Los Miserables [2011]

Yeah. Me and my Dad are becoming weirdos who own a billion different Les Mis recordings. Actually, we already are weirdos, but we've all got our things we like. Some people like Star Wars, other people like Lord of the Rings, and we at Spilled Ink like Les Miserables.
Anyway, my Dad got this CD for Christmas from Mom, and it's in Spanish!
So! This is from 2011 (as you might have seen in the title, granted) and it ha the same orchestrations as the 25th anniversary concert. The conducting is a little fast, and there are songs that were previously somewhere around Moderato that are now done at a brisk Allegretto. I could go here or there on the tempos and orchestrations. I don't mind the faster tempos, and in most of the songs, the orchestrations are really beautiful! The only song who's instrumentals I didn't really like were Javert's Suicide. It doesn't sound as dramatic or intense to me. But you know, it's a matter of taste I guess. :)
 Standout songs for me would be Estrellas (Stars), Sale el Sol (One Day More) and Solo Para Mi (On My Own). The Prologue sounded really cool, the rhythm was uber emphasized, and the chorus members were really good.
I really dig the guy who played Jean Valjean in this recording. He was a terrific actor, and he hits the last note in Quien Soy Yo (Who Am I) very well. It sounds so excellent. I also like his version of Bring Him Home, or Salvalo. Either this song is growing on me, or he just did a really amazing job of it. All in all, this guy is really good! A little hammy in the Prologue, but that is to be expected I suppose. XD Maybe he was trying to come off as gruff and hardened or something.
Something I really like about this album is that the entire cast is really good, both singing and acting-wise. Usually there is at least one singer in a Cast Album that you don't like, but that's not the case here. Normally, I don't feel too partial to Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, but the version on this CD is majorly sad. Which means it was done right. XD Cosette has a very sweet voice, I liked her. Though um, she sounded a bit like (pardon my overactive imagination) a cartoon mouse! All through A Heart Full of Love, all I could see in my mind's eye was Marius holding a little girl mouse in a dress on his hand. XD
 Eponine was one of my favorites, I like her voice, and the attitude she lends to the character. She's very fiery, and in Solo Para Mi there are a few lines that sound a bit more sarcastic than in other languages. Fantine's actress did a good job with Sone Una Vida, the I Dreamed a Dream equivalent. Enjolras made me laugh at times because he was just so into it (adorably so in Sale El Sol), and his version of the Final Battle is very rousing. :)
Oh yeah, and how could I forget Javert? Well, he's really good. He was um, super hammy in Javert's Suicide though. Yikes. But even with that, his voice and acting (for the most part) was totally spot on!
So! I don't speak very good Spanish (despite the fact that I live in California and have Mexican Heritage :P), but I know that they were speaking Castilian Spanish, that is, European Spanish. The biggest difference between European Spanish and Latin American Spanish, to my ears at least, is that some of the words with 's' sounds are a little erm, lisped. Well, not lisped in the sense that everyone in Spain has a speech impediment, it's just the way the accents over there work. So 'Cielo' (heaven) becomes 'Thielo', and so forth. It just struck me as funny because I'm used to Latin American Spanish. XD
Anyway, one of the coolest things on this album is Sale El Sol. The cast is so good in that one, the orchestra is rocking, and the title is so righteous. Literally, Sale El Sol literally translates to 'The Sun Rises' or 'The Rising of the Sun'. But it's also an expression similar to 'You live to see another day'. SO awesome.

