Tag Archives: Les Miserables

Fleeting: After Les Mis… Now What?

Leave a reply

It was said time and again that if Les Miserables made a killing in the box office then Cameron Mackintosh would focus his attention on bringing Miss Saigon to the silver screen as well. Well with that possibility becoming clearer and clearer everyday, you’d think I would go and update my wish list of what I would like to see happen with Miss Saigon. Well the truth is, not much has changed and as thus instead I’ll simply do another round up of musical productions that people are sniffing around for a big screen treatment.

RUMORED to be in DEVELOPMENT
Wicked
Considering how there is already a Wizard of Oz movie about to be released by Disney in March (Oz the Great and Powerful) that is a kind of prequel to the Wizard of Oz, I am not really entirely sure having another Wizard of Oz prequel would be overkill in the current yeah.

Thankfully out in the wonderful world of IMDB it appears that the currently slated date would be sometime in 2014.

Interesting… very very interesting.

Jersey Boys
Also… that same article mentions that the Jersey Boys appear to be in the development phase for a film adaptation. And yet… according to IMDB there is no real set date for the film to be released… but it does mention that such a film is currently in development.

FUN!
Continue reading →

Review: Les Miserables 2012 film

Leave a reply

lesmistheatreDuring Christmas Day my parents and I were part of the legions of people that went to see Les Miserables on the large silver screen.

Granted considering that it was Opening Day for the film the theatre was going to be jam packed with people that got there early enough to get the prime seats. So my parents and I ended up sitting third row from the front. Not terrible, but definitely not preferred.

So how to describe Les Miserables? Well for the non-musical non-drama people out there I would say it like this:

Les Miserables is about the Gladiator who spends almost two decades chasing Wolverine who in turn saves and becomes guardian to The White Queen’s daughter who is in the keeping of Borat and Bellatrix (who provide much of the film’s comedy relief and are apparently proficient at pickpocketing).

The Gladiator also has a bunch of college students that are trying to overthrow the monarchy and trying to cause another revolution… which doesn’t end well. Oh and a bunch of people die using the precursors to lightsabers and phasors.

To get you into the mood… here is something rather diverting from the Polish stage cast of Les Miserables:

Anyway… enough goofing around… for spoilers go beyond the break:

Continue reading →

Comparison: Les Miserables Complete Song List

Leave a reply

Since we were only given “Highlights Soundtrack“, most of the below is heavily borrowed from the Wikipedia articles of the film as well as the stage versions as a basis… notes are from memory.

Earlier I have posted a comparison article using strictly the Highlights Soundtrack… so the below is the expanded song list and any changes based from memory… which is getting flaky by the day. So do not take this as a total list, but it is close to complete as I am able to recall off-hand… at least until they release a complete film soundtrack (which I sincerely hope they do).

NOTE: Songs marked with an asterisk (*) have already been posted in my Comparison: Les Miserables Soundtrack post.

So below is a table of the breakdown and comparison of the song list between the stage and film versions of the Les Miserables musical… For a quick cheat sheet of the below list, go beyond the break (at the end of the table):

