Say, Do You Hear the Distant Drums?

2003 Berlin soundboard

Olegg Vynnyk (Jean Valjean), Uwe Kröger (Javert), Ann-Christin Elverum (Fantine), Ulrich Wiggers (Thénardier), Heike Schmitz (Mme. Thénardier), Vera Bolton (Éponine), Lucius Wolter (Marius), Martin Pasching (Enjolras), Valerie Link (Cosette)

Olegg Vynnyk's "Geh" ("Go") at the end of the scene of Javert's release.

I never expected the standout moment of this audio recording to be a single-syllable spoken word, but it is. It isn't fierce or impatient the way it usually is in other performances: this Valjean says it in a calm, encouraging tone, which reinforces that he's setting Javert free with no reluctance or ill-will, fully accepting the fact that he'll arrest him when they meet again. Lest you think this delivery would make him a "plaster saint," however, it doesn't. Earlier in the scene, he does sound impatient on (the German equivalent of) "Clear out of here!" and on "...no bargains or petitions!" His arrival at total grace by the end of the scene is a journey. Within these few moments, he takes us through that journey subtly yet vividly, and ends it so effectively.

Honorable Mentions

*Vynnyk's Valjean gives an especially passionate rendition of "Valjean's Soliloquy," which includes lets out a short anguished cry before launching into the song, then hyperventilating just before "But why did I allow this man..." and again between lines on "One word from him and I'd be back..."

*Ann-Christin Elverum's Fantine is slightly giggly, in a poignant way. She seems to have noticed how often Fantine laughs in the novel – either in genuine pleasure, in defiance, or in near-hysteria – and incorporated it into her performance. First there's her wistful little laugh just before "Then I was young and unafraid..." Then comes a bitter laugh/sob just before "And still I dream he'll come to me..." Later, in Bamatabois's clutches, she tries to make light of things at first, and delivers "No, no, M'sieur, let me go!" with a laugh. Finally, she laughs a tiny bit as she sings to Cosette on her deathbed, and again on "And tell Cosette I love her..."

*The prostitute in "Lovely Ladies" who sings "Come on, dearie, why all the fuss?" She doesn't sound hardened: she sounds utterly vulnerable and broken, as if she was driven to the streets by desperation like Fantine's and is sadly urging Fantine to resign herself to her fate the same way she has.

*Two details from Ulrich Wiggers' Thénardier. First, he sneezes in the intro to "Master of the House": from video footage I've found, the visual gag was that he sneezed in his wife's face, disgusting boor that he is. Second, after Valjean sings "Fantine's suffering is over," he whispers "Wer?" ("Who?") to his wife. He's spent the last few years driving Fantine to ruin with demands for money, yet he doesn't remember her name!

*In "Look Down," the woman who sings "In the Lord's holy name!" delivers it as the most anguished, melodramatic wail.

*The fierceness in "Little People" with which Gavroche growls out "...when the pup grows up!"

Even though it's been more than a month since I saw this performance, in honor of Barricade Day I decided to finally share some quick thoughts.

This was one of the rare times I've visited downtown San José at a time of year other than Christmas, and my first time seeing a performance at the Center for the Performing Arts that wasn't The Nutcracker (which I've seen there twice). But I knew I had to go, because it would be my last chance to see the current US tour of Les Mis before its closing in June.

Nick Cartell (Jean Valjean): I could hardly have asked for a better performer to carry the show. His voice, physical presence, and range of emotions were all fantastic. His nearly nine years of touring in the role have definitely paid off.

Hayden Tee (Javert): A true standout performance: a fierce, commanding characterization and a rich, piercing baritone voice. Some of his intonation was a little bit "cartoon villain"-like, but still, he thrilled the whole audience, and I was no exception.

Lindsay Heather Pierce (Fantine): A beautiful voice and just the right balance between passion, vulnerability, and strength. She was also the first Fantine i've seen to truly seem gravely ill from the end of "Lovely Ladies" onward.

Matt Crowle (Thénardier): I liked him better than the last time I saw him; a little cartoonish, yes, but appropriately ferret-like and nasty.

