Romantic Duets for Valentine's Day

Romantic duets are one of the basic ingredients in the musical genre – which is why they have to be really good in order to stand out from the mass. A simple, dull "I love you", "I love you too" will not do. The best lovers' duets express joy and affection, and occasionally the hardships of love, without resorting to sappy lyrics riddled with clichés.

So, what else should a musical-loving blogger do on a Valentine's Day than list her Top Ten romantic musical duets? I know, right!

10. 'We Kiss in the Shadow'  

The King and I
Tuptim and Lun Tha
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Tuptim and Lun Tha have to meet in secret because Tuptim is a concubine of the King of Siam. The agony of forbidden love ensues. The lyrics aren't as memorable as some of the others on this list, but I do like the melody.

9. 'Sixteen Going On Seventeen'

The Sound of Music

Liesl and Rolf
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Alright, so this song is maybe a tiny bit depressing in hindsight, knowing what Rolf decides to do with his life in the end. I think for me, most of the appeal is in the specific performance by Charmian Carr and Daniel Truhitte in the film version (which I've linked above) rather than in the song itself, which frankly doesn't have an awful lot to say. I just love Liesl's dress and the dance in the gazebo.

8. 'A Heart Full of Love'

Les Misérables

Marius and Cosette
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg
Lyrics by Alain Boublil and Herbert Kretzmer

I adore every bit of music that Claude-Michel Schönberg has ever composed, but even considering we're in the realm of theatre where the rules of credibility are frequently experimented with, I find myself shaking my head at Marius and Cosette who vow eternal love after literally just bumping to each other on the street for a couple of seconds.

7. 'As Long As You're Mine'

Wicked

Elphaba and Fiyero
Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

Rather than a promise of eternity, Elphaba and Fiyero go for "just for this moment". I love the intro to this song, it enticingly foreshadows the passion for life and the slightly fatalistic tone of the rest of the tune.

6. 'Mountain Duet'

Chess

Florence and Anatoly
Music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus
Lyrics by Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus

Once again we get a bit of a different angle to the traditional "love duet" because this is set in a reluctant, awkward meeting between Anatoly the Russian chess player and Florence, the assistant to his American opponent. It begins with the characters wondering what the heck they are supposed to be doing here, and then Anatoly goes "Listen, I hate to break up the mood..." And the mood really gets going from there!

5. 'I'll Cover You'

RENT

Angel and Collins
Lyrics and music by Jonathan Larson

I'm sure I've already gushed about the earnestness of Angel and Collins, the absolute joy that this song expresses, and Angel's overall awesomeness as a character. Lyrics, melody, mood, characters, I just adore the whole package.

4. 'One Hand, One Heart'

West Side Story

Tony and Maria
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

This is on a much more solemn side. So why am I pointing the finger at Marius and Cosette's sudden confessions of love but ranked Maria and Tony practically rehearsing their wedding on fourth place? Well, I think West Side Story devotes a bit more more time and explanation to the main couple's character histories and setting up the premise that their lives are lacking fulfillment which they try to patch up with an admittedly hasty commitment. The tune overall has a beautiful simplicity to it. If I ever happen to get married, I want this song at my wedding.


3. 'Come What May'

Moulin Rouge!

Christian and Satine
Music and lyrics by David Baerwald

What power there is in three short words, 'Come what may'. I never get bored of this song! Once again, the tactic of starting soft and quiet and building up to a massive power blend of two voices works wonders.

2. 'Last Night of the World'

Miss Saigon

Kim and Chris
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg
Lyrics by Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr.

Claude-Michel Schönberg does it again, there's something about this melody that makes me obsess over it. The world around Kim and Chris is dark and dangerous, but they have this lovely song. And the solo saxophone.

