Les Miserables Reviews

Cheryl Pietsch from Pittsburgh, PA (USA)

BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL "LES MISERABLES"

I have seen "Les Miz" over 40 times, yes 40. I have seen it throughout the US & Canada. I have tried to see it when I visited France, but it wasn't playing then. My bucket list #1 is to see the original play done in French. I saw the new version twice in Pittsburgh in the last 2 days, & I was terribly disappointed in the new version's techniques. The actors/singers were fine, but the new staging completly ruined the intensity of the drama in the original play. The once forceful barricade scenes no longer have meaning. Many of the actors cause you to dislike them rather than have sympathy for them. I don't know where Mr. Macintosh's mind was when he did not show Garouche being killed. The gunshots were almost on mute,& there was no smell of gunpowder to raise the senses. There are too many things in the world today that need changed, don't revise a perfect play. I visited "La Maison de Victor Hugo" in Paris this summer. He could have never imagined this version of his work.

Sally from Denver, Colorado

OFFENSIVE SCENES TOTALLY UNNECESSARY

This is an amazing story full of awesome powerful lessons in life about justice and mercy, love and forgiveness. The lewd scenes were totally unnecessary and in very bad taste!

Jeff L from Boston

ABOUT A C-

I had seen this play years ago and thought it was spectacular so when I had the opportunity to bring a friend to see her first show, Les Mis was the one I picked. Unfortunately, the new staging was muddled and the performances were not very impressive. Don't get me wrong, the cast could certainly sing... but they spoke-sang a lot of the songs and that was a disappointment. Also, they didn't manage to convey much emotion and it was often hard to even tell what was going on. Without spoiling the plot for those who haven't seen it, there's a scene in which one character dies. In past performances that I've seen there was never a dry eye in the theater at that point. In this year's performance, no one (including me) was particularly moved. As my friend's first exposure to the Broadway style experience, it was a big letdown. It was a waste of time and money.

Biondi from Washington

NEGLECT

The conductor is the cement that holds the production together and yet, in Les Mis, he never gets mentioned . I don't understand. Who is the Musical Director/Conductor of the production at the National?

Ty from Atlanta

A MIDDLING PERFORMANCE OF BROADWAY'S BEST SHOW

The Eponine character, who usually is the most dynamic in the show, is absolutely horrible. Worst I have ever seen (5 broadway, 4 touring) in 16 years of seeing this show. She seems like somebody in the audition rounds of American Idol that just thinks she is the bomb and needs to put vocal run-ups where they don’t belong. Add to that she seems to have a soft-spoken mumble about her, and I was just crushed to see such a prime role murdered. The single worst mauling of On My Own that I’ve heard. Fantine’s actress also left a lot to be desired, though she sure filled out her corset well. When she broke into her too-quickly-tempoed version of I Dreamed a Dream, I couldn’t help but think I was watching a high school audition. Constant moving about the stage, over-acting, and just pitchy dawg. Valjean started out a little “meh” but pulled himself together for Bring Him Home, which was nice. The guy has a tendency to go up in pitch when most Valjeans would be going down though. Drove me nuts all night. And Javert, the character which can dominate a show at any time, was not bad either, though not without fault. First off, he was kind of short. Javert should be a large, imposing figure. This guy was about one inch taller than Valjean. He was struggling through Stars until the last verse where he kinda pulled it out of his rear and saved the song. His suicide was paced wayyyy too quickly and he flatly did not have the ability to bring the appropriate emotion and struggle into the song. Overall, 5/10. But those who have never seen the show before, and have no idea how good it can be when properly acted, you’ll like it. The story is fantastic, no matter who is destroying the beautiful music.

Dee from Cincinnati

DISSAPOINTMENT WITH NEW PRODUCTION

Did not like the new production style of les miserables. Despite every cast member having outstanding vocal abilities, at times they screamed instead of sang. Eponine's solo in the second act showed anger, not the sad soulful longing of past performances. Javert's final solo was very disappointing since he did not sing all the lyrics, rather yelled them. What a shame, these actors had excellent voices, why not use them. The microphone accoustics had a high tech sound as well, which was not a good fit for the genre of the play. Found the set to be unusually dark, at times it was actually hard to see. Missed the turntable, and during the finale of Act one, the cast marching looked jerky, not as natural as the old staging. Appreciate the attempt to update the play, but bring back the soulful solo's, take out the anger and screaming!

George Bairey from Modesto, California

DISAPPOINTED

I admit I am a Les Mis snob. By far my favorite show, I've seen 10 productions, London, SF, Sacramento among them. The SF Les Mis at the Orpheum was a disappointment. We knew they had tweaked the show, and I was prepared to accept the changes. After all, it is Les Mis, right? Wrong. Something was out of whack from the outset. Very little emotion bubbling up, no stirring of the soul. And where did the rotating barricade go? And the very large flags? They should have left well enough alone. What were they thinking?

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