Yes, now I have actually seen it.
So, part of my Christmas loot this year was tickets to see Les Misérables at The National Theatre with my parents, because when I was home for Thanksgiving, I mentioned (upon seeing an ad for the movie) that I'd never seen the musical. My parents decided this needed to be remedied, especially as it was being performed over Christmas. Mom had taken Dad to see it almost twenty-six years ago, before it was even on Broadway, for his 40th birthday. That showing was at the Kennedy Center.
The National Theatre is much smaller than the Kennedy Center (where I saw Phantom of the Opera for my thirteenth birthday, floor seats under the chandelier, oh my God it was amazing). The set was interesting (the barricade was ridiculously hardcore), and the show was just. Wow. *flaily hands*
Valjean, Javert, and Marius were all incredible; the Thénardiers were hilarious. I took slight issue with Fantine, mostly because Mom and I agreed that she was a little too strong, for lack of a better word, in "I Dreamed A Dream." My major issue was that in ensemble songs, or any song where two or more characters are singing over each other, it was nearly impossible to figure out what, precisely, they were singing. The playbill had a synopsis of the plot, without which I would've been rather lost. The solos were delightfully clear, but I could only pick out a few lines of "Master of the House," which I'm actually rather familiar with as paladin enjoys singing snatches of it on occasion.
I basically started getting sniffly at the start of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," and continued to have something in my eye through basically the rest of the show.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie, when I get home. Though I'm also really looking forward to hibernating for a while with no people, which is going to be rather difficult given that I'm throwing a New Year's Eve party, but wow have I used up all of my social spoons.
Going to go flop with a book now. My parents' house is so cold.
I've posted this at http://lassarina.dreamwidth.org/1062607.html and you may comment there or here. On Dreamwidth, this entry has
comments.
The National Theatre is much smaller than the Kennedy Center (where I saw Phantom of the Opera for my thirteenth birthday, floor seats under the chandelier, oh my God it was amazing). The set was interesting (the barricade was ridiculously hardcore), and the show was just. Wow. *flaily hands*
Valjean, Javert, and Marius were all incredible; the Thénardiers were hilarious. I took slight issue with Fantine, mostly because Mom and I agreed that she was a little too strong, for lack of a better word, in "I Dreamed A Dream." My major issue was that in ensemble songs, or any song where two or more characters are singing over each other, it was nearly impossible to figure out what, precisely, they were singing. The playbill had a synopsis of the plot, without which I would've been rather lost. The solos were delightfully clear, but I could only pick out a few lines of "Master of the House," which I'm actually rather familiar with as paladin enjoys singing snatches of it on occasion.
I basically started getting sniffly at the start of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," and continued to have something in my eye through basically the rest of the show.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie, when I get home. Though I'm also really looking forward to hibernating for a while with no people, which is going to be rather difficult given that I'm throwing a New Year's Eve party, but wow have I used up all of my social spoons.
Going to go flop with a book now. My parents' house is so cold.
I've posted this at http://lassarina.dreamwidth.org/1062607.html and you may comment there or here. On Dreamwidth, this entry has
comments.