1. 'All I Ask Of You'

The Phantom of the Opera

Raoul and Christine
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe

There never was any debate in my mind as to which duet should be the top of the list. Out of the overall amazing score in The Phantom of the Opera, this song has always been my favourite (though Past the Point of No Return and The Music of the Night aren't far behind). As a rule, I turn into an emotional wreck as soon as 'Anywhere you go, let me go too' comes out. I'm also eternally thankful to whoever oversaw the casting of the 25th Anniversary performance because they gave us the chance to hear Sierra Boggess and Hadley Fraser sing this song to perfection. 

Miss Saigon revival cast, finally!

Anyone who has taken a glimpse at my Miss Saigon Week posts knows how excited I've been about the upcoming West End revival of that show. When Miss Saigon opens at Prince Edward Theatre in May 2014, it will be 25 years from its original opening, which starred a now-iconic cast – headed by Lea Salonga, to whom Kim was the first of many notable musical roles. Just like with the original production, the Kim hunt required a long time and some very distant locations – auditions were held in Manila as well as in New York. The whole process was conducted with such secrecy that absolutely nothing of an affirmative nature – just a couple of names thrown here and there – leaked through till the final decision was made. Today, however, I finally get to do what I've been aching to do for months: list all the main cast and try to predict how well they will do their jobs next year.

Alright, let's get the most talked-about, the most difficult, the most mystery-shrouded, and of course the most important part done first: the actress who will play Kim!

Eva Noblezada as Kim

The production team wanted an unknown talent to play Kim from the very beginning, and I'm glad they stuck with that decision. Kim's portrayal requires youthfulness and innocence in both looks and presence, and I don't think any big-name stars have that kind of a quality. Kim's actress also needed a strong, beautiful voice and Asian origins. Many interesting names were thrown around, especially those of Filipina singers – that country seems to produce fantastic female singers like Finland produces pine cones. Rachelle Ann Go was one of the most popular Kim candidates, but the part eventually went to Eva Noblezada, a 17-year-old American with Filipino origins (unsurprisingly). Based on the one performance that is available on Youtube, I'm happy to say she will probably nail her part. Just like Lea Salonga back then, she's young, sings extremely confidently for her age (and even if you don't consider her age she still sounds amazing) and seems able to express emotions through song. Coincidentally, her aunt was a Kim understudy in the original London production. See her for yourselves – the video embedding thing refuses to work again, so I'll give you a link.


Jon Jon Briones as the Engineer

I have to confess I had never even heard of this man before I read this Broadwayworld.com article about the new cast. Turns out he's played the role before and he totally rocks it! I found a kind of trailer on another Miss Saigon production which starred him as the Engineer and Kerry Ellis as Ellen, to mention a few. Briones appears in the beginning wearing a purple jacket, and from 3:33 and 4:52 onwards wearing red. Can you guess which country he comes from? It begins with Ph... They barely pulled off (white actor) Jonathan Pryce with facial prosthetics in '89, but it would be impossible nowadays. I think there was a rumour going around at some point that Pryce would return as the Engineer in the revival, but I'm glad it didn't happen. He's much too old, and incurably Caucasian, let's face it.

(Just a sidenote, what on Earth happened to Kim's face in I'd Give My Life For You???)


Alistair Brammer as Chris

So my only wish concerning the Miss Saigon cast didn't come true... We won't see Gareth Gates as Chris yet. But I'm not as sad as I thought I would be, because Alistair Brammer is a WONDERFUL alternative. Every Les Mis fan out there knows him, and probably adores him. You've seen his face as Jean Prouvaire, un Ami de l'ABC, in both the 25th Anniversary Concert and the Tom Hooper film of Les Misérables. He has also played Marius. I can definitely see him as a romantic GI, and his voice will go very nicely with Why God Why? Oh no. Now that I started imagining those two elements combined, I can't wait to hear it, and goodness knows how long I will have to wait!

Hugh Maynard as John

Another unknown name for me. He was in X-Factor with a male group called Tenors of Rock. He has also played the part of John before, as you can see on the video. I've never regarded John as a very interesting character, but I think Maynard could make it so, judging by his performance here!

