Saturday 6th June 1998 - Mayflower Theatre, Southampton.
Well, this was a whole new experience for me - I'd never seen a touring cast before, and I had booked up largely because one of my favourite Valjeans, John Owen Jones, had recently taken over the role from Jeff Leyton. In between booking and going, Enjolras had also changed, becoming our old Martin Guerre, Michael Cahill.
We arrived at the theatre in plenty of time to have a look round, and view the merchandise on display. The staff at the Mayflower are nice and friendly, and we went down to the bar which seemed to be open earlier than at the Palace. The TAC CD was playing softly over the PA system. The bar wall is lined with signed photos of the rich and famous who had graced the Mayflower stage. It was like being at home !!!
My excitement mounting, I found my seat and had a good look round inside. The theatre itself is miles bigger than I expected, and the seats are nicely spaced and comfortable. The familiar backdrop of Little Cosette looked out from the stage and again, it was like coming home! Gradually the theatre filled, but not to capacity, and the time moved on. The lights dimmed, we were welcomed to the theatre, the music started and for the 27th time, I was back in Toulon……
John seemed to tower above the rest of the chain-gang and I could immediately spot him as they took their places. Javert (Peter Corry) strode in purposefully. Now bring me prisoner 24601…..Ooooh, this was going to be a great performance from the two leads.
I felt like I hadn't seen John for ages, but it was only March. His overall performance his superb - his voice perfectly suited to the character and his acting is a dream. He IS Valjean. Javert was a newcomer for me, and displayed all the qualities of our favourite law enforcer; forceful and competent, but somehow…… slightly loveable?!
Paul Monaghan playing the Bishop is another bonus.
Fantine (Carmen Cusick) I had seen before, a couple of years ago when she was playing Factory Girl at the Palace, and I saw her understudy Fantine on one occasion. This time, she was absolutely magnificent. Her voice was wonderful - just right. Starting out nice and soft and reflective, and building up to the final verse with anger and determination.
The Thenardiers (Cameron Blakely and Joanna Mays) were a real dream ticket. All the comic elements were there, plus even more. Nice perfomance by the Stew Lady too - she certainly looked rather sloshed by the end of Master of the House, and a lovely hand movement from Joanna for the Not Much There line!!! And what a nice change to not see Thenardier fill up the sausages with you-know-what. While I always wait for him to do it, it was a relief for once not to see it.
Now for the students. Marius was that afternoon being played by the understudy, Adrian Smith. He and Michael Cahill appeared for the Paris scenes. My fist impression was could that really be Michael, the sulky and dark-haired Martin Guerre? He sang his first lines, and yes it was. My second thought was that he could see off the National Guard with just his cheekbones. He looks so different, but sounded just the same. Wonderful! The other thing I noticed about him was that he smiled. All the time. And it was lovely! Smiling is not something I'd associated with previous Enjolras', but Michael seemed to be finding yet another direction to be coming from. It really worked, believe me.
Eponine was played by Alex Sharpe, who, if you closed your eyes, could have been Frances Ruffelle. I thought she sounded very much like her, and as Frances is my favourite Eponine, I had no complaints at all. However, she acted the part very differently. She played Eponine as a real tomboy, and also as a more familiar friend to Marius. The one thing that really stood out was, after Cosette, now I remember, when Marius returned, she leapt off the set and leapfrogged him, landing on his back!!
When she came to sing Little he knows, little he sees it was a rather obvious to everyone that she loves him, and so I felt that it made Marius look rather daft! I'd always been led to believe that Marius does not discover her true feelings until A Little Fall of Rain, but Alex interpretation made it blindingly obvious to everyone including and especially Marius, so it detracted from his character, but certainly enhanced hers - she was the spirited, lovesick, and at some points, maniacal person! and he was a thick as a brick for not noticing. However, as much as I liked her performance, I must just say that if I was in any doubt, she redeemed herself fully and forever at the start of A Heart Full of Love. She did something wonderful. After he'd climbed over the gate, she poked her arms through the bars and called him back. Then she straightened his tie and smoothed down his collar. Ahhhh!!!
