#i've never CARED so much and then ACTED on that care until les mis

[winter-parrot]

there's something deeply Right about watching myself lose my shit over les mis and esp enjolras all over again. it's like. ah yes. this. i know this. this still fits.

[cometomecosette]

Review: Les Misérables, US National Tour, Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco (July 15, 2023) (long)

This review is very late, but better late than never.

This was my first time seeing Les Mis live onstage since 2018. While YouTube has kept me well supplied with performances in the meantime, I was overjoyed to finally see it live again.

The production, of course, is still Laurence Connor and James Powell's "25th Anniversary" production that premiered in 2009, and which is now the official "replica" production all over the world. My views on it are still the same: it can't hold a candle (or a silver candlestick) to the original Trevor Nunn/John Caird production, but it's still effective, still handsome and atmospheric, and still a good, solid way to experience the musical.

I did notice some changes from when I last saw the show, however:

*Once again, I noticed that a few costumes have been redesigned. The convicts' uniforms now feature historically accurate red smocks. Fantine's factory dress has been redesigned yet again (not to my liking – I preferred the solid turquoise dress from the previous tour). Mme. Thénardier now wears a red bodice at the inn. Éponine no longer wears her overcoat before Act II. Both Thénardiers' "Beggars at the Feast" costumes have also been slightly altered: her skirt is now trimmed with a pattern of ruffles instead of feathers, and his trousers are slightly less poofy (both improvements, IMHO – the costumes are still gaudy, but not cartoonish anymore). And in the final scene, Éponine's spirit now wears a floor-length version of her overcoat, giving her a subtly more "angelic" look, much like the train added to Fantine's nightgown.

*There seemed to be more spoken ad-libs from the cast than I remember from past performances. Not to the extent of, say, the 2014 North Shore Music Theatre production, but notable. For example, this exchange between the Thénardiers just before "Master of the House": Thénardier – What time is it? Mme. T. – Time to get to work! Thénardier – There she is! My daily reminder that you can be happy, or you can be married!

*The "Waltz of Treachery" gave comic business to Young Cosette, of all people! On "That would quite fit the bill..." the Thénardiers picked her up and held her horizontally, stiff as a board, and then on "...if she hadn't so often been ill," she dramatically went limp. It seemed as if they had trained her to play sick in this way, presumably to earn charity from rich travelers. I didn't care for it, though: Young Cosette isn't a character who lends herself to slapstick comedy.

*Grantaire didn't scream "No!" when Gavroche was killed. Instead the whole barricade went deathly silent, as they used to in the old days of the classic Nunn/Caird production. I'm not sure if this was a change in direction or just an acting choice, but I'm assuming the former, because every past Grantaire I've seen or heard in the Connor/Powell production has done the "No!"

*The gag from the previous tour of Mme. Thénardier stuffing her face with cake in the wedding scene is gone. Just as well: it was goofy slapstick at best and fatphobic at worst.

*In "Beggars at the Feast," instead of "This one's a queer, but what can you do?" Thénardier sang "This one's a queer. I might try it too!" then grabbed the man and "romantically" dipped him.

One thing I definitely like about the current tour is the commitment to diverse casting, which wasn't seen nearly as much in the classic Nunn/Caird production until its last few years. In this particular performance, Jean Valjean, Fantine, Marius, Éponine, Cosette (both older and young), and Gavroche were all people of color.

But of course, diverse casting would mean little if the performers didn't give good quality performances. Fortunately they all did. Some performances I liked better than others, but there was no denying how talented the whole cast was.

Randy Jeter (Jean Valjean u/s)

How ridiculous it is that in the musical's 37 years of existence, this man is only the third black actor to play Jean Valjean in an official Cameron Mackintosh production! While I was a little disappointed at first not to see Nick Cartell again, I'm very glad now that I saw Randy. His voice was rich, clear, and alternately powerful and sweet: excellently suited to the music. And he did full justice to Valjean's journey, with all its transformations and wide range of emotions, making every one of the believable. My only reservation about his performance was that physically, he was a little bit youthful and slight for the role. I hope that either in this tour or in future productions, more people get a chance to see his Valjean.

Preston Truman Boyd (Javert)

One of the best of the last several Javerts I've seen live. He was a solid, imposing stage presence, who sang with a rich, handsome baritone voice with a bite to it that almost recalled Philip Quast, and was an appropriately inexorable force of the law until he was ultimately broken. I was relieved that he wasn't too aggressive or neurotic, but gave a traditional, hard and stolid characterization.