Tamsin Carroll as Ellen

I don't know this actress either, but she seems a little old to be playing 25-year-old Alistair Brammer's wife! Or does the hairdo and the mature voice just make her seem older than she really is? Carroll has played Nancy in Oliver! and various other musical roles. I couldn't find a video that would properly display her voice. So far, I don't think I'm entirely warming up to her as Ellen. (She's the blonde woman in the video below.)

Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi

So Rachelle Ann Go didn't land the lead role, but she did get a pretty good one! Gigi may not have a lot of stage time, but The Movie In My Mind is a great, great song. As I mentioned before, a lot of people rooted for Go to play Kim, and while I agree that she has a beautiful, powerful voice, I personally never detected the kind of "Kim presence" in her.

All in all, this seems like a (mostly) promising main cast for one of my favourite musicals! I will definitely be following all the Miss Saigon gossip in the future, and share my thoughts here if something interesting comes up. What do you think about the cast? Are you going to see this show in London?

Some minutes after I first published this post, the official Miss Saigon Youtube channel posted a video about the new cast, there's audition clips and other footage of all the performers listed here, and Sir Cameron's comments on them!

Celebrate Musicals Week: Miss Saigon Trivia Quiz!

I love quizzes, so I decided to make one where you can test your knowledge of Miss Saigon! I'll be posting the right answers on Saturday, when Celebrate Musicals Week comes to an end. Till then, you can send your answers through this post's comments! Well, of course I can't stop you from keeping your answers to yourself, but all bloggers love to see comments on their posts! And on Saturday, the one who reached the highest score will get... An honorary mention and eternal glory. (I'm sorry, were you expecting to get tickets to the show?) There won't be much point in quizzing if you all go and Google the answers, so please play nice :) However, checking out my previous Miss Saigon posts for possible hints is by all means allowed!

Now go and have fun with the quiz little dears – I will go "engineer"...

1. Where did Claude-Michel Schönberg get the inspiration to create Miss Saigon?
a) He met an old Vietnamese woman who shared her memories of the Vietnam War.
b) He saw a picture of a Vietnamese mother leaving her child with an American GI.
c) He made a trip to Ho Chi Minh City.

2. Which opera is Miss Saigon based on?
a) La Bohème
b) Carmen
c) Madame Butterfly

3. Which character sings If You Want To Die In Bed?
a) the Engineer
b) John
c) Kim

4. In which West End theatre did Miss Saigon originally play?
a) Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
b) Prince Edward Theatre
c) Apollo Theatre

5. The Last Night of the World is
a) a solo
b) a duet
c) an ensemble number

6. In 2014 when Miss Saigon returns to London, how many years will it have been since its first opening?
a) 15 years
b) 20 years
c) 25 years

7. Lea Salonga first auditioned for Miss Saigon in
a) Los Angeles
b) London
c) Manila

8. Monique Wilson was an understudy for Kim and also played the role of the bar girl
a) Mimi
b) Gigi
c) Yvette

9. What is the name of Kim's cousin whom she was supposed to marry?
a) Tam
b) Thuy
c) Tranh

10. What locations does Miss Saigon take place in?
a) Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok
b) Bankok and Singapore
c) Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi

11. How many characters die on stage in Miss Saigon?
a) One
b) Two
c) Four

12. There is a song in Miss Saigon called The Morning of the...
a) Phoenix
b) Battle
c) Dragon

13. Who was elected Miss Saigon at the Engineer's night club?
a) Gigi
b) Yvonne
c) Kim

14. What is the Engineer's night club at the beginning of Miss Saigon called?
a) American Dream
b) Dreamland
c) Saigon Ladies

15. The Engineer is half Vietnamese and half...
a) Dutch
b) American
c) French

16. Fill in the lyrics: "Vietnam, hey look I mean you no offence. But why..."
a) does everything make sense
b) does nothing here make sense
c) does no-one here have sense

