The Eighth Time
Mama: Than wasn’t my favorite production that we’ve seen. Why was there so much dry ice going?
Me: I guess just to show the lighting better. I agree that it wasn’t the best. But I loved the bishop. I looked at you with a huge smile, remember?
Mama: I sure do! He was a great bishop. And “At the End of the Day” was really well done. The actors all had really strong voices.
Me: I totally agree. I was sad they didn’t have Val Jean lifting the cart. He broke the chain on the handcuffs instead.
Mama: Yeah, it kind of confused me at first. They didn’t even show us how strong he really was with breaking the handcuffs. They could’ve at least done something on a screen and shown it on that. If you didn’t know the story you wouldn’t have gotten it, really. It was disappointing.
Me: They did the screen thing at the 25th anniversary show, that’s how pivotal a moment it is. It’s the moment Javert knows that Val Jean is the Mayor.
Mama: They uses screens all the time at North Shore Music Theater, I don’t see why they couldn’t have done it.
Me: But I was so happy with the actress who played Fantine. Remember Daphne Ruben Vega?
Mama: Yup. Paid a lot of money to see her, and that was awful.
Me: I was never so happy for Fantine to die, and never so sad for her to come back at the end.
Mama: I couldn’t believe that Broadway put her in that roll. What were they thinking?
Me: I have no idea. I was really upset with how they didn’t have anything for Val Jean to fight with at “Fantine’s Death”.
Mama: That was bizarre.
Me: It didn’t make any sense to me.
Mama: I loved the Thénardiers. I think the way he improvised was fantastic.
Me: Well anyone who puts that they were, “Born, bread, and buttered in Dublin” is perfect for that part. They just had a lot of fun with the parts.
Mama: You’re eyes got all melty and wide at “Stars”.
Me: It’s my favorite song! And he was so good, but not better than Norm Lewis. He is by far the best Javert we’ve ever seen.
Mama: Yeah but that guy was really good. I was really happy that he was so good for you, because he was your favorite.
Me: Yeah. He was really good. And Gavroche was so cute and little!
Mama: He could sing too.
Me: He was really little though. He was only nine, they usually have someone eleven or twelve play him.
Mama: I thought he did very well for an itty-bitty. And little Cossette was cute and good too.
Me: Yeah, she did a really good job. I like how they did the ageing of Cossette too, just sort of exchanged little Cossette for regular Cossette.
Mama: Yeah, it was okay. I like it better when they do it the other way, with Val Jean playing with her for a while before the time period changes.
Me: I really like how the actors who played the schoolboys were regular people, not just revolutionaries. They were human too, you know?
Mama: I agree. It showed how Grantaire was a father figure to Gavroche. It showed his grief more too when Gavroche died.
Me: I know! In the book, Grantaire helps Gavroche get food and he takes care of Gavroche. He’s like an older brother, so it only makes sense that he would be distraught when Gavroche dies.
Mama: I liked the Marius too. He played the roll very, very well, personality wise.
Me: I liked his character. Normally, I hate Marius because he’s a winy little crybaby who wants everything with no consequences, but this actor made me like him and I felt bad for him too.
Mama: I never like how silly innocent the Cossette/Marius relationship was. The actors played it really well but, well you know. And I felt so bad for Éponine. I always feel bad for Éponine, but I felt extra bad for her in this one. She was really good.
Me: Éponine is my favorite, my poor baby. My only problem is that I would have loved to see her face during “A Little Fall of Rain.” I think that the staging of that song and “Bring Him Home” gave away the director’s lack of experience of working on a circular stage.
Mama: Yeah, I think that in “Bring Him Home”, that is such a long song to have Val Jean sitting in one position facing only one section of the audience. It was almost uncomfortable because you kept waiting for him to face another part of the audience or get up and move. I wanted to see him, you know?
Me: Mhmm.
Mama: But he nailed that last note.
Me: I know. I was so nervous.
Mama: Were you holding your breath?
Me: Oh I was clutching your hand and holding my breath for him.
Mama: I think that that song puts so much pressure on the actor because everyone is waiting to see if he can hit and hold that high note at the end. Did you see how long the audience applauded?
Me: He so deserved that.
