Watch Les Misérables - 25th Anniversary in Concert For Free

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

A Major Disappointment

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

First of all I have to say that I have seen the movie before I dig into Les Mis on the internet, so somehow the movie could catch my attention back then, and I am so grateful for it that I won't compare it with this masterpiece. Secondly, this is my first ever review on IMDb so hurray! :)What we've got here is a monumental show of pure talent and epicness, which is a must for all 'Les Mis' fans and for everyone who likes to listen to a musical masterpiece, and likes to get goosebumps all the time. The show took place at the O2 arena with hundreds of people participating. The setting is great, the lights and all technical stuff are excellent, the show sounds great, the mixing is very well made. The show has been conducted by the same conductor, who did the 10th anniversary concert back in 1995 (David Charles Abell), and he did one hell of a job, not a single flaw in the play of the orchestra. The cast is a brilliant one - well you could guess that something big is happening when musical giants like Earl Carpenter, or Hadley Fraser only get minor roles... There's a really large choir behind the orchestra, and they really make a punch when it is time for extra amount of epicness (like One Day More). The backing vocalist are also great (in numbers as well), everyone in minor roles (prostitutes, workers, the students) are great, this cast was chosen really carefully, that's for sure. I give a solid 10 for the supporting section of the cast.Earl Carpenter plays the bishop, and he delivers a fine performance, worthy of his reputation. He's really gentle but powerful at the same time. 10/10 Hadley Fraser plays Grantaire and he makes the new standard for the role with his performance. His baritone is a joy to listen to and they have a unique chemistry with Ramin. 10/10Katie Hall plays Cosette and she's excellent as well. I think that the role of Cosette has few moments to shine or to stand out, but Katie gives a fine performance, so no worries here. 8,5/10Lea Salonga is Fantine, and 15 years after she played Eponine during the 10th anniversary show, she delivers this role incredibly well. Her "I Dreamed a Dream" earns her a big applause and some standing ovation as well. Her low harmonics makes her voice quite unique, and that's something I really like. 9/10 Matt Lucas plays Thenardier and he enjoys his role very much. It is fun to see that Matt's dream comes true on-stage, so be ready for a benefit performance. I found him good. 8/10. Madame Thenardier is played by the veteran Jenny Galloway, so no surprises here :) 8/10 Now one controversial choice of singer: the role of Marius is played by Nick Jonas, member of the (in)famous Jonas Brothers. While Nick tries hard, his acting suffers from many wounds, and his voice is at least one or two leagues weaker than the rest of the cast's. He is not good, not for this role at least. The only possible explanation (other than making steps towards his younger fan-base) is that his weaker voice and young looks help creating the impression that his character is innocent and needs guidance from the more mature characters he hangs out with. 4/10 The tragic role of Eponine is played by Sam Barks, and boy, she is awesome. She is a real beauty, that her looks can only be compared her wonderful singing. Her 'On my own' earns her the show's biggest applause till then. 10/10 Enjorlas is played by musical prodigy Ramin Karimloo. He is absolutely incredible and for me, he is the best Enjorlas ever. His commanding performance and seemingly limitless range of voice is a joy to watch and listen to over and over again! 10/10Norm Lewis is Javert, and the great afro-American singer gives an excellent performance. The role of Javert is possibly the best role in the musical and definitely has the most depth, so it is common that singers make their own interpretation and Norm is no exception. His enunciation is somewhat controversial, but I love his Javert anyway. He is not as good as Quast (and I found EC's Javert better as well), but he gives a commanding presence and a great 'Stars' and soliloquy with full of emotion. 8,5/10 As you can see, the cast is superb, but the real deal is Alfie Boe as JVJ. Now Alfie sets new standards for the singing part of the role, and he is in his own league. He makes you feel that there are absolutely no limits to his wonderful voice as he makes those high Bs and Cs come out so clear and loud like no JVJ did before. His acting is a little stiff here and there, but maybe because his operatic-style of singing and acting, but he compensates it with facial emotions. Stunning. World Class. His 'Bring him home' earned him a standing ovation for minutes. The whole show stopped because of him! 10/10After the show ends, there are two extra songs involving the original and then-current casts from London. Bring Him Home is presented by the 4 Valjeans and One Day More by the original 1985 cast. Good extras!One more thing I really like in this concert: you can clearly feel the love between the cast members, and how the story and the incredible talent of Alfie Boe touch them. For me, these scenes are almost as important as good performances.Well, what can you say? This show made me love Les Mis, and I'm seriously in love with the show itself as well. Brilliant masterpiece which has to be listened to over and over again!