17. The lyrics from the previous question are from
a) Why God Why?
b) The Heat Is On In Saigon
c) Now That I've Seen Her

18. What is Chris' vocal range?
a) tenor
b) baritenor
c) baritone

19. In the new production there will be a song called Maybe, sung by
a) Ellen
b) Chris
c) Kim

20. Which of these can be seen on stage in Miss Saigon?
a) a train
b) a truck
c) a helicopter

Celebrate Musicals Week: My Top 10 Songs From Miss Saigon

Miss Saigon is full of wonderful music and moving lyrics, but on today's post I will share my absolute favourite songs and try to explain why I like them so much. I didn't put them in order of preference because it would be impossible for me to rank them – they are listed in the order where they appear in the show. Please remember what I said about the questionable language in the Miss Saigon lyrics!

The Movie In My Mind
This song takes place near the beginning of the show at the Dreamland club. Gigi, one of the bar girls, starts to sing about her impossible dream of escaping Vietnam and living the American Dream. Kim joins in, making it a wonderful female duet where Gigi's deep, dark voice contrasts with Kim's bright, youthful one. Female duets are much rarer in musical theatre than the traditional male-female ones, and I tend to like them as a rule.

Why God Why?
Chris has just realized he's in love with Kim and boy does he sing a beautiful song about his overpowering feelings! I chose to present a video with Gareth Gates singing, because I did mention how much I would love him to play Chris' part! I think his voice was made to sing this song. Blogger wouldn't let me put the video in like I did with the other songs, but I'll give you a link:

Why God Why? sung by Gareth Gates

This Money Is Yours
Chris asks Kim to tell him more about herself. While it's terrible to hear what happened to Kim's parents, I like this song because Lea Salonga delivers it with such deep emotion and maturity of voice that it's impossible to believe she is just 17 years old here.

Sun and Moon
This is Kim and Chris' first love duet (yes, they have two of those). I love the imagery in the lyrics, how it compares Kim and Chris' unlikely romance to the sun and the moon meeting in the sky.

Dju Vui Vai
I've cried at every real wedding I've attended, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry when I get to see this performance on stage. The girls' chorus is like from another world, and the atmosphere of hope and promise really reaches your heart, which is much more important than having an authority figure to make the marriage official.

The Last Night of the World
Chris and Kim sing another duet after their unofficial wedding, and this is my favourite out of the two. The arrangements for the two voices are wonderful and the melody is so memorable it's constantly playing in head.

The Morning of the Dragon
One of the many ensemble numbers in this musical which correspond to the word EPIC. The Viet-Cong takes over in determined song. The harmonica is quite interesting here, but I actually think it sounds good.

You Will Not Touch Him/Thuy's Death/This Is The Hour
These three are always grouped a little differently depending on which album they're in – sometimes This Is The Hour is a separate track, sometimes it's put together with Thuy's Death and isn't mentioned by name at all. Anyway, they happen one right after the other, I think they're all great and clumping them all together means I've got more room in my Top 10 list, so they're going to be one item in this list. The story gets to one of its highest points here when Kim shows that she really will do anything to protect her little boy when Thuy comes back and threatens him. After this comes This Is The Hour, another ensemble number that sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it, and features what I think are honestly the best harmonies in the universe of musical theatre. Yes, I'm really going to make such a huge statement!

Bui-Doi
The ensemble sings again, led by John. John has become such a different person than what he was in Act I – in a positive sense! Once again, I love the melody and the harmonies...

Now That I've Seen Her
This is Ellen's solo which will no longer be heard in the revival. Ellen gets a lot of dirty looks from fans because of how they interpret these lyrics, but like I stated in my earlier post, I can't see what there is to hate about her. She has to go through a lot emotionally, suddenly hearing that her husband basically has another family in Vietnam!

Celebrate Musicals Week: Tagged!

