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I've just watched the 25th Anniversary O2 concert on DVD. I ... will probably have a more detailed review tomorrow, possibly a comparison with the 10th Anniversary, but for now ... Some immediate reactions.
First, the Lighting Directors are goddamn geniuses. The use of the light gantries in lieu of curtains, and the representation of the barricade battles purely via the lighting, and the greener lighting for the sewer scenes ... Genius, I tell you. Fucking genius. I adore the use of stage and space for that.
The staging as a whole, actually. The use of the stage, the tiering with the orchestra above as well as behind the main stage. The stage directions and the interactions of the cast, also beautiful.
The acting. I am madly in love with both this Javert and this Valjean. And Enjolras. I like the cast in general, but those three in particular ... This Javert is just ... And Enjolras, so much more human and, frankly, manipulative, more a fanatic than a martyr, more a student than a saint. And Valjean. Alfie Bow is rocking the crazy eyes and desperation of Valjean (and is also built like a brick shithouse, which comes in handy for scooping Nick Jonas/Marius into his arms). I need to do a proper breakdown of this cast, the different slants they're putting on the characters (Fantine is different, more steel, Marius, so much younger-seeming, Grantaire, so much more entwined with Enjolras, the Bishop, so, um, priestly ... Thenardier is a whole essay on his own). And Javert's suicide broke me into teeny-tiny pieces. It always does, but Norm Lewis puts such raw desperation and hysteria into it, it was epic and heartbreaking.
The music was, admittedly, mostly down across the board from the 10th Anniversary - it's a less experienced cast, and some roles were written for their original cast in a way they're not for this one. Nick Jonas as Marius, bless him, is somewhat outclassed, and it's totally unfair to compare him back to Michael Ball. One Day More is much more piecemeal and restrained than the 10th Anniversary. But ... the focus on this production is different. More on the acting, the story, than the raw music, which was the pure focus of the 10th Anniversary concert. And, actually, this version adds back in some scenes and lyrics that were left out of the 10th. The 10th had a very ... abstract, thematic take. The 25th is more play/story/acting.
On the whole ... Um. I love it. It's different, it's very different, and the sound is not as pure, not as powerful, but ... The acting, the staging, the lighting, the general humanity of the cast, all of those bring it up. I love this Javert. I love this stage. The lighting directors are a pair of honest-to-gods geniuses (yes, I'm hung up on the lighting, but it was that good, seriously, you've got to believe me on this).
So. Yeah. I love this show. Um. Seriously. *grins sheepishly*
First, the Lighting Directors are goddamn geniuses. The use of the light gantries in lieu of curtains, and the representation of the barricade battles purely via the lighting, and the greener lighting for the sewer scenes ... Genius, I tell you. Fucking genius. I adore the use of stage and space for that.
The staging as a whole, actually. The use of the stage, the tiering with the orchestra above as well as behind the main stage. The stage directions and the interactions of the cast, also beautiful.
The acting. I am madly in love with both this Javert and this Valjean. And Enjolras. I like the cast in general, but those three in particular ... This Javert is just ... And Enjolras, so much more human and, frankly, manipulative, more a fanatic than a martyr, more a student than a saint. And Valjean. Alfie Bow is rocking the crazy eyes and desperation of Valjean (and is also built like a brick shithouse, which comes in handy for scooping Nick Jonas/Marius into his arms). I need to do a proper breakdown of this cast, the different slants they're putting on the characters (Fantine is different, more steel, Marius, so much younger-seeming, Grantaire, so much more entwined with Enjolras, the Bishop, so, um, priestly ... Thenardier is a whole essay on his own). And Javert's suicide broke me into teeny-tiny pieces. It always does, but Norm Lewis puts such raw desperation and hysteria into it, it was epic and heartbreaking.
The music was, admittedly, mostly down across the board from the 10th Anniversary - it's a less experienced cast, and some roles were written for their original cast in a way they're not for this one. Nick Jonas as Marius, bless him, is somewhat outclassed, and it's totally unfair to compare him back to Michael Ball. One Day More is much more piecemeal and restrained than the 10th Anniversary. But ... the focus on this production is different. More on the acting, the story, than the raw music, which was the pure focus of the 10th Anniversary concert. And, actually, this version adds back in some scenes and lyrics that were left out of the 10th. The 10th had a very ... abstract, thematic take. The 25th is more play/story/acting.
On the whole ... Um. I love it. It's different, it's very different, and the sound is not as pure, not as powerful, but ... The acting, the staging, the lighting, the general humanity of the cast, all of those bring it up. I love this Javert. I love this stage. The lighting directors are a pair of honest-to-gods geniuses (yes, I'm hung up on the lighting, but it was that good, seriously, you've got to believe me on this).
So. Yeah. I love this show. Um. Seriously. *grins sheepishly*
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