Les Misérables: 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall (1995)

They don't call this the dream cast for nothing. The story and score are so wonderfully produced here. Colm Wilkinson as Jean ValJean is legendary. Few can really come close to Wilkinson's portrayal of the lead role. He shows a wide array of emotion in all of his songs.Other cast members (in no specific order): Philip Quast as Javert is fantastic, he plays the role so convincingly, one of a few that I've seen do so. "Stars," "The Confrontation" and "Javert's Suicide" were flawless on his part. Jenny Galloway as Madame Thenardier is flawless, her singing, acting, and accent make the role special. In conclusion, Quast and Galloway were my favorite parts of the show. As Galloway's stage husband, Alun Armstrong brings a convincing menace to Thenardier during "Master of the House." Michael Ball and Judy Kuhn are the best ever as the lovers Marius and Cosette. "A Heart Full of Love" is song beautifully. Lea Salonga as Eponine is great, "On My Own" is spectacular. Ruthie Henshall as Fantine is heartbreaking, "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Fantine's Death" are perfect. Michael Maguire as Enjolras wasn't terrible, but seemed a little too demanding for a student at times.Other minor characters: Hannah Chick (Young Cosette) and Adam Searles (Gavroche) did good. So did the ABC Friends. Great job overall!

When I'm on the treadmill I always listen to the rousing finale to this...you have Jean Valjeans from 17 countries performing "Do you hear the people sing..." and "One day more" and in their own language. Inspirational and moving.Unfortunately they were missing the Greek, Spanish and Italian Jean Valjeans. How could they miss them? They would have added a continental flavor to the performance.But thankfully they had the Japanese Jean Valjean. The singer later on went to host Top Chef, the original one. It was touching to see Rob Guest as the Australian Jean Valjean. Sadly he died a few years ago.

What can you say about Les Miserables ... such beautiful music. The cast is generally outstanding, as well, as I go role by role down the list.JEAN VALJEAN (Colm Wilkinson) -- See, he's why this is a 9 out of 10 and not a 10. I expect fully to be tarred and feathered for this, but Colm was simply not very good. His "Bring Him Home," a usually touching song, was -- dare I say it? -- hilarious, due to his physical acting and facial expressions. Currently, John Owen-Jones is a far superior Valjean. I will say that Colm does an outstanding "Who am I?" JAVERT (Philip Quast) -- Wow. Really, that's all I have to say. Wow. His voice is absolutely breathtaking. In my opinion, best performance of the night.FANTINE (Ruthie Henshall) -- Another outstanding cast member. Her voice is so gorgeous and wrought with emotion.MARIUS PONTMERCY (Michael Ball) -- Michael Ball strikes the perfect balance between "bashful, adorable schoolboy" and "passionate tenor." He was a perfect Marius, and his "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" is heart-wrenching.COSETTE (Judy Kuhn) -- Ah, Judy. Her voice is beautiful, and she seems to bring just the right youthful freshness to the character. "Every Day/A Heart Full of Love (reprise)" is one of my favorite songs in the show, and she sings it perfectly, including that killer soprano C at the end. Definitely a favorite.EPONINE (Lea Salonga) -- My feelings on the character of Eponine are generally "meh." Similarly, I feel rather "meh" about Lea's portrayal. She is quite adorable, yet Eponine is not an adorable character. Her voice is good, however perhaps too harsh.ENJOLRAS (Michael Maguire) -- Another favorite. His portrayal of the student revolutionary was strong, passionate, and, if I may, sexy. Very sexy. Perhaps his vocals aren't as technically perfect as Anthony Warlow's, but Maguire is believable. He embodies the role perfectly.GRANTAIRE (Anthony Crivello) -- Very strong, touching "Drink With Me."THENARDIER (Alun Armstrong) -- Hysterically funny. Perhaps too funny, and not quite dark enough. But still. Hilarious.MME. T (Jenny Galloway) -- Great performance here. Watch her facial expressions in the "Waltz of Treachery." Priceless.YOUNG COSETTE (Hannah Chick) -- AWWW so cute. And a very convincing young Cosette, perfectly mixing hope and desperation.GAVROCHE (Adam Searles) -- *claps* What can I say? He shone with a very small role. Perhaps he was a bit old, but you could definitely see traces of his stint as the Artful Dodger (Oliver!) in this performance.As for ensemble members, Matt Cammelle's Feuilly was outstanding; also watch for the Factory Foreman ("At the End of the Day"), the Bishop of Digne ("Prologue/Valjean Arrested/Valjean Forgiven"), and the young prostitute ("Look Down").

I love this show completely I can't say anything bad this concert production I love how they mix in some of the scenes from the show and the cast picks blow me away and I loved how they end this with the all of the around the Valjean's and the overlapping part of "One Day More" (which is one of my favorite songs in the show. I loved the Eponine in the show she was in MISS SAIGON and the Fantine. And how they follow the show still and the score how they played it was amazing in anyway. A really great gala concert ever.An Amazing concert to such an amazing show."ONE MORE DAY ALL ON MY OWN"