Les Miserable is my favorite musical of all time. I know it's not the most uplifting show, but god, is it amazing! I have seen it now seven times: 2x in NYC, 2x in London, 1x in Boston, 1x in Wichita, Kansas and 1x in Lancaster, PA.My mom had asked me to do a little research before our trip to Lancaster and come up with a couple of things I wanted to do. Because my buddy Okie Amy, works in a Regional Theater, it has made me more aware of Regional Theaters in general. So when I saw there was a theater in Lancaster I decided to check and see what was playing. Imagine my delight when I clicked on the link and it said Les Miserable would be playing while we would be in Lancaster.
I immediately sent an email to my mom, who promptly called me, and then called and got us tickets!!! (Thanks Mom!) I could tell that she wasn't nearly as excited as I was.
After dinner at Checker's we drove down towards the Fulton Theater and parked in a lot across the street. We got there about 45 minutes before the show started to pick up our will call tickets and enjoyed some wine & snacks while we waited (this experience reminded me how expensive it is to live in NYC!)
The show was great! While probably not the best performance I've ever seen it certainly didn't disappoint. The man who played Jean Valjean was great, he voice was amazing, and he nailed my song ("Bring Him Home"). My one complaint was that he just didn't look old enough to be a believable Jean Valjean...but I got over that. The woman who played Cosette was also remarkable. Since I've seen the show so many times now it's interesting to me that each time I see it a different character stands out. The guy who played Enjolras was outstanding, he really stole the show from the Marius character in my opinion. I found myself saying, "I don't remember this part being so prominent in the past." And the best part is that the guy who played Enjolras is touring with "The Little House on the Prarie" tour that is coming to the Paper Mill Playhouse in the Fall! I might have to go see it...
The other thing I've noticed after seeing this show so many times is that when I was younger I used to think that the 1st Act of the play was the better part of the show and that the 2nd Act wasn't that great. The older I get and the more I go to see it I realize that the 2nd Act is really the krutch of the play. It's interesting how your perspective can change the more you see a show. I mentioned this to my mom and she agreed that she always had thought that the 1st Act was better but that after seeing the show in Lancaster, she realized the 2nd Act was better.
I think my mom was pleseantly surprised by the show. She stayed awake for the whole thing, which is a fete at an evening show! Overall we both enjoyed our night out at the theater in Lancaster. Where, oh where, will I see Les Miserable next?
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What is your favorite Act in Les Miserable?
What is your favorite song in Les Miserable?
2 comments:
While I've never seen "Les Mis" (gasp, I know!), my favorite song is Stars. I also used to like "I Dreamed a Dream" but that British lady ruined it for me ;)
I love Les Mis! I've only (!) seen it three times, but so much of what you point out about the different things you notice each time are spot-on. The 2nd act has really grown on me, and each song just gets better and better. I'm not sure I can choose a favorite song - I Dreamed a Dream, the second half of Red & Black and Drink with Me are definitely up there. Have you ever read the book, Beth? I'm tempted to try, but kind of afraid!
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