Les Miserables for me is one of the greatest musicals, it has a story that really hits you in the guts emotionally(in a good way) and it is also one of those musicals where I don't dislike a single song. Valjean and Javert are also hugely compelling characters. The cast(and also that this is Les Miserables we are talking about) were reason enough to see this, and I also wanted to see how it would compare to the brilliant 10th-year anniversary performance. I was also hoping that even in concert form that it would bring out the emotion of the music and story. It certainly does not disappoint and it certainly has the emotion, I do give the edge to the 10th, but the previous reviewers have summed up perfectly what is so good about this performance.But I do have to agree that it is not quite perfect, though the cons are far outweighed by the pros. Apart from a relatively good Empty Chairs and Empty Tables, Nick Jonas is miscast and very out of his depth as Marius, his voice is rather thin and gets very nasal when forced, and I found him rather dull on a dramatic front. Compared to Michael Ball, he's not even in the same league in my opinion. Katie Hall is a little better though. She is charming and likable enough as Cosette, but not much more than that, and she is not helped by the fact that Cosette is not a very interesting character at all really. Her voice is a little uneven, the middle register is silvery and lyrical but the top register has a tendency to become shrill.Everything else ranges from very, very good to spot-on. The costumes are evocative, and the lighting especially in Empty Chairs and Empty Tables(very haunting) gives each scene atmosphere. It is staged very effectively too and it is very sympathetic to the story and the lyrics with all the emotional power and thrust needed. I found it very easy to be moved by Empty Chairs, and it was also a clever and tasteful piece of staging. One Day More is also spine-tingling. The orchestral playing made the music a feast for the ears, the textures and instrumental balances are done perfectly doing very well to accommodate the singers. The chorus are involved in the drama, sing beautifully and enunciate clearly, especially good in Do You Hear the People Sing and One Day More.Alfie Boe's Valjean was just wonderful. He may not quite erase memories of Colm Wilkinson, who probably had a little more emotion, but Boe is certainly not devoid of that. He has a ringing tenor voice that shows no sign of being taxed by this demanding role, he commands the stage with authority as he ought and he brings out all the complexities and nuances Valjean's character has. Bring Him Home really sounds like a prayer(the right approach as that's what the song is essentially), and staged in a way that will leave Les Mis fans absolutely delighted. Norm Lewis' Javert also stands out. He is authoritative, but also conflicted and subtle. His Suicide scene really gave me the chills. He also possesses a lovely baritone sound, not quite as rich or powerful as that of Phillip Quast, but never is it one that's dry and lightweight. Like Quast, he has the harshness of Javert but also a sympathetic side.Lea Salonga is truly moving as Fantine with a voice of an angel, and I do agree that she is more suited to Fantine than she is to Eponine. I Dreamed a Dream really brings the house down on an emotional scale. Samantha Barks is also perfectly cast, her Eponine is feisty but also heart-breaking. Her rendition of On My Own is pitch-perfect and very deeply felt. Ramin Karmimloo's Enjolras is excellent. Matt Lucas is surprisingly good as Thernadier, he hasn't got the best voice but has a very exuberant stage presence while managing to make the character as hateful as possible(even if he just lacks Alun Armstrong's sociopathic edge). Jenny Galloway's Madame Thernadier is perfect, just like in the 10th anniversary performance.To conclude, a really well done performance of Les Mis, with almost everything perfectly first-rate. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I'm not sure I can think of a more excellent performance. Every emotion I can think of was elicited by the cast. WOW! Alfie Boe was extraordinary and showed vocal range and acting ability-dare I say humility? Norm Lewis was so near his equal in both acting and singing ability. Lea Salonga shows that she can act as well as she sings and that her voice stands the test of time. What can I say about Ramin Karimloo? Vocals, acting, stage presence and so much more. I particularly liked the casting of Matt Lucas to show the comedic side to this production and Jenny Galloway was next to superb.Heck, the whole ensemble is all so mentionable, Samantha Barks brings so much wonder to her tragic role of Eponine. This production reminded me of a line from a movie about opera, "You either love it or hate it." Well, I love "Les Miserables" and anyone who is connected with the productions through the years-is blessed. We have Victor Hugo to thank for the wonderful novel he wrote, 2 Frenchmen for adapting it and Cameron MacKintosh for bringing it all together.

More than anything, as far as entertainment goes, 2012 will be the year I discovered Les Miserables. Anne Hathaway impressed me in Rachel Getting Married, so I found out about Les Mis through hearing she would be in it. So I gathered more and more interest for it as the months went. I then read the novel to prepare myself for the film adaptation of 2012. By the time I saw the film, I was in love with the music, and so this was the first real musical version I saw besides the new film. Yes, I saw it on Youtube, but what a beautiful, magical event. I feel like it's so much a part of me now. It's such an emotional experience that nothing I say can describe what it is to watch it for the first time.