#olc

WHERE IS MY OXFORD LATIN COURSE REPRESENTATION

Scintilla cenam parat

Argus intrat

Argus cenam rapit

I’m Belle Belle Belle the sleeping car.

Original London Cast Recording, 1985

Colm Wilkinson (Jean Valjean), Roger Allam (Javert), Patti LuPone (Fantine), Alun Armstrong (Thénardier), Sue Jane Tanner (Mme. Thénardier), Frances Ruffelle (Éponine), Michael Ball (Marius), David Burt (Enjolras), Rebecca Caine (Cosette)

The beginning of “Look Down.”

That’s right. My moment doesn’t involve Colm Wilkinson, Patti LuPone, Michael Ball, or any of the other leads. It’s the opening verse of “Look Down,” because the way it’s performed sums up the tone of the OLC recording. The tempo is slower than it would later become on Broadway, and the beggars sing their pleas in an intimate, understated way. It doesn’t sound like a grand chorus in a mega-musical: it sounds like real homeless people on the street quietly begging for help. The prevalence of rough-sounding, unpolished voices among them enhances this quality. At this point, the show wasn’t Les Miz, The World’s Most Popular Musical, it was just Les Misérables, A Musical, as its original poster read. Not a polished, mass-produced theatrical hit, but an intimate, gritty, earnest new adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel. At least that’s the impression the OLC recording creates for me, and the slower, more understated rendition of “Look Down” typifies it.

Honorable Mention:

*The full version of "Little People." I understand why it was cut, but I do enjoy it.

How To Talk To Tall People

Ft. Hana (by @sleepyxleaf) and Yume (by me)