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Post by jo on Jan 5, 2013 6:43:51 GMT -5
Guess what --- I was surfing TV channels and came upon Anne, Amanda during media interviews with someone who looks like a Filipino journalist. Then, from out of the blue -- " Hey, Manila...!!"from a broadly smiling Hugh Jackman inviting us to watch the movie ;D As if I needed any push ;D Ten more sleeps  ;D >  Jo |
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Post by jo on Jan 5, 2013 10:32:17 GMT -5
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Post by birchie on Jan 5, 2013 10:54:17 GMT -5
Guess what --- I was surfing TV channels and came upon Anne, Amanda during media interviews with someone who looks like a Filipino journalist. Then, from out of the blue -- " Hey, Manila...!!"from a broadly smiling Hugh Jackman inviting us to watch the movie ;D As if I needed any push ;D Ten more sleeps ;D > Jo What a lovely surprise to keep you going! Too bad we can't speed up time for you! :-* Sue |
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Post by birchie on Jan 5, 2013 10:56:57 GMT -5
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Post by jo on Jan 5, 2013 11:07:52 GMT -5
I've just watched the Aaron interview - he sounds very down-to-earth. I saw him in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, but I think I look forward more to seeing him as Enjolras ( one of my favorite Les Miserables characters!). Yes, he sounds very deferential to Hugh Hugh - any possible role for Aaron in HOUDINI? Maybe as Houdini's stage assistant? Jo |
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 5, 2013 12:36:23 GMT -5
He'd even hold his cape, LOL. Loved that part of the interview.
Am I the only one who thought he'd make a better and more believable Marius than Eddie Redmayne, talented though he is? Besides having a true Broadway-quality voice (he was very good in both NEXT TO NORMAL and CATCH), Tveit IMHO is better looking and just seems to exude more charisma and power, all of which would lend more credence to Cosette's bout of love at first sight. He's the right age--younger than Redmayne, in fact, who turns 31 tomorrow. Thinking back, judging from my one trip to RED (for which Redmayne won a supporting Tony), he didn't appear to have female fans hanging around the Golden Theater stage door; while when Tveit was in NEXT TO NORMAL he was hounded by legions of them. (I used to observe that from various theaters along W. 45th St. when I'd be exiting other shows.) I do hope Tveit gets his wish to return to Broadway soon.
Ellen
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Post by birchie on Jan 5, 2013 13:42:11 GMT -5
He'd even hold his cape, LOL. Loved that part of the interview. Am I the only one who thought he'd make a better and more believable Marius than Eddie Redmayne, talented though he is? Besides having a true Broadway-quality voice (he was very good in both NEXT TO NORMAL and CATCH), Tveit IMHO is better looking and just seems to exude more charisma and power, all of which would lend more credence to Cosette's bout of love at first sight. He's the right age--younger than Redmayne, in fact, who turns 31 tomorrow. Thinking back, judging from my one trip to RED (for which Redmayne won a supporting Tony), he didn't appear to have female fans hanging around the Golden Theater stage door; while when Tveit was in NEXT TO NORMAL he was hounded by legions of them. (I used to observe that from various theaters along W. 45th St. when I'd be exiting other shows.) I do hope Tveit gets his wish to return to Broadway soon. Ellen You're not alone there Ellen! While I was pleasantly surprised at Eddie's singing and I think he's a wonderful actor, as I mentioned before, I was surprised that Aaron wasn't Marius. With his theater experience and his musical talent pretty well known along with his good looks would have made him ideal. Eddie is peculiar looking to say the least. Initially I couldn't understand why girls seemed to go bonkers for him, at least in England. But after seeing some of his prior work he does have an intangible quality that comes through on the screen. I think he's going to become a favorite of mine. But I still might have preferred Aaron as Marius. Guess we'll never know how that would have been. I hope Aaron gets his due someday. I can't imagine a part in Houdini for him but, who knows. Maybe someday we'll see him on stage with Hugh in something though. I hope his Graceland TV series works out. It sounds interesting. Sue |
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Post by carouselkathy on Jan 5, 2013 14:21:25 GMT -5
I thought Eddie was magnificent as Marius and matched up with Samantha perfectly. "Empty Chairs" was the best I've ever heard it. Aaron is great and I'd love to see him on stage. Also looking forward to his new TV series. However, I loved Eddie in the film and hope he gets an Oscar nomination.
