Sorry but Jonas not in the same ball park, admittedly I cringe with most who try to match Ball's Marius.
Disappointed with Javert aswell much prefer Quast.
Also IMDB was not Frances Ruffelle the 1985 London original Eponine and Rebecca Caine the original Cosette ?
Lastly Ramin is Enjolras - Bravo!!!
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Though on the one hand he's more age appropriate for the text, at the same time I feel he's far too young for the part - I really felt A Little Fall of Rain could have been much better (though that's not the fault of Samantha Barks who I think did an excellent job), it was lacking partly because of his relative lack of emotion and the physical distance between the characters (as compared with the 1995 performance).
I agree re: Javert also, at first I thought he was very good but I found the traces of his accent distracting and unfortunately his Soliloquy wasn't a patch on Quast's.
But generally I'm loving this show (as I'm watching it for the first time right now :) )
edit - I did though much prefer Katie Hall to Judy Kuhn as Cosette.
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I saw Hugh Panaro play Marius--beautifully--about 23 years ago. He's obviously WAY too old to do it now.
"Thank you, thank you--you're most kind. In fact you're every kind."
Okay but Nick was only 18, and 4 years is many time to grow up. Also I think he did a great job and phisically he is the only one Marius who looks like the original character by Victor Hugo.
shareI agree. I think Jonas was offered the part because he was also in the original Broadway production (Gavrosh)
It pains me to say this but I saw the tour last year and Gareth Gates was superb as Marius.
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Jonas wasn't even born when the original Broadway cast played.
"Thank you, thank you--you're most kind. In fact you're every kind."
I feel bad for Nick. It was like watching Matt LeBlanc as Edgar in an RSC production of King Lear. He did as good a job as he could, at 18, with the talents he has--considering he must've felt way outclassed.
I did like the fact that a young romantic lead was being played by a beautiful young man--and that they cast a lovely, very young woman opposite him. Their extreme youth made the Marius/Cosette storyline that much more effective and touching.
But as has been said in various ways, Nick doesn't have the instrument or artistic maturity that his co-stars showed in abundance. This performance was my introduction to Alfie Boe and Ramin Karimloo--revelations both. Good actors and extraordinary singers--what presence! Absolutely breathtaking.
I didn't feel as negatively as others about Lewis' Javert-- but honestly I was in and out of the broadcast and didn't see that much of it. I adored Quast in the role--he seemed perfect vocally, physically, acting-wise--and Michael Ball's Marius--that voice! Made Jonas' job that much more impossible.
I did like the fact that a young romantic lead was being played by a beautiful young man--and that they cast a lovely, very young woman opposite him. Their extreme youth made the Marius/Cosette storyline that much more effective and touching.
Jonas sounded like he was straining to take a poop every time he sang. When he didn't sound like he was straining, he sounded very out of breath. It was very cringeworthy.
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?vettech
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I agree. He also looked like a deer in headlights, he wouldn't turn and look at the person he was singing with or to at all.
http://werewolvesbeatingadeadhorse.blogspot.com/
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Either that or pass a really painful kidney stone......the look on his face made me burst out laughing more than it should have. I don't care how old he is, they need Michael Ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I will say this about Nick, I've discovered that it's easier to tolerate his 'interpretation' of the character when I'm not actually watching him. Since there doesn't seem to be any indication of them releasing a CD of the 25th concert, I ripped the audio from my dvd and put it on my iPod (yes, that makes it a 2+hr 'track'). I've found that I'm able to stomach his singing a little easier if I'm not watching his 'constipated' expression every single time he opens his mouth *lol*
Nillindeiel
"She walks, you leave together, pockets full debts paid. She sings-you leave alone." ~Love Never Dies
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Nillindeiel,
Was it hard to rip your DVD? Were there a lot of encription codes?
http://www.youtube.com/user/PinkCarnationProDux
I think that Nick did a fine job in my opinion.
Do you know how to rip it off of the DVD because I am having a hard time doing it, so is there a way you can get it to me.
Thanks
Sally C. Giles
Nillindeiel,
Was it hard to rip your DVD? Were there a lot of encription codes?