The Verdict: A+
For a terrific cast and neato instrumentals. :)
Favorite Song: Sale El Sol
Runners Up: Estrellas, Solo Para Mi, Quien Soy Yo

Les Miserables: Paris Revival Cast Recording [1991]

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas. :)
So, to celebrate the end of my semester of French, I figured why not review a Les Miserables recording that is in French! I mean, it was recorded in flippin' Paris, what could be better? XD
Ahem. I like to start by rambling about the instrumentals.
Being from the 90's, the instrumentals are spiced up with those syntho instrumentals, so they're relatively the same as the English 3-Disc recording that we have. They don't bug me (they might bug some people, but they remind me of the early 2000's when I was a little kid :D), though sometimes they make me laugh because it sounds like Video Poker music! XD
Now the cast! Jean Valjean is always cool (I've never met a Jean Valjean I didn't like, haha!), and this guy was neato! He has a nice voice, and so far as I can tell his acting was good. His version of Bring Him Home ('Commme Un Homme') is lovely, his acting is just right here. That song doesn't usually elicit a huge reaction from me, but this one... really good. He was also really good in the Epilogue. :)
I liked Javert, he has a very dramatic, almost operatic voice at times. Cosette is usually the most hit and miss character in the whole shebang, but she was a very good singer! She has a sweet, clear voice that is really nice to listen to. All the talk of Cosette makes me think of 'Une Poupee dans la Vitrine', the French equivalent of Castle on a cloud. The French version of this song is so sad, it almost made me cry! The last verse is about how she wishes she knew how to write, because then she could write to Father Christmas for the doll she wishes for. And the middle verse is actually very interesting. Cosette talks about how when she has her doll (her 'daughter') she will dress her in the prettiest dresses, and how she wants her doll to be very proud of her as a mother. Sounds kind of like what Fantine wanted for Cosette, huh? It's such a tearjerker. :(
Ahem. This cast has a good Gavroche, he's got sass, but not in a forced or annoying way. This kid pulls off the role quite effortlessly. I also liked Enjolras on this recording. He's a little petulant, but that's fine by me, so long as it's not excessive. When I was reading the book, I got the impression that due to his privileged childhood he was still a little used to getting his way. XD
Aside from the really good Jean Valjean, my other favorite performer on this CD was Eponine. Her actress has a very normal-girl sounding voice, by which I mean she doesn't have an overly pop-ish sound to her vocals. I like her take on the character, too. She's got a bit of an edge to the character, and pulls off the sad bits without coming off as maudlin and pouty. I really like her On My Own ('Mon Histoire') and Attack on Rue Plumet.
Oh yeah, Mon Histoire. I love On My Own, but Mon Histoire (My Story) is really something. It's harder to adapt into a generic teenage girl 'I'm in the friendzone!' song, because there is more about Eponine's feelings about her situation in life as well as her feelings for Marius. She begins by thinking about how her childhood seemed so pleasant and fairy-tale like, which is pretty different from the English one. I really like the lyrics, I almost translated all of them, so huzzah for French class!

The Verdict: A+
Weee, this font is pretty big and makes the review look super big. Ahem.
I really enjoyed listening to this and being able to understand almost half of it. It's a cool experience to have any kind of automatic understanding of a foreign language. I like the lyrics that I understood, they are so good ("Marius, get off your cloud!") the cast was really solid! I know I didn't talk about everybody, but there was nobody who was weak, or bad. The acting was good, the singing was good, an all-around great cast.
Favorite Song: Mon Histoire
Runners Up: Sous Les Etoiles, Le Grand Jour, Souviens-Toi Les Jours Passes?

A Tale of Two Cities: International Studio Cast Recording [2008]

I can't recall a night so clear. The Heavens seem an inch away and not unfriendly after all.
If life was ever quite this sweet, I can't recall.