SONG TITLE STAGE SEQUENCE FILM SEQUENCE CHANGES NOTES
* Work Song 1 1 lyric changes Combined with “On Parole” and called “Look Down” in the “Highlights Soundtrack”
* On Parole 2 2 lyric changes Combined with “Work Song” and called “Look Down” in the “Highlights Soundtrack”
* Valjean Arrested, Valjean Forgiven 3 3 none Called “The Bishop” in the “Highlights Soundtrack”
* What Have I Done 4 4 none Called “Valjean’s Soliloquy” in the “Highlights Soundtrack”
* At the End of the Day 5 5 none
* I Dreamed a Dream 6 8 none
Lovely Ladies 7 7 minor lyric changes
Fantine’s Arrest 8 9 none
The Runaway Cart 9 6 none
Who Am I? / The Trial 10 10 minor lyric changes
Come to Me (Fantine’s Death) 11 11 minor lyric changes
* The Confrontation 12 12 missing lyrics Valjean’s final overlapping lyrics with Javert and the lyrics that Valjean is singing to Fantine at the end are cut
* Castle on a Cloud 13 13 none
* Master of the House 14 14 lyric changes Introduction completely revised
The Bargain / The Thénardier Waltz of Treachery 15 15 minor lyric changes
* Suddenly — 16 New Song
Look Down 16 18 added lyrics Gavroche gets an additional verse
The Robbery 17 19 missing lyrics only the opening line, and Thenardier and Eponine’s lines were used
Javert’s Intervention 18 20 minor lyric change
* Stars 19 17 none
Eponine’s Errand 20 21 minor lyric change
* ABC Cafe / Red and Black 21 22 minor lyric change
Do You Hear the People Sing? 22 28 none
* Rue Plumet – In My Life 23 23 none Combined with “A Heart Full of Love” on the “Highlights Soundtrack”
A Heart Full of Love 24 24 none Combined with “Rue Plumet – In My Life” on the “Highlights Soundtrack”
The Attack on the Rue Plumet 25 25 minor lyric changes
* One Day More 26 27 none
Building the Barricade (Upon These Stones) 27 29 minor lyric changes
* On My Own 28 26 none
At the Barricade (Upon These Stones) 29 30 minor lyric changes
Javert’s Arrival 30 31 minor lyric changes and missing lyrics there were some lines that were cut and others changed
Little People 31 32 none
A Little Fall of Rain 32 34 none
Night of Anguish 33 35 none?
The First Attack 34 33 none?
* Drink with Me 35 36 none
* Bring Him Home 36 37 none
Dawn of Anguish 37 38 none?
The Second Attack (Death of Gavroche) 38 39 none
* The Final Battle 39 40 none
Dog Eats Dog (The Sewers) 40 — Cut Song
* Javert’s Suicide 41 41 none
Turning 42 42 missing lyrics only first verse used in the film
* Empty Chairs at Empty Tables 43 43 none
Every Day 44 44 added vocal part when song ends with the trio between Cosette, Marius and Valjean, in the film there is an added vocal part for Marius’ grandfather who is welcoming Marius home
Valjean’s Confession 45 45 none
Wedding Chorale 46 46 none
Beggars at the Feast 47 47 minor lyric changes
* Valjean’s Death 48 48 minor lyric changes Combined with “Do You Hear the People Sing? (Reprise) [Finale]” and called “Epilogue” on the “Highlights Soundtrack”
* Do You Hear the People Sing? (Reprise) [Finale] 49 49 none Combined with “Valjean’s Death” and called “Epilogue” on the “Highlights Soundtrack”

Alright are you as confused as I was? Well how about a quick cheat sheet of the major changes from the above list?
Continue reading →

Comparison: Les Miserables Highlights Soundtrack

Leave a reply

So there was a lot of speculation as to you which songs got cut, added, adjusted, revised, etc… So I figured that I would provide a quick and simple table to help you understand where the changes were made (if any)…

Keep in mind that I using the “Highlights Soundtrack” for comparison purposes that was released on the 21st of December… and all notes in regards to what was in the film is based off of what was from memory… since I saw this film on Christmas Day.

Later this week I will post a more complete list using the song list as shown on the Wikipedia page (once information can be confirmed)
Continue reading →

Entertainment News: The Miss Saigon film adaptation Wish List

With the buzz surrounding Les Miserables and the anticipated release on Christmas Day… Musical and Film insiders have their sets on another Cameron Mackintosh production that has potential for the big screen: Miss Saigon.

When reading my RSS feed earlier, Playbill goes into detail of the various parties that have been rumored to be involved with the potential production.

Even Cameron Mackintosh tossed this little nugget to the feeders:

If Les Mis is a success then Miss Saigon will be made into a film. It isn’t confirmed at this point but there are many people sniffing around and offers coming in.

There were reports going on for the past few years that working on Miss Saigon was on “Precious” director Lee Daniels’ wish list. There were also rumors circulating that film producer Paula Wagner was working on a deal with Mackintosh for a spell.

According to Broadway.com recent American Idol contestant Jessica Sanchez has been floating around as a possible star.

Schönberg and Boublil collaborated with Richard Maltby, Jr. on the 1989 musical Miss Saigon, which took inspiration from the Puccini opera Madama Butterfly. Set during the fall of Vietnam, the musical centers on an American G.I. and a young Vietnamese prostitute who fall in love against the backdrop of the war. When Saigon falls and the Americans pull out, the young woman is left behind.

But… for someone like myself who is Vietnamese-American, I will be watching and scrutinizing every piece of news of this potential production with bated breath (ok… maybe not that extreme).

Why? Simple, because I want this to be done right, and not just via the eyes of the Americans (or other foreigners) but I would love to see this done right via the eyes of the Vietnamese that have actually lived through the war. This is afterall as much as Kim’s journey as it is Chris’ journey.

So as a Vietnamese-American I have a very specific wishlist of what I would love to see happen in any potential film production of Miss Saigon… ideas and wishes that I believe would not only enhance the film as a whole, but would bring the struggles of the Vietnamese to light. Afterall who better to describe what caused unease for the Vietnamese-Americans and the Vietnamese refugees when the production of Miss Saigon came to light?

THE ULTIMATE MISS SAIGON WISH LIST FOR THE FILM ADAPTATION
1: Potential Actors / Actresses
Continue reading →