I have not yet seen Sarich as Valjean (I caught the revival back in February when he was still on as Grantaire) but people I know who have gone say that he is pretty amazing! I have seen him previously several times in Lestat (twice when he went on as the understudy for the title role) and he definitely has a strong presence & a unique voice. Nice guy too. Very funny.
I’ve seen *Les Mis *twice, once in 1992 and then again this past February when one of my favorite singers, Norm Lewis, was playing Javert! He was magnificent! What a beautiful, rich voice. I wish Norm was still in it to sing opposite Drew, but he left to do The Little Mermaid instead.
Sarich blew us away. I didn’t realize the grand scope of the play, how many years pass. Valjean must have been pretty young when he first went to jail – late teens, perhaps? But he has superhuman strength when he lifts the cart off the guy (practically 40, if not older), and still carries Marius through the sewers when he’s considerably older than that.
So, long story short, Drew Sarich really embodied this powerful, larger-than-life quality, despite looking young through most of it. He had gravitas from the beginning as a defiant parolee, as the mayor, and then as a noble and caring father. You thought he actually could lift a cart off someone! And his voice was powerful too, although I could just as soon envision him in a rock context, moreso than in a traditional opera. I remember his high note you mention at the end of “Who am I?” – one of those epic, character-defining moments. My girlfriend and I later said we both got chills down our spines at that point. And yet, in “Bring Him Home,” the power in his voice wavers, when he realizes he isn’t in control anymore, and he sounds a lot more vulnerable. He is a badass, that’s for sure.
Oh wow, thanks so much to both of you guys! What wonderful detailed reviews, I really appreciate that. I’ve become a babbling fangirl for this man just on Youtube clips alone! I can’t wait to see this. And I’m actually not even a huge fan of the show and its music, although I admire its depth and ambition. For some reason the music doesn’t speak to me. (And yet I have the opposite feelings towards Phantom of the Opera – it’s utter kitsch but much of the score moves me. There goes my street cred!)
Anyway, the gravitas required for older Valjean seems to be why they have usually cast a more mature actor and had him ‘fake’ the younger bits. But for this revival, I understand that Cameron MacIntosh wanted a modern, younger vibe. (Alex Gemignani, the Valjean whom Drew replaced, is actually younger by a couple of years.) Supposedly Macintosh fired an actor from the revival after seeing a performance because the actor’s voice was “too legitimate.” So Drew’s punkier/rockier vibe probably fit the production.
OT: FYI, he’s gonna be playing Victor Frankenstein in a new musical version opening Off Broadway this fall. (Dude sure seems to do a lot of ‘monster’ musicals – Lestat, Dracula, Jeckyl & Hyde … even Hunchback of Notre Dame.)
I highly recommend the anniversary special they showed on PBS. It was done as a concert rather than a play with pretty much the best cast ever. Here is Lea Salonga singing “On my own”. And again . She is amazing.
Wow, you aren’t kidding, she’s great. I didn’t mean to insult her by saying she was “up-and-coming.” I heard her name in a context I immediately forgot (maybe the Miss Saigon connection), and I’m new to paying attention to theater.
The Eponine we saw on Broadway on Friday was Megan McGinnis, no slouch herself.
Colm’s “Bring Him Home” set me off on a YouTube/Les Mis expedition last night. I complained to a friend that I would never get to sleep because there’s no such thing as too much Les Mis.
Then I stumbled across a performance of “A Little Fall of Rain” by Frances Rufelle and Ricky Martin.
It turns out. . .there is such thing as too much Les Mis.
Big Bad Voodoo Lou again I recommend the 10th anniversary concert that they showed on PBS. It was a concert they had at Albert Hall in London. As a bonus at the end they had a parade of Jean Valjean’s from productions around the world. Valjean Japanese was… Chairman Kaga from Iron Chef.
I saw the Broadway show several times, but the one that stands in mind is Valjean being played by Israel’s David “Dudu” Fisher. A wonderful, amazing voice.
I saw the original cast in London in the fall of '85. I was on a semester abroad, my parents came over for a visit, and we’d heard some good things about the show so we decided to go see it. I was absolutely blown away. The only time in my life, I think, that I’ve spontaneously and immediately jumped to my feet to cheer at the end. A great cast - Colm Wilkinson was a towering presence - catchy songs, an engaging story. Never seen it since, but someday, maybe.
I’ve been listening to the original cast recording nonstop since I got back from my New York trip on Saturday night. The songs just fill me with something intangible – they make me want to rise up and swashbuckle and fight injustice!
Takashi Kaga has been doing some limited performances during the current 20th Anniversary run this summer. I saw his show a few weeks ago, still marvelous! Also, he will be appearing in the Japanese production of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” soon.
I saw it years and years ago in England. I was sitting very, very high in the theatre – high enough that, when the barricade scene was over and the stage rotated, I could see all of the “dead” people get up and go to their next roles. That was pretty funny.
The OP has said it’s okay by him to post a question here that’s a hijack of the original question.
Since I imagine at least some of those who are fans of Les Mis may also like *The Phantom of the Opera *, my question is this. What audio recording of TPOTO do you think is best? I’d never heard much of the music, but recently saw the movie version on television and really loved the music. But I don’t know if there is perhaps an “original cast” album out there, or how many versions are available at all.
Barrett Bonden said that several of the *Les Mis * cast also opened TPOTO. I suppose I could also ask, what stage productions of Phantom has anyone seen?
I’ve seen Les Miz 4 or 5 times, but can’t give any cast names. The best production was a matinee in NYC probably in early 2001 where I somehow got amazingly good seats for face price just a few days before. Being able to really see the cast’s face adds so much. Eponine in particular, some very short blonde woman, was amazing.
One thing I’ll always associate with Les Miz was seeing an end-of-year news montage for 1989 featuring both the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Tienamen Square protests set to Do You Hear the People Sing. Absolutely perfect.
I wonder if the recent wave of successful musical movie adaptations might lead to a filmed version?
My favorite **Phantom **cast recording would probably be the Swedish one with Mikael Samuelson as the Phantom, though I am not sure if that would be easy to find a copy of anywhere.
For an English-language recording, there are not many to choose from so I’d say go for the original w/ Michael Crawford. I’m not a fan of Sarah Brightman, but Crawford is great. The Canadian Cast album is a favorite as well, with Colm Wilkinson as the Phantom. (I think he is great, but it was odd to hear Jean Valjean singing “Music of the Night.” )
Pity that there exists no legal recording of Hugh Panaro as the Phantom. He was the most exquisite, beautiful, simply wonderful Phantom I have ever heard or seen. He performed the role for a short time in 1999, and then again from mid-2003 til October 1, 2005.
Whoops, forgot to answer this. I’ve seen Phantom I think 14 times now. Once in London w/ John Owen Jones and the rest on Broadway with either Hugh Panaro or Howard McGillin (the current Phantom.)
One of the most memorable times was definitely the night it passed the record to become the longest-running Broadway musical ever. The audience was filled with almost everyone ever involved with the creation of the show, and the atmosphere that night was electric.
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