Haley Dortch (Fantine)

A lovely and passionate Fantine, with a beautiful, powerful voice. Past Fantines whom I've seen in the Connor/Powell production have tended to be slightly too delicate and passive for my taste, so I was glad to see her bring a good amount of fire to the role.

Matt Crowle (Thénardier)

A talented, enthusiastic performer, but not quite ideal for this role. Besides seeming slightly youthful for the part (not uncommon), he was a flamboyant comic Thénardier, without the edge of nastiness or realism that other actors bring. Still, as I discovered from an interview, he's read the novel, and he did do a good job of creating a ferret-like stage presence and a "scratchy, vermin-like voice" (in his own words). I've seen better, but he was fine.

Christina Rose Hall (Madame Thénardier)

A decent Mme. T., but like her onstage husband, she wasn't as nasty as she could have been. This might have been intentional on her part, though: she often seemed as if she was trying to play a more sympathetic, comically put-upon Thénardiess. But to make that portrayal fully work, I think her husband should have been more of a domineering emotional bully than Matt's Thénardier was. Overall she was good, but both Thénardiers needed more of an edge.

Christine Heesun Hwang (Éponine)

A good Éponine whom I'd like to see again sometime. Her voice was rich and powerful, and while she wasn't particularly wild or gritty, she brought good, solid toughness to the role that I like to see, as well as plenty of feeling. Her "On My Own" went beyond mere pining into desperation, as if she were on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and "A Little Fall of Rain" was beautifully gentle and tender.

Christopher James Tamayo (Marius u/s)

I liked him very much. His voice was a warm, rich baritenor, which I prefer to the thin, high tenors of so many recent Marii. His characterization was excellent too: gentlemanly and dignified, yet youthful, innocent, and tender, and believable in all his many emotions. He deserves to be the regular Marius, not just an understudy, either in this tour someday or in a future production.

Devin Archer (Enjolras)

Until after the show, I had forgotten that I saw him as Marius in a regional production back in 2015. He's definitely grown up nicely from a Marius into an Enjolras. While too "human" and "manly" to be Hugo's "marble lover of liberty," he was an appropriately strong, dignified, courageous leader, staunchly dedicated to the cause, yet a caring friend too, with a reserved yet commanding stage presence and a handsome, powerful voice to match.

Addie Morales (Cosette)

Good, but not a favorite. Her voice was light, pure, and slightly thin, but pretty. Acting-wise, she was a very lively, bubbly Cosette, often giggly in Act I, and an angry "rebellious teen" toward Valjean (though still with all-important moments of affection). I used to favor that characterization because it made Cosette "stronger," but now I have mixed feelings about it, because it's not really true to her upbringing or to the novel. Still, as a whole, she was good.

Ciaran Bowling (Grantaire u/s)

In a US tour performance, I wasn't expecting to see a British veteran of the London production who also had a minor role in the 2012 film! But he was a welcome presence: appropriately funny and boisterous in "Red and Black," angry and despairing in "Drink With Me," and touching in his reconciliation with Enjolras and his death.

(Though I must admit, I'm not the biggest fan of the current staging of Grantaire's "Drink With Me" solo, where he goes to center stage, sings the solo angrily and aggressively, and then pushes Enjolras away when the latter tries to talk to him. It annoys me that every replica-production Grantaire now performs it that way. I miss the variety from the old days, when individual actors and resident directors were allowed to do what they liked with that moment and bring all sorts of different emotions and nuances to it.)

Milo Maharlika (Gavroche)

An excellent, lively, likable young presence.

(I do like the fact that in the current staging, Gavroche is everyone's emotional support at the barricade, comforting both Marius after Éponine's death and Grantaire in "Drink With Me.")

Vivian Atencio (Young Cosette)

An appropriately sweet little girl.

The ensemble was excellent all around.

Going to see this performance was such a wonderful experience. It would have been a thrill no matter what, because I've been waiting five years to see the show in person again, but the good performance quality made it truly shine. I hope that within the next few months, while the show is still in California – most likely when it comes to San José in October – I can see it again.

[thecandlesticksfromlesmis]

Umm so this may be weird for you to recieve.

A few weeks ago I discovered your work. I've been repressing my whole struggle with gender identity for so long and....well it made me think of things.

I watched SFLA first. It was a total coincidence that I stumbled across ATLOU (which was all kinds of lovely by the way) and it took me a bit to realize you were the same person.

Anyway, here's the thing, watching the shift made me acknowledge some things.