Time to start off Miss Dashwood's Celebrate Musicals Week – or, in my case, Miss Saigon Week! I'm really excited about this week, because I obviously love musicals a lot and I got to pick a really great musical to write about. So I would like to thank Miss Dashwood for hosting this blog party, and for providing the tag for this post. I will respect her wish of keeping the content of all my Miss Saigon related posts family-friendly. Please read the following about the content of Miss Saigon before proceeding:

Miss Saigon is by no means a light and fun play, I have to say. For those of you who don't know the plot I'll be giving a short synopsis in a minute, but first let's give the warnings of any content that some readers may find inappropriate. My language, as always in my blog, will be clean and I will not use any swear words or offensive language, but the lyrics and the plot of Miss Saigon include some very unpleasant words and references, including: extremely derogatory references to women, swear words, some negative language about Asians (though it's nowhere near the ugliest I have heard), prostitution, two deaths by gunshot and general things to do with war. I hope I remembered everything noteworthy.

And now let's move on to Miss Dashwood's tag, there are some nice questions to answer!

1.  What musical did you pick to "spotlight" this week and why?

I chose Miss Saigon by Boublil and Schönberg because I fell in love with most of its songs the minute I heard them (they are just as brilliantly composed as the score of Les Misérables!) and the story is extremely beautiful and tragic. I also liked the idea of spotlighting a musical that is currently under much discussion because Miss Saigon is returning to the West End and it's been very exciting hearing all the news regarding the new production!

Just in case there are readers who don't know the story of Miss Saigon, here's a short plot synopsis: Chris is an American GI who fights in the Vietnam War, and Kim is a young Vietnamese woman whose family was killed in an attack. The two meet at a night club where Kim works as a bar girl and a prostitute. The owner of the night club is the Engineer, a slimy character who only wants to get an American visa so he can move there and live "the American Dream". Chris and Kim instantly fall in love and Chris promises to take her with him to America, but then the Fall of Saigon happens. The Viet-Cong invade Saigon and all the American soldiers, including Chris, are evacuated while Kim is left behind.

Three years later, Kim is raising her and Chris' son Tam, while Chris has got married in America in an effort to get over his grief. The Engineer thinks up a plan to get into America – he thinks he will get the visa if he pretends to be the uncle of Kim's half-American child. Kim, Tam and the Engineer travel to Bangkok, where Chris also arrives with his wife Ellen after receiving news that Kim is alive and has had his son. Kim wants to send Tam to America with his father, but Chris and especially Ellen think it's a better idea if they support Kim and Tam financially in Bangkok. Kim is so desperate for her son to have a better life in America that she shoots herself. 

2.  How did you discover the musical you picked (hereinafter referred to as "your musical")?

I first got obsessed with Les Misérables and then found out that Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg had made other musicals too. I found the Original London Cast recording and fell in love.

3.  If you had to pick three favorite songs from your musical, which ones would they be?

Oh dear, only three songs from a score where at least every other song is my favourite? Okay, I'll try...

• The Last Night of the World, a beautiful love duet by Kim and Chris
• This Is The Hour, a stunning ensemble number, the harmonies give me chills every time
• The Movie In My Mind, a duet by Kim and Gigi, another bar girl

I'll be discussing more of my favourite songs somewhere during the week...

4.  What's your least favorite song from your musical?

I don't think any of the songs are bad, but the one I definitely like the least is The American Dream, sung by the Engineer near the end of the show. He sings about how he's going to make a fortune in America, which he basically said already somewhere earlier. The way he talks about his mother and father's professions is really quite disgusting and the composition isn't as memorable as in the other songs. 

5.  Who are your favorite characters (choose up to three)?

Kim, because she is such a well-developed character and has so many great songs. It's probably one of the hardest musical roles to cast – the original London production's auditions went on for a long time before Lea Salonga was found, and even now they're still looking for a Kim for the London revival.

Gigi, because she's an interesting character too even though she doesn't have much stage time. First she appears to be completely hardened by life, teasing Kim with the other girls. Then she starts singing The Movie In My Mind and reveals the hope she still has in her heart even though she knows it's foolish.

Ellen, because she is in such a difficult position regarding Chris and Kim. It would be easy to hate her for "taking Chris away" from Kim, but I can't because Ellen suffers from the situation too. I think her solo Now That I've Seen Her is great. It has been replaced by a new song Maybe, and I can't wait to see if I can like that song too.

