentions:

*Susan Gilmour’s Fantine at the end of “Lovely Ladies.” Most other actresses play “Come on, captain…” as if there’s been a time skip of several weeks or months since Fantine first turned to the streets, and she’s now somewhat hardened. But Susan plays it as if it’s literally her first time soliciting a customer, and she seems pitifully frightened and on the verge of tears as the pimp pushes her toward the man.

*In “The Runaway Cart,” after “There is nothing to do!” some women in the crowd audibly sob over Fauchlevant’s “inevitable” death. They’re too scared to try to rescue him, but they do care.

*Lee Marino’s Young Cosette struggles with the weight of the stools she lifts down from the tables before “Castle on a Cloud.”

 *Drew Eshelman’s Thénardier sniffs the air before he turns to greet the new traveler on “Welcome, M’sieur…” at the beginning of “Master of the House.” As if he’s so animalistically greedy that he can smell new customers… or possibly their money, which would bring more literal meaning than usual to “I smell profit here!” and “Money is the stuff we smell!”

*In “The Robbery,” Morris’s Valjean successfully hurls the gang members away from him before Javert arrives. He may be old at this point, but he’s still strong!

*In “Attack on Rue Plumet,” Daniel Guzman’s Montparnasse tries to kiss Éponine on the lips after his solo verse, and when she pushes him away, he blows her a kiss anyway.

*Later in “Attack on Rue Plumet,” Susan Tilson’s Éponine knees Thénardier in the nether regions! In return she gets a punch and a slap from him, but still, good for her!

*At the beginning of “The Final Battle,” Pete Herber’s Enjolras clutches his head in his hands and lets out an anguished scream. He’s not the only Enjolras to have a meltdown at this point, and it’s debatable whether Enjolras should have a meltdown at any point, but he does it effectively.

*Richard Kinsey’s Javert breaks down sobbing on “And the stars are black and cold…” Apart from David Oyelowo in the BBC miniseries, which of course isn’t the musical, I’ve never seen another Javert cry during his suicide scene before!

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #14

1991 Original Amsterdam Cast Recording

Henk Poort (Jean Valjean), Ernst Daniel Smid (Javert), Pia Douwes (Fantine), Paul de Leeuw (Thénardier), Simone Kleinsma (Mme. Thénardier), Vera Mann (Éponine), Danny de Munk (Marius), Bill Van Dijk (Enjolras), Joke de Kruijf (Cosette)

Peter de Smet’s “It’s better than an opera!”

This cast recording is generally middle-of-the-road compared to others, but it does have its charms, and one that’s small yet memorable is Grantaire’s “It’s better than an opera!” (Or rather its Dutch equivalent.) Peter de Smet slightly embellishes the word “op-e-ra” and sings it in a rich, “operatic” voice. In the scheme of things, it’s a minor moment, but it’s funny and cute. I’ve never heard another Grantaire sing that word in quite the same way, even though in hindsight it seems like an obvious vocal choice. I suppose it works because Peter de Smet has a rich, dark baritone voice to begin with, which can sound genuinely operatic at times. (He understudied Javert in this production, and a bootleg exists with him in the role: his rendition of “Stars” has been uploaded onto YouTube.) Obviously, not all other Grantaires share that vocal quality, and if they don’t have it, then they can’t play it for momentary laughs in the same way.

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Apologies, but where did you find a proshot of Hungary's 2001 Les Mis? I'd love to watch it! :)

Here it is:

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #13

1991 Paris Cast Recording

Robert Marien (Jean Valjean), Patrick Rocca (Javert), Louise Pitre (Fantine), Laurent Gendron (Thénardier), Marie-France Roussel (Mme. Thénardier), Stéphanie Martin (Éponine), Jérôme Pradon (Marius), Julien Combey (Enjolras), Marie Zamora (Cosette)

Renaud Marx’s solo as Grantaire in “Drink with Me.”

It feels a little strange not to cite a moment from one of this recording’s excellent lead singers, like Robert Marien, Louise Pitre, or Jérôme Pradon. But the individual moment that stands out the most is Grantaire’s “Drink with Me” solo. Renaud Marx (a.k.a. the French voice of Shang in Mulan, Bear in Bear in the Big Blue House, Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart, and other Hollywood actors in various movies) sounds more drunk, world-weary and angry in this moment than any other Grantaire I’ve heard so far. Without overdoing it, he fairly snarls about half his words, and the effect is enhanced by the fact that the French lyrics are more bluntly cynical and drunken than the English. (The equivalent of “Will the world remember you when you fall? Could it be your death means nothing at all?” translates as “Life is so short and worth nothing. I burn it in the fire of a good glass of wine.”) Both those lyrics and Marx’s delivery of them captures the spirit of Grantaire’s joking yet bitterly cynical ramblings from the novel, much better than the musical typically does. Leave it to the French to capture that spirit!