-Sydney, Act I: I Can't Recall

You wouldn't believe the little internal happy-dance I did in my brain when I heard of this. I had rather high expectations for this, and for the most part it was quite satisfactory! The music was good, with several highlights that are great. The characters were portrayed more or less accurate to the book, and they didn't butcher the ending! The only thing that kind of disappointed me was that Madame Defarge and Miss Pross didn't get a Confrontation style song during their little clash at the end. Oh well. Would have been weird anyway. ;D
Speaking of the Confrontation, this musical sometimes seems to be trying to be Les Miserables. I mean, I really like this musical, but you've got to admit that they were sometimes copying. The most glaring is the Act I finale 'Until Tomorrow', and there's a little bit of influence here and there. The only instance that bugs me is the number No Honest Way, which takes place in a bar and seems to be aspiring towards that Master of the House feel. Then again, Gaston is a musical number that took place in a bar (a villain song too, no less) and that doesn't bug me.
I was a little annoyed at first, because Charles isn't actually in this that much. He's in about four songs and that's it. But I got to thinking; A Tale of Two Cities is about both Charles and Sydney, but Sydney is the character who changes and grows more through the story. Charles is good, but he doesn't really grow as a character, he doesn't need too. He's already a pretty good person, and he has a whole life with his wife and family ahead of him. It makes sense for the musical to focus on Sydney more. He's a dynamic character, and in musicals, character changes are expressed through song, which makes it easier for the musical to focus on him.
Anyways, I hope you're in the mood for a long post, because I'm in a ranting mood today!

1. Prologue: The Shadows of the Night

Wow, the orchestra is beating us up! So far as opening overtures go, this isn't the best I've heard. It's pretty much the orchestra hitting you over the head with some loud notes. Then the rest of the song is a quick little verse sung by Alexandre Manette about how he's going to write down his tale before he loses his mind in the Bastille. Does make for an intriguing start of the show, though!

2. The Way It Ought To Be (Paris)

Now this, this is a much better opening. The orchestra hits at the beginning of this song actually carry a good tune, and it sounds very cool. I think that it does a good job of establishing the time, and the lyrics really carry the mentality of the time. At least, I think so. I obviously wasn't there during the French Revolution, so maybe don't take my word for it. ;)

3. Who Are You? / You'll Never Be Alone

A duet between Lucie and her rather traumatized father, Alexandre Manette. It's a sweet song, but it feels a little over-long. I really like the tune, though.