Mama: Lets skip “Dog Eat Dog.”
Me: But it’s necessary! Why do you hate it, Mama?
Mama: Because it’s terrifying and very creepy.
Me: What? Wait. How is it terrifying? It’s important because Thénardier sees Marius being carried by Val Jean, which he tells Marius at the wedding.
Mama: Thénardier’s pulling things off of dead people. They’re in a sewer. It’s gross. There are rats. It’s awful.
Me: Okay, we’ll skip it then. Next is “Javert’s Suicide.” I think it was good, but expected that they would use the trap door like that. The singing was really good too.
Mama: Yeah, it was good. That worked well. “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables” was really good, really sad too. I didn’t like how the friends all came in and stood in a little clump and then stand together.
Me: I think it worked. What I don’t think worked were those electric candles.
Mama: Yeah, that was a little bizarre to just have them blow out candles.
Me: Also, Enjolras up on the pedestal was weird. It didn’t really fit with his character at all. He may have been the leader but he considered himself to be the same as his friends.
Mama: I agree. I think that they all should have been together, maybe walked in from the aisles and then walked out the same way. The wedding scene was okay.
Me: It was forgettable.
Mama: I always feel bad that Val Jean misses the wedding.
Me: I feel like it’s his choice, though. He chose to leave them before the wedding.
Mama: I know. He’s doing it for Cossette so that she won’t be hurt.
Me: I can’t get over that they cut Éponine from Val Jean’s death.
Mama: That made me so sad. I loved that part so much.
Me: I know it doesn’t make any sense to have her come back, but the harmonies are so stunning between Éponine and Fantine that I don’t really care.
Mama: But she’s supposed to come back and tell Val Jean that it’s okay and time for him to die.
Me: Anything else we want to cover about the show?
Mama: I think they did a good job. I think it was great that they got a standing ovation from the beginning of the bows, that it wasn’t just for the main characters.
Me: I agree. The ensemble worked their butts off.
Mama: Yeah, they were a good cast.
Me: Thanks again for getting us tickets! It was a ton of fun. I love Les Miserable.
Mama: Uh, yeah, I kind of know that honey.
Me: I guess just to show the lighting better. I agree that it wasn’t the best. But I loved the bishop. I looked at you with a huge smile, remember?
Mama: I sure do! He was a great bishop. And “At the End of the Day” was really well done. The actors all had really strong voices.
Me: I totally agree. I was sad they didn’t have Val Jean lifting the cart. He broke the chain on the handcuffs instead.
Mama: Yeah, it kind of confused me at first. They didn’t even show us how strong he really was with breaking the handcuffs. They could’ve at least done something on a screen and shown it on that. If you didn’t know the story you wouldn’t have gotten it, really. It was disappointing.
Me: They did the screen thing at the 25th anniversary show, that’s how pivotal a moment it is. It’s the moment Javert knows that Val Jean is the Mayor.
Mama: They uses screens all the time at North Shore Music Theater, I don’t see why they couldn’t have done it.
Me: But I was so happy with the actress who played Fantine. Remember Daphne Ruben Vega?
Mama: Yup. Paid a lot of money to see her, and that was awful.
Me: I was never so happy for Fantine to die, and never so sad for her to come back at the end.
Mama: I couldn’t believe that Broadway put her in that roll. What were they thinking?
Me: I have no idea. I was really upset with how they didn’t have anything for Val Jean to fight with at “Fantine’s Death”.
Mama: That was bizarre.
Me: It didn’t make any sense to me.
Mama: I loved the Thénardiers. I think the way he improvised was fantastic.
Me: Well anyone who puts that they were, “Born, bread, and buttered in Dublin” is perfect for that part. They just had a lot of fun with the parts.
Mama: You’re eyes got all melty and wide at “Stars”.
Me: It’s my favorite song! And he was so good, but not better than Norm Lewis. He is by far the best Javert we’ve ever seen.
Mama: Yeah but that guy was really good. I was really happy that he was so good for you, because he was your favorite.
Me: Yeah. He was really good. And Gavroche was so cute and little!
Mama: He could sing too.
Me: He was really little though. He was only nine, they usually have someone eleven or twelve play him.
