On a Better Note...

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Yesterday, a performance of Les Miserables was held at the O2 in London in honor of the production's 25th anniversary. It was simultaneously shown in movie theaters around Britain, and I went to one such showing. I think this was probably the best option at my budget because if I'd gone to the actual arena, I probably wouldn't have been able to see much of anything, but in the theater, I got a great view of the whole performance. Now, I could warn you and say that I have a strong bias towards this show, but I think that's true of the entire country of England, so oh well. Deal with it. With that said...

This show was incredible! Even from the cinema, and not the actual arena, the energy was electric. I wanted them to do the whole show, and not just a concert version. But, even the music alone was enough to take your breath away. And all the singers certainly did their fair share of acting to make sure the show was complete, and not just a dull rendition of a great work. The casting was flawless, with talent hailing from various countries. The one weak spot in the show was Nick Jonas, as Marius, who try as he may could not keep up with the seasoned musical and opera singers on stage. He did however give an enjoyable performance, even if it wasn't the strongest. All the others received uproarious applause at the end of their solo numbers (in the arena and in my movie theater). Simon Bowman was the most confident and quite frankly best Jean Valjean I've ever heard - bringing the crowd to its feet after his perfect "God on High." Norm Lewis was dignified and pitch-perfect as Javert, and gave him all the depth the character is meant to have. The true standout to me though was the young Samantha Barks, a relative unknown, who was simply incredible as Eponine. She not only sang the most beautiful "On My Own" I've ever heard, she made her duet with Jonas, "A Little Fall of Rain," absolutely touching. The Thenardiers were humorous, as is expected of them, and kept the show going when it started to become too heartbreaking. There were a few too many endings, similar to LOTR Return of the King, but bringing back the original 1985 cast was a nice touch. All and all, one of the best nights I've spent in the theater here in London, and I wasn't even in a theater.

On a side note, did you know that Pizza Hut is a sit down restaurant here? A pretty good one too. It's very casual and relaxed with yummy American style food.