Les Misérables

I first was introduced to the musical phenomenon of Les Misérables (colloquially known as Les Miz),when I was 16 years old. It was on a school trip to London and Mr Hawkins, the trip organiser and depute head teacher at my school cited that it was one of his favourite shows. He then proceeded to sing a few songs from the show much to our amusement. He also explained the story to us to avoid confusion when we saw it.

I have to admit the first time I saw it I didn't really care much for it. There was only one song I recognised from the show and that was 'I Dreamed a Dream'. I first heard Martine McCutcheon sing that song on a Musicals CD I owned. Perhaps it was because I was surrounded by classmates who were not normally used to this type of musical where it's all sung through, but I have to admit I didn't really enjoy it at first.

Perhaps I was much like the critics who panned the show when it first opened at London's Barbican centre in October 1985. They referred to it as 'The Glums' and found it all too depressing. Well with a title like Les Misérables, which translates into English as 'The Miserable', 'The Wretched', 'The Poor', you would expect it to be glum and depressing wouldn't you?

A year later, I revisited the music from the musical and instantly from that moment on fell in love with it. It was that same year, I read the abridged version of the novel on which the musical and countless film and TV adaptations have been based. Les Misérables was written by Victor Hugo and was published in 1862. The full version has over 1,200 pages and I'm attemping to tackle reading it this year. I fell in love with the story and in my opinion it is one of the best stories ever written.

I went back to see Les Misérables with my family at the Edinburgh Playhouse in 2010 (fantastic production) and that year bought both the Original London Cast and 25th Anniversary Cast recordings. It was also the year I became a fan of Alfie Boe (see my blog post about him), who played Valjean in the 25th Anniversary Concert (which I've got on DVD) and in the West End in 2011.

Imagine my delight when I found out that a film version of the stage musical was going to be made. I wondered who would play the memorable characters of Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine, Marius, Cosette, Eponine, The Thernardiers amongst others.

Just a few weeks ago I went to see that film version and I was not disappointed. I saw the trailers for the film a few months ago and was very skeptical that the actors would match with those of the stage show. I was proved wrong however, as the vocals of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were impeccable.

The story in a nustshell: Jean Valjean (Jackman) is a prisoner forced to hard labour for nineteen years, just for stealing a loaf of bread. He is then paroled by Javert (Crowe), a prison guard who later becomes a chief inspector. Valjean breaks his parole and becomes a mayor of a small town and owns a factory, where Fantine (Hathaway) works. Fantine is then fired for refusing the foreman's advances and for having an illegitimate child. She tries to find another job but fails and then turns to prostitution just to help provide and save her daughter Cosette (played as a child by Isabelle Allan and as a young woman by Amanda Seyfried). Cosette lives with the greedy Thernadiers (played to perfection by Borat and AliG star Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, aka Mrs Tim Burton) and their daughter Eponine (played as a child by Natalya Wallace and as an adult by Samantha Barks).

Jean Valjean promises Fantine  that he will take care of Cosette and he looks after her as she grows up. Meanwhile a revolution is happening in Paris and Marius (Redmayne) and his friend Enjolras (played by the gorgeous Aaron Tveit, drool) are at the front of it. Also fighting for freedom is little Gavroche (played brilliantly by Daniel Huttlestone). They are all dreaming of a better life 'when tomorrow comes'.

I loved all the characters, but my favourite character of all has to be Eponine. She has such a tragic life, spoiled when young, but impoverished when older. Her parents are the scrupulous Thernadiers and often she goes out robbing with her father. She is also desperately in love with Marius, who in turn is in love with Cosette. I think a lot of girls can relate to Eponine that way.

Both  Anne Hathaway and Samantha Barks' solos were amazing. Hathaway really injected emotion into her character Fantine's 'I Dreamed A Dream.' Her character was in a desperate situation and that seemed to come out in the song. Barks' sang 'On My Own' like an angel and her character sang her heart out while walking barefoot in the heavy rain. I really enjoyed Hugh Jackman's singing in the film, as well as the singing voice of Russell Crowe, he was very impressive, especially as I had never heard him sing before. Eddie Redmayne has a delightful voice and Amanda Seyfried, as we all know from Mamma Mia! can sing, with her sweet melodic voice. Aaron Tveit, alongside Samatha Barks' has one of the best singing voices in the film, after all both he and Barks are originally theatre performers.

