Les Misérables

There was a time in my life where I found musicals to be a frivolous waste of time. I saw them as the fluff of an otherwise brilliant theater world. Playwrights like Tennesse Williams, Harold Pinter, Jean Genet and Edward Albee were masters. Meanwhile shows like Showboat, South Pacific and Anything Goes were simply pop culture drivel without artistic merit. I have performed in productions of Camelot, Bye Bye Birdie and The Music Man, but acting in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible has always been the only role I considered to have substance. Then, three things happened that would forever change my view of musical theater. First, I met Mrs. Orbson who absolutely loves musicals. Second, I got over myself. Yes I am brilliant, yes I can quote Shakespeare on command, but no I don’t want to be “that guy”. I prefer to be open-minded. I try not to judge until I have seen something for myself. Finally, and most importantly, Mrs. Orbson took me to see Les Misérables. My love affair with theater expanded in ecstasy as I watched the greatest musical and perhaps the greatest play I had ever seen. Orbson, theater and musical theater were now entangled in an exquisite ménage à trois.

This past weekend Mrs. O and I escaped our cave and ventured to Portland, Oregon to see the 25th Anniversary International Tour production of Les Misérables. This marked the 5th time I have seen the show live. We met up with a phenomenal friend and made our way to Keller Auditorium for the 3+ hour long performance. After five performances and owning three different Les Mis CD sets, I wasn’t sure if the performance would live up to my memories. I needn’t have worried. By intermission the performance swept me away to 19th century Paris where drama, action and romance collide in an epic musical display. From the exceptional performances to the stunning sets I had to stop myself from giving a standing ovation after every song. Les Misérables is a musical that I can study like literature – examining motifs in the very songs I am singing along to. This is a musical that makes me think as I watch a small group of students see the growing disparity between the wealthy and the impoverished. How’s that for relevant? As conditions worsen for the poor, the students, who themselves are well off, choose to revolt rather than stand idly by. They speak and fight for those cannot.

Of course any discussion of the Les Misérables would be pointless without mentioning the main character Jean Valjean. Here is a man who spends 15 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed a starving child. Here is a man who is then released into a world that neither welcomes him back nor allows him the opportunity to prosper. I will not spoil his story for you but his path to redemption and willingness to put other’s needs first were only overshadowed by a voice that most pop singers would sell their soul for.

Finally, there is Éponine. There is something about this character that I find more compelling then perhaps any I have ever come across in literature. That’s saying something considering how much I read. In this performance, Éponine was portrayed in a very different manner, but it really worked. Her rendition of “On My Own” was definitely one of the best I’ve heard. I want to talk more about her, but I really don’t want to spoil it for those who have never experienced the show. Suffice it to say, when you get the opportunity to see this musical, watch her closely, think about what she sacrifices and ask yourself who is the real heroine.

Needless to say, Les Misérables opened my eyes to all that a musical could offer. Musicals like Rent, Avenue Q, The Scarlet Pimpernel and Wicked have all made their way into my top theater experiences. I fully expect the Book of Mormon to jump into the mix soon. However, Les Misérables will always be my first and truest musical love.


So Very Relevant...





One of My Favorite Songs by my Favorite Character...

Orbson Reviews Aladdin the Musical

Last weekend, Mrs. Orbson and I made our way to the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle to see the pre-Broadway run of Disney’s Aladdin. For those of you who are not theater snobs like us, this means that after performing in Seattle, the production will move straight to Broadway. It’s an awesome opportunity to see A-list stars, directors and crew without traveling to New York. We also get the bragging rights of seeing the performance before it becomes “big news”.

We made our way through the throngs of theater-goers and sat in our inexpensive, yet well-placed balcony seats. The stage curtain had been replaced by “magic carpets”, the band started playing and the mood was set. That’s when the stupid started ejaculating from the stage in bursts of community theater like mediocrity. Before the arrows start flying, yes there are many good community theaters out there. Unfortunately for us, Aladdin was to Broadway caliber as Sarah Palin is to intelligence. Severely lacking.

So what made Aladdin the opening act of Crapapalooza? Oh, where to begin. The rushed through dialogue? The underdeveloped characters? The lackluster score? Well yes, but the real mucus on this crusty scab of a musical was the staging and costuming. Now if you are at all familiar with Disney or have seen The Lion King musical you might think that a new Disney show would be larger than life with extravagant costume and sets. At the very least, you’d think that it would be as good as those 45-minute Disney World performances. You would be wrong on both fronts. There was barely any staging and the costumes looked like they were designed by a 3-year old using her My First Sewing Machine. The floor was completely bare with only the taped “marks” visible. Nothing screams Arabian like fluorescent purple duct tape.

There were three big scenes that should have been spectacular – when Aladdin meets the Genie, when Aladdin, pretending to be a prince, parades into town and Aladdin and Princess Jasmine’s magic carpet ride. At least with the Genie we got a little bit of smoke. Sure, I could have done it myself with a bucket of dry ice and a firecracker, but it did prove that somebody somewhere worked on this musical. Other than that, all we were given were a few dancers and a couple of baskets of fake fruit. Where are the elephants, the acrobats, where was the freakin Disney magic? The lack of anything resembling professional theater was appalling. Then, it got worse.

The magic carpet scene is supposed to be the romantic climax of the play. Well, if you consider a 10-foot-pole lifting the carpet off of the ground magical so be it. I don’t know about you but I find my romantic evenings severely distracted by having a pole shoved up my ass. Yes, I am sure some of you might find that enjoyable but remember – 10 feet, not 10 inches long. The best part was the beautiful starlit sky- stage hands dressed in black, were waving lights around. Seriously people, this is fine in high school but not for a Broadway musical.

Needless to say, Mrs. Orbson and I give this play two thumbs down. The cast was merely adequate and was not able to elevate this amateurish attempt at musical theater. Disney, you should be ashamed. I will point out that about half of the theater seemed to really enjoy the play. Of course half of the country votes Republican so…. In the end, I’d say rent the movie and forgo the play.

Orbson on Art – Check out one of my favorite artists, Pino Daeni. A perfect combination of colors, technique and feminine beauty. My favorites are “Everlasting Beauty” and “Angelica”. http://www.paragonfineart.com/artists/pino.html

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