If that didn't endear you to her, then nothing would have done. It was like she always knew he would never look at her, no matter what she did, so maybe that's why she was so over-the-top at the start. She could have turned cartwheels in front of him and he wouldn't have noticed. I thought that was one of the nicest touches I've ever seen in my history of Les Miserables, Eponine sending her beloved off to his darling looking smart, and without any jealousy - well done, Alex, a touch of genius.
So, what of Cosette. After having seen the perfect Cosette in the shape of Annalene Beechey for the past I-don't-know-how-many times, it's hard to be objective about anyone else, but Poppy Tierney was lovely. She has the right vocal range, nice high notes and NO screeching, and seemed to play the part in a more sulky fashion, a little petulant in places, but it still worked well. I'm a big fan of Cosette, and Poppy did nothing to change that - she played it just about right.
Marius' characterisation didn't fare so well, but again I've been spoilt. He seemed to still be a little wet behind the ears, but it's just another different interpretation on Adrian's behalf, perhaps. He certainly sang well enough, no complaints there. He didn't really get to grips, I felt, until Empty Chairs, which was put over very impressively.
I've missed out huge chunks, haven't I?!
One Day More was handled beautifully by the entire company. When it got the to doll part, again Valjean and Cosette excelled themselves!! This is rapidly becoming my favourite moment. This time, Cosette packed it away and I felt cheated, but then Valjean took it out again and gave it back to her. That's better - wring out a few more tears!
The ensemble, it must be said, are exceptional, working together really well, and the lines in At the End of the Day were all clearly sung. The students were excellent too, again some nice touches, especially for the end of the second and despairing version of Drink with Me, where they all stood with their back to the audience with their arms around each other. After sending the women and children home, maybe it was a male-bonding thing, but it looked good! And, you could very clearly hear the ah-ah-ah during Marius' lines of Do I Care if I Should Die part, something which, I'm afraid to admit, I hadn't noticed until I'd seen the show about 20 times. There's always something different!
Michael's Enjolras seemed to have a superb relationship with Grantaire, which clearly manifested itself during the earlier Drink with Me. Grantaire is lying down, and holds out his hand to shake Enjolras'. Enjolras, who after thinking about it, finally extends his hand and they have a brotherly sort of handshake. Then Grantaire brings up his other hand in what looked like an attempt to touch the side of Enjolras' face, but Michael grabs his wrist and pushes his arm away. I've never seen this done before and I don't know quite why it was so moving, but later, when Grantaire leapt up the barricade in three strides after Enjolras has already gone over the top, it somehow seemed all the more important. Also, after Gavoche's death (sniff sniff) the set moved back round and my eyes focused on the middle of the barricades to see Enjolras' reaction. He wasn't there. Where was he? Ah, there he was, standing in front on the stage, moving towards the front, CLUTCHING THE BAG!!! Oh, no, how could they dare have made this even more moving. And no, he wasn't smiling anymore. Another wonderful moment.
Stars was wonderful - Peter Corry was indeed and excellent Javert, but he saved the best for his suicide. Awesome!
Thenardier's wig at the wedding should have had an individual credit - it was huuuuge! And when Marius punched him, a great cloud of powder billowed up into the air. Fantastic. And he and his lovely wife's wedding dancing was a joy to behold.
The only thing I didn't like was the way the technicians seemed to dim the lights too early and you couldn't see all the students dying properly, and the revolve could have done with a drop of oil!
But the night (or rather afternoon) belonged to John. His Bring Him Home is clearly wonderful, as are all his lines, and he really is in tune with the character.
Another great performance by a wonderful all-round cast, with some very nice solo performances, most noticably on my part, Valjean (of course), Javert, Bishop, Eponine and Enjolras with special commendation for Grantaire and the Little Cosette was the best I think I've ever seen (Joanna Songi), and certainly heard. Oh, that's not fair - OK, Fantine, Cosette, Marius and the Thenardiers are all brilliant too. And Gavroche, all the students and assorted chain gang, factory employees, wedding guests, drinkers at the inn.