6.  Which versions of your musical have you seen/listened to, and which is your favorite?

Unfortunately I haven't seen Miss Saigon on stage at all yet. There was a production in Finland in 2004, but I wasn't such a musical freak back then so I didn't know anything about it. Only two cast recordings exist: the Original London Cast recording and the Complete Symphonic Recording. I like the first one better, because Lea Salonga and Simon Bowman are so amazing as Kim and Chris.

7.   Is this your favorite musical of all time?  If not, what is?

It's definitely in my Top Ten list, but not the ultimate favourite. That is... Les Misérables!

8.   Which cast album/musical soundtrack in your collection do you listen to the most?

I haven't really kept track of that... Lately, I've been listening to the Miss Saigon OLC a lot to get inspired for this blog party. The Les Mis 25th Anniversary Tour recording is definitely one of my favourite cast recordings which I listen to a lot. 

9.   What is your favorite costume from your musical?

Actually, Miss Saigon isn't filled with lovely costumes like The Phantom of the Opera, My Fair Lady and such. Most of the men wear army uniforms and most of the women wear, well, skimpy clothes. Kim wears something tattered and unattrctive most of the time. However, there is one scene where she gets to dress up nicely – the wedding scene. I couldn't find a better picture of it, but here you can see Kim, kneeling in that white dress:

10.  If you could change anything about your musical, what would you change?

I would want to make it clearer that Chris was just as devastated about being parted from his beloved as Kim was, and that he only married Ellen after losing all hope of being reunited with Kim. Chris gets a lot of hate from fans because people think he married Ellen without looking back and forgot all about Kim. I think it would be good for him to have a proper solo in the second act, either right after he finds out he has a son, or when he has arrived in Bangkok. He could sing about what his life was like after he left Kim behind, and what led to his marriage with Ellen. 

11.  Which role(s) would you most like to play in any musical, if you had the opportunity to do so on stage?

I think Éponine is my number one dream role in a musical! She has great songs and gets to die on stage after singing a touching duet with Marius, and then gets carried off by singing young men. Not bad at all! And I really like that hat she wears.

Another great role to play would be Eliza Doolittle. She's such a funny character, and quite demanding too as you'd have to portray both the Cockney-speaking flower seller and the "fair lady" she becomes. I love all the four solo songs she has!

I've been planning a separate "My Dream Roles In Musicals" post so I won't go on about this forever, but other great roles to play would be Maureen Johnson in RENT, Nancy in Oliver! and Ilse in Spring Awakening. Just to name a few...

12.  If you could choose one performer to play any part in your musical, who would you choose and which part would you have them play?

I really have just one wish about the upcoming West End revival: Please, please, please have Gareth Gates play Chris! I absolutely adored his voice as Marius on the Les Mis 25th Anniversary Tour recording, and I think he could express Chris perfectly! He's even sung Chris' solo Why God Why!

13.  Do you consider yourself a musical theatre fan in general or do you just like a few musicals?

Musical theatre as a form of art is pure awesomeness! Alright there's bound to be some musicals that I don't like that much, but not very many!

14.  Are you tired of the word "musical" yet?

No I'm not, and I never will be!


15.  Turn your music playing device on shuffle (or utilize Pandora if you don't have one) and tell us the names of the first three show tunes that come up-- no cheating!  How do these rank on your favorites/most-listened-to list?

• The Bitch Of Living from Spring Awakening – I listen to Spring Awakening from time to time. It's not one of my absolute favourite musicals but there are some things I really like about it. This song is angsty in a really funny kind of way... Or maybe it's just my weird sense of humour.
• Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat – It's an OK song, nice and mellow. Again, this isn't on my favourite musicals list, I think it's weird though kind of fun too.
• Sympathy, Tenderness from Jekyll & Hyde – I discovered this musical quite recently, haven't listened to the cast recording enough yet to really give my proper opinion about the songs. This one does have an interesting, eerie atmosphere.