Victoria Huston-Elem (Mme. Thénardier): An effective Thénardiess, both mean and funny without being too caricatured.

Peter Neureuther (Marius): A solid, likable Marius – more strong-willed and masculine than many other portrayals, but without being too aggressive and still capturing the character's innocence.

Christian Mark Gibbs (Enjolras): Fantastic. A gorgeous voice, and he embodied Hugo's character with his dignity and passion. At times he seemed ever-so-slightly crazed in his fanaticism, but in a way that I thought suited Hugo's description of Enjolras's wildness.

Mikako Martin (Éponine u/s): A sympathetic, tough yet tender Éponine; not the most memorable, but fully adequate.

Alexa Lopez (Cosette): Excellent. A beautiful voice and a sweet, heartfelt characterization.

Kyle Adams (Grantaire): One of the twinkiest Grantaires I've seen, with the most gorgeous long blond hair, but despite looking completely different from how I think most of us imagine Grantaire, he was excellent. Great interactions with Enjolras and Gavroche.

The child actors and the ensemble were all excellent too.

Obviously this is a question about the novel, not the musical.

When Fantine thinks "Monsieur Madeleine" has gone to Montfermeil to bring Cosette back to her (really he's gone to Champmathieu's trial to confess his identity as Jean Valjean), her condition improves for the first time since she came to the infirmary. She feels livelier, her appetite comes back, and when the doctor examines her, he finds that all her symptoms have decreased. He expresses hope that if she really does get her daughter back, then despite the advanced stage of her illness, she might survive.

Now, on the one hand, it's a doctor who expresses this hope. But on the other hand, this is a small-town doctor in the 1820s. And Hugo knew full well that in the last few days or weeks before death, patients often seem to improve or show brief resurgences of strength – he describes that phenomenon during Jean Valjean's death scene at the end. Doctors and hospice nurses call it "the rally," and warn family members not to get their hopes up that it means their loved one will recover after all, because really it means death is near.

2003 Broadway video bootleg

Andrew Varela (u/s Jean Valjean), Terrence Mann (Javert), Jayne Patterson (Fantine), Nick Wyman (Thénardier), Aymee Garcia (Mme. Thénardier), Diana Kaarina (Éponine), Kevin Kern (Marius), Christopher Mark Patterson (Enjolras), Sandra Turley (Cosette)

Terrence Mann gets up-close and personal with Fantine

Apparently, this bootleg has a bit of a reputation, as the "Drunk Javert" video. I can understand that nickname, although I don't know if Terrence Mann was actually drunk or just gave a remarkably eccentric, neurotic performance. But while most fans seem to give his high-strung rendition of "Stars" the most attention, for me the standout moment comes earlier, in "Fantine's Arrest." As he sings "Honest work, just reward..." he bends down next to Fantine, puts his hands on her shoulders, pulls her close to him, and delivers his lines as if he were giving her intimate advice: e.g. "Between you and me, girl, if you want to please the Lord, get an honest job." He even gently pats her shoulder for emphasis at the end... but then gives her a disdainful shove as he stand up and signals to the constables to arrest her. It's skin-crawlingly condescending and an oddly humanizing moment for Javert at the same time, and for most Javerts it would be out of character, but here it's fascinating.

Honorable Mentions

*On "Freedom is mine..." Andrew Varela's Valjean is disbelieving at first, but then gradually builds into ecstasy on "And the sky clears!" throwing his arms wide.

*In "Confrontation," when Valjean threatens Javert with the chair leg, Javert does the same with his nightstick, and for an instant they stand still, the tension of "Who will strike first?" hanging in the air. But I've seen other Valjeans and Javerts do this – it isn't the standout. The standout is that as they do it, Javert makes a beckoning, "Bring it on!" gesture with his free hand to taunt Valjean. Then he does it again after "I swear to you, I will be there."

*"Stars" in all its odd, neurotic glory.