Tour is now in Bradford - see it or miss out!
LES MISERABLES. UK TOUR, EDINBURGH.
Send your feedback to Julie, she'll be happy to hear from you.
Monday 30TH Nov and Tuesday 1ST Dec 1998.
Back in the dark days when I thought that understudy meant ‘not quite as good’ my heart would sink at the phrase ‘at tonight’s performance the role of x will by played by …’ Just how wrong can you be? For Monday’s performance, we had three principal understudies, Clare Bonsu as Fantine, Thor Kristinsson as Enjolras and Peter Heppelthwaite as Thenardier. We also had the ‘at certain performances’ Valjean, but that was the purpose of our trip to Edinburgh, so that wasn’t a problem! The lights dimmed, the music started, the mist rolled and the chain gang appeared. For someone who’s been imprisoned for nineteen years, I suppose it’s understandable that you wouldn’t do *that* much digging! Our dear Valjean was too busy shielding some of the younger ones from the evil warders anyway.
Javert strode in. Peter Corry cuts and impressive dash in his nice blue uniform, a marked contrast to the scruffy, long-haired, long-time prisoner. But then he opens his mouth. Any regular readers will know, he, of course, is Phil Cavill. And he sings like an angel, acts like a dream and each and every time I’ve seen him, he finds more ways to move me. There is nothing really that sad about ‘Yes it means I’m free’. So how come my eyes started smarting? Get a grip, girl, it’s just a story!
The Bishop’s hand on Valjean’s shoulder. Why does THAT make me sob, too? Perhaps it’s the Scotch mist. Oh, well, no one here knows me. Prologue was sung with so much emotion it’s hard to even describe it. Turn your heart into ( or rather intah!) stone? Mine was becoming slush.
The ensemble, as I’ve said before, are a very able unit, and their voices work well in the crowd scenes, each word being clearly defined. Our first glimpse of Fantine. At last - a brunette!! Clare had exactly the right vocal quality for the part - slightly haughty and stand-offish during the factory taunting scenes. Great withering look for the factory foreman. And she sang all her words with perfect clarity too. No other Valjean has quite the same pained expression when Fantine tries to catch his attention when he leaves the premises. Then for the main number - nice slow build up, then a lovely finish, rising like a phoenix from the flames during ‘Shame’. The Lovely Ladies looked slightly depleted in numbers, but still made good use of the stage. I noticed that Fantine went off stage to have her hair and make up done, and not round the back this time. The whole Bamatabois part is choreographed a bit differently to the Palace, and Fantine dishes out a rather nice kick just where it’s needed. Javert returns once more, this time with a bit more to say for himself. I always enjoy the Fantine/Javert scene and this was no exception. Nice stick-work by Peter, pinning down Clare while she’s on the floor. Bring on the Saviour! Just wonderful exchanges between our hero and heroine. And when he says ‘I will see it DONE’ well, you just know he WILL.
I think on the whole I prefer just the one shout of ‘Lookout, it’s a runaway cart’ rather than the slightly long-winded tour version ‘There’s a cart loose, running down the street. Look out!’ Now our super-hero can really get going and show us just how strong he is! Pah! Easy - boy’s cart!!! How come Javert doesn’t pickup Valjean’s hat anymore? I liked it when he did, he sort of dusted it off and hesitated before handing it back, which went well with the lines, ‘Forgive me sir, I would not dare.’ Oh, well, can’t have everything. Brilliant exchange between the two then followed leading nicely into Who Am I. Now, what can I say about that? If I speak, I’ll probably say something cringe-makingly awful, but if I stay silent, then you won’t know just how wonderful it was. Right from the first, delicately sung lines, it was going to be rather special. And it was. When the court scene magically appears, Phil’s voice loudened (is loudened a word?) so you didn’t even need to strain to hear with all Hell breaking loose in the background. The expression on the ‘other’ convict’s face was heartbreaking, but I couldn’t look for too long. Valjean was about to rip his shirt off!! Two four six o ONE. It can’t be written just how high and long that last bit is. You really should hear it!
