My personal analysis of the main cast
Before I talk about the cast, I should say that I've been an avid fan of Les Miserables since it first opened in London, and have seen it live onstage literally dozens of times. (I know many people here have probably seen it even more than me!)
Of the times I've seen it live, I think the show was at its best in 1988 when it was still at the Palace Theatre. It had one of my favourite casts (many of whom are on the Complete Symphonic Recording) and the orchestrations and libretto were perfect - before later changes to both (and a reduction in the size of the orchestra) spoilt it.
I personally think that the Complete Symphonic Recording provides the most complete and perfect representation of the show, both in terms of cast, orchestrations, and libretto, and it is against this version (combined with the 1988 London cast at the Palace Theatre) that I continue to compare all subsequent Les Mis experiences.
Now to the concert versions:
I loved (and watched hundreds of times) the 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. But there were many things about it that bugged me. Despite it being billed as "The Dream Cast", I was not entirely in agreement.
Colm Wilkinson - the original Jean Valjean - is NOT my favourite. I hold him in very high regard, but frankly I think of him as the "chewy and screamy Valjean"! After hearing Gary Morris, I find it hard to listen to Colm any more.
(Gary Morris is the Valjean on the CSR, and although I've not seen him live, his vocal performance is by far my favourite. Some people don't like his vibrato - it takes getting used to - but I like it, and his overall performance is in my opinion perfect.)
Alfie Boe was a revelation to me. I didn't think I wanted an opera singer messing with this show! How wrong I was! It took only a few moments for me to adjust to his opera style - an adjustment made considerably easier by the fact that his ACTING was astonishingly good. Vocally, of course, he was pitch-perfect, but it was his PERFORMANCE that really surprised and moved me. I can find no fault with anything about him as Valjean. I admit I've developed something of a man-crush on him!
Norm Lewis Was good. Very good. (I'm going with the positives first, before I say the things that will doubtless get me flamed!) I thought he had a superb voice. I loved his acting. He had a powerful energy which worked especially well in The Confrontation. And he is a very handsome man. He reminds me, in some ways, of a cross between Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier. However, he is black, and (political correctness aside) it is very hard to believe that a black man would be in a position of power over white men in 19th century France. I don't agree with so-called "colour blind casting" in shows. HOWEVER, this was a concert version, so the looks of the performers are arguably less important than in the full stage version. However good Norm may be - and he's very good - I would have found it much harder to accept him as Javert in a non-concert setting. Vocally, I was a little uneasy every time he had a big note coming, as his voice sounded very tired and kept cracking. This was a distraction that took a lot of the shine out of his performance. Also, vocally Norm has a very 'black' voice. It's lovely, but the qualities of a black singing voice are, in my opinion, not best suited for the character of Javert. Norm has a velvety voice (as do most black singers) and that makes it somewhat less powerful than the harsher, crisper sounds produced by white voices. Again, in a discussion like this political correctness must be set aside. In the world of casting, ethnicity is important. How a character looks and sounds really matters, and should not be ignored because political correctness requires us to ignore fundamental facts about the performer's appearance and vocal qualities. Hence...
Philip Quast will forever be the definitive Javert. He looks perfect. His acting is perfect. And his voice is perfect. I think pretty much everyone on the planet agrees about that! No more needs to be said.
Lea Salonga is a magnificent singer, and brings genuine emotion to her work. I've loved her since I first discovered her in Miss Saigon, (and in that show she will never be surpassed). However, I wasn't entirely happy with her performance as Eponine at the Albert Hall. She was very good, just not the best I've seen. I liked her much better as Fantine in this concert version. I can't fault her performance, and vocally she is very nearly perfect. In places, however, her voice sounds a bit strained, and she seemed to struggle with one or two of the higher notes. This is the first time I've ever heard Lea struggle with a note! It made me just a little unsettled.
Jenny Galloway - I didn't much like her at the Albert Hall, but 15 years on I liked her much better! (I actually saw her a few times at the Palace, when she was thin. I only know this because I still have the programmes! I have no memory of her at all!) As I say, for the 10th Anniversary I was not overly impressed - I guess I was hoping for someone else - but when she walked onto the stage for the 25th Anniversary it was like welcoming back an old friend. This time round, the aspects of her performance that I didn't like 15 years earlier were not unexpected, and had mixed in with my overall brain-mush of Les Mis memories and expectations. She is fatter now - which works for me! - and I've grown fond of her characterisation. She is, perhaps, my favourite Madame Thenardier (visually), although I still prefer Gay Soper's vocal on the CSR.
