Hey, Moon.: Staging the Stage

My copy of Miss Saigon's Original London Cast Recording and the 1998 filmed London production of CATS used to be the only things that I have of musicals. But after watching the following two 25th anniversary performances at the comfort of my home, I have ventured into the awe-inspiring world of West End musical theater.

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011)

This filmed performance of one the world's most popular musical is a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterpiece, with lyrics by Charles Hart. I stumbled upon it when searching for the Original London Cast Recording of The Phantom of the Opera. Like most people perhaps, my knowledge of this musical came mostly from the 2004 film adaptation, though I do have a copy of Gaston Leroux's novel and has been re-reading it for years.

This, if I may say so, legitimate theater performance at the Royal Albert Hall is remarkably different from the movie version I know. Set in the late 1800s in the Opera Populaire of Paris, the musical features the story of the vicious genius dubbed as the Phantom (Ramin Karimloo), his protégée and love interest, Christine Daaé (Sierra Boggess), and her young aristocrat childhood sweetheart, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny (Hadley Fraser).

A delectable feast for the eyes, the performance showcased the virtually unaltered original 1986 production design of Maria Bjornson and direction by Harold Prince. With powerful rendition by the West End and Broadway stars Karimloo, Boggess and Fraser, as well as the rest of the ensemble, this classic tale of music, romance, falling chandeliers, and murders captivated the audience to the spectacle of the world of opera and 19th century Paris. What fascinated me most about the theater performance (as opposed to the movie version) is its ability to entrance the viewers with the opera numbers within the musical, making them both the audience and a part of the story itself.

If only I am not living on the other side of the world, I would have gone to see this kind of real performance on stage. I could not say so much about Karimloo and Boggess except that they were both exceptional. I loved them. I am no expert in music but I think Karimloo offered a multilayered characterization for the genius of Phantom--violent, caring, helpless, tempestous, misunderstood--utilizing a wide array of voice techniques. His torment from the loss of his love was so heartbreaking I was sobbing uncontrollably at the Final Lair scene.

I think Boggess brilliantly depicted the complexity of Christine, from being a helpless ingénue entranced by her perceived supernatural music teacher, to her struggle between acquiring the virtuoso of the Phantom and what was expected of her (especially by her lover Vicomte de Chagny), to discovering her power over both the Phantom and the Vicomte. Sierra Boggess was simply amazing--her Wishing You Were Somehow Here captured the agony and hope of Christine.

However, I think, the most startling character for me in this performance is Raoul de Chagny. What I know of this character, apart from the cannon book version, was Patrick Wilson's portrayal in the 2004 movie--soft-spoken, subdued and gentle towards his love Christine. Fraser's Raoul, on the other hand, was kind of belligerent, and wont to be impatient. He seemed to be matching the enigma that was the Phantom, and steered the most unsettling situation to his control. He appeared to me to be strong and no non-sense. Despite this, he was still indulgent and enamored with Christine, and All I Ask of You couldn't be anymore romantic and touching.

The Manila leg of the touring South African production couldn't be any more timely. I seriously couldn't wait to see it live this August or September, and I don't think I could forgive myself if I missed this chance, the way I did when CATS was presented here in 2010.

Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Arena (2010)

Both the book and the musical version by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil are as awesome and brilliant as I was made to believe they are. The epic chef-d'oeuvre of Victor Hugo about the social realities of late 18th century to early 19th century France, the enduring tale of redemption, justice, sacrifice and love was translated into a French musical by Schönberg and Boublil in the 1970's. With words from English master lyricist Herbert Kretzmer, the show is one of the most popular and successful musical productions in the world to date.

In 2010, Les Mis the musical celebrated its 25th anniversary through a concert performance starring the celebrated tenor Alfie Boe as the ex-convict Jean Valjean, along with the other stars of musical theater--Norm Lewis as Inspector Javert, Lea Salonga as Fantine, Ramin Karimloo (!!!) as the student revolutionary leader Enjolras, Nick Jonas as the lovesick Marius Pontmercy, Katie Hall as Cosette, Matt Lucas as the crafty Monsieur Thénardier, and Jenny Galloway as Madame Thénardier, and Samantha Barks as Eponine.

The story follows Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who managed to stray away from the forlorn path and instead found hope and redemption through the kindness shown to him by the Bishop of Digne. He began living a reformed life and encountered the impoverished and dying Fantine who left to his keeping her young daughter Cosette. Despite his continued struggle to do what was righteous, his criminal past haunted him in the face of Inspector Javert. Through the years, he and Cosette live through the ever-changing society of France, and got caught amid the social restlessness and the student revolution of 1832.

The ensemble, as I have learned later, featured actors and actresses who have become part of the cast of the on-going theater runs in London. Needless to say, I have not seen the theater performance of Les Mis, and this filmed concert would be entirely different from what the show would regularly be, whose original London production was directed by John Caird and Trevor Nunn.

This show featured the cast in their complete costumes, but the staging was that of a straightforward concert. The actors had to sing within the range of the standing microphones, albeit with stylized actions that the set would allow. The background was also a fixed one, which to me looked like a cross of Thénardier's inn and the barricade of the students at Rue Saint-Denis. Nevertheless, I was in tears by the end of the second act because of the sheer beauty of the material. Each of the characters were able to connect their motives and hopes, presented by A-list actors and actresses. Furthermore, the ensemble was rather stupendous as the chain gang, the factory workers, the "lovely ladies", the distraught citizens of Saint-Michel, and the defenders of the barricades.

The cast being my first, I have grown rather fond of them, especially of Alfie Boe as Valjean. The exactitude of his actions and his powerful tenor definitely characterized Valjean. I couldn't watch him sing the line "Yes, Cosette, forbid me now to die. I'll obey. I will try" without tearing up. The same goes for Norm Lewis as the law-abiding Inspector Javert. Of course I couldn't be any more biased towards Lea Salonga's Fantine. Katie Hall was such an adorable Cosette with a truly lovely voice. Samantha Barks voice was beautiful, but there was a touch of whimsicality in her Eponine. Though hard-boiled in the Parisian slums, I see this dreamy aspect of Eponine as the young girl she was deep down. Ramin Karimloo was of course charismatic as the leader Enjolras. Hadley Fraser's drunkard Grantaire was also another aspect I loved in this concert. He was gruff but his amazing baritone still surfaced. I also love each of the barricade boys, and am particularly biased for the boy-soprano Robert Madge as the famous urchin Gavroche.

The book had moved me to tears. The musical (this concert and the handful of recordings I have acquired since seeing this) had done so, too. I could not wait to see the movie adaptation. If I couldn't see the performance live in Broadway or the West End, then the movie would be the closest to the real theater performance I could get to.

Hey, Moon.

29 April 2012

Staging the Stage