Fantine’s death scene was beautifully enacted, nice rapport between Valjean and Fantine. And he’s the only one I’ve seen who closes her eyes. I don’t think I’ve witnessed a better Confrontation either, both parties adding something extra - Peter really letting rip and Phil trying so hard to convince him he’s a nice guy underneath, really. Shame he has to punch him unconscious, but some people are like that I guess, they just won’t get the message. Little Cosette, obviously plucked from a local school, then came on to sweep. Are they getting smaller? On both nights, they were lovely - Tuesdays (Daisy Chute) more so but more of that later. Peter Heppelthwaite was covering Thenardier on Monday, with Cameron Blakely back on Tuesday, and Joanna Mays playing his beautiful wife. All three performers managed spectacular turns in their roles - I’d say that Cameron just edged it at the Wedding, but Peter made a fine job of Dog Eat Dog, especially when he spun the watch and flipped it in the bag in time to the music. Joanna is wonderful - wickedly funny and suitably grotesque, ad-libbing nicely with a fly and a wooden spoon for Master of the House. There is so much going on in that scene it’s hard to keep up. She still does that great thing with the ‘Not much there’ that you really have to see.
Right. Now it was 3-ply tissue-time. The new well scene. The new well scene with Phil. ‘Do not be afraid of me’. Afraid? How could you, when an angel is going to whisk you away from your tormentors and bring you up respectable? Still, she doesn’t know that. I have said before, on many occasions, that no-one La la la’s like Phil. Can I add now that no-one ever will either? Back to the inn for one of those don’t know whether to laugh or cry moments, where one is imploring so beautifully and the others are messing about in the background. I know most other Valjean’s also show Cosette where the roaring fire is so she can warm her hands, but again, Phil does this the best. Yes, I freely admit that I am one-sided and biased, but we all have our favourites and he’s mine. After he’d got Cosette out of the clutches of the evil pair, and put on her bonnet and given her the doll, Tuesday’s little girl then gave him a kiss on the forehead before they La la la’d off together towards Paris. Our whole row chorused an audible ‘Ahhhh.’
10 years pass by very quickly. The company once more providing an excellent crowd scene for Paris. Enjolras (Thor) and Marius (Frederick Rubin) appear and little Gavroche re-acquaints us with the Thenardiers and Eponine (Alex Sharpe). I once wrote, in a previous review of the tour cast, that Alex Sharpe sounds a lot like Frances Ruffelle. Right now, I’d like to retract that statement and claim that she sounds like Alex Sharpe and she’s going to be huge, so just remember you read it here first! She is quite possibly my favourite Eponine now, something I’m sure she’s delighted about! Once you can get over the fact that she plays it completely to her own specifications, then she really blows you away. She gives Eponine real character; spirited and forceful, not the downtrodden daughter. Her look at ‘Parnasse is one of ‘not in a million years, mate’! For those of you who don’t see Eponine as a tragic victim, then Alex is your girl.
Javert, now getting very cross, is finally able to really swing into action and give the audience perhaps a little clue as to what drives him. I had already seen Peter before but that’s no excuse! Stars, sung during the show, is one (of many) of the magic moments and I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed. This time I most certainly wasn’t. Well, only with the audience who started to clap halfway through the final note. Peter has a wonderful voice and acts the part to perfection, playing him with a manic fervour, undercut with the steady, powerful tone of his voice. I wouldn’t say that he made you like Javert, but perhaps he made you sympathetic towards him. His suicide was certainly one of the best I’ve ever seen. The bridge is much smaller than normal, which seems a bit more intimate really. Perhaps he feels he’s not worthy of jumping off one of the larger bridges? Perhaps the tour sets are just made smaller because of transportation?! Either way, it works well.