If you enjoy musicals, then I do recommend Les Misérables. It easily is the best film of 2013. That may sound biased, but it is true, it brings out so much emotion and the characters are memorable and well-loved. One bit of advice: be sure to bring tissues, as by the end even the hardest of hearts will be softened.













Comparison: The 2012 film poster and the musical poster featuring the image of 'Young Cosette'.

A picture of  Aaron Tveit as Enjolras (phwoar) since he doesn't have his own poster:

Just look at him! That hair, that face... okay I'm getting carried away now! 


Below: Posters of the cast, the taglines are lines from the songs which their characters sing in the musical.

Fanfiction

I love writing fanfiction. It gives me a chance to escape for a while and allows me to create alternate storylines for my favourite film and TV show characters. I recently attempted to write a Downton Abbey fanfic, which happened a couple of years after a major death in the show (for anyone who hasn't heard of Downton Abbey, have you been living in a cave for the past two years?)

Anyway, here is my fanfic which I do hope you enjoy! 

Title: My Beauty, My Baby

Time Frame: Summer 1922

Synopsis: It’s a beautiful day at Downton Abbey and although a joyous occasion for Sybil’s daughter as she celebrates her second birthday, it’s also a solemn one as it’s the anniversary of her death. 

“Where’s my little birthday girl? Where is she?” 

Tom Branson wandered down the vast corridors of Downton Abbey, looking for his daughter. Today was a very special day for her and instead, she wanted to celebrate by playing her favourite game of hide-and-seek. 

“Come on Sybil, don’t hide from Daddy now!” 

He entered the drawing room and slowly tiptoed across the wooden floor. 

“Where is my little birthday girl? Where has she gone?”

He heard a mischievous giggle coming from the other side of the room. He looked across to find a pair of feet sticking out from under the curtains.

“Has she just disappeared? Vanished into thin air?”

Branson smiled as he sneakily walked down the room. 

“Oh dear, where has my little iníon* gone?” Branson smiled.  

He pulled back the curtain to reveal a brown haired, bright-eyed two-year-old grinning from ear to ear. Her mouth and cheeks were covered in jam.

“Oh no, whose been eating Mrs Patmore’s strawberry jam?” Branson grinned. “You’re a naughty girl, come here I’m going to gobble you up!”

Sybil screamed in delight and tried to run from her father, but he was too quick for her. He scooped her up and from his pocket, took out a hanker chief and wiped her face.

As Branson was taking his daughter outside, Mrs Patmore ran up to him.

“There’s the little devil!” She scolded. “Eating some of my delightful strawberry jam! I’ve a right mind to smack her!”

“I’m terribly sorry Mrs Patmore,” Branson empathised. “It won’t happen again, but if you don’t mind I’ll be the one doing the smacking.”

Mrs Patmore sighed. “Oh all right. Since it’s her birthday, I’ll let her off the hook. But only for today.”

“Thank you, Mrs Patmore,” Branson smiled. 

He walked into the grounds with his daughter while Mrs Patmore returned to the kitchen.  Branson put his daughter down and she ran over to her family sitting at an outdoor table.

“Grandma! Grandpa!” Sybil cried. 

“Hello, my little darling!” Cora beamed, as she picked her up and planted a kiss on her forehead. 

“Happy birthday sweetheart,” Robert smiled. 

He handed little Sybil a neatly wrapped silver package. She ripped off the paper as best she could, but in the end her father had to help her. Once the package was opened before her eyes was a beautiful brown Steiff teddy bear. 

“Thank you! He’s beautiful!” 

Although a little rascal at times, Sybil was intelligent and her vocabulary was impeccable for a two-year-old. 

“It’s lovely,” Branson smiled. “Thank you.”

“I shall call him Teddy,” Sybil said, hugging him close to her. “And I will love him very much.”

“Well we all love you Sybil darling,” Cora enthused, hugging her granddaughter. “Happy birthday, my sweet.”

