“Per Sylvam ad Astra” blog on katieriegel.com

Have I ever told you how much I love Les Mis?

It has something (everything?) to do with my parents shipping me off with my Aunt Lenore to see my cousins Sam and Eden play Gavroche and Cosette on the national tour in Pittsburgh when I was 7. (That's now-Emmy-winner Eden over to your right!) I can't say that I understood the emotional and political content until later in life…go figure…but I sure as hell memorized every note and lyric. It was thanks to Les Mis that I was allowed to curse, but only when Mme Thenardier did it in a song. ("Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong shit." Mm hmm.) The obsession followed me into middle school, where Kevro and Brigitte and I used to harmonize to "A Heart Full of Love" on forbidden late-night three-way phone calls. Does this make it difficult to take me seriously as a Broadway journalist? Get over it.

So, I was obviously interested to hear that Les Mis was coming back this season and even more excited to find out that a bunch of people I enjoy would be in it. It's so difficult to criticize for me, so I jjust won't here in the wide, floating space of the www. I will say that beyond everything else I liked about the production, I adored Aaron Lazar as Enjolras and Celia Keenan-Bolger as Eponine. S-T-A-R-S! He is incredibly powerful and persuasive; she is quirky and heart-breaking. Bravo. 

Drew Sarich also turns in an attention-grabbing ensemble performance and as "I am agog, I am aghast" skeptic/drunk Grantaire. Someone please cast him in a lead role immediately. He's ready to wreck Broadway forever. In a good way. Just watch him do this. And this. And this. Heck, watch them all. He's always so present and has this really sick mix of unbreakable rock tenor, meanness, vulnerability and sexiness that makes it impossible to not watch him at all times when he's on stage. Those things, and he's really tall. 

I also had the pleasure of recently interviewing Ali Ewoldt, who plays Cosette in the new production. My favorite part is when she talks about getting…ahem…visited by a bird on her way to her callback. Read it here.

I love when actors are ego-free, smart and open, as Ali is. It makes them so much more interesting. We also bonded over the MMC and The Party, as only kids bred on the Disney Channel of the early 90s can. 

So? I recommend seeing it. If you love the show, you will still love it and maybe notice something new. If you've never seen it, it's an epic piece of theater and you have no excuse!
 

November 4th, 2006
Categories: Theater, Broadway, New York, Musicals, The Riegel Family, Broadway.com, Les Miserables, Drew Sarich . Author: Katie

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