Happy Birthday, Jean Valjean.
Not the character in Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables — the Jean Valjean that I have most often seen on stage, actor Colm Wilkinson.
He turns 67 today.
Colm originated the role of Jean Valjean in London’s West End and again on Broadway.
When the show transferred to New York City in 1987, Actors’ Equity wouldn’t allow Wilkinson to play the role because he wasn’t American. So producer Cameron Mackintosh refused to open the show.
Luckily for all of us, Actors’ Equity quickly changed their minds.
Les Mis is one of the reasons I love Broadway today. I’ve seen the show an unprecedented 13 times, most recently a couple of years ago at an anniversary performance here in New York City.
The theatre was smaller, and the show scaled down from its original glory. But the story was just as moving, the music still thrilled. And as I sang each word, albeit under my breath…
I could hear Colm Wilkinson singing.
God on high
Hear my prayer
In my need
You have always been there
He is young
He’s afraid
Let him rest
Heaven blessed.
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home.
Twice
I loved the movie Once.
So much that I boycotted the musical when it opened off-Broadway . The original stars weren’t in it — how could the musical compare?
My heart was closed.
Then the show moved to Broadway, and the TV commercials began. Yes, ‘guy’ and ‘girl’ were different, but their voices, the harmonies were as beautiful as the movie that inspired them. So I decided to give the show a shot.
Most importantly, every voice, every note was perfection. There were a lot of tears in the audience. (People were talking about it as they left the theatre, so it wasn’t just me.)
The only thud in the production — which occurred at the start of the play and made me sad — was the playwright’s need to ‘funny up’ the script, making the characters extreme stereotypes of themselves. This was especially true of ‘girl,’ who was a quirky, jokey one-liner, which was counter to her gentle spirit in the movie.
But once she and ‘guy’ began to sing, she softened and the music drove the show, as it did the movie.
And all was forgiven.
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Posted in Broadway, Commentary, Entertainment, Life, Movies, Music
Tagged books into movie, boycott, Broadway, Broadway theatre, commentary, creative lighting, entertainment, extreme stereotypes, harmonies, instruments, intermission, Irish bar, life, Manhattan, movie into musical, Movies, New York City, Off-Broadway, Once girl, Once guy, Once movie, Once musical, one-liner, orchestra pit, staging, tv commercial