2002 Mexico City proshot video

Carlos Vittori (Jean Valjean), Luis René Auguirre (Javert), Pia Aún (Fantine), Roberto Blandón (Thénardier), Laura Cortés (Mme. Thénardier), Natalia Sosa (Éponine), Rodrigo de la Rosa (u/s Marius), Leonardo Luiz (Enjolras), Claudia Cota (Cosette)

Claudia Cota's "In my life I'm no longer a child..."

Yes, I chose the same moment I did for the soundboard, because Claudia Cota does even more with it visually than she does vocally. She's quickly become one of my favorite Cosettes, who infuses the role with so much warmth and feeling. And (the Spanish equivalent of) "In my life I'm no longer a child..." is her most unique moment; not only the passage itself, but what comes after it. Her plea to Valjean is truly desperate and yearning, and by the last few words, she's on the verge of tears. Then when Carlos Vittori's Valjean gently and kindly sings "You will learn," she brightens up, thinking she's going to tell her everything then and there. But when she realizes he means later, not now, she deflates, and turns away from him in disappointment and anger. It takes some gentle coaxing from Valjean on "...in our time, in our turn" to get her to look at him again. But finally she does, so at least the scene seems to end on a note of affectionate resignation.

Honorable Mentions

*Carlos Vittori's whole "Freedom is mine..." monologue carries a hint of belligerence and pride, as if on some level the entire speech were defiance to his jailers: i.e. "Ha! You couldn't contain me forever! Now I'm free and a new world is dawning for me!" This is different from his 2000 Argentina performance, which was more gently awestruck that he was finally free.

*In "At the End of the Day," the Foreman's (Spanish equivalent of) "Right, my girl! On your way!" is neither shouted, nor barked, nor whispered with cold fury, but spoken with a mock-polite smile. Similar to Michael Jibson's delivery in the 2012 film, but with even more of a sarcastic gentlemanly air.

*After Pia Aún's Fantine spits in Valjean's face, she instantly ducks down like a frightened dog and shields herself with her hand, as if she expects to be hit for what she just did.

*In "The Runaway Cart," the people in the crowd grab Valjean and physically restrain from trying to rescue Fauchelevant, forcing him to wrench away from them.

*In "Waltz of Treachery," Laura Cortez's Mme. Thénardier hams up her anguish about Cosette's "sickliness" and how much money it "cost" them, falling to her knees in front of Valjean on (the Spanish equivalent of) "Medicines are expensive, M'sieur!"

*In "The Robbery," when Marius bumps into Cosette and knocks the blanket she's carrying out of her hands, he kneels down to pick it up and hand it back to her while she remains standing. For a moment he stays frozen in that position as he gazes in awe at her lovely face, so it looks almost like he's instantly proposing to her.

*After Valjean gives money to the disguised Thénardier, Cosette adoringly rests her head on Valjean's shoulder. She loves her Papa so much and is so proud of his kindness and generosity.

*Montparnasse's short scene with Éponine at the beginning of "Attack on Rue Plumet" is uncut (like the 2001 São Paulo production, this production makes some of the 2000 cuts, but not all), and Montparnasse sings his whole passage with his hand clamped over Éponine's mouth, either keep her from alerting anyone to his presence or else just to be kinky.

*In "Drink With Me," on "Here's to pretty girls who went to our heads," Prouvaire hurries over to one of the women, falls to his knees before her, and caresses her skirt in mock-romantic ardor. She laughingly brushes him off.

*Also in "Drink With Me," Grantaire is especially drunk and wild in his solo; as he sings, he stands up to face Enjolras, and on "Can it be your death means nothing at all?" he gives his shoulder two mock-friendly pats, and then an angry little shove. At the end of the verse, he falls down on the ground laughing; even during Marius's lines, he's still giggling to himself and trying to coax a few last drops from his empty bottle. Enjolras dignifies none of this with a response.

*Another detail from Claudia's Cosette: in "Every Day," she boops Marius's nose on "At your call."

*In the wedding scene, Roberto Blandón's Thénardier gargles audibly with his wine just before Marius sings "Go away, Thénardier!" and then does a spit take upon being recognized.

I took a break for the holiday season (since that's not a good time for focusing on misery) and then had a hard time motivating myself to go back amid the chaos of this new year. But now I'm ready!