4. The Way It Ought To Be (London)
Even the instrumentals sound London-y! I apologize for being a book-purist, but Sydney is way too chipper in this song. In the book, he wasn't so extremely proud of being a drunken loser. I mean yeah, he's drunk, but Sydney's more of a depressive drunk than a cheerful drunk. That having been said, this song is pretty funny. :D
5. No Honest Way
I don't know why they felt like a big chorus number right here. The Way It Ought To Be (London) establishes the setting, and the next song is a big, slightly humorous, chorus number. Well, this song is kind of funny, and the tune is fun! I have to give it some credit there. I'm still a little bugged by Sydney's strange chipperness. This musical is trying to imply that Lucie alerted him to his sluggish, drunken ways. Uh, no. Maybe I need to read the book again (Don't mind if I do!) but I don't think that's how it worked.
6. The Trial
Hee hee, I like this song. It's delightfully morbid (in a black humor kind of way), and the refrain is catchy!
7. Reflection
On My Own from Les Miserables and Lonely Room from Oklahoma! Together at last. Well, not quite as creepy and obsessive as Lonely Room. But along the same lines. Still a little creepy though.  In this song, Sydney talks to himself and wonders in song form why he rescued Charles back at the trial. Then he goes on to wonder what it would be like if Lucie loved him, it's very depressing, but the tune and orchestrations are belissima. (did I spell that right?)
8. Letter From Uncle
“Mwhahaha, I'm evil! I run over lil' kids with my carriage of doom and despair! Mwha. Ha. Ha.”
9. The Promise
This song is where Charles makes two rather important revelations to Monsieur Manette. First off, Charles is in love with Manette's daughter. Secondly (as if that weren't bad enough!), he starts to reveal something important to the plot, but Monsieur Manette gets distressed and cuts him off. I like how Charles asks Lucie's father's permission before he starts to court her, it's very gallant of him. :)
10. I Can't Recall
Of Sydney's many, many, many solos (he gets three!), this is my favorite. It's also the most depressing in hindsight, but c'est la vie. The instrumentals are gorgeous (that's how you get Monica hooked on a song. Have a pretty intro.), the tune is gorgeous, and the actor's voice- well, I wouldn't call it gorgeous, but it's a good sounding voice for Sydney. This is actually one of the more cheerful songs of the musical (lyrics wise), but it always makes me a little sad. Here Sydney sings about how tomorrow's at his feet, and how he's going to improve his life- all because Lucie showed him some kindness. Of course, things don't go like that. Saaaad...
11. Resurrection Man
Gah, a comedy number. That came out of nowhere. I don't know if this musical keeps in the whole Barsad/Cly-Death-Faking business, but if it doesn't, then this song is totally pointless. I mean, I have nothing against comedy numbers (High Adventure, anyone?), but they should at least serve the plot a little bit.
12. Now At Last
Charles and Lucie's mandatory love duet. But aside from being very sweet and heartwarming, this song is also kind of funny! And I really like it when love duets have the couple singing one line after the other, not sure how to explain it, but it's always fun to listen to. :)
13. The Wedding / If Dreams Came True
Aww, this is so sweet. And I mean that in the best possible way. I mean, I'm so caught up with all the cute marriage stuff that it kind of lets the air out of my tank when Sydney comes in to sing about how depressing he is. But the lyrics are so cool, they almost completely match up with this part from the book, so... yay! Still. I love you Sydney, but this is one of the few happy songs so... stay out. XD
14. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Let it be known that this song has one of the coolest opening instrumentals ever! Ahem. Basically what's going on is that a little boy was killed by some careless aristocrat's carriage, and Madame Defarge is trying to convince the little boy's father to go and kill the aristocrat. Who's Charles' uncle. It's a little- okay, REALLY- dark, especially when you take into consideration that the last song was all chipper and wedding-y. The vocals in this song are a-m-a-z-i-n-g, and the acting is really good.
15. Little One
I saw the title of this one, and thought it was going to be really saccharine. Heh heh... no. Actually really sad. The first part of this song is Little Lucie saying her bedtime prayers, and then Sydney starts singing (wikipedia says that Charles and Lucie convinced him to go and tuck their kid in. Lazy parents! :D). Then it transitions to France where they're having a funeral for that little boy who died. It's really, really sad. And the chorus sounds so cool.
16. Until Tomorrow
Ooof. The title of this song makes it sound like the Walmart brand version of One Day More. But in all seriousness, this song is pretty cool. I mean, the Revolution in Two Cities is way darker and more violent than the Revolution in Les Miserables, so it's very interesting to hear the ways that it's similar and different at the same time. Ernest Defarge's actor has such a nice sounding voice, and his accent is so American it makes me smile. :D
17. Everything Stays The Same
This song... wow, this song. Best Act II opener I've ever heard. Let's see, what do I like about this number... (1) The eerie waltz-tempo (2) The chorus chanting “Libery! Equality! Fraternity! Or Death!” (3) The way they incorporated the novel's opening lines into the song and it didn't feel too shoehorned in (4) The 'What happened to tomorrow?' verse (5) The guillotine sound at the end... this song does an amazing job of establishing the Reign of Terror.
18. The Tale
Okay, this song has a little bit of inappropriate content (not the musical's fault, it was in the book too), but it's handled well. This is the drama bomb of A Tale of Two Cities (every story has a drama bomb. Like the siege of Gondor in LOTR, and The Final Battle in Les Miserables.), and sometimes the music is a little overdramatic. It's not that bad- it certainly sounds cool-, but Madame Defarge sounds like she could totally be on American Idol. And the dying guy in the flashback sequence sounds like he is totally not dying.
19. If Dreams Came True (Reprise)
This one's pretty sad. The bit with Sydney at the beginning seems a little pointless, seeing as there's another moment almost exactly like it a few tracks from now. But the Charles verse is very nice. Well, nice as in, we like the lyrics. The actual subject matter is pretty sad.
20. Without A Word
So in this song, Lucie is (understandably) a little cheesed off with Charles for skipping off to France and getting himself sentenced to death by height-adjustment. My sister prefers the alternate song for this scene (Never Say Goodbye), but I actually think that this song (while it's maybe a little harsh) adds an interesting dimension to the whole Charles/Lucie romance, and acting in this song is pretty good too!
21. The Bluff
Heh heh, this one's actually kind of funny, all things considered. This is where Sydney goes to Barsad and blackmails him into letting him visit Charles in prison. So of course, Sydney can drug Charles and swap places with him. Oh. Um, spoilers? XD
22. Let Her Be A Child
Bring Him Home, anyone? :D In all seriousness, this song kind of maybe sort of made me teary eyed. I mean, there's Lucie jr. singing her bedtime prayers, and then Sydney starts singing along, and yeah... I'm kind of pathetic.
23. The Letter
So, Sydney swaps places with Charles, and he writes a quick note to Lucie. And um, he sings it. Cuz' it's a musical, and we even sing letters!
24. Defarge Goodbye
Monseiur Defarge mourning his wife. They could have used this time to make that Lady-Confrontation, but... yeah. This is good too, I guess.
25. Finale
All together now. One! Two! Three! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Ahem. So far as finales go, this is pretty good! The seamstress, the guillotine noises, the instruments, the I Can't Recall reprise, the mandatory saying of certain final words... [content sigh]. It's great.
26. Never Say Goodbye (Bonus Track)
Haha! Not letting you go yet! This is the solo Lucie sang in a concert version, and they stuck it on as a bonus track, which is nice. The lyrics are a little on the 'okay' side. I mean, I'm sure there's nothing wrong with them, but they don't carry the emotional punch that Without A Word does. The tune on the other hand is so lovely! I can't decided which solo I like better! :)