So the blog party has begun... Have a great week with musicals everyone!

Announcements!! Celebrate Musicals Week & Six Months Anniversary!

Today, I'll go off-topic from what I usually blog about to make some important announcements. Read on so you'll know what will be happening in Music & My Mind!

Item one (à la Julie Andrews' Mary Poppins): I will be participating in the Celebrate Musicals Week blog party, hosted by Miss Dashwood. You can use the link or the blog button in the sidebar to see all the details, but basically it means that from September 23rd to 28th I'll be devoting my blog to one musical, which will be... Miss Saigon! Because it is one of the most beautiful stories ever, has some amazing songs and it's coming back to the West End next year! I can't review a stage version or a movie version because the first I didn't get to see on its first West End run, and the second doesn't exist yet. I haven't quite decided what my Miss Saigon posts will be, but it's safe to say I'll be sharing my favourite songs and some videos, and Ms Lea Salonga simply has to be mentioned where Miss Saigon is concerned.

Item two: The six months anniversary of Music & My Mind is approaching! The fact that the number of page views has increased by a thousand at an astonishing speed has convinced me that some people in the world actually read this blog, so I want to celebrate in a way that you readers can participate! And better yet, you'll be able to help me improve my blog, because I'm going to ask you really nicely to make a review of it. However, you don't have to start worrying about that just now. The six months anniversary takes place on the 15th of October (I'm counting from the day I published my first post, about Nicholas Nickleby) so somewhere about a week in advance, I'll be making another post and giving you some review questions to answer. I hope you'll take the tiny little trouble of completing the review, it would mean really much to me to know how readers feel about Music & My Mind. And remember, even if you've never ever written a comment here before, you are still more than welcome to review!

Bye for now! I'm off to prepare my Miss Saigon posts...

Movie musicals: Les Misérables

First up on my long list of movie musicals is the most recent one: Les Misérables, directed by Tom Hooper. A movie version of the widely popular musical had been under discussion since the late 80s but became reality in 2012. Earlier, not-sung movie adaptations of Victor Hugo's epic had been famously disapproved by the Mizzie fandom – with good reason.

I was very excited when it was announced that Tom Hooper would be directing the film, because I liked The King's Speech a lot and got the impression that he had a distinctive, realistic style. I was even more convinced of that when I heard that all the singing would be done live.

Before I go on, I should probably give a warning that most of what follows will probably be just an incoherent jumble of names and song titles for someone who hasn't seen the movie and/or doesn't know anything about the musical. Some plot details will also be discussed.

Les Misérables premiered in Finland on February 22nd. I saw it that day, and again in less than a week's time. And then two times more. That's the first time I've ever bothered to see a movie in the movie theater more than twice, and that's because Les Mis is such a huge experience. Not huge in the sense that is usually associated with musicals – no bright colours (except Enjolras' coat and flag...), no shiny costumes, no massive dance numbers – but there was so much to see, to hear, and especially to feel, that it was impossible to appreciate every aspect of it at the first watch.

I'm even having a hard time writing this post because I don't know where to begin! Alright, I'll start with the main character – Jean Valjean, played by Hugh Jackman. Jean Valjean has got to be one of the most challenging male lead roles in the musical theatre world, considering the requirements of vocal range (crazy high note alert!) as well as acting skills. The ability of carrying around an unconscious grown-up man is also needed. He's on stage (or screen) for almost the entire time, so if the portrayal of Jean Valjean goes somehow wrong, it pretty much ruins most of Les Mis. I have great respect to any man on Earth who can make a good Jean Valjean.

While it was quite clear that Hugh Jackman might not be the Tenor with a big T who can sing Bring Him Home like it's a piece of cake, I found his ability to act through singing very captivating. He really gave me chills as convict-Valjean in the beginning, and every time he came face to face with Russell Crowe's Javert. Speaking of Crowe – I know there's one or two people who will agree with me on this, but I loved his singing voice and I always imagined Javert as the kind of person who doesn't express emotions very strongly, which I think is exactly what Crowe did with the role.

