Lee Mead Forum

Saw Les Mis yesterday, brilliant show! Loved the set and lights, I can see why our tickets were £55 must be an expensive show to keep running! Leanne from How Do you Solve a Problem was Cosette and although I was never a big fan of her I was impressed, she has a good soprano voice we never got to hear on tv. Nancy Sullivan from IDA was Eponine, think she got through to Nancy school, was amazing! I couldn't remember her Nancy audition, ( will have to watch the video from the first episode!) but she was amazing as Eponine! What confused me was why she didn't get further in IDA cos Nancy and Eponine share the same characteristics of toughness and vulnerability and she did them wonderfully! She has a beautiful voice as well! We were E stalls, 11 and 12 and they were just right! Especially not too close when the guns " went off", me and mum still jumped at the bangs tho . Of the kids, the guy playing Gavroche was the best, real little star! Earl Carpenter was playing Javert and he was brilliant, saw him in Beauty and the Beast a few years ago too! Guy playing Marius was like a young Michael Ball! The guy playing Therndiner Mum had seen in Heathcliff donkeys years ago so it was a kinda nostalgia show. And Mark Dugdale playing Courfeyrac, one of the students, was in Jo with me in 2004 so I peeled my eyes for him!
Naturally, we missed him at the stage door I say missed, he did come out but with his head turned away from us so I just saw his nose and thought, is that him? yeah it is... but i wasnt about to go chasing after him to check . So we waited for him to come back and the stage door keeper let us stand inside for about 15 minutes, we watched Father of the Bride 2 with him . When Leanne came out we got her autograph and I asked about Mark, she went to ask a guy who shares a dressing room with him and he said he was still inside, so then the stage door guy put a call out for him... then we asked some old guy who came out, we recongnised him but didn't know who he was and he said he should be in, the stage door guy called again and got no answer by which time we figured it MUST have been his nose I saw... ... it's like trying to see Dean , elusive but at least with Dean you kinda know when he's gonna turn up! Got Nancy's auto too and I told her I'd sung On My Own at my BAPA audition and that she had done it great, i should have done it the way she did and she asked where the audition was and did i enjoy singing it? Then mum piped up about me going for IDA and we talked about that and deduced the she was at the same audition day as me probably, but from the video we wouldnt have been in the same que cos she was seen by David Grindrod and I didn't see him cos he turnd up later in the day, sigh! She was really nice, lovely and down to earth
the end
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Oh you got the understudy Marius! We thought he looked exactly like a mini-Michael Ball too!! Was he good?
What did you think of David Thaxton as Enjolras? Personally I think he steals the show, a great actor and singer. And a lovely guy too.

Who did you get as Valjean? David Shannon or his understudy? I've heard great things about the understudy, not so great things about David Shannon though unfortunately. Shame, as Drew Sarich (Valjean until November) was in my opinion absolutely perfect.

Nancy is a sweetheart, I met her when we went and she was just lovely and chatty. When she and Jon Robyns performed A Little Fall Of Rain, it was probably the most heartwrenching piece of theatre I have ever seen, it was so emotional.

Glad you enjoyed yourself at such a great show!!

Sounds like you had a lovelee time Julie

Sounds good Julie

got Jon Robyns as Marius, he was great but I wasn't blown away...
David Shannon as Valjean was brilliant and David Thaxton was brill too! Mum wondered how they all managed to stay so still on the barricades after they'd been shot .
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Saw Les Mis on two occasions many years ago. Wonderful musical. I find it so sad though and would not be able to sit through it over and over again. I am far too sensitive for my own good really.

I know what you mean Marilyn, I'm gonna see it again if i can cos i was ill for it but agree its not like Joseph, can't watch it over and over.
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I've seen this show twice, on the west end last October for my birthday and in Birmingham a few years ago. It's just brilliant and I recommend it to anyone!

I'm going to see it again on the 21st Jan.
I really love some of the cast at the moment, Earl Carpenter is amazing as Javert and David Thaxton is a wonderful Enjolras, not to mention Nancy Sullivan as Eponine, amazing.
I've not seen David Shannon yet as Valjean and am sort of apprehensive, I've heard he's less than average and rather wooden in the acting department. But I'm willing to be open minded and see how he is. Hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.

yeah i would say while David Shannon had a great voice some of his acting was quite wooden in my opinion, but see for yourself, hope you enjoy it!
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Brilliant review Julie never really got into Les Mis im afraid im more into fun, lively musicals