The joy of live theatre...

This year has been, undoubtedly for us, The Year of the Mis. And the year of 'Love Never Dies'. But mostly Les Mis. Well, every year is the year of Les Mis for us, but even the press, producers, the bigwigs on TV,  record companies and theatres nationwide (nay, globally) have recognised the greatness of all things Les Miserables this year. And to celebrate, we offer you the following link to prove to you the wonder that is unrestrained passion, devotion and obvious love for the gift of song and music in a theatrical setting. We have heard the very best singing these beloved songs. As is by now well documented, we appreciate a passionate Enjolras and a dedicated Javert, a Valjean with pathos and a spirited Fantine. The following examples are jewels in the glittering crown that is Les Miserables. Feast your ears on examples of the best of the best on their very best nights. These are the performances that go down in history.

Oh...live theatre.....

Now go make yourselves a cup of tea and get a little sedative, and when you're comfy, we'll discuss our findings.

It is difficult to pin point the exact finest moments on this reel but it would be unfair to start with any other but this gentleman. He may not have a name that slips off the tongue with most ease, but Vikidal Gyula is a stalwart of Hungarian  musical theatre.Once heard, never forgotten. He has sung Jesus Christ Super Star, Attila the Hun and Anna Karenina, is a respected rock musician and also an accomplished weight lifter and sports fisherman. In 1987 he tackled, with some epic brilliance, the role of Jean Valjean  on the Hungarian national stage. Now tell us that you have EVER heard that '24601' sung with an equal amount of pain, passion and machismo, because if you have, we know you are lying. Remember, we have heard the Divine Drew Sarich hit high notes and low notes with such precision and clarity and minimal effort it made us cry. This man hits something we don't even dare talk about and weren't sure existed. He is AWESOME. 

Altogether now..... 2....4....6....0.....WAaaaaaaaaaaargggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

The next cutie to discuss is the amazing Max Von Essen, a Broadway Enjolras nonetheless. Also heard on this clip were Leonardo Luiz, Enjolras for Mexico AND Brazil (multi tasking!), Victor Wallace in London and the sadly anonymous 2003 Vienna Enjolras... it means nothing to meeee...ooooooh Viennaaaaaa..........sorry, we digress. The splendidly named Max certainly looks the part (feel free to google for proof), as do Victor and Luis respectively, but one must question how anyone can train their voices to reach the murky depths that these gents did? Forgive us for our predictability  but we've heard NUMEROUS Enjolri soar into that leadership role with guns a-blazing, convincing weedy little boys to follow in their wake. They are  masterful, charismatic and extraordinarily accurate when hitting the high notes. Every. Single. Time. Yet something tells us that after these performances the Amis might look at each other quizzically, raise an eyebrow, mutter under their breath 'Yeeeeees....whatever....'  and leave their rifles by the door as they decide to go to the pub instead of fight a revolution. Enjolras, we love you. Whatever country you are from. Just never as much as we love David Thaxton. As Enjolras. Or in anything he ever does, as that boys vocal chords are gold and chocolate plated. Almost as gold plated as the boy himself. Excuse the gush.

Now. Onto the subject of the ANGELIC Lea Salonga. Seriously though, has a woman ever graced the stage that looked as serene as Lea, who sounded as though her voice belonged to a wee little angel that had decided to grace us with it's presence for a while, before flying away again as the purity and clarity of it's voice might otherwise prove too much for mankind to tolerate? So much beauty. She epitomises grace, talent, elegance, subtlety and poise us fairies could only dream of. It is therefore with the greatest of pleasure we heard the clip of  Lea as Fantine because there are few things the fairies like more than a good swear!!!!! And swear she did, with guts and gusto (and we like to imagine with a bit of spit as well). That's our girl!!!!! we already had utmost respect for this lady. But after hearing her 'F*#%$~g B%&*#~d' we would now like to take her to the pub with us as we think she'd have fantastically good stories to tell and would be funny with it. Anyone who swears that well is a good egg in our books.

So there you have it. Some highs from Les Mis. Live performances to never be forgotten. Which, is, essentially, one of the reasons we keep going back for more. We sometimes get asked, what is the point of going to see the same show more than once? 'Just get the CD'.T he answer for us is the beauty and unpredictability of live performances.  For us, seeing shows is nothing like buying a CD or watching a film on TV. You like it, you love it, but every time you see it or hear it you know exactly what to expect. Not so with live theatre. Something new happens every time we see a production. A different interpretation, a different nuance in a performers voice, a screech, a faux pas, a wardrobe malfunction, something. Something utterly human in a magical place, which makes a performance unforgettable. That's why we keep going back for more.  Whats not to love????