Carson, the butler smiled as he saw the family laughing, celebrating and having a fantastic time. Mrs Hughes taking time out of her duties stood beside him and looked on.

“She’s such a sweet girl,” Mrs Hughes mused. 

“Looks more like her mother each passing day,” Carson noted.

“Aye. It’s such a shame she isn’t here to see her grow up. Two years, Mr. Carson. Two years to the day.”

“Time passes so quickly, Mrs. Hughes. When I look at that little girl, I remember her mother that way. The way she was always smiling, giggling, running around the house playing games with her family and the staff.” 

“It’s like she’s still here,” Mrs Hughes said. “Sybil is still with us and she lives in her daughter.” 

They looked on as little Sybil hugged her teddy bear and went to sit between her two Aunts Mary and Edith and her Uncle Matthew. 

Edith gave Sybil a book of fairytales, beautifully decorated in white and gold. Mary, whom Sybil was particularly fond of, gave her a porcelain doll. 

“Lucy was my doll when I was a little girl,” Mary smiled. “Will you take good care of her for me?”

“I will Aunt Mary.” 

Sybil hugged her aunt and Mary gave her niece a kiss on the cheek. The festivities continued well into the afternoon and Branson took some time out to say hello to his wife. 

“Well there you are, our Sybil, two years old today,” Branson smiled, as he stood before his wife’s gravestone.

The gravestone had marked on it:  SYBIL PATRICIA BRANSON. BORN 9TH JUNE 1896. DIED 18TH AUGUST 1920. LOVING DAUGHTER OF ROBERT AND CORA. WIFE OF TOM. MOTHER OF SYBIL. 

“She’s just like you our Sybil. She’s mischievous, but smart. She’s kind to everyone.  It’s hard to believe she’s only two. Two years ago, she was born. But two years ago, we lost you. I lost you.”

Branson thought back to that night, holding his wife’s hand as she struggled to breathe. Thought back to that moment where she slipped away and she was lost forever. How lifeless she looked as she lay in that bed, how cold her forehead felt when he leant in to kiss her. 

Branson heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned round and saw his mother-in-law walking towards him, holding little Sybil in her arms.  Cora looked at her daughter’s grave. 

“She was so young. Only 24 years old. I still wonder, why, why did she go?” Branson frowned.

“These things are hard to understand,” Cora replied. “But Sybil did teach us, especially Mary and Edith – to love one another.”

Sybil asked to be put down as she stood in front of her mother’s grave. 

“I love you, mummy,” Sybil smiled, as she ran her hand across her mother’s name. 

Cora and Branson struggled to hold back the tears, which were by now running down their cheeks. Branson lifted his daughter into his arms and held her close as he sobbed. Cora stroked her son-in-law’s arm.

“Don’t cry, Daddy – please don’t cry,” Sybil said, as she wrapped her arms around her father’s neck.

That only made Branson cry even more and he squeezed his daughter tightly. He was never going to let her go. She was what was left of his beloved Sybil. His beautiful, kind, caring, compassionate Sybil. 

“Your mother was the most beautiful woman I have ever known. She still is.”

“She was our beauty,” Cora said. “And she was mine. She will always be. My beauty, my baby.” 

Cora stroked her granddaughter’s hair, and then put her arm round her son-in-law as they 

remembered their treasured Sybil. 

THE END

*Iníon = The Irish Gaelic word for ‘daughter’

Alfie Boe

It's been over 2 months since I saw the wonderful Alfie Boe in Aberdeen and yet I haven't posted a blog entry about it. Hmm, let's rectify the situation now shall we?

After eight months, the wait was finally over. On Tuesday 10th July, I would finally get to see the delightful Alfie Boe. And I tell you something, the wait was definitely worth it! My family and I  took our seats in Aberdeen's Music Hall and we waited patiently for the concert to start. The lights dimmed and 'Song to the Siren' started. Alfie's fantastic voice projected throughout the Music Hall, however we couldn't see him.