Another two sterling performances from the younger males, with Thor providing a strong-voiced and convincing leader. He leapt onto the back of the cart and rode of into the distance, catching the flag along the way. Marius was fine too, if perhaps a little too childish in some ways for my tastes. By that I mean that certain things he did, with the best intentions, I didn’t like. One was the way he treated Eponine; like a slave! He always seemed to be annoyed with her and as she’s only got his best interests at heart, he could have been a bit kinder! And he also pushed Cosette’s (Poppy Tierney) arm away during Every Day/A Heart Full of Love reprise. But vocally, he’s wonderful and his rendition of Empty Chairs was superb. Poppy’s Cosette was another bonus. She manages to convey perfectly the torture in choosing between her beloved father and her new-found beau. Alex again recreated that other magic moment, calling back Marius to straighten his tie before despatching him into the garden at Rue Plumet.
Loved the way Valjean read Marius’ letter out, starting off with impatience at this young man, and then realising the feeling between them was mutual. Wonderful confused expression, then resigned acceptance.
One Day More was, is and always will be the best first-half show-closer. As each layer of music piles up, the emotions were running very high. Great doll-work between Valjean and Cosette!
I’ve always felt it’s unfortunate that On My Own has to be sung so soon after the interval. With so many people coughing and spluttering in the audience, the theatre owners really should consider asking Walls to make Benilyn-flavoured ice-cream. That said, earthquake, fire or flood could not really detract from Alex’s rendition.
Valjean’s release of Javert from the barricade is yet another MM!! The facial expressions are magnificent and Peter really spits out his words. But of course, he is wrong. And always has been wrong!! Liked the slightly longer gap between his being told to go and really going (was it supposed to be that long?). Once things start hotting-up on the barricades, Grantaire was meddling nicely. This time, he was the cynical Grantairre, not the jolly drunk. But even Enjolras had a swig during Drink with Me. Now for the defining moment of the whole show. The best song, sung by the best character, played by the best person!! What can I say? Perfect? Heartbreaking? Mesmerising? I could, but they don’t come close. I did say I was biased, I know, but you have to believe me. The first bullet aimed at Gavroche always makes everyone jump and then give out a little nervous laugh. The man behind whispered ‘I knew he’d get shot’. Not two minutes later, I heard strange muffled sniffing from behind. Didn’t know he’d die though, did you?!!! Both Gavroche’s managed great throws and the bags were caught nicely. Another nice expressive Enjolras as the barricade revolved round again. When the second Army announcement comes through, and the students are waiting for instructions, Enjolras looks towards Valjean, as the elder statesman, for advice? Or maybe for encouragement, I don’t know, but that’s what it seemed like. Valjean’s reaction is a look that says ‘your call’.
For Every Day/AHFOL (which is my favourite part) there was, yes, another MM. It was after Valjean has given his blessing, by joining Marius and Cosettes hands together (ahhh), and just before the confession. You know Cosette usually runs up and kisses her dad? Well, she did, and the look on his face was just magic! He made this little noise, a sort of groan, as she ran up and flung her arms round him. Maybe you had to be there, but it was lovely!
During the Wedding, I have to say that the Thenardiers, all 3, danced like crazy! It’s hard to describe, but I don’t know how everyone else on stage keeps a straight face.
The finale was impeccably carried out by all involved. Again, lovely confused expression from Valjean when Cosette rushes in and changes places with Fantine. I don’t think I actually saw much after that.
I must also mention the wigs. Lately at the Palace, some of them were beginning to look a trifle daft! The one poor Stig got lumbered with for the market-place scene had a life of its own. So, three cheers for the tour wig mistress. Tuesday’s performance was the best one I’d seen since…….Monday! The entire cast, without exception, are fantastic and I’m sorry if I missed anyone out. But of course, the night belonged to Phil. Simply the best.
I wonder if a tour CD is out of the question?
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