Les Mis. Can't believe it's been on for 27 years and I've never seen it. I had a good 30 minute walk from my hotel through Westminster, along Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly to the theatre in lovely evening sun. I had all the wrong things to eat - butter on my bread and chips with my steak - before the show. Then settled down to watch. The imagery is very evocative, even on the safety curtain
And I can sort of see why when it first came out it was called The Glums. It's not exactly a bundle of laughs, but there are some very funny bits in it from the Inn keeper and his wife, the Thenardiers.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. The set was amazing, based on a revolve. I've worked with revolves, and they're bloody difficult, but this was seamless. There was no normal flying in of flats, it was all built on the stage, and when the barricades were formed, all of the audience gasped. I was sitting right at the front, and as usual watched the stagecraft carefully. The stage was very dark most of the time, and I particularly liked the green and red lights that lit up in the wings to guide the actors off.
The cast were great, and the leading character, Jean Valjean, was played by an understudy. I can't imagine anyone playing it better than he did. The songs were fantastic, especially Do You Hear the People Sing, and I spent most of the Second Act with tears steaming down my face. I did think it was a bit off to loudly applaud a suicide though :-).
It was a fantastic night, and at the end, Alexandra Burke came on and sang Eponine's song, On My Own. Apparently it was being filmed for Children in Need. Will watch out for it. If you haven't seen it yet. Go.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
No comments:
Post a Comment