My Tribute to the World's Favorite Les Misérables

Yes, this would be another page expounding on the musical of musicals, Les Misérables. It is by far my personal favorite, not only because of the wonderful music but also the spectacular sets, rich plot, and inherent message of hope. OK, so that sounds infinitely cheesy, but it's all true, promise. First, let me say that watching PBS's concertized version is somewhat of a mixed blessing. While you will get the best of the music by far, you'll miss out on the grand sets experienced in a live production as well as, well, the live action. (duh) So really the best thing to do is to see it live once before you watch the PBS version, because frankly the concert is just blow-your-socks-off fantastic when it comes to the music. You can't beat the selection of the best of the best that gathered to do the tenth anniversary, and they totally knock down any average touring group. So you will probably hear a real difference in quality between the PBS take and a live production, which is why I say go see a live one first so that for the first time you can get the whole experience. Then watch and adore the voices in the concert version for what they are-- gorgeous. Colm Wilkinson does his ovation-grabbing original Valjean, while Ruthie Henshaw (of Godspell renown) pulls heartstrings with her portrayal of destitute Fantine. Michael Ball plays Marius with flair, but he is strikingly overshadowed by spunky Eponine, spectacularly played by Lea Salonga, my personal favorite Les Miz-er of all time. I don't quite remember who played Cosette, Enjolras, or the Thenardiers, but that doesn't mean they did a shoddy job, just means I have limited brain cells. Someday I'll check my CD case and get their names on here. Yes, I did splurge and get the double CD set of the tenth anniversary concert. Yes, it was worth it, and I'd recommend it. Anyway, let's get on with the page.

OK, I'm going to cop out and give you all just one good link, to the AltaVista search engine page of links. So click here to get to a bunch of good links. If you get something other than Les Miz links, please, please, let me know immediately! Thanks.

My small Lea Salonga page.

This page is still in process, so I'd appreciate feedback and suggestions on what you'd like to see here.

Back to the Main Page