The Verdict: A
Granted, this musical isn't without it's flaws. There are a few songs that aren't that great (No Honest Way and Resurrection Man), and sometimes it feels like the makers were ripping off Les Miserables. Also, Charles doesn't get his own song, which is lame, seeing as he's one of the main characters! But aside from that, this musical is terrific. It's got great atmosphere, and manages to keep the spirit of the book. And this CD has a lot of really good performances on it.

Favorite Song: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Runners Up: I Can't Recall, Everything Stays The Same, and Little One.

Oklahoma! Broadway Revival Cast Recording [1979]

Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day! I've got a wonderful feeling, everything's going my way.
-Curly, Act I [Oh What a Beautiful Morning]

Yay! I can't wait for the Dust Bowl!!

When I picked this up at the library (My buddy Ice Cream likes Oklahoma, so I wanted to check it out) I thought I was picking up a chipper, light-hearted musical about some cowboy and the lady he's trying to woo. Heh heh. Close, but wrong.
Oklahoma is actually kind of dark and a little wrong sometimes. For starters, one of the characters mentions a strip show he went to while visiting Kansas City, Curly (the hero!) tries to talk Jud into killing himself so that people will feel sorry for him, Jud has a very unhealthy obsession with Laurey, there's an easy girl who 'can't say no', and some rather suggestive lyrics.
So yeah. Not exactly G rated.
Despite the aforementioned ickiness, I've actually grown quite fond of this musical. Though I hear that there's a fifteen minute ballet sequence at the end of act one. That... that sounds not great. But this review is mostly for the music, since I haven't actually seen Oklahoma in its entirety. Just read the little plot synopsis that came with the CD. :P
The music is very nice, and there's a lot of good, hummable songs. Oh What A Beautiful Morning is so pretty, and even though I've never seen it, the mental picture it paints is vivid and pleasant. The guy who plays Curly has a good voice, and his acting is pretty good, so far as I can tell. I do think that Curly is kind of an impetuous clown though. From what I understand, he goes to talk Jud into killing himself just because he heard that Jud was interested in Laurey. Hello, what kind of man are you, Curly? I understand that Jud is a real creep, but talking a guy into killing himself is kind of odd behavior for a guy we're supposed to find fun and likeable. My favorite character is Aunt Eller, don't ask me why, I just thought she was a fun character.
Ahem, back to the music. As disturbing as it is, Lonely Room is pretty neat sounding. It's a good obsession song, in that it's got a slightly eerie melody, creepy lyrics, and leaves you feeling a little unsettled. (Obsessions songs shouldn't feel romantic, they should be unsettling, so that the audience gets how wrong the situation is.) Anyhoo, I don't usually go nuts over the slow, orchestra swell-y love duet, but People Will Say We're In Love isn't a typical love song, and the tune is lovely.