I think I might be enby. And aro(or demi, I'm not sure yet)

You playing my favourite character ever, as a trans and ace person gives me a world of joy.

I just felt like its important for you to know that even though you don't know me, and the only interaction we've had is a thank you or two, you have contributed to me accepting my identity.

I hope you know that there are people out there, people you've never met, who are better off after consuming your work.

You're making the world a better place and Enjolras would be proud.

This actually made me tear up, I’m feeling so many things right now. This isn’t a weird ask to receive, in fact, it feels familiar. Not because I’ve gotten it before, but because it feels like a journey I’ve been on too. 

I am so happy for you, and the acceptance you have found within yourself. I know how elusive and scary that acceptance can be, cause it’s the first step--the one that leads to all the others. 

As someone who repressed a lot of things until the age of 21, I know how lovely the relief feels when you finally let yourself say “yes, I am this. And this is good.” It’s an act of love, and the hardest kind too. It’s easy to love others, it’s hard to love yourself. 

I’ve already talked about this before but my connection to Les Mis runs very deep. The stories I’ve written in this fandom, the projects I’ve done, the words I’ve sung since I was five...they’ve been a part of my self discovery too. Just like you. One way or another, the things we love play a part in our creation. 

Thank you for your kind words about my work. I make things because I love how it connects me with people. I care so much about interactions like these. I care so much about you. 

I am always here to help if you ever need to talk. Continue to love yourself! Continue figuring it all out! It’s a process, but with others around to help you and love you, it feels less scary. It feels like magic. 

💖✨🙏🏼 

[seeinganewlight]

wbxdhgdjoaja I'm not really active in the les mis fandom but I've never really seen anyone say they love marius like you did in the tags of that one post... he's one of my favorite characters but no one else seems to appreciate him!!

People are so quick to write him off and it really bothers me because I love him so much. He’s such a good person. He’s so kind to everyone and deeply cares about the people in his life. I think part of why people write him off is because of Cosette - which is so freaking upsetting and I can’t even get into the way that Cosette is treated this fandom - and that’s so dumb. Marius never once says that he doesn’t believe in the revolution, Enjolras or the rest of the Les Amis. He simply says that he found a woman that he loves and wants to be with. That’s not a weakness, in fact, in the time and circumstances that they live in, I think his ability to love is one of his biggest strengths. Him being unsure of if he should join his brothers and fight? Ya’ll he’s like 19-21, he’s a scared boy. It’s completely normal for him to second things. Like I said before, it’s not that he’s questioning the cause, he’s scared. He knows there’s a huge chance that he could die and he just found the woman that he loves and realizes that there’s a possibility that he’ll die without being able to have a life with her, or that even if he did survive he might never find her again. It’s okay for him to be hesitent. In the end, he does what he knows is right and fights for what he believes in. He made a calculated choice, he thought about the pros and cons and decided that ultimately, helping his country move towards becoming a better place was more important than his happiness. That’s incredibly unselfish. 

Another thing that I think people mischaracterize is his relationship with Eponine (in the musical, they don’t have much of a relationship in the book). Listen, he doesn’t know how Eponine feels about him he’s not trying to hurt her or string her along. He’s nice to her because she’s his friend and he cares about her. He easily could’ve written her off as a poor girl from the wrong side of town and he could’ve easily treated her as horrible as the Thenardier’s treated her, but he didn’t. Because Marius is a genuinely kind person. He simply doesn’t love her in a romantic way, but he does love her “You would live a thousand years, if I could show you how, I won’t desert you now” that line is a prime example of the love that he does have for Eponine. Also, Eponine isn’t even “in love, in love” with him, she thinks she loves him because he’s nice to her and she’s looking for an escape from the shitty life that she’s living in, but that’s another post for another time.

Also, let’s not forget that Marius goes through a serious trauma and almost dies. He survives the rebellion but every single one of his friends dies.Think about it. He already lost his parents, (in the book) he doesn’t reuntie with his grandfather until his 6 months of raging fever are over and he finally regains consciousness. The only people he has in his life are Cosette and Jean Valjean. He could’ve easily let that trauma harden him and he could’ve turned cold and hateful towards everyone, but he doesn’t. In fact, it’s fairly clear through Empty Chairs at Empty Tables that he feels so much grief about his friends death and that he feels like he should’ve have survived when they didn’t. He’s suffering from PTSD and never once does he blame anyone else for what happened. He lets Cosette be there for him and lets her help him. 

Marius is kind, loving and selfless and all this fandom does is act like he’s not important. It makes me so angry.