Les Misérables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary

Beautiful concert version of Les Miserables, with an incredibly talented cast. Norm Lewis is a personal favorite and he makes a very compelling Javert. All the performances are strong, emotional, and very compelling. The only exception, being Nick Jonas. I'd like to be clear that Nick Jonas is not a bad singer, but when you put him next to so many infinitely more talented singers, his performance seems very out of place and weak. He sings in tune, but with no vibrato or natural projection. He is outshined by anyone he sings with. He is very much a pop singer and doesn't belong in this production. That being said, this concert was still very well done and very enjoyable. I definitely recommend watching.

Les Misérables has been around for a long time, pleasing audiences around the world - its songs are recorded by an vast array of singers and its impact on audiences is justifiably powerful. Though this filming of the concert production of the musical as performed at London's O2 Arena in January 2010 is hailed as the 25th anniversary of the musical, it is too frequently forgotten that the show, based on the Victor Hugo novel, was originally written by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boubil with Herbert Kretzmer and Jean-Marc Natel and produced in Paris, France in 1980 (it closed after 3 months). This English Adaptation is by Trevor Nunn and John Caird (with additional material by James Fenton) was brought to England and the world through the efforts of Cameron Mitchell in 1985.

The concert version is performed with orchestra and chorus in the top of the platforms in O2 Arena and the characters in the musical are in costume standing before microphones at the edge of the performing structure. The light crew performs spectacular effects with the enormous facilities at this 23,000 seat arena. Some action is projected on screens above the performers (the lifting of the cart by Valjean, the barricade, etc) and at other times the screens offer the audience huge close-up view of the performers. It works well under the direction of Nick Morris. The celebration of the birthday of the show is accompanied by prolonged appearances by past members of casts of the show, a light show, and much confetti and self congratulation speeches.

As for the production itself it is populate by a generally strong cast. Alfie Boe, a 37 year old British tenor who studied opera but now sings the big demanding musicals, is a very fine Jean Valjean. Norm Lewis, and American actor/baritone is one of the strongest Jauverts on record: he is a talent to watch. Lea Salonga brings years of experience to her interpretation of Fantine, Samantha Banks is a very strong Eponine, the Iranian-born Canadian musical theater singing actor Ramin Karimloo makes a striking impression in the role of Enjolras (he has been playing the role of Phantom in the 'Phantom of the Opera' in England for years), but the performance of Katie Hall as Cosette sounds strained, the Monsieur Thénardier of Matt Lucas is completely unfocused (Jenny Galloway fares better as Madame Thénardier), and it is obvious the producers elected to play to the young audience by miscasting pop star Nick Jonas as Marius: he tries very hard but is out of his league here.

In all this is an entertaining memento of a birthday celebration - heavy on audience screaming and special party effects - and rewards the creators of this lasting fine musical with due respect.

Grady Harp

I'm not an expert on "Les Miserables," but as a former opera singer, I am an expert on singing. The 25th concert celebration is very memorable.

Led by the rapturously voiced Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, the cast includes Broadway singer Norm Lewis as Javert, Lea Solanga as Fantine, Nick Jonas as Marius, Ramin Karimloo as Enjoras, Samantha Barks as Eponine, Katie Hall as Cosette, Jenny Galloway as Mme. Thenardier and Matt Lucas as Monsieur Thenardier.

The performances were filled with excitement, emotion, and beauty, with only a couple of weak links, one being Nick Jonas as Marius. He worked very hard, but his voice didn't fare well in comparison with the others. Since he's a member of the Jonas Brothers, it's obvious that the producers wanted to bring the youngsters to the theater. Judging by his applause, they succeeded. The other weak link was Matt Lucas as Monsieur Thenardier, whom I had trouble understanding.

The rest of the cast is terrific, with Alfie Boe passionate and sensational as Valjean, Norm Lewis, an intense, formidable Javert, Lea Solanga, a glorious Fantine, the beautiful, lyrically voiced Katie Hall as Cossette, and the British version of Lea Michele, Samantha Barks, a powerful Eponine. All of these singers knocked it out of the park with not only their vocal beauty but the emotion of their performances.

At the end of the concert, we were introduced to the original 1985 cast, the international tour cast, and the current cast, and we were able to hear Colm Wilkinson, John Owen-Jones, Simon Bowman and Alfie Boe sang "Bring Him Home." There was also an appearance by Michael Ball, the original London Marius, and several others, as well as the composers, the lyricist, and the producer, Cameron Mackintosh, all very rich men.

The audience went crazy, and with good reason. The music of "Les Miserables" is very stirring and thrilling, and when sung and acted well, as it is here, it's a real treat.

I saw this at the cinema three times and I am counting the hours until I get the DVD.

If you are a fan of Les Miserables, this is not to be missed.

I believe it is even better than the 10th Anniversary Concert. More of the actual musical is included, such as The Robbery. Lovely Ladies is in a more complete form. A lot of the little verses between songs is included, for example, Garvoche's introduction of the Thenardiers and the conversations between Maruis and Eponine. It isn't complete, however, some verses have been cut, most noticeably, Dog eat Dog, which in my opinion is no great loss as it is my least favorite song anyway.

The performances are all fantastic, although, Marius is a little weak. The little urchin who plays Garvoche is very impressive. The look of contempt on his face when he exposes Javert is priceless. Matt Lucus brings humor as Thenardier. Jenny Galloway reprises her role from the 10th Anniversary Concert and I think gives a better performance in this version. It is hard to limit discussion, as everyone was brilliant right from Jean Valjean to Jarvert to Cossette (Collette?).

I cannot recommend this enough.

I have seen "Les Misérables" live on stage, the film, and several on stage recordings. It's impossible to see this particular film without comparing to other performances but I will comment on this film alone... The performance was quite magnificent. The cast overall was wonderful. I'll address Nick Jonas as Marius right away. His voice does not remotely compare to the professional theater performers, yet he does carry the songs well enough and he carries his scenes admirably enough. Side by side with Samantha Barks as Eponine, however, he pales in comparison to her amazing voice. So many excellent singers have brought such depth and strength to the character of Jean Valjean and Alfie Boe does an admirable job. His beautiful rendition of "Bring Him Home" really proves he has the chops to handle this role. As always Lea Salonga is fragile and strong as Fantine. Can anyone else play this role as well? Of all of the Javerts I have ever seen, none has ever been sung as masterfully as Norm Lewis; he is magnificent to watch. Ramin Karimloo as Enjolres is incredibly strong, again making Jonas pale in comparison. Karimloo is truly talented with a strong voice and perfect tone. The orchestra brought the entire performance together beautifully. Mesmerizing. I loved it.