Mama: I thought he did very well for an itty-bitty. And little Cossette was cute and good too.
Me: Yeah, she did a really good job. I like how they did the ageing of Cossette too, just sort of exchanged little Cossette for regular Cossette.
Mama: Yeah, it was okay. I like it better when they do it the other way, with Val Jean playing with her for a while before the time period changes.
Me: I really like how the actors who played the schoolboys were regular people, not just revolutionaries. They were human too, you know?
Mama: I agree. It showed how Grantaire was a father figure to Gavroche. It showed his grief more too when Gavroche died.
Me: I know! In the book, Grantaire helps Gavroche get food and he takes care of Gavroche. He’s like an older brother, so it only makes sense that he would be distraught when Gavroche dies.
Mama: I liked the Marius too. He played the roll very, very well, personality wise.
Me: I liked his character. Normally, I hate Marius because he’s a winy little crybaby who wants everything with no consequences, but this actor made me like him and I felt bad for him too.
Mama: I never like how silly innocent the Cossette/Marius relationship was. The actors played it really well but, well you know. And I felt so bad for Éponine. I always feel bad for Éponine, but I felt extra bad for her in this one. She was really good.
Me: Éponine is my favorite, my poor baby. My only problem is that I would have loved to see her face during “A Little Fall of Rain.” I think that the staging of that song and “Bring Him Home” gave away the director’s lack of experience of working on a circular stage.
Mama: Yeah, I think that in “Bring Him Home”, that is such a long song to have Val Jean sitting in one position facing only one section of the audience. It was almost uncomfortable because you kept waiting for him to face another part of the audience or get up and move. I wanted to see him, you know?
Me: Mhmm.
Mama: But he nailed that last note.
Me: I know. I was so nervous.
Mama: Were you holding your breath?
Me: Oh I was clutching your hand and holding my breath for him.
Mama: I think that that song puts so much pressure on the actor because everyone is waiting to see if he can hit and hold that high note at the end. Did you see how long the audience applauded?
Me: He so deserved that.
Mama: Lets skip “Dog Eat Dog.”
Me: But it’s necessary! Why do you hate it, Mama?
Mama: Because it’s terrifying and very creepy.
Me: What? Wait. How is it terrifying? It’s important because Thénardier sees Marius being carried by Val Jean, which he tells Marius at the wedding.
Mama: Thénardier’s pulling things off of dead people. They’re in a sewer. It’s gross. There are rats. It’s awful.
Me: Okay, we’ll skip it then. Next is “Javert’s Suicide.” I think it was good, but expected that they would use the trap door like that. The singing was really good too.
Mama: Yeah, it was good. That worked well. “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables” was really good, really sad too. I didn’t like how the friends all came in and stood in a little clump and then stand together.
Me: I think it worked. What I don’t think worked were those electric candles.
Mama: Yeah, that was a little bizarre to just have them blow out candles.
Me: Also, Enjolras up on the pedestal was weird. It didn’t really fit with his character at all. He may have been the leader but he considered himself to be the same as his friends.
Mama: I agree. I think that they all should have been together, maybe walked in from the aisles and then walked out the same way. The wedding scene was okay.
Me: It was forgettable.
Mama: I always feel bad that Val Jean misses the wedding.
Me: I feel like it’s his choice, though. He chose to leave them before the wedding.
Mama: I know. He’s doing it for Cossette so that she won’t be hurt.
Me: I can’t get over that they cut Éponine from Val Jean’s death.
Mama: That made me so sad. I loved that part so much.
Me: I know it doesn’t make any sense to have her come back, but the harmonies are so stunning between Éponine and Fantine that I don’t really care.
Mama: But she’s supposed to come back and tell Val Jean that it’s okay and time for him to die.
Me: Anything else we want to cover about the show?
Mama: I think they did a good job. I think it was great that they got a standing ovation from the beginning of the bows, that it wasn’t just for the main characters.
Me: I agree. The ensemble worked their butts off.
Mama: Yeah, they were a good cast.
Me: Thanks again for getting us tickets! It was a ton of fun. I love Les Miserable.
Mama: Uh, yeah, I kind of know that honey.