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Post by njr on Jan 5, 2013 15:26:56 GMT -5
The show is on here tonight at 10 pm on BBC America. Nancy |
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 5, 2013 19:38:59 GMT -5
Thanks for the timely reminder, Nancy. It's likewise on my Comcast/Xfinity BBCA channel tonight at 10.
Ellen
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Post by foxie on Jan 5, 2013 19:40:55 GMT -5
what is on tonite?  ? |
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Post by foxie on Jan 5, 2013 19:43:28 GMT -5
I dont know the other guy but i thought Eddie was great
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Post by birchie on Jan 5, 2013 20:17:35 GMT -5
Well this is quite a gossipy article, but interesting. It's an interview with Frances Ruffelle who was the original Eponine and has a cameo as one of the Lovely Ladies in the movie. It seems that she was quite a handful when she was young and very unprofessional in her time with the show. She was lucky that her talent saw her through. It didn't matter in the long run, because she left the show abruptly when she became pregnant. I didn't know any of this background, only that she had originated the role of Eponine and won a Tony. She was very honest in the interview. I hope the second phase of her career goes well for her. I'll just post the link for anyone interested: www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9782751/Les-Miserables-runaway-star-in-film-comeback.htmlSue |
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Post by birchie on Jan 5, 2013 20:20:34 GMT -5
what is on tonite? ? I think they're talking about the Graham Norton show (rerun) on BBC America tonight with Hugh. The first 15 min. or so are Tom Cruise then Hugh is on for the rest of the show with Billy Chrystal. Some very funny moments. Sue |
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Post by jo on Jan 5, 2013 20:41:10 GMT -5
A lot of people knew of the affair between Frances and John Caird ( Trevor's co-director) who was very much married at that time. Some (ATC) have even speculated that some of the preferential treatment ( such as Eponine being switched against The Bishop's appearance in the finale in the original production) given to Frances was due to that relationship. Also, some speculations that her being chosen to transfer to Broadway (instead of Roger Allam who played Javert or Michael Ball who was Marius) was also due to that?
Me -- I have often wondered why the song of Fantine ( La Misere - the forerunner song of On My Own) became Eponine's? John, working as Trevor Nunn's assistant, may or may not have anything to do with that.
But all water under the bridge!
Jo
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Post by birchie on Jan 6, 2013 11:39:47 GMT -5
<snip> Some (ATC) have even speculated that some of the preferential treatment ( such as Eponine being switched against The Bishop's appearance in the finale in the original production) given to Frances was due to that relationship. <snip> Jo Well, that would certainly make sense of the forever mystery to me of why Eponine is even in that scene!! It never made any sense that this total stranger would escort JVJ to Heaven instead of the Bishop! Sue |
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Post by jo on Jan 7, 2013 1:06:59 GMT -5
Probably still a part of the onging promotional campaign for the movie musical -- with the focus on the singing voices mainly of Russell and Hugh: www.suntimes.com/entertainment/17....o-t rainer.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman owe ‘Les Miserables’ voices to Chicago trainer BY MIRIAM DI NUNZIO Staff Reporter/mdinunzio@suntimes.com January 6, 2013 10:34PM If Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman are hitting all the right notes in the hit film “Les Miserables,” they have one talented Chicago area resident to thank for their vocal prowess. That would be Roberta Duchak, the Jeff Award-winning musical director (“Miss Saigon,” “Ragtime,” among many others, and the upcoming “Sunset Boulevard”) at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. Duchak, who owns a voice studio in Chicago and also teaches fundamentals of musical theater singing at Columbia College, put the two megastars through their vocal paces, working with Crowe from the audition through the actual filming — which in an unprecedented movie musical move featured the cast singing live as the cameras rolled. Duchak, who spent nearly four months in England for rehearsals and filming, and three weeks in Australia at Crowe’s request to augment his training, said fate had a hand in all of it. “My vocal teacher, Don Komasa, originally got the call from the movie company,” Duchak said. “Russell was auditioning for the role — everyone had to audition for their parts. Hugh Jackman had a three-hour audition for the role of Jean Valjean. Don worked with them for a while, but he was leaving for Europe in June or early July last year and he called and asked me to fill in for two weeks with Russell. So that’s what I did. “Then a month later, Russell called me directly asking me to accompany him to his audition. So off we went. I played a few warm-ups with him, he sang a few songs, and then in came Cameron Mackintosh, the producers and director Tom Hooper. It was just us and a piano. Russell nailed it.” Duchak recognizes that not all the commentary about the cast’s vocal abilities (she also did on-set vocal warm-ups with Anne Hathaway, Samantha Barks and Amanda Seyfried) has been positive, something she said is very misguided.
