Les Mis

Les Miserables is the best musical ever. Not objectively, really, but I think a lot of people would say it is. Its popularity is so overwhelming that even after it has closed multiple times on broadway, the public still loves it. I've been a fan ever since sophomore year of high school, when marching band did a very odd, cut up version of it on the field which, in retrospect, was very bad. I remember the announcer's proud statement that "Attack on Rue Plumet" depicts a famous battle in the French Revolution ... inward bleeding ensues, as that particular song is about a contemplated street robbery by a band of thugs, and the story itself has nothing whatsoever to do with the French Revolution. Well, it served its purpose. I checked out the Original Cast Recording from the library, read the libretto, learned all the real songs, read the unabridged novel the following year, and saw the stage tour the year following that (even in the nosebleeds, I cried buckets when Gavroche died). Beautiful story. Beautiful message. Beautiful, if loose, adaptation to stage.

This is why PBS aired yet another Les Miserables in Concert special recently. I saw the one they did fifteen or so years ago. Dad and I watched some of it last night, and now I need to say my piece so I can get over it.

First of all, I really wonder who was in charge and what they were on when they decided to cast Nick Jonas as Marius. I'm perfectly willing to have an open mind about the so-called talent of former Disney Channel stars, and I'm sure part of it was motivated by a desire to reach a younger, hipper audience, but it was hard to listen to even a few words come out of his mouth without cringing. And Eponine? It's possible she might be half American and half British, but there's no excuse to switch back and forth with the accent. I'm probably really hard on put-on accents. Back in college, a lovely production of "An Ideal Husband" was very nearly spoiled for me because whoever played Sir Robert couldn't do his accent right. But this Eponine had more than just an accent problem going against her. Her delivery was off, big time, and she had a Keira Knightly complex with her lips. The two of them muddling their way through Eponine's death scene got so painful we just skipped to the next song. Cosette was okay, I guess, and I know this is mean spirited, but when the girl who plays the beautiful damsel in distress looks like a blond-haired beaver it's a little distracting.

The big chorus parts were a trainwreck, particularly "One Day More," which is usually one of my favorites. I don't know exactly why it failed so miserably; something was off with the tempo and the different parts couldn't seem to balance right, but it was more than that.

The really puzzling thing was that as spot-off as so many of the parts were, three of the most important parts were spot-on. I've heard a lot of different Jean Valjeans, and most of them were quite good, but none of them were as good as this particular guy. His performance of "Bring Him Home" was practically flawless—such a sonorous voice, with beautiful delivery. And Javert, even though his recitative was a little delayed, had some serious power. He might have been better singing a bass part, but I still enjoyed him. Finally, Lea Salonga, who played Eponine the last time someone tried something like this, was re-cast as Fantine. And yup, she's still just as good as when she was Eponine, Mulan, Miss Saigon, and even Princess Jasmine. I love her.

It really makes me wonder. If Nick Jonas is the future of the stage musical ...