#valjean

LOOK DOWN/PROLOGUE:

They staged it as an actual galley! On a ship! The prisoners were all rowing, and in red, with Javert on the top of the deck facing ominously upstage.

The ensemble KILLED IT as always. I always adore how this song features the ensemble members, and this time was no exception. The “sun is strong it's hot as hell below” guy baritone-belted it gorgeously and with all the fury of a World Cup fan experiencing US heat/humidity for the first time 😅

At Valjean’s “yes it means I'm free,” both guards holding him threw him violently to the ground. OUCH.

Right after his release, when he ventures into town, three kids (the actors for little Cosette, Eponine, and Gavroche) are chasing each other happily across the square, yelling “You can't catch me!/Yes I can!” and Valjean just watches them wistfully and you know he's thinking of his niblings 😭

But then after several rejections and being stiffed by the guy who he got the day labor job from, he's visibly exasperated, and Petit-Gervais happens!!!! Like, in the space of four seconds, the kid walks by tossing a coin in the air, Valjean catches it, then growls at the kid when he asks for it back.

After he asks for a room or any place to sleep and is denied, he still takes just one step forward hoping to enter, and five townspeople just. Beat him up. Then Myriel a few seconds later approaches him with “Come in sir for you are weary” and Valjean just pulls back without looking at him, putting a hand up as if to ward off another blow. 🥺

When the guards catch him with the silver, Valjean slumps to the ground and curls in on himself and doesn't raise his head until full halfway into the Bishop’s speech.

When Myriel gives him the silver, Valjean tries to give it back three separate times, and when the Bishop leaves, he drops it and scoots quickly away from it in fear. 😭 I definitely almost cried during this entire scene 💔

AT THE END OF THE DAY:

I have never seen a Victurnien actress hurl their entire self into the role like this one did. (Paige McNamara I think?) She was gleeful, vindictive, exuberant, almost playful, and when Fantine was dismissed, she was the last to leave the scene, pointing at Fantine and cackling. Legendary ensemble member no notes!!!

I DREAMED A DREAM and VALJEAN'S SOLILOQUY:

Lindsay Heather Pearce was the best Fantine I've ever heard! Absolutely soaring. And Nick Cartell as Valjean? RESPLENDENT.

But the experience was diminished a bit (as were almost all the solo songs unfortunately) by my seatmates, an elderly couple who were not too aware of theatre etiquette. Neither of them had seen the show before, yet the husband spent most of the show checking sports stats on his phone, and the wife, though I could relate to her enthusiasm, expressed it by waving her arms to the music like a conductor and humming along to all the solo songs, though she didn't know most of the tune. I didn't say anything, because she was elderly, and you never know if someone has a disability, and I didn't want to interrupt her enjoyment, but I confess it did interrupt my enjoyment a bit. She did get some looks from people around her, and I looked questioningly at the husband a couple times wondering if he'd say anything to her, but he didn't. The effect was a bit like watching a musical while one of those car wash inflatable tube-men fails about in your peripheral vision. 😅 But i took out my hearing aid on that side which helped with the humming somewhat!

LOVELY LADIES -

There were some added lyrics I hadn't heard before in this! One of the sex workers is lamenting that she feels sick and sore, and a client basically walks up and tells her she'd be prettier if she smiled. 😬

The worker who recruits Fantine with the weary “You're no grander than the rest of us” says it so gently, putting an arm around Fantine as she guides her over. Solidarity yay! 🩷

FANTINE’S ARREST -

Hayden Tee was the most amazing Javert!!!! But whooo he was truly terrifying Javert here. Like, I love Javert. But eek! I wanted to grab Fantine and spirit her away.

When Bamatabois does his asshole thing, some of the women try to help Fantine! But then they get shooed away by the pimp 😔

At “You let your foreman send me away!” Fantine grabs Valjean’s lapels and shout-sings this into his face! Yay for letting Fantine be ANGRY! And Valjean just lets her, putting a hand up to stop Javert who is about to lunge at her like an attack dog when she does this, and then picks her up effortlessly and gently hands her to a confused guard who carries her offstage.

RUNAWAY CART -

Okay this was an AMAZING set. Like, this cart was towering. It must have been the weight of a car.

Javert helps Valjean up after he lifts the cart, and then just freezes, recognizing him.

FANTINE’S DEATH -

Sister Simplice cameo!!!! I was so excited!!!! Instantly thought of the brilliant fics by @neroushalvaus and @ruedesfillescalvaire

CONFRONTATION -

Incredible throughout, but shout out especially to the moment when Valjean and Javert sing “I will be there” with the most INTENSE stare at each other throughout, and then hold each other's gaze for a full three seconds before Valjean proceeds to punch his lights out.

MASTER OF THE HOUSE/WALTZ OF TREACHERY -

This song had my singular favorite Mme Thenardier moment I have ever seen. On seeing Cosette come through the door with the water bucket, Mme Thenardier starts to yell “Where the hell have you been” but upon seeing Valjean she immediately changes demeanor, so it goes: “Where the HELL…o, Monsieur!” 😂😂😂 I died.

