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Post by c4ndyc4ne on Oct 11, 2023 15:35:38 GMT
do they say josh is coming back? It just says "final performance"
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Post by SuttonPeron on Oct 11, 2023 15:40:10 GMT
What on earth will it take for them to give Chris Jacobsen a principal contract?
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Post by my fairly obsessed lady on Oct 11, 2023 15:56:30 GMT
Has anyone seen Killian as Valjean? Saw him as Phantom in February and I wasn't too impressed... Why him when Chris Jacobsen is right there!
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Post by 10642 on Oct 11, 2023 16:10:00 GMT
Imho he was a better valjean than he was phantom, though vocally he isn’t on the same level as chris
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Post by theatremiss on Oct 11, 2023 16:30:19 GMT
I love Killian, I’ve booked twice to see him return to the show as JVJ. He’s a much better JVJ than he is Phantom. I Lao wish Chris would get a longer stint as JVJ, He is perfection in the role. I need to do a Mon night and catch up with him again
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Post by toomasj on Oct 11, 2023 16:55:56 GMT
Has anyone seen Killian as Valjean? Saw him as Phantom in February and I wasn't too impressed... Why him when Chris Jacobsen is right there! I’ve found him absolutely bang average in everything I’ve ever seen him in I’m afraid, going right back to his Enjolras. Not technically bad, not good, just competent enough to do the job. Poor Chris Jacobsen, he is twice as good at least. |
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Post by BVM on Oct 11, 2023 17:15:44 GMT
Poor Josh has had terrible luck - he's already been out quite a bit and now something else has obviously happened. I'll try and catch him one last (well, first for me!) time next week.
Yes, Les Mis selling so well currently that they really don't need a musical theatre "name" in the lead, so also surprised they've not promoted Chris (also the tourists making up 80% of audience surely wouldn't know who either of them are).
That said Killian always seems like a nice guy, he played the role very well on tour and he is a very reliable and hard working leading man who I think brings stability and leadership to a company.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Oct 11, 2023 17:28:40 GMT
Sudden family reasons doesn't just mean he could automatically just leave his job. Not all jobs would allow extended leave with immediate affect until cover/alternative arrangements made (if at all). He may also have things to sort out here before leaving for Australia for months.
Also it could be the earliest he could get a flight to Australia (especially an affordable one).
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Post by A.Ham on Oct 11, 2023 17:55:18 GMT
Sad to hear something’s happened that means Josh needs to get home asap, but I’ll definitely be booking to see Killian in this - I’ve always wanted to see him as JVJ but only saw the show for the first time after he’d departed.
Although I’ve not seen him myself, between here and a Les Mis fan page, I’ve only ever seen rave reviews for Chris, so agree it’s a shame he’s not been promoted up for the 15 weeks Killian is stepping in for. Is he alternate/first cover though? If so, I should have a good chance of seeing him or Killian soon I hope.
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Post by SuttonPeron on Oct 11, 2023 17:58:29 GMT
He´s the alternate Valjean. If Killian lets people know his day off, or you look at the pattern in WestEndCovers, you´ll know when he´s on.
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Post by showtoones on Oct 11, 2023 18:13:25 GMT
Killian will likely be off Monday or Tuesday. I think Josh is usually off on Mondays.
Does Killian usually have a good attendance record?
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Post by solangelafitte on Oct 11, 2023 19:09:19 GMT
Mondays could well make the most sense for Killian being off. His start date is a Tuesday plus he still lives in Dublin and travelled back and forth most weekends during his Phantom contract from what I saw on his social media. If he still plans to do that, Mondays off would give him something of a proper weekend to do it.
Agree with those who preferred his Valjean to Phantom. But I thought he was excellent in Fun Home recently so maybe just wasn't suited to Phantom.
And I'm very sorry for whatever Josh's situation is and hope he and his family are okay.
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Post by theatremiss on Oct 12, 2023 19:39:40 GMT
Killian will likely be off Monday or Tuesday. I think Josh is usually off on Mondays. Does Killian usually have a good attendance record? Yes Killian has a very good attendance record, bit like JOJ, has to be really ill to be off. The only thing that might be an issue is I think his wife is due to give birth end Jan/Feb which if it is early could mean he leaves sooner. Im a huge fan of Chris Jacobsen and he does Mon nights which I assume will be the same as it would give Killian the chance to get home for a couple of nights if needs be. |
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Post by daisy24601 on Oct 14, 2023 8:14:48 GMT
Killian will likely be off Monday or Tuesday. I think Josh is usually off on Mondays. Does Killian usually have a good attendance record? Yes Killian has a very good attendance record, bit like JOJ, has to be really ill to be off. The only thing that might be an issue is I think his wife is due to give birth end Jan/Feb which if it is early could mean he leaves sooner. Im a huge fan of Chris Jacobsen and he does Mon nights which I assume will be the same as it would give Killian the chance to get home for a couple of nights if needs be. They just had a baby in September. Monday does make sense as others have said so he can go home for the weekend. I'm excited to see him again, I was due another visit so this is great timing. He was a great JVJ by the end of his run. |
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Post by stagedreamer23 on Oct 17, 2023 19:21:11 GMT
I finally got a chance to see the new cast.
Unfortunately, Josh Piterman was not in the performance I saw. I know he is due to leave soon but was hoping he would still be performing till the end of October.
