{"id":27122,"date":"2018-01-09T14:20:45","date_gmt":"2018-01-09T19:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=27122"},"modified":"2018-01-09T14:20:48","modified_gmt":"2018-01-09T19:20:48","slug":"on-stage-les-mis-always-finds-a-way-back-to-local-stages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=27122","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: ‘Les Mis’ always finds a way back to local stages"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Staff Writer, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Les Mis\u00e9rables<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s hard to take farewell tours seriously.<\/p>\n

Music acts such as the Who, Frank Sinatra, Cher and David Bowie have all, at one time or another in their careers, embarked on a \u201cFarewell Tour.\u201d No-one really believed them and, eventually, the artists were back on stage performing again.<\/p>\n

The hit musical \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d went out on its \u201cFarewell Tour\u201d in 2006. Just as with the music acts, everyone felt sure that the popular song-laden classic would be playing theaters around the country again sometime in the not too distant future.<\/p>\n

And, that\u2019s just what happened.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, \u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d was back on the road with a highly-acclaimed 25th anniversary tour. Then, the show returned to Broadway for a run that closed in September 2016, after 1,026 performances.<\/p>\n

But, like the Energizer Bunny, \u201cLes Miserables\u201d just keeps going and going \u2013 from Broadway to yet another national tour. A new national tour began on September 21, 2017 at the Providence Performing Arts Centre and now has arrived in Philadelphia for a run at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333,www.kimmelcenter.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The show, which is being presented as part of the Kimmel Center\u2019s Broadway Philadelphia series, will open on January 9 and run through January 21.<\/p>\n

\u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d, which had its world premiere at the Barbican Theatre in London on October 8, 1985, has been seen in person by more than 70 million people around the world. There have been more than 60,000 performances, more than 50 major theater awards (including eight Tony Awards in 1987) and more than 30 cast recordings.<\/p>\n

A year after closing on Broadway, Cameron Mackintosh\u2019s monumental new production of \u201cLes Miserables\u201d launched its first national tour. Based on Victor Hugo\u2019s novel, this sweeping epic is one of the most popular musicals in history, a tale of love and revolution that draws audiences in time and time again. Its classic score, written by Herbert Kretzmer and Claude-Michel Schonberg, includes the timeless \u201cI Dreamed A Dream,\u201d \u201cOne Day More\u201d and \u201cDo You Hear the People Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The main story is the tale of Jean Valjean, a fugitive whose devotion to doing the right thing leads to problems as he engages in a life-long struggle to elude Inspector Javert, a self-righteous and cruel police officer.<\/p>\n

Two years after the Revolution of 1830, France is on the brink of violence once again. Dismayed that one king has been replaced by another, a group of rebels are plotting to overthrow the monarchy and lay claim to the throne for the common people.<\/p>\n

Against this backdrop of simmering rebellion, we follow the story of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict who manages to build a new life for himself and his adopted daughter Cosette. Yet his new-found happiness cannot last for long, because the unrelenting police inspector Javert, who has been hunting Valjean for two decades, is close on his tail.<\/p>\n

As Valjean\u2019s past finally catches up with him, all of the characters are swept up in the chaos that breaks out on the streets of Paris in an epic story of thwarted love, forgiveness and the enduring strength of the human spirit.<\/p>\n

On the surface, Valjean has the role of the good guy while Javert looks like the villain. In reality, Javert is merely obsessed with justice. He respects the law above all else and relentlessly pursues Valjean, hoping to bring the escaped convict to justice. He firmly believes in the justice of the law, and has no room for mercy. In the end he commits suicide, broken by the mercy he experiences from Valjean.<\/p>\n

The real villain in the show is Th\u00e9nardier.<\/p>\n

A second-rate thief, Th\u00e9nardier runs a small inn where he continually bilks his customers. He and his family later travel to Paris, where he sets up as the leader of a gang of street thugs and con men. An eternal survivor, Th\u00e9nardier is above nothing and below everything.<\/p>\n

As innkeepers, Th\u00e9nardier and his wife abuse Cosette as a child and extract payment from Fantine for her support — until Valjean takes Cosette away. They become bankrupt and relocate under the name Jondrette to a house in Paris called the Gorbeau house, living in the room next to Marius.<\/p>\n

The husband associates with a criminal group called \u201cthe Patron-Minette,\u201d and conspires to rob Valjean until he is thwarted by Marius.<\/p>\n

Javert arrests the couple. The wife dies in prison. Her husband attempts to blackmail Marius with his knowledge of Valjean\u2019s past, but Marius pays him to leave the country. He becomes a slave trader in the United States.<\/p>\n

In this production, J. Anthony Crane is the actor portraying one of theater\u2019s most villainous characters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love trying to take this entirely unredeemable characters \u2013 Th\u00e9nardier and his wife \u2013 and give them a little bit of texture,\u201d said Crane, during a recent phone interview from a tour stop in Charlotte, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also enjoy trying to figure out how much story you can tell about someone in a limited amount of time. Whenever the Th\u00e9nardiers show up, you\u2019ve got to guard your wallet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little odd to be in the periphery of the story \u2013 but it\u2019s fun to be here in the way that I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Crane enjoys playing a villain, he admits there are challenges to playing the role of Th\u00e9nardier.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m straddling a line between what is funny about him and unequivocally nasty about him,\u201d said Crane. \u201cI\u2019m enjoying being both.\u201d<\/p>\n