Well, honestly its really unrealistic and unfair to expect Nick to compare to Michael Ball. When Ball was in the 10th anniversary, he was in his 30s and had been studying this type of singing for as long as Jonas has been alive. Jonas is only 18. I think he did very well considering his age and lack of training. He hadn't been training for very long when he did the role and his normal pop voice is no where near the same thing. He was approached by Macintosh to participate and adjusted his touring schedule to comply. Its hard for me to see people ridiculing him all over the place when he clearly gave it his all. Its obvious they were going younger and more realistic with the ages in the 25th anniversary. Cosette(played by Katie Hall) is also much younger than the woman who play Cosette in the 10th anniversary. Partially it seems that since they played the actors off of each other much more, it was more needed to keep them to the same age as Samantha Barks(Eponine in the 25th) is also close to the same age as Jonas and Hall. To me though, Jonas did a very good job. He definitely brought an innocence and a younger brother feel(when surrounded by Enjolras and the other guys) that definitely wasn't there in the 10th anniversary. Everyone knows Jonas was cast because of his fame and due to his previous relations with Macintosh during his run as Gavroche when he was younger. Still, he obviously did put his whole heart into the role and did a great job. Obviously his best isn't that of someone twice his age and more trained but still an amazing job, especially knowing he was opening himself up to scrutiny. I actually look forward to seeing if he continues to train and do more broadway type shows(as hes interested in) and how he could be in another 18yrs.
shareJonas didn't compare to anyone on the stage with him in the 25th anniversary concert, never mind anyone who originated any of the roles. Even before I realized who it was I was wondering, "Who is this completely outclassed guy on stage with all these fantastic voices? And why has he been cast in such an important role in an anniversary production that is being recorded for wide distribution?"
I don't think musical theatre is his cup of tea, really. He should stick to touring with his brothers.
I agree 100% that his voice wasn't up to par with everyone else on stage. Who would expect it to be up there with people who have trained for years to do this? In many cases longer than hes been alive? I do know that he didn't do much training for this vocally, as it came when he was preparing a tour and shooting a television show, and it is a completely different style of singing than what hes use to. It was an obvious casting move to bring in younger people to the show. When he was cast it was known he wouldn't be at the same caliber as the others. They cast him to bring in younger fans who might never have decided to see the show. That and he does have a legitimate history with the show as playing Gavroche in a Macintosh Broadway version. Part of the reason this show got the publicity it did was because of his involvement. It was mentioned and covered by many entertainment outlets that would gave ignored it, especially here in the states. And of course there was also the speculation of whether or not he would totally bomb, and if you've heard his Jonas Brothers/NJ&TA singing voice, while very good, its hard to picture him singing broadway style. I think given time to work on getting his voice into broadway shape, he could potentially do very well on broadway. That boy has a drive that makes me never bet against anything he sets his mind to.
shareI have to agree with you. I was extremely upset about it when I first heard he was playing the part but after hearing him, I was won over. He is obviously not a trained broadway vet as the rest are but I felt his voice was strong and quite different from the pop voice we are used to hearing from him. His voice has a beautiful innocent quality to it, which fits with his character. Give him time. I think with training and comfort on the broadway stage he could be not bad.
And as far as the person who criticized him for not looking at who he was singing to - not many of the actors in this concert did. It kind of bothered me throughout the whole thing but we have to remember it is a concert, not the play.
I agree with you. I thought that Jonas did an amazing job. I was actually very impressed considering he does pop music and not broadway. Eventhough he was on Broadway when he was a kid. I give him lots of credit for standing there infront of that many people and singing those songs. Which is hard to do since those songs are sung by classically trained singers. I wish more people would not ridicule him.
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I didn't really know who Nick Jonas was before Les Mis. So I'm not criticizing him because he's a pop star. I went to see Les Mis for Lea Salonga as I'm a fan. I've only ever heard of the Jonas Brothers in passing. Imagine my disappointment when Les Mis reached the second half of the show. I was like, who's this kid who wouldn't even get the role in a high school production of Les Mis? Anyway, I had to do research and see why Cameron Macintosh would sacrifice the integrity of the production to fit this kid in. Oh well, typical stunt casting.
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I was surprised Jonas is slightly better than I anticipated. Then again I anticipated a horrible bloody train wreck. His facial expressions were pretty funny but I guess I have to give him some points for effort. Maybe one point vocally because Les Mis is very hard and he could have made it way worse.
I'm too busy being Gleeky...
"I wasn't at all surprised when Cinderella gave me the finger."
His horrible attempt at a British accent made my ears bleed.
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