This is definitely the best recording of Les Miz that there is! It's a recording of the Tenth Anniversary Concert, and has the Dream Cast on it. (i.e., Colm Wilkinson, Phillip Quast, Ruthie Henshall, Judy Kuhn, and many other great performers.) A few songs and sections are cut, unfortunately, but don’t let that spoil this great performance!
List of Actors:
Jean Valjean: Colm Wilkinson: A+
Colm Wilkinson is often considered to be the best Jean Valjean, since he
originated the role on both
Javert: Phillip Quast: A++
Phillip Quast is a marvelous Javert, probably the best! Although Terrence Mann and Roger Allam have good interpretations too, they just don't have Phillip's focused anger at the beginning. His Stars is the best one I've heard, it's really passionate and dedicated. Also, his Javert's Suicide is very touching and shows all of the turmoil going through his heart. Don't miss this performance!
Fantine: Ruthie Henshall: A++
Ruthie Henshall is the best Fantine to ever perform in the role. She has a very strong and crystal-like voice that adds a lot of depth to Fantine’s character. Her “I Dreamed a Dream” is marvelous, as is “Fantine’s Arrest.” One interesting thing is that her voice sometimes gets a raspy, deep sound to it (“but he was gone when autumn came” and “from this hell I’m living”). It sounds very emotional and adds a little more interest to her character. Despite her strange blonde wig in the video, this is a performance that any Les Miz lover has to listen to!
Mme. Thernadier: Jenny Galloway: A
Jenny Galloway gives a rather different interpretation of Mme. Thernadier than in some other recordings, but it probably suits the character better. Her voice is very large and powerful, and she uses it to give the idea of a coarse woman who hates her husband in a humorous way. In the other recordings, especially the CSR, the Thernadieress sounds more small and feisty. However, Jenny Galloway’s interpretation is great, especially in the section after Castle on a Cloud. (“Now look who’s here, the little madam herself…”) She sounds so scornful!!! Her Master of the House is very funny too; she nearly breaks out laughing on “thinks he’s quite a lover but there’s not much there.” Overall, a great performance.
M. Thernadier: Alun Armstrong: A
When I first heard Alun Armstrong, I thought that his voice was a little too civilized for the part. However, I got used to him after a while and was very impressed after I saw the video. He’s not quite as nasty as Barry James, but makes Thernadier more comic than evil. All of his songs are very good, especially Master of the House and Dog Eat Dog. His fake sobbing in the Waltz of Treachery is very good, too.
Marius: Michael Ball: A+
It’s no wonder that Michael Ball is on three out of the four English recordings; he has a great voice that conveys his emotions very well. He sounds very torn during One Day More, and completely lovesick during In My Life. He does this funny thing with his long notes that adds to his touch; he stretches out the word through all of its sounds (My place is here, I fight with YEEOO-UH!). His performances on both the TAC and the CSR are both spectacular, don’t miss them!!
Eponine: Lea Salonga: A+++
Lea Salonga is SUCH a good Eponine, my friend completely idolizes her!! She has a marvelously strong voice that carries through all of her emotions perfectly. Every note in her range seems to be strong and clear, especially the high notes in One Day More and the low ones in ALFOR (A Little Fall of Rain). Her On My Own is gorgeous, but her interpretation is different than the others’ – while all the other Eponines sound mournful and whiny, Lea sounds angry and clear. She is one of the best Eponines I’ve ever heard, so don’t miss this!
Enjolras: Michael Maguire: B
This is the only performer that I was disappointed with, although my friend loves him. The CSR (with Anthony Warlow!!!) was my first CD, and my friend had been babbling to me about Michael Maguire for weeks, so I was expecting something stunning. Although his “Do You Hear the People Sing” was fine, it just didn’t have the pure determination and fire of Anthony Warlow’s. His performance in “One Day More” was distinctly disappointing. I’m a musician, so when I heard him sing, “One more day before the storm!” I thought, “Out of key, out of key, sharp, agghh!” This got a little better as he went through his little solo, but really ruined the performance for me. (One Day More is my favorite song.”) To be fair, though, everything else was very nice, it was just that line that really perturbed me.
Cosette: Judy Kuhn: A+
Judy Kuhn is one of the best Cosettes I’ve ever heard. She has a very mature, strong, yet pretty voice that makes Cosette interesting. Too bad she didn’t get to sing the full “In My Life,” since part of it was cut, but in the songs she has she does a marvelous job. She can hit the high notes beautifully in A Heart Full of Love and Every Day. Although her voice matured a little too much since her Broadway recording, this is a great performance!
Grantaire: Anthony Crivello: A
I don’t really have much to say about Grantaire, except that Anthony fitted the role very well. He gave a very nice performance; I’ll just leave it at that.
Gavroche: Adam Searles: A+
Wow! For a little kid, Adam Searles sure has a great voice!! He sounded just like the spunky street kid that Gavroche is. One thing I liked a lot about him was that he sang all of his lines, not spoke them like Braden Danner on Broadway. However, that’s just a matter of opinion; some people like spoken lines, and Braden Danner gives a really nice performance as well.