THE ROBBERY -

So this is my favorite Javert part in the French soundtrack, Dit-Moi ce Qui Se Passe, and it was amazing here.

When Javert comes in and asks “Was there a witness to this, we'll let him speak to Javert!” Marius awkwardly raises his hand in the background and keeps it up for a full thirty seconds while Javert ignores him 😆

At “everyone about your business clear this garbage off the street!” Gavroche is following Javert and mimicking him, with a twig as a little baton, and when Javert turns around to face him, he makes a little mock-salute and then scampers off! The cutest.

The Gorbeau house set piece was gorgeous??? They really got the cramped feeling.

STARS -

Absolutely stellar, pun fully intended 🌟

Though somewhat diminished by the off-key seatmate 😔

RED AND BLACK/DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING -

After Marius does his whole gushing about Cosette and “the color of despairrrr” he seems a bit awkward and unsure (Peter Neureuther was a wonderfully book-accurate Marius by the way) until Enjolras hands him the flag and he looks relieved to have something to do and waves it enthusiastically in the background til the end of the song 😆

IN MY LIFE/HEART FULL OF LOVE -

Marius actually scales the very tall garden gate in this song to approach Cosette’s window and tosses pebbles at it til she appears

They balcony-scene it for a while until “A heart full of song” when Cosette disappears from the window and Marius facepalms and laments “I'm doing everything all wrong!!!” only for Cosette to then appear at the door as he looks absolutely relieved

PLUMET ATTACK -

This is always my favorite Eponine part “There's nothing here for youuuuu!!!” and she rocked as always

After Thenardier goes “you'll rue this night” and audibly slaps Eponine, Marius rushes in with Cosette, Cosette hastens to help her up, and they both just freeze for a moment, recognizing each other

ONE DAY MORE -

Props to the lighting designer on this, it was beautiful - as each character appears, they get their own intense spotlight, so it starts with Valjean alone on the stage and ends with the whole stage flooded with light

BARRICADE -

When spy!Javert volunteers, Enjolras claps him on the shoulder and looks so proud, like see the people ARE joining us!

When Eponine brings the letter to Valjean, he's so fatherly to her, putting a hand on her shoulder as she turns to go and sounding so gentle/concerned at “be careful now stay out of sight/there's danger in the streets tonight” and it really hits home that this is the father she COULD have had. I need an AU now where Valjean adopts all the kids, not just Cosette 🥺

When Valjean reads the letter he goes “Now that I know that you love me… (pause) as WELL… (even longer pause) with the vibe of a dad accidentally seeing his daughter's text messages

JAVERT AT THE BARRICADE -

I love seeing the way each Javert interprets the line “Don't understand” - Hayden does it so softly, almost breathless as if it rocked him to his core, right into a desperate snarled “Valjean take care I'm warning you!”

Valjean keeps the rifle pointed at Javert the entire scene, even as he leaves, and it is SO tense. He doesn't raise it to shoot at the sky until after he exits.

DRINK WITH ME -

At “could it be your death means nothing at all” Grantaire desperately grabs Enjolras’ arm to make him understand, but Enjolras just puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder and Grantaire sees it's no use and retreats to the wall to slump with his head against it, utterly defeated 🥺 But then Gavroche comes over and tightly hugs his knees and Grantaire picks him up 🥺 They have such a good brotherly relationship in this!

THE FINAL BATTLE -

When Gavroche dies, someone hands him to Grantaire who just stands there numbly holding Gavroche in his arms for most of the song until “let others rise to take our place” when he falls to his knees in tears and gently lays Gavroche on the ground and goes to join Enjolras in “til the earth is free” 😭

JAVERT’S SOLILOQUY -

INCREDIBLE

He sounds absolutely desperate and torn apart throughout

At “No way to go on” we see the classic blue wavy underwater light, but then the fog machine releases a burst and the blue lights turn dark so it looks like Javert is being sucked into an abyssal black vortex. I gasped.

EMPTY CHAIRS AT EMPTY TABLES -

It's always interesting to see how productions handle ghost!Amis in this - if they include them and what they have them do - here, they have them enter from the shadows halfway through the song and they raise glasses to Marius, who does not see them, and they retreat back into the darkness with an interesting little dance-step

VALJEAN'S CONFESSION -

In a production full of gut-wrenching Valjean moments this was possibly the most heartbreaking - when he is confessing to Marius, Valjean gets up from the chair to pace a bit, and at one point he crosses behind Marius and his walk slows and he drags his leg as if he is weighed down again by the chain. OUCH. 😭

BEGGARS AT THE FEAST -

I've heard many productions do this but this was the first I'd seen it on stage - at “take this,” Marius DECKS Thenardier in the face! Loved it!!!!

I didn't see any cute curtain-call moments because I hightailed it to the bathroom at the last notes and then booked it around the back of the opera house to the stage door to try to catch Valjean and Javert to give them the silly bead thems, but recognizing out-of-costume actors with face-blindness doomed me and I missed them both - but thankfully the very kind stage manager agreed to give them to them that night ☺️

Jordanjean gives me cuteness aggression

Now with beadguette