“There have been a lot of opinions, and yes, criticism of the live singing in the film,” Duchak said. “I feel like we, within the industry, should embrace the live singing and hope that this becomes the industry standard. It enhances the storytelling with an intimacy we’ve never seen. Honestly, auto-tuning, ghosting voices and lip synching seems cheap and antiquated. I think Tom Hooper has elevated the art of making movie musicals.”Crowe is no stranger to music or musical theater, having starred as Eddie and Dr. Scott in an Australian production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in the 1980s, as well as busking on the streets of Sydney as guitar-in-hand teen, and more recently fronting his rock ’n’ roll band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. The first note heard in the film is Crowe’s high “F” as he sings “... bring me prisoner 24601” in the pouring rain, Duchak said. Getting to that note was a testament to Crowe’s unrelenting dedication to honing his vocal skills. “Like anyone who walks into my studio for voice lessons, I warm them up to evaluate where they are so I know how to proceed to make them grow,” Duchak said. “ ‘Les Mis’ is among the three hardest musical theater pieces out there, in addition to ‘Ragtime’ and ‘Miss Saigon.’ Everyone in ‘Les Mis,’ from Fantine to Jean Valjean, has to have huge ranges. The cast in this film had range, but we had to push it even further.” Duchak says she found Crowe’s voice fascinating from the get-go. “He is a true bass baritone,” she said, noting that his favorite warm-up song was the hugely demanding basso classic “Ol’ Man River” from “Show Boat.” “There are very few men who have that gorgeous bass baritone voice. It was exciting to see how deep it was. But the challenge was to make him into a high baritone. The most challenging song for Russell was ‘Javert’s Suicide,’ because it’s so rangey. You’re hitting that F-sharp over and over again. In all, I ended up increasing Russell’s range by about four notes. That’s a big leap for a singer who isn’t used to singing every day. “With Hugh [whom Duchak began coaching eight weeks into the filming], we added maybe three notes to his range because ‘Bring Him Home’ is just an unbelievably difficult and emotional song. But both of these guys they were like Olympic athletes when it came to retraining their voices and getting them ready to sing 12 to 14 hours a day. Because all the singing was done live, if you did a take multiple times, you sang it over and over again. I don’t know of many musical theater veterans who could even do that.”Duchak, 47, started playing piano at age 3. Music was always in the house, she said; her father was a musician. She went on to participate in choir, dance and musicals throughout grammar school and high school. At Indiana University, Duchak majored in broadcast journalism and theater. In addition to Broadway and national tours, her local credits as musical director or an actress include Chicago Shakespeare Theater, American Theater Company, the Goodman Theatre and Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre. While “Les Mis” afforded her months to get her singers into shape, at Drury Lane, Duchak said, there is no such luxury; the pace is lightning-quick. “I think musical theater in Chicago does what it does extremely well in an incredibly short amount of time, sometimes with only a few weeks in between shows,” Duchak said. “That’s a real testament to the high caliber of talent we have here.” Duchak had similar praise for her film cast, calling Crowe and Jackman two people “who I think will always be in my life as my friends.” “All these actors were so brave to sign up for a musical that is being sung live,” she said. “We were making history and we all knew it. All they heard was a piano in their tiny ear pieces [Duchak played piano for Crowe during his turn on ‘Stars,’ per the actor’s request]. The songs all sounded a cappella to the crew. That’s a very cool and different way for a cast and crew to ‘hear’ a musical. To be able to act and sing in a musical when you’re hearing everything a cappella, that’s simply marvelous talent.”----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Post by jo on Jan 7, 2013 8:03:27 GMT -5
Oh What A Beautiful Maulin'So Wolverine sings ... should there be such singing in DAYS OF FUTURE PAST ;D But Hugh will neither confirm or deny if there is music ( Wolverine singing) in Bryan Singer's new XMEN movie www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=36122The Empire rep interviews Hugh re Les Miserables but of course he asks the question of the comparison of the Valean/Javert relationship with the Wolverine/Sabertooth contretemps. For the fanboys, of course ;D Jo
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Post by jo on Jan 7, 2013 8:11:24 GMT -5
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 7, 2013 9:45:05 GMT -5
In another interview, Eddie Redmayne is asked the same question about what song(s) stuck in his head. He also answers, "One Day More."
