Seattle: Les Miserables

 When I was a little girl, I remember my mother first introducing me to the music of Les Miserables.  I would lay on my bed listening to the cassette tapes and sing along reading the lyrics as I went.  There were even times I would act out different scenes from the play in front of the mirror.  I was quite proud of my Fantine and Eponine death scenes in particular.  (If you couldn't tell, I was quite the drama queen...)  I remember my mom getting the sheet music for the piano and quickly we made it a tradition for me to sing with her as she played the accompaniment. 

I vividly remember seeing Les Miserables for the first time in Seattle.  I was around 10 years old and couldn't get over how beautiful the 5th Avenue Theatre was.  From the time the orchestra started to play to when the conductor cut off the final note, I was mesmerized; literally enchanted by the music, voices, and talent from the stage.  Tears streamed my face throughout the evening to several of my favorite songs; "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Bring Him Home," "Little Fall of Rain," "Stars," "One Day More," and "Do You Hear the People Sing."  Throughout the years the magic never faded.  I was able to see Les Miserables another three times, twice in New York and once in London, all with the same emotional outcome.

I was lucky to have music surround me growing up and was blessed to have parents put forth such an effort and priority in exposing us to the beauty found within musicals, specifically Les Miserables.  So you can see why last month, when PBS reran their 25th Anniversary Concert program of Les Miserables (staring my absolute favorite of all time--Lea Solanga as Fantine) I found myself sitting 'on my own' in front of the television sobbing my eyes out singing along to each of the songs.  I quickly called my mom in tears giggling at my obnoxiousness.  It was during this conversation that she told me she and dad had gotten tickets for both Dallas and I to attend the 25th Anniversary tour coming through Seattle this past weekend.  It was the absolute PERFECT birthday present!

 From my family: Mom, Dad, younger brother Stuart, younger brother Richard and his wife Leisha, Dallas and I.  We also met up with our "extended family," Ben and Kim.

 The 5th Avenue theater has always been one of my favorite theaters, probably due to all of the childhood memories.  It is gorgeously decorated with intricate gold and silver Chinese designs and has an incredibly detailed ceiling.  All of the below pictures were taken from various sites on the internet.

 We were extremely spoiled with INCREDIBLE seats eight rows from the stage.  (Thank you again mom and dad!!)

 It is a family tradition to get together during intermission and compare/discuss what we think of the production.  I love to talk with mom about the different voices and compare them to past cast members we have seen.  There wasn't much to say except praise during this intermission!  They all had such incredible voices, especially Jean Val Jean.  His rendition of "Bring Him Home" was to die for; flawless falsetto.

For the 25th Anniversary Tour all the sets have changed.  I loved the new additions.  They used a great mix of modern technology yet still stayed true to the original feel of the play.  The orchestration was also revamped, adding lots of new and interesting instruments to the mix.

Once again, Les Miserables did not dissappoint!  I swear I could see this play another 30 times and still feel that same tingle down my back lifting the hairs on my arms every time that opening chord plays from the orchestra pit.  It continues to be my favorite musical of all time.

Thanks so much for the amazing weekend, mom and dad.  We love you both so very much and feel constantly spoiled by your extreme generosity!

Couldn't help but share two performances from my favorite Broadway star of all time, Lea Salonga.  I first fell in love with her when she starred in Miss Saigon.  She later starred as Eponine in the 10th Anniversary Tour of Les Miserables and as Fantine in the 25th Anniversary Tour.  After all these years her voice remains incredibly pure and powerful!