Honorable Mention:

*Not an acting or singing choice, but an unintentionally funny lyric in “Stars”: the French text that corresponds to “I never shall yield till we come face to face” roughly translates as “I shall not weaken till he is on his knees before me.” A little treat for Valvert shippers.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #12

1990 Original Stockholm Cast Recording

Tommy Körberg (Jean Valjean), Jan Åström (Javert), Karin Glenmark (Fantine), Claes Malmberg (Thénardier), Beatrice Järås (Mme. Thénardier), Maria Rydberg (Éponine), Richard Carlsohn (Marius), Joakim Jennefors (Enjolras), Gunilla Backman (Cosette)

Karin Glenmark’s urgency and Tommy Körberg’s gentleness in “Come to Me.”

This is just a 21-track highlights recording, but I still managed to find a small standout moment. In “Come to Me,” Karin Glenmark’s Fantine belts “Look M’sieur, where all the children play!” (or rather its Swedish equivalent) in such a delirious, desperate tone, but then Tommy Körberg’s Valjean soothes her by singing “Be at peace, be at peace evermore” (or rather its Swedish equivalent) with utter softness and gentleness. Their contrasting delivery of these two lines perfectly capture the torments of Fantine and Valjean’s compassionate efforts to comfort and help her. Incidentally, I’ve just learned that Tommy Körberg voiced the Beast in the Swedish dub of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. While this album doesn’t convey much of his capacity for the Beast’s initial rage and ferocity– it unfortunately cuts “Valjean’s Soliloquy” and “Confrontation” – it most definitely conveys how lovely he must have been as the gentle, selflessly loving Beast in the later part of the movie.

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I get the whole appeal behind the “JVJ despises Marius” thing, but in the context of the musical, their relationship being more tender is so SO good

Marius being so excited to have a father again, only to lose him immediately after … valjean saying goodbye to “the son [he] might have known” 🙅🏻‍♂️

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #11

1989 London audio bootleg

Peter Karrie (Jean Valjean), Philip Quast (Javert), Grania Renihan (Fantine), Julian Forsythe (u/s Thénardier), Gay Soper (Mme. Thénardier), Jacinta Whyte (u/s Éponine), Mario Frangoulis (Marius), Michael Cantwell (Enjolras), Janet Mooney (u/s Cosette)

Jacinta Whyte’s fierce, growly “JUUUST the old man and THE GIRL!!” in “Attack on Rue Plumet.” 

With this bootleg, we hear the role of Éponine shifting decisively away from the original Frances Ruffelle model. Jacinta Whyte’s voice is clear, warm, and slightly brassy yet beautiful, without a trace of the “kittenish waif” sound that has defined most Éponine voices so far. And she doesn’t sound as if she’s playing the character as a kittenish waif either. While of course the previous Éponines have also been fierce and defiant in “Attack on Rue Plumet,” this performance takes that scene to a new level. As she belts out her defiance with a snarl in her voice (and follows it with an impressive scream too), it’s clear that this Éponine is no broken bird, but a true fighter who can take care of herself on the streets. In the past I’ve head some fans credit Lea Salonga with being the first actress to make Éponine strong and feisty rather than waif-like, but they obviously never heard this one!

Honorable Mentions:

*Michael Cantwell’s annoyed, half-growled “Marius, you’re late!” as Enjolras in “The ABC Café.”

*A very young Mario Frangoulis as Marius just can’t get the lyrics to “A Heart Full of Love” quite right! First, he sings “A heart full of you” when it should have been “…of song,” which probably adds to the intense embarrassment with which he sings the next line, “I’m doing everything all wrong!” Then, much worse, he sings “Your name is Marius Pontmercy” instead of “My name…” :)

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I love 80s rehearsal photos. Leading the revolution in my top cat shirt

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #10

1989 Australia Day Concert

Normie Rowe (Jean Valjean), John Diedrich (Javert), Debbie Byrne (Fantine), William Zappa (Thénardier), Robyn Arthur (Mme. Thénardier), Laurą Hamilton (Éponine), Peter Cousens (Marius), Anthony Warlow (Enjolras), Marina Prior (Cosette)

Anthony Warlow’s Enjolras in "The Final Battle.”

