Les Miserables - The Staged Concert

‘The top-notch cast sing as if it’s the first time they’re hearing the music’: Les Misérables – The Staged Concert (Online review)

In Albums, London theatre, Musicals, Opinion, Reviews by Ian FosterLeave a Comment

Les Misérables – The Staged Concert is released on digital download, along with a bonus featurette which is highly amusing.

“Minutes into hours, and the hours into years”

Striding over the barricades to alleviate lockdown tedium, Les Misérables – The Staged Concert has now been released on digital download. The release will raise funds for performers, musicians and the NHS as well as incurring additional donations (an extra £5 for every purchase) from The Mackintosh Foundation which will go to the charity Acting for Others, the Musicians Union Coronavirus Hardship Fund and Captain Tom Moore’s Walk for the NHS fund

You can actually watch Bringing It Home – A Les Miz Stay at Home Special online, but I thought I’d give you fair warning as it has its pros and cons.

Pros

  • Watching Shan Ako reduce several members of the company to tears
  • Seeing the size of Bradley Jaden’s sofa (and his loungewear)
  • Rob Houchen’s musical punning
  • The Marsh family being adorbs, again

Cons

  • CamMack’s humblebragging basket of fresh vegetables, which isn’t at all hiding his lines
  • Alfie Boe making himself laugh. More than once.
  • Not enough random Alex Kingston
  • It will make you miss being in a theatre something crazy

As for the show itself, I remain a little conflicted by the whole affair. Did this concert really need to happen? Was there an artistic impetus behind it rather than trying to ensure the longest-running show argument still held? To hear the cast talk about the special atmosphere at every performance suggests there was something unique at work here that I missed. For me though, a semi-staged concert is still a concert (and this is the third time the show has gone for the concert-style) and ultimately, I want more from my theatre, even with a show I love as much as this.

For now though, this is what we have. And what we have is a fantastically high-quality, well-edited rendition of the show which sounds fantastic (also included are the specially recorded pre-show announcement and the post-show treats of a succession of special guests). The top-notch cast sing as if its the first time they’re hearing the music – Shan Ako’s Éponine is knock-’em’-out fantastic – and most deal with the format well, even if Alfie Boe can’t seem to shake a physical stiffness as Valjean.

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Ian Foster
Since 2003, Ian Foster has been writing reviews of plays, sometimes with a critical element, on his blog Ought to Be Clowns, which has been listed as one of the UK's Top Ten Theatre Blogs by Lastminute.com, Vuelio and Superbreak. He averages more than 350+ shows a year. He says: "Call me a reviewer, a critic or a blogger, and you will apparently put someone or other's nose out of joint! So take it or leave it, essentially this is my theatrical diary, recording everything I go to see at the theatre in London and beyond, and venturing a little into the worlds of music and film/TV where theatrical connections can be made."
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Ian Foster on FacebookIan Foster on RssIan Foster on Twitter
Ian Foster
Since 2003, Ian Foster has been writing reviews of plays, sometimes with a critical element, on his blog Ought to Be Clowns, which has been listed as one of the UK's Top Ten Theatre Blogs by Lastminute.com, Vuelio and Superbreak. He averages more than 350+ shows a year. He says: "Call me a reviewer, a critic or a blogger, and you will apparently put someone or other's nose out of joint! So take it or leave it, essentially this is my theatrical diary, recording everything I go to see at the theatre in London and beyond, and venturing a little into the worlds of music and film/TV where theatrical connections can be made."

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