Way way back, when I was in high school, a good friend introduced me to the musical, Les Miserables. He actually introduced me to a few musicals which I came to love. So, when I come to
love a musical - when it grips me and doesn't let go, I will immerse myself in it; listen to it over and over and over 'til every nuance is memorized, then, read the book it's based on, watch it (when possible), maybe even get myself the sheet music.
Back in 1995, Les Miseables celebrated their 10th anniversary with a Dream Cast Concert that aired on PBS. That was back when there were VCRs and I recorded the concert on a tape and watched it over and over. (I may or may not have even written a letter to PBS thanking them for airing such a great concert). I eventually ended up with an official copy of the Dream Cast Concert on VHS that I loved dearly.
Last Christmas, a movie version was released. I didn't go see it in theaters, but I heard wildly contrasting reviews from folks I knew who had seen it. I was a little worried, but stuck it in my Netflix queue anyway. This past weekend I watched it. Oi oi oi.
The first act wasn't
soooo bad; the story-line is a little less dramatic, and Anne Hathaway did a lot to carry the weaker parts... but things got pretty painful by the end. I may or may not have stopped the movie a couple times to look up on YouTube the songs from the Dream Cast Concert to cleanse the palette.
Overall, it was pretty bad. It left me wishing I had a copy of the Dream Cast Concert on DVD (it's totally going on my wish list this year). But, in the meantime, hooray for YouTube having the entire concert available for streaming and enabling me to sit and soak in the fond memories of friends from years gone by:
3 comments:
You can find clips from the 25 anniversary concert on You Tube as well. Some of the songs are as good as he 10th anniversary, but be warned--they do have one of the Jonas brothers as Marius. :)
Yeeeeaah.. that Jonas brother scared me off, I've never listened to much of the 25th anniversary.. I probably should give it another try....... :)
Have to admit that after that movie I also spent some time on YouTube and added the CD to my wish list. The music in the movie does leave something to be desired.
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