There are many things that people often don’t admit to enjoying. Showtunes is one of those things.
I, on the other hand, believe in flaunting that particular geeky love. Loudly. In public. As often as possible.
Just a few moments ago I had to stop what I was doing at work and listen to a song that came over the speakers. It’s one of my coworker’s radio days and I brought in a cord to hook her ipod to the system. Well, she’s a woman after my own heart and has a ton of Broadway on her playlist. This particular song was from Les Misérables and is called “Drink with Meâ€. If you’ve ever sat with me and gotten me talking about musicals you’ll know that Les Mis is one of my absolute favorites. From the moment I first listened to it after learning we’d be doing a marching band show to it my sophomore year of high school I was in love with the story and the music.
Now, like many musicals Les Mis has several different versions out on CD based on what cast is recording them. I own the Broadway, French, London, 10th Anniversary (Dream Cast) and Complete Symphonic Recording albums. Each one has cast members that I like and dislike and some even have different songs though they mostly have the same version of the music.
For example:
Broadway Cast
You can’t go wrong with Colm Wilkinson as Valjean (though you can really wrong with him as the Phantom). His voice and range are amazing and if you don’t get a at least a little misty-eyed during “Bring Him Home†I’d be shocked. Terrance Mann compliments him well as Javert. If you’re looking for a quick intro to the musical, this is definitely a good album to start with.
London Cast
Colm Wilkinson again brings life to Valjean in this recording but now we get the added bonus of an absolutely brilliant Marius, Michael Ball (who is so awesome that I own other albums of his solo work). While not my favorite recording, I’d suggest giving it a listen just to check out some of the other singers.
French Cast
This is actually the original French concept album and is pretty different from the finished product. If you are like me and love collecting musicals in other languages go and ebay it now. Totally worth the price….if you like to listen to things in French.
Complete Symphonic Recording
This one is the most complete recording of the musical out there and is worth every penny. While Gary Morris doesn’t have the same feel as Colm Wilkinson as Valjean he’s hardly worth sneering at. Morris performs brilliantly opposite my favorite Javert, Philip Quast. This also happens to showcase my favorite set of Thenardiers. They’re hilarious in this recording! Michael Ball joins in as Marius and Kaho Shimada makes such a sweet, sad and sympathetic Eponine. Honestly, my favorite version of the music might be this recording.
10th Anniversay (Dream Cast)
I was reminded last month that Les Mis is now in it’s 25th anniversary which means that I first saw this version on PBS 15 years ago. Dude….I feel old. But I digress. This cast pulls together some of my favorite singers from productions all over the world. You have Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, Michael Ball, Ruthie Henshall (Fantine), Judy Kuhn (Cosette) and Lea Salonga (Eponine). This one is worth purchasing the video for as well. It’s not a full on production but instead has the main cast in costume stepping forward to sing at the edge of the stage with a full choir backing them. Also, there are many songs that are cut short or dropped so if you pick up this recording make sure to have one of the others under your belt as well.
25th Anniversary
This one I haven’t seen or heard yet as I foolishly scheduled a shadowcast rehearsal for the same night that it was doing its “One Night Only!†thing in the movie theaters. Once it comes out on video I’ll be able to let you know what I think of this one.
So there’s a quick run down of the Les Misérables albums that I own (and pretty much all that are out there..at least in English) and my thoughts on each. If you like the music I’d love to hear which are your favorite singers and cast recordings. And if you’re in the closet about your love for showtunes….give a fake name and leave a comment. I promise not to track you down and reveal your real name to the world.
OK Dude, here goes…
Although I don’t own all the albums, I know every note…litterally. I know little nitty things about the show, which probably suggest a pathological problem. I know that the last note sung by Javert as he jumps off the bridge is an F#. I know that theres a reason that the score doesn’t actually tell the vocalist to drop the pitch of the note to simulate the character falling (as so many Javert’s have done). That reason is that there is a key change 1 barre after that note begins and the note doesn’t really suit the original key. So thats the reason that the end of that song is so powerful, it goes from an out of key note to perfect harmony. That’s how its supposed to be sung, but I prefer the Quast method.
I collect these little bits of knowledge like you collect your albums. I spend ALL my spare time watching either youtube Les Mis (with a healthy dose of Phantom) videos. I have extremely strong opinions on picky things like phrase, line and note delivery. I was extremely offended when they announced the cutting of the turntable in the stage. It’s a character within itself. I think Nick Jonas should watch a few Les Mis videos of his own in comparison and then hang himself for giving us such a poor performance. I object to modern-day fads and passing trends hitching a ride on the show’s good name (That god-awful Boyle woman and Glee), because all it does is make the trendsters think that these fads had something to do with the show’s inception. And apart from that, theres a bloody good reason why that Boyle woman isn’t playing Fantine right now – her’s was success spawned from the viewer’s having to double take their mis/pre-conceptions about the non-existant correlation between her looks and her ability to sing. She’s a mediocre singer at best and its atrocious that she got a record deal from it. But I digress…
I have actually started to re-learn musical notation so that I can record the music for my own education and enjoyment. I won’t be selling it. I’ll just be recording selections of the music and having a few classically trained singers do my bidding. I plan to use advanced orchestral emulators to bring it to life.
I too stop my more imperative duties the show comes to mind and Listen (often) to the full show, during which I fantasise about getting vocal training and playing any number of characters, including Thenardier and Javert (which would be hard, I;m nowhere near a barritone).
The point is I need help with my Les Mis obsession and I refuse to seek it! I AM proud of my showtuney ways and really don’t associate with anyone who doesn’t understand or respect that… is that bad of me?
…oh and Ruthie Henshall, hands down, no if ands or buts, sold Fantine in the most convincing and heartbreaking way. There has not been one other Fantine who has reached that benchmark. This makes the character hard for me to connect with because I’m always looking for the actress to surpass the Henshall barrier. And so far, no one has. Sad face.