Les Miserables

Wow. It's been a while since I blogged. I've been focusing a lot on summer fun! You can see some ideas on my other blog. We've been busy busy busy! I feel like once I'm done entertaining the kids, keeping house and serving food to small people that there is barely enough time to check email, craft, facebook, pin photos and blog anymore. Sigh.

But Tyler and I have had the blessing of parents close by these past two weeks. We were able to attend my favorite musical and possibly theatrical production ever, Les Miserables. I organized a group so we could get a discount, which helped a lot. Sadly, however, I wish we would have paid the extra $10-15 to sit in the orchestra section. I've only been to the capital theater once before. And although our seats were directly above the seats of my parents who were down in the orchestra and over a bit (though, they could not see the very stage left....it should have been obstructed view rates....like in real theaters.....because they could not see the entire stage) we could not hear nearly as well. The music from the pit came directly upward and the actors voices went directly outward to the lower seats. Ugh. If I was not so familiar with the music I would have been a bit confused.

It was well done. I liked the new staging as well. They got rid of the rotating circular stage to name one thing. And it sounded like they added some new sound effects during the songs. Some of the scenery was different as well.

But it was fun to experience for the first time with my cousin Mabel. I was excited just for her to see it for the first time. And the last time I had seen it was in London when I was still single. Wow. The lyrics and blocking are a lot more meaningful when I understand them more. I always chuckled at the Thenardier's in their Master of the House but I didn't quite grasp all the innuendo until then.

And then tears came to my eyes as Fantine sang this. It means a lot more now that I have children. Listening to her sing about imagining Cosette (played by BYU's very own Jenny Latimer, who is friends with lots of my acting friends) playing with children and knowing that she will not able to say goodbye to her little girl was heartbreaking.




I Dreamed a Dream (whom Susan Boyle's rendition still gives me chills) was powerfully sung by our performer as well.

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables was amazing too. Having lost a friend in the Service this song meant something at a greater level. And our Marius had a fabulous voice! Better than the Jonas bro in this video (who apparently played this role in London), imo.



Anyway, we LOVE this show. It was the first real musical I was introduced to by my uncle Scott, before I had seen very many live productions. So it means a lot to me. I am glad I was able to see it again and that it is still strong on Broadway and in London. If you have never seen this, you MUST sometime in your lifetime. It's deeper than Wicked and has better music than Phantom. Just sayin.