I was happy with most of the main actors really. Eddie Redmayne as Marius and Samantha Barks as Éponine had such lovely voices and went so well together that it was really a shame that their duet, A Little Fall of Rain, was cut down so much, especially as it's potentially my favourite song in the musical. Speaking of Barks, I really liked how they cast West End performers as well as those big Hollywood names. If I have my facts correct, the student revolutionaries are all West End boys, led by Aaron Tveit who has performed on Broadway.

There was another really sad cutting-down in addition to ALFOR, and that was Drink With Me. It is one of the most touching moments in the musical, and I really have a soft spot for all the student boys' group songs. I guess it was, together with the womens' Turning after the barricade falls and Thénardier's creepy song in the sewers, one of those songs that just had to be sacrificed a little in order to keep the plot moving on and not stretch the movie into four hours. But I'm still sad...

Okay, back to the actors that I liked (I can see that this is going to be the most incoherent blog post in the history of the Universe). There are no words in the world to express how it warms my Mizzie heart to see Colm Wilkinson, the original 1985 Jean Valjean, as the bishop who shows the way to the "new" Jean Valjean. And though I kind of missed the lovely Fantine&Éponine harmonies in the end, it was the bishop's rightful place to be there.

There were some other little differences between the movie and the stage musical, and as uncritical as this is going to sound, I didn't find any of these changes disturbing. For example, Fantine's I Dreamed A Dream gets into a whole different level of anguish when it's sung after she becomes a prostitute. Speaking of Fantine, I have to say that Anne Hathaway surprised the heck out of me, having only seen her in a couple of very light, comedic roles. That woman definitely deserved her Academy Award.

There were two little scenes that are not in the stage musical and which I think served the plot wonderfully. The first one happens in the very beginning, when Jean Valjean is is still a convict and Javert asks him to "Retrieve the flag", which displays Valjean's famously inhuman strength and makes the Fauchelevent rescue and Javert's suspicions about his identity much more understandable. The other little addition that I liked is actually showing that Valjean and Cosette escape to a convent after Valjean takes Cosette away from the Thénardiers – instead of them just disappearing somewhere and re-emerging ten years later in Look Down. 

From Look Down, I can make another "smooth" transition to Gavroche (played by Daniel Huttlestone), to whom I paid special attention when I last saw the film. The setting for his verses in Look Down worked really well; his jumping in an out of the disapproving bourgeois carriages expressed the "Paris is my playground" kind of thing that is so essentially Gavroche. And the line This is a land that fought for liberty, now when we fight we fight for bread gives me chills every time I hear it. Such a big idea dressed into a couple of simple words – lyric-writing at its best.

So, I've been pretty much praising all the actors and the changes that were made from stage to screen. But, to assure that I haven't been watching this movie through rosy-pink glasses, there is one thing that, after the couple of first times that I watched through, caught my attention in the not-most-positive way. That thing was the Thénardier couple. Yes, they gave me some seriously good laughs throughout the film and of course they are meant to serve as the occasional comic relief, but I'm starting to think that Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen didn't quite succeed in it in the Thénardier way. Seeing Sweeney Todd a couple of weeks ago kind of lessened my respect for Bonham Carter's portrayal of Madame Thénardier because it seemed to me like she was doing the same thing as she did with Mrs Lovett. And Sacha Baron Cohen did... the Sacha Baron Cohen thing. What was that accent he used? Not French, I think...

All in all, I must thank Tom Hooper and the entire production team for what they did with my favourite musical, and the actors for the dedication they obviously showed to their roles. I was in fact so excited by this movie that I watched the Academy Awards ceremony for the first time in my life, and I might have squealed for joy when Les Mis got its well-deserved award for sound mixing. I can't wait to order the DVD and to watch this movie at home. Or, even better, at my parents' home where they have the surround sound system.

Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men...?