I know some people prefer Val Jean to be older and more wild-looking, but I think having a charismatic lead helps get the audience rooting for him on his journey.
It took me a moment to get used to the person playing Val Jean, especially in the opening scenes where some of the cast seemed to be spitting profusely! Unavoidable, I know. I think it was Christopher Jacobsen who was playing Val Jean when I went and he did a very good job. He sung the cues in One Day More excellently and was great in Bring Him Home!
Claire Machin is continuing as Madam Thenardier and she was a standout! Excellent. Really delivered the comic relief perfectly.
Ollie Wray was a perfect Marius and Djavan Van De Fliert had good stage presence at Enjolras.
I was most curious about Amena El-Kindy as Eponine, especially given some of the incredible Eponines of past. I had previously seen Nathania Ong and she did such a powerful performance of On My Own. I was worried that this time it would not be as good. I'm pleased to say El-Kindy has a great voice and could definitely deliver! There were times her facial expressions were quite intense, but at the same time, she seemed really committed and was giving everything to the performance so that was perfectly understandable! All in all, I think she is a great addition to the cast.
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Post by BVM on Oct 26, 2023 14:35:57 GMT
So I tried for a third and final time to catch Josh in Les Mis last Friday. And sadly for the third time he was out. Hey ho, you pay your money and take your chance. And as ever, once the lights went down, it was still a fantastic show. And was wonderful to see the new cast.
Had never seen Brad Barnley as Valjean before but thought he was sensational. And nice to complete my hat-trick of Valjean understudies.
Adored Will Callan as Marius on tour and am so happy he's now got the West End gig. Such a pure voice with such a gorgeous tone and quality. Voice wise probably my 3rd fave Marius of all time after Rob Houchen and Gareth Gates.
Luke Kempner I first became aware of when he was in the original cast of the 25th version on tour, but since then have known him more for his comedy. His Boris impressions were on the list of things that got me through lockdown. Anyway, great to see him on stage again as Thenardier and he somehow achieved the hamming up of the panto elements (which usually I hate) whilst playing the role to perfection. First time I have experienced that.
Les Mis royalty Katie Hall in gorgeous voice as Fantine. Lulu Pears somehow achieves the impossible and makes Cosette pretty interesting. And Amena El-Kindy and Djavan Van Der Fliert, neither of whom I had heard of before delivered great performances as Eponine and Enjolras.
Extraordinary musical. Still selling out 40 years later....
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Post by londonmzfitz on Oct 29, 2023 0:43:49 GMT
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Post by darreno on Nov 19, 2023 16:15:29 GMT
Finally got to see the latest cast on Thursday evening, having been religiously attending the previous cast almost weekly. Unsurprisingly, the show is still one of the best in the world.
We had Harry Lake in as Marius and he was very, very good. It's a difficult part to stand out with but he made a great young and innocent Marius. In fact, the first thing I thought about the cast is how young they are! Maybe that's just me getting older.
I'm not crazy about the current iteration of Thenardier, just not how I see the character or how I enjoy his part of the story.
My main reason for excitement with this cast is Stewart Clarke as Javert. He's someone who has been a standout in everything I've seen him in. From Be More Chill to Cabaret, he's always been a fantastic entertainer. He does a great job with Javert, must be so difficult taking on such a role. His version of Stars on the night was outstanding! Genuinely one of the best I've seen from any Javert.
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Post by capybara on Nov 19, 2023 17:33:12 GMT
Booked the front row seats in front of the conductor for a January performance, as suggested by someone on this thread previously.
Looking forward to my third visit.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 20, 2023 11:20:19 GMT
Just caught up with this and despite having “moved on” from Les Mis it’s hard to not have a lump in your throat at Alfie’s rendition, especially under these circumstances.
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Post by ilovewemusicals on Nov 23, 2023 17:44:27 GMT
Luke Kempner said on Secret Artists with Annie McGrath podcast that his contract in Les Mis is only for six months and ends in March.
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Post by mrmushnik on Nov 26, 2023 0:55:53 GMT
Luke Kempner said on Secret Artists with Annie McGrath podcast that his contract in Les Mis is only for six months and ends in March. Good. They need someone playing Thenardier who compliments Claire Machin. Felt like a one man show within a show. Needs to be older too. |
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Post by theatremiss on Nov 26, 2023 23:41:31 GMT
Luke Kempner said on Secret Artists with Annie McGrath podcast that his contract in Les Mis is only for six months and ends in March. Good. They need someone playing Thenardier who compliments Claire Machin. Felt like a one man show within a show. Needs to be older too. I like Claire but she’s my least liked Mdme T. I find her she’s just silly with her portrayal |
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Post by A.Ham on Nov 27, 2023 12:54:50 GMT
I sort of felt the same too. I've seen (and loved) her in Memphis and Mary Poppins, but didn't love her Madame T. Perhaps it's because her voice made her so identifiable as Clare Machin rather than the character she was playing. I've much preferred the previous Madame Ts I've seen (Katie Kerr and Josefina Gabrielle).
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Post by showtoones on Nov 27, 2023 22:53:09 GMT
Does Killian and Stewart have any holiday coming up? Would love to catch them.
And does Killian do all of the show except for Monday?
thanks!
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