Friday, June 20, 2014

La Mirada Theater Presents Les Miserables


 
 
A  brand new production of the international smash-hit musical! Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, Les Misérables is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit. The magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the classic songs "I Dreamed A Dream," "On My Own," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," "Do You Hear the People Sing?," "One Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master of the House," and many more.
 
 
Starring:

James Barbour.......................Jean Valjean
Randall Dodge ......................Javert
Cassandra Murphy................Fantine
Valerie Rose Curiel .............. Eponine
Kimberly Hessler ..................Cosette
Nathaniel Irvin .....................Marius
Anthony Fedorov...................Enjolras
Jeff Skowron........................Thenardier
Meeghan Holaway...............Madame Thenardier
Emilie Lafontaine.................Little Cosette
Olivia Knox .........................Young Eponine
Jude Mason ........................Gavroche
 
 
My Thoughts:
 
Oh.My.Gawd!!! I LOOOOVED this production of Les Miserables! For years I've been wanting to see Les Miserables on stage but never had the chance until now. Of course I've seen the musical from the 25th Anniversary DVD Concert as well the movie version with Hugh Jackman. However, the live performance would have to be my favorite!
 
The production was very well put together. All, and I mean ALL, of the actors were wonderful singers. I did not find a fault with either of them. They sang on key, stayed in character, knew their choreographies, and had tremendous energy. Next, the lighting was superb for it did an amazing job portraying the time of day and the different locations. What I especially loved about the lighting was the different moods it created, especially during the scene of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables." This scene was hauntingly beautiful to the point that I was sobbing at the raw sadness it depicted.
 
Now let me go back to the actors/singers. Did I mention how good they were? Gosh, James Barbour who played Jean Valjean was amazing! He had the most beautiful voice. His range of voice was stunning and whenever he hit those high notes, chills would run up my arms. Then there was Randall Dodge who played Inspector Javert. When he first sang, my jaw dropped. He had the deepest voice which made the back of my hairs stand up. He made Javert sound very powerful (and sexy, lol). The rest of the cast was astonishing. My favorite was when they would all gather together to sing "One Day More." Wow! The energy that emanated out of them was very strong and inspiring. They made you want to get up and join them in their crusade for revolution.
 
Overall, I am completely blessed and joyous that I finally got to see this musical on stage. I was able to enjoy it with a wonderful friend of mine and she too loved it. We laughed and we cried. I even used up half of my facial tissues on how much I was crying towards the end. Though it sounds weird that this heart-wrenching tale that had me sobbing-my-eyes-out was superb, I would say it again: I loved it! If you haven't seen this musical, I highly recommend it you do.  
 
 
The stage after the show, the pamphlet, & my friend and I.

The "Red Carpet" after the show


Here are a couple of videos from the production I saw (Courtesy of La Mirada Theater):

 
 

 Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on my experience. Any comments would be greatly appreciated :)

4 comments:

  1. Oh, Vonnie, you LUCKY, LUCKY girl!!!!! How wonderful that you were able to see a LIVE production of this GREAT musical!!! You know, movies are, of course, fantatastic entertainment, but there's nothing quite like watching a group of actors and singers perform live. There's just a unique excitement when you can actually see people performing just a few feet away from you!! And you were able to share this with a friend! I wish I could have been there.......

    I LOVE your post!!! The review is AWESOME!! I especially enjoyed how you described all of your emotions as you were watching this magnificent production! And those videos!!! OMG!!!!!

    Thank you SO much for sharing this great post!!!!! : )

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    1. Thank you for stopping by and commenting on my post. So glad to hear that you share my enthusiasm for this musical.

      I love going to plays, especially musicals. The thought of people being able to perform in front of hundreds without the chance of having to stop and do do-overs is amazing.

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  2. Oh I'm so jealous! I really wanted to go to this, but by the time I looked at tickets all the affordable seats were sold out! James Barbour is one of my favorite theater performers, so I was sure he would be amazing in this (he was Mr. Rochester in the musical Jane Eyre which is awesome!) but I am glad to hear that the other actors were equally talented. I'm glad I read your post - it made me feel a little bit that I was there too! :D

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    1. Hi, Charlene!

      Yeah...I bought my tickets a year ago and I got really good seats for a very cheap price (well...at least compared to prices at Pantages for orchestra seats).

      This was my first encounter with James Barbour and I'm now a huge fan. I would have loved to have seen him in his other roles. I'm going to keep a look out for him.

      Thanks for commenting!

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