The Verdict: B
Some of the songs are a little on the over-long side (Many a New Day), but the score is splendid to listen to. Listening to the CD has me interested in the story, and I feel quite tempted to put the movie on our Netflix queue so that me and Libby can watch it!
Favorite Song: Oh What a Beautiful Morning!
Runners Up: Lonely Room, People Will Say We're In Love,and All 'Er Nothin'

Aladdin Original Broadway Cast [2014]

Salaam, and good evening to you worthy friends. Welcome to the fabled city of Agrabah! Home of flying carpets, soaring heroes, famous love ballads, and more glitz and glamour than any other fictional city in the world!
-Genie [Act I, Arabian Nights]

Okay, this musical is way better than I thought it would be. I mean, the music is great, the characters are fairly decent (Jasmine is a bit cliché, but everyone else is fine), and it's got hilarious comedy.
I know I said earlier that I like my musicals serious and devoid of dancing, but I uh, revoke that statement. I still don't like endless dance numbers (*cough*cats*cough*), but if the rest of the musical is good, then it'll be worth putting up with dancing.
So anyhoo, there's a bit changed from the movie, you know, to make it easier to tell the story on stage. Aladdin has three useless (but funny) friends called Babkak, Omar, and Kassim, instead of his monkey Abu. I saw the Prince Ali clip on the internet, and I love the way they did Genie. I was a little afraid they'd try to paint the actor blue, but I was pleasantly surprised there.

Aladdin- Adam Jacobs

Genie- James Monroe Iglehart

Jasmine- Courtney Reed

Jafar- Jonathan Freeman

The Sultan- Clifton Davis

Iago- Don Darryl Rivera

Babkak- Brian Gonzales

Omar- Jonathan Schwartz

Kassim- Brandon O'Neil



The added songs are actually really good. I mean, they could have sounded like filler, but they didn't. I especially like Proud of Your Boy, These Palace Walls, and Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim. Most of the original songs were extended, too. Especially Friend Like Me. That's the only song that I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, it's very funny, and filled with energy. Maybe too much energy though, because the whole thing feels a little disjointed and frenzied. So when it comes to that song, I like the movie version a little better.
A Whole New World on the other hand; I was never seriously attached to that song, but this version made me like so much more! The instrumentals are gorgeous (my sister says that the into sounds like On My Own from Les Miserables), and the actors for Aladdin and Jasmine are terrific!
Oh, and Genie. He is awesome. His actor had a great voice, great acting, and energy to spare. I heard that James Monroe Iglehart actually won an award for his performance, too!
I don't want to oversell this, but Aladdin is a very funny musical. There are a few songs that are more on the serious side (Proud of Your Boy, in a slightly jarring way. What happened to Aladdin's parents that made him idolize them and act all guilty? Poor guy!), but overall it's hilarious! Of course, everyone has a different sense of humor, so maybe it's just me. ;D

The Verdict: B+
I'm hovering around B+ and A-. I really like it, despite the fact that it's probably not all that deep, and the characters aren't the most developed or whatever. But hey, it makes me laugh, which keeps me from pitying myself when things go wrong, so maybe that's why I don't mind the bits that are kind of cheesy. :)
Favorite Song: Prince Ali! :D
Runners Up: A Whole New World, One Jump Ahead, & Arabian Nights. But I liked all the songs!