Ellen
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Post by Jamie on Jan 7, 2013 11:36:18 GMT -5
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Post by birchie on Jan 7, 2013 14:42:59 GMT -5
Probably still a part of the onging promotional campaign for the movie musical -- with the focus on the singing voices mainly of Russell and Hugh: www.suntimes.com/entertainment/17....o-t rainer.html <snip> If Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman are hitting all the right notes in the hit film “Les Miserables,” they have one talented Chicago area resident to thank for their vocal prowess. That would be Roberta Duchak, the Jeff Award-winning musical director (“Miss Saigon,” “Ragtime,” among many others, and the upcoming “Sunset Boulevard”) at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. Duchak, who owns a voice studio in Chicago and also teaches fundamentals of musical theater singing at Columbia College, put the two megastars through their vocal paces, working with Crowe from the audition through the actual filming — which in an unprecedented movie musical move featured the cast singing live as the cameras rolled. <snip> “All these actors were so brave to sign up for a musical that is being sung live,” she said. “We were making history and we all knew it. All they heard was a piano in their tiny ear pieces [Duchak played piano for Crowe during his turn on ‘Stars,’ per the actor’s request]. The songs all sounded a cappella to the crew. That’s a very cool and different way for a cast and crew to ‘hear’ a musical. To be able to act and sing in a musical when you’re hearing everything a cappella, that’s simply marvelous talent.”Great article! If only all the snarky bad mouthers could read what someone who actually knows what they are talking about has to say about the process and what difficult work it was for these actors to achieve what they did! I wish all those snarky "Oh theater people do this every day" people could be made to eat their words for belittling the job that everyone on this movie had t do. Not to mention the "Oh this isn't the first time it's been done live"...It's really nauseating to see these stupid remarks at this stage when the actual technical challenge has been so widely written about. My guess is the snarky bad mouthers don't read anything much about the movie so that they can keep up their whining ways! Funny note: my spell check keeps wanting me to change the word mouthers to mothers. Might work!!! I think it was the same Roberta that was introduced by Hugh in one of the videos of the night at Joe's pub with Russell's band. And I think we saw her in that 60 minutes piece as well. Sue |
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Post by jo on Jan 7, 2013 16:37:45 GMT -5
That is why I was so disappointed with Stephanie J Block. She responded to a tweet ot Michael Cerveris poking fun at what the Les Miserables actors said about live singing -- Michael and other tweeter/actors,including Stephanie, said theatre people do this everyday, eight shows a week , so nothing much to what the Hollywoodites are claming ! They know what Hugh and company were referring to -- in the movies! And for long shoots daily!!
Jo
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Post by birchie on Jan 7, 2013 16:47:55 GMT -5
That is why I was so disappointed with Stephanie J Block. She responded to a tweet ot Michael Cerveris poking fun at what the Les Miserables actors said about live singing -- Michael and other tweeter/actors,including Stephanie, said theatre people do this everyday, eight shows a week , so nothing much to what the Hollywoodites are claming ! They know what Hugh and company were referring to -- in the movies! And for long shoots daily!! Jo Yes, I remember she was one of them...very disappointing indeed! I'm not sure what it says about someone to make a stupid comment when you know better. The fact is theater people don't sing 8-12 hours a day for 6 months. Hugh knows the difference and had to make special adaptations to his habits for the duration of the filming. I don't know why people can't choose to be more like Hugh and just be nice. One of the first things I learned as a child "If you can't say something nice, don't day anything at all"...guess they didn't get that memo.  Sue |
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Post by jo on Jan 7, 2013 17:48:25 GMT -5
What's even more disappointing is that Stephanie was the lead role in The Pirate Queen, the last or second to the last musical written by Boublil and Schonberg. She could have been more circumspect and not joined in - as the Les Miserables film is a pet project of her erstwhile composers.
I wonder if all behind this - is some jealousy from stage actors because they did not get the movie parts?? I can understand that ... but they should have been professional enough not to poke fun at their colleagues, whether in the theatre ( Jackman, Tveit, Barks) or just in the movies.
Jo
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;D >