Matt Lucas is the reason I didn't buy a ticket to see this live! (And I will regret that decision for the rest of my life!) I have seen better Thenardiers. Barry James (from the CSR and 1988 Palace Theatre production) will always be my personal favourite, although Alun Armstrong is about as good as it gets. I actually like Barry and Alun's versions almost equally, but since Barry is an old friend, that wins him an extra half-point! Despite all that, Matt Lucas actually surprised me in this. He was way - WAY - better than expected. I actually LOVE some of the stuff he does here, and there are only one or two tiny mannerisms that bother me. Vocally he's a bit weak in places, but far better than I expected. I don't mind him at all. He doesn't ruin it for me. Unlike...
Nick Jonas Pretty much universally regarded as the worst Marius in the history of Les Miserables. There are numerous threads dedicated to how awful he is in this, so I won't belabour the point here. Suffice it to say that he is GALACTICLY OUTCLASSED by everyone else on the stage, and it is pretty much a cringe-fest every time he "sings". Awful, embarrassing, uncomfortable, and terribly disappointing.
Michael Ball is the definitive Marius. No one else has sung it better. No one ever will. One or two look better for the role (including Nick Jonas), but that's NOT ENOUGH! Marius has some of the best vocals in the show, and they deserve to be sung by the best voice for them - Michael Ball. End of discussion! lol
Samantha Barks Is one of the very best Eponines I've ever seen. Pretty much perfect. I can't fault her in any way. (Although she had a really annoying lock of hair across her left eye during "On My Own" which I found distracting!)
Ramin Karimloo - My new favourite Enjolras! (Anthony Warlow from the CSR cast was in the top spot until Ramin came along.) As with Sam Barks, he is perfect, and I can't fault him in any way.
Katie Hall is by far the BEST I've ever seen in the role of Cosette. And I mean that by a considerable margin. Literally every other woman I've seen or heard in this role has been shrill and annoying. Cosette is a pretty thankless part, really. She doesn't get to do much, except to provide motivation for Fantine, Valjean, and Marius. On the stage, she's always been played by rather severe looking sopranos, and I've never warmed to her. However, I totally fell in love with her here. At last I BELIEVED that Marius would fall instantly in love with this girl, ignoring Eponine! Always before, I've found Eponine sexy and vocally appealing. This time, for the first time I was entranced by Cosette, and joined Marius wholeheartedly in falling for her charms. Katie Hall is not beautiful per se, but she is dazzlingly pretty and has a very beguiling innocence about her. She's the first blonde Cosette I've ever seen - and somehow that made a big difference - and she's also the youngest. For the first time in my experience Cosette wears a pretty dress. (I never thought I'd see myself comment on a dress, as usually such details pass me by, but that gorgeous green dress brought the character of Cosette to life in a way that I really wouldn't have thought possible. It made such a difference. I've only ever seen her in a severe neck-to-ankle black dress with a very "Christian" white collar. She's always looked like a bible-seller to me! lol) And her voice!!! Katie Hall has the most effortlessly beautiful soprano voice I've ever heard. Literally. I can't fault any aspect of her looks, her voice, or her performance.
Robert Madge The very best Gavroche I've ever seen! A faultless performance. Perfect. My only disappointment was that (as with the 10th Anniversary Concert) his best scene (the death scene) was cut entirely. Oh well.
And that concludes my thoughts on the cast. There are lots of great names missing from this - but I have to stop somewhere!
In conclusion, I feel that the Complete Symphonic Recording is the definitive version of the show - but lacks the visuals!
The 25th Anniversary is the best concert version. I've tried re-watching the 10th Anniversary and it now seems strangely flat and lifeless. (I know, I was surprised too!) The energy of the 25th way - WAAAAY - better than the 10th. I think the cavernous arena has a lot to do with that!
But for me, nothing can beat the experience of sitting in the middle of the front row of the dress circle at the Palace Theatre, London in 1988. I've seen it many times before and since, in various versions, but that one remains undefeated.