Les Miserables Original London Cast [1985]

I have too much time on my hands! :D
So anyway, we went library-hopping* a few weeks ago, and I came out of it with a stack of musical CDs. And The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide. But anyway, one of the many, many (okay, four) CDs I found was the Original Cast Recording of Les Miserables, which is pretty cool, I've never heard it before.
This recording is so different from recent versions of the musical, and that's what made it fun to listen to. The most obvious differences are that Cosette has a different solo (!!!), Stars is before Look Down/Paris, and Little People is... I wish I could forget. So! Let's get down to business, give me a sec to track down all the cast members names, then we can get started! (Wait, who's 'we'?)

Jean Valjean- Colm Wilkinson

Javert- Roger Allam

Fantine- Patti LuPone

Cosette- Rebecca Caine

Marius- Michael Ball

Eponine- Frances Ruffelle

Monsier Thenarider- Alun Armstrong

Madame Thenarider- Susan Jane Tanner

Enjolras- David Burt

Gavroche- Ian Tucker

Originally, I was going to go through this track by track, but that would have taken a super long time. So I'm just going to ramble. :P

 

The instrumentals are really synth-based, kind of like the Complete Symphonic Recording, but even more so. This didn't really bug me, except in Stars. The synth instruments sounded really obvious and kind of bad there. Which is too bad, because Stars is awesome... staaaaaaarrrzzzz!!!

 

As mentioned above, there are two songs that were changed/replaced later. In this one, Cosette has a really nice solo called I Saw Him Once. The tune is beautiful, and so are the lyrics. It's really too bad that they cut this from the musical! The extended Little People on the other hand... I'm so glad it's gone. Because that song is irritating as a bamboo shoot being shoved under your fingernails.

 

Grr, anyway, the performances. I wasn't too blown away with most of the singing and acting, if I had to pick a favorite performance I might actually pick Cosette, because her voice is amazing. Her high notes are very clear and sweet sounding, and I wish there had been more of her on this album!

Jean Valjean's actor was allright. There were things I liked and things I didn't, but overall I preferred him in the 10th Anniversary Concert. Javert was pretty good, I mostly liked him. Mostly, I just wasn't too fond of his super growly voice. That's just me being picky, though. :)

 

I wasn't too thrilled with Eponine, either. I know, I know, wistful quietness and stuff. Nothing wrong with playing Eponine that way, but for the love of heaven! Don't make her character so whiny sounding! She's the only Eponine that strikes me as being self-pitying, and that's... not good. And then there's Fantine. No acting, whatsoever. Listen, I'm not a fan of actors sobbing their way through their lines. But there is this little thing called acting, and it's where you put inflection and emotion into your role, and it's a good way of making people care about the character you're playing! Or, you know, being completely bland is good too. Enjolras was also excessively bland too, but I won't get into that, because this review is sounding so negative! Well, Marius was really good sounding! Michael Ball plays him here (Yet again), and he does a very fine job with the character.

 

The Verdict: B-

I'm not reviewing the musical as a whole, I'm just focusing on this particular recording. Because I'm a nerd. The thing is that this recording sounds very low-key and well, calm! Even the bits that should be passionate and loud (such as Look Down/Paris) aren't that passionate and loud. That, and the iffy performances, left me with kind of a 'meh' impression of this album. I did really like Rebecca Caine as Cosette and Michael Ball as Marius. I thought Grantaire sounded really good too.

Oh, and all the cockney in this album made me think of Henry Higgins. Why can't the English... ;)
Favorite Song: I Saw Him Once
Runners Up: ... Pass!

*Library Hopping! Like Bar Hopping, but with less benders and more piles of books that you'll never have read in time for their return dates.