I’m sure that Anthony’s Enjolras is one of the main draws to this filmed concert. We all know and love him from the Complete Symphonic Recording and here we get to see him! His whole performance is outstanding: so impassioned yet stately and dignified, a true “marble lover of liberty,” and of course his voice is magnificent. But I’d say that his standout moment is “The Final Battle,” where even in concert format, we can tell that this is where Enjolras snaps. Up to this point, his passion has been a contained fire, fierce yet not wild. But after seeing Gavroche die and knowing death is imminent for himself and all his friends too, the breaks come off, and he ferociously roars “LET US DIE FACING OUR FOES!!! MAKE THEM BLEED WHILE WE CAN!!” and “…until the earth IS FREEEEE!!!” This change at the end is much more effective than if he had spent the whole barricade sequence yelling and being unhinged (e.g. like David Burt in the OLC bootlegs).

Honorable Mentions (Good):

*Marina Prior’s facial expressions as Cosette, especially in “A Heart Full of Love” and as she fibs to Valjean in “Attack on Rue Plumet.” She’s just so adorable and seems so young and sweetly awkward. Even though she was 27, she’s the first Cosette so far whom I can fully believe is a teenage girl. 

*The raw, anguished passion of Normie Rowe’s “If I die, let me die!” in “Bring Him Home.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard another Valjean put as much into that line.

Honorable Mentions (Questionable):

*John Diedrich’s ghoulish face makeup as Javert.

*The fact that there are no costume changes for the ensemble, and the men all wear their student costumes, even in their earlier roles like the Bishop, the Foreman, or Bamatabois. As a result, it looks as if the Amis de l’ABC labor in a chain gang, buy Valjean’s soul for God, persecute Fantine, carouse at Thénardier’s inn, etc.

*The fireworks in the sky that represent the gunfire at the end “The Final Battle” – that’s right, a brutal mass slaughter is represented by a display of fireworks, which inspire the audience to break into applause, as if they were applauding the revolutionaries’ deaths.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #9

Original Vienna Cast Recording

Reinhard Brussman (Jean Valjean), Norbert Lamla (Javert), Sona MacDonald (Fantine), Franz Caencsits (Thénardier), Susanne Altschul (Mme. Thénardier), Jane Comerford (Éponine), Felix Martin (Marius), Alexander Diepold (Enjolras), Martina Dorak (Cosette)

If I weren’t specifying moments, I’d say that Sona MacDonald’s Fantine in general is the highlight of this recording. At age 27, she was younger than most other early Fantines, with a lighter, sweeter voice than was usually heard in the role at the time. This makes her capture the tragic youthfulness and vulnerability of Hugo’s Fantine, which more mature-voiced “leading lady” actresses can’t quite do. Of the specific moments in her performance, I finally settled on her death as the standout. Her voice is so gentle and tender, and of the Fantines I’ve heard so far, she’s the first Fantine from a replica production to sing the final note gently rather than belting it. (Riki Gal in the Israeli cast and Kútvölgyi Erzsébet in Hungary sang it gently too, but those were both non-replica productions.) In the musical’s early years, Fantine’s last moments seem to have typically been played as somewhat tortured – which admittedly is true to her death in the novel – but this version creates a sense of beautiful and well-deserved peace.

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Standout Moments from "Les Misérables" Recordings, #8

1988 Complete Symphonic Recording

Gary Morris (Jean Valjean), Philip Quast (Javert), Debbie Byrne (Fantine), Barry James (Thénardier), Gay Soper (Mme. Thénardier), Kaho Shimada (Éponine), Michael Ball (Marius), Anthony Warlow (Enjolras), Tracy Shayne (Cosette)

Anthony Warlow and Michael Ball’s “One more day before the storm…”/“Do I follow where she goes?” in “One Day More.“

The CSR was my first Les Mis recording and it’s still the “default” version I tend to hear in my head when I think of the songs. It was almost impossible for me to choose a single standout moment from this recording. But after much internal debate, I finally chose Marius and Enjolras’s counterpoint in “One Day More.” Anthony Warlow’s Enjolras sings his call to arms with such burnished, dignified, stentorian fervor – the spirit of revolution embodied in powerful sound. And in counterpoint is Michael Ball’s Marius, with his equally rich and powerful yet “syrupy” (in a good way) and oh-so-emotional voice, singing of his conflict between love and duty. Their contrasting voices capture the two characters’ contrasting personalities in a beautiful and thrilling way. The moment is only made more exciting by chorus entering behind Enjolras’s voice with “The time is now! The day is here!” at the end of the passage, and by the symphonic orchestrations.

Honorable Mentions:

*Philip Quast’s militaristic, staccato “You have no rights! Come with me, 24601!” in “Confrontation.” No other Javert has ever sung that line so perfectly, not even Quast himself in the 10th Anniversary Concert.

*Ross McCall’s little cries, gasps, and struggling, pained voice as the mortally wounded Gavroche.

*Barry James’ wild, psychotic laughter as Thénardier as the end of “Dog Eats Dog.”