To date, Les Mis\u00e9rables remains the fifth-longest-running Broadway production of all time. The new tour will undoubtedly play to packed houses around the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d has been able to remain popular for such a long time because of the now-familiar music — and because the story is such a universal story. It is a story that has the ability to touch people.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople love \u2018Les Miserables\u2019 because the music is soaring and gorgeous,\u201d said Crane, referring to the magnificent score.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, the story is a moral one. It deals with idealism and the idea of never giving up \u2013 like the students fighting for something they can never win.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis show is a brand-new production and it\u2019s great. We had rehearsal in July and August and then opened with a 10-day run in Providence. This is the first time I\u2019ve played Philadelphia so I\u2019m really looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u00a0\u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d — \u00a0http:\/\/lesmiz.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cLes Mis\u00e9rables\u201d will run from January 9-21 at the Academy of Music. Ticket prices range from $20-$139.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Wombats<\/p><\/div>\n

Liverpool, England has a long tradition of producing top-tier football (soccer) teams such as Liverpool and Everton and top-flight rock bands dating all the way back to the early 1960s with bands such as Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Searchers and, of course, the Beatles.<\/p>\n

Over the years, other bands have joined the list of rock luminaries from Merseyside including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, A Flock of Seagulls, Echo and the Bunnymen and Ladytron.<\/p>\n

In 2003, another band from Liverpool joined the list \u2013 the Wombats.<\/p>\n

The band, which features its three founding members lead vocalist and guitarist Matthew Murphy, drummer Dan Haggis and bassist Tord \u00d8verland Knudsen, will release its new album \u201cBeautiful People Will Ruin Your Life\u201d on February 9\u00a0via\u00a0Kobalt Music Recordings.<\/p>\n

Prior to the album release, the Wombats have unveiled a dark, cinematic music video for their new single\u00a0\u201cLemon to A Knife Fight\u201d and will embark on a three-week tour of America beginning this week. On January 9, the tour brings them to Philly for a show at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100,www.utphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The new album follows\u00a0The Wombats\u2019\u00a02015 LP\u00a0\u201cGlitterbug,\u201d which garnered critical acclaim and debuted in the\u00a0Top 5 on the UK Album chart and Billboard 100.\u00a0\u201cGive Me a Try,\u201d one of the album\u2019s singles reached\u00a0Top 20 at Alternative Radio, spent\u00a0four weeks in a row at #1 on\u00a0Alt Nation\u00a0and, along with single\u00a0\u201cGreek Tragedy\u201d\u00a0has over\u00a070 million combined Spotify streams.<\/p>\n

Written from three corners of the globe — Haggis\u00a0in London, England; Knudsen\u00a0in Oslo, Norway; Murphy\u00a0in Los Angeles — \u201cBeautiful People Will Ruin Your Life\u201d was created via long-distance writing sessions and supplemented by intense two-week, in-person sessions in Oslo. Produced by\u00a0Mark Crew (Bastille, Rag’n’Bone Man)\u00a0and\u00a0Catherine Marks (Wolf Alice),\u00a0the album finds pushes the boundaries of alt-pop with a lush indie soundscape that capture the band\u2019s pairing of catchy hooks and tragi-comic lyricism with a newfound maturity and emotional depth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was written in L.A.,\u201d said Murphy, during a recent phone interview from his home in Los Angeles. \u201cI went to Oslo on three separate occasions to write with Tord. His family just had a baby so he wanted to stay with them in Norway.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe seven songs I did in L.A. were done and demo\u2019ed. The four songs in Oslo were all from scratch. Usually, I go in a room with a guitar, write the music ands bring it to the band.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was the first time we got in a room with no template. It was an interesting way of working \u2013 of creating music in a different way. We\u2019d just start playing and see what happens. There was a good vibe in Norway \u2013 positive connections \u2013 snowy and sometimes romantic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeautiful People Will Ruin Your Life\u201d definitely features The Wombats moving into new territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was important to me to have something more organic,\u201d said Murphy. \u201cI wanted to make something that didn\u2019t depend on production wizardry and synthesizers. The emphasis was on songs \u2013 to keep it simple and not overthink it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The normal procedure when a band makes a new album is to release the LP and then follow with a support tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re doing it differently \u2013 touring before the album is released,\u201d said Murphy. \u201cWe\u2019ve done shows before releases every tine \u2013 usually in the U.K. This is a good way to set up the album.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Courtship<\/p><\/div>\n

Video link for the Wombats — https:\/\/youtu.be\/nNh51G84WZYVV<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at Union Transfer, which has Courtship as the opening act, will start at 8:30. Tickets are $20 and $25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times It\u2019s hard to take farewell tours seriously. Music acts such as the Who, Frank Sinatra, Cher and David Bowie have all, at one time or another in their careers, embarked on a \u201cFarewell Tour.\u201d No-one really believed them and, eventually, the artists were back on stage performing again. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[9861,6518,9860,9862],"class_list":["post-27122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-courtship","tag-featured","tag-les-miserables","tag-the-wombats"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27123,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27122\/revisions\/27123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}