About halfway into the song, Alfie Boe appeared and everyone cheered and applauded. It truly was brilliant, finally getting to see this man in the flesh. The concert certainly did not disappoint. Aside from singing his signature 'Bring Him Home' from Les Miserables (he played Jean Valjean in the West End for 5 months and also at the Les Mis 25th Anniversary Concert), he also sang more 'contemporary' music which seemed to appeal to the audience. Alfie Boe is no ordinary tenor, he's very energetic and it was exhausting for me just watching him jumping around the stage! He also has a wicked sense of humour and he became very concerned about two audience members who had come back late from the break and then disappeared to the back of the concert hall, since they "couldn't see him from the front." Alfie wittingly replied to them: "Should have gone to Specsavers!"

As soon as the concert finished, it was time to head to the stage door. I heard that he met fans after the show and was hopeful that he would come out. There were about twenty people waiting by the stage door in anticipation that Alfie Boe would come and meet the fans. A few minutes passed and I was getting increasingly anxious, as people kept coming and going out of the stage door - some were only staff at the Music Hall which was quite disappointing.

Finally after fifteen minutes or so, a door opened and a staff member came out. He said "Alfie has to go, so he can only stay for a few minutes, so he can sign one item only." I thrust the concert programme into my sister's hand and clutched my CD, as people lined up to form an orderly queue. The queue kept on moving down and finally, it was my turn - months I waited for this and now I was finally meeting the man whose music I always listen to no matter how I'm feeling. I told Alfie I thought he was fantastic and told him I listened to him all the time. He replied with a thank you and asked me if I was from Aberdeen. I replied: "Yes" (Well I was born there, so technically I am from there). While we were talking, he signed my 'Bring Him Home' CD for me.

Then I got my photo taken with him and he put his arm around me. I was so delighted and went away feeling so, so happy! My sister Hannah also got her photo taken with him too, but she was so starstruck she could hardly say anything!

I really hope to see Alfie Boe again live one day and do hope that he will come back to Aberdeen, as he is fantastic and amazing to watch and has an amazing voice to listen to! If you ever get the chance to see him, then take it. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Disney/Pixar's Brave

Since I first set eyes on Toy Story at four years of age, I fell in love with Pixar films and every year I am genuinely excited for their releases. But when they release an animated film set in 10th century Scotland featuring a flame-haired female as it's protagonist? Even better!

I have to say I am immensely proud of my Scottish heritage (even though if you meet me I may grumble about living in Scotland, mainly due to the poor weather). Nevertheless, Brave does bring out the very best of Scotland, from its beautiful countryside to its exciting history and ancient folklore. It also creates a very positive impression for red-haired lassies (I am auburn, but when I was little I had a similar hair colour to that of Princess Merida). But enough about babbling on about where I'm from, the main purpose of this entry is to give a review on Brave. 

Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, Brave is a fairytale set in the Highlands of Scotland in the 1100's. Of course every fairytale has a princess. Unlike all the other fairytales, Princess Merida (voiced by Kelly MacDonald) is not your average princess. She prefers to shoot arrows (her favourite hobby is archery) and ride bareback on her Clydesdale horse, Angus, much to the dismay of her mother, Queen Elinor (voiced by Emma Thompson) who tries in vain to turn her into the princess that she wants her to be. Merida's father King Fergus (Billy Connolly) lost his leg to the giant bear Mord'u and ever since then wants his revenge and "wants to find the perfect way to make this devil die". In the meantime, the three Lords of the different clans accept Elinor's invitation to present their sons for Merida's betrothal. Of  course Merida is not happy about this and quickly finds a way to change her fate... and her mother. 

Brave hosts an array of colourful characters. The three Lords, MacIntosh, Dingwall and MacGuffin (voiced by Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane and Kevin McKidd respectively) are hilarious and their sons are equally as funny. MacGuffin's son speaks in what would be to others an incomprehensible Scottish dialect. However, he is in fact speaking Doric, which is a dialect spoken where I come from (Aberdeenshire). I laughed the first time I heard it in the film, even more so at the fact that non-Doric speakers will have no clue what the character is saying. Kevin McKidd who voices him is from Elgin, which is two hours away from where I live, but it is spoken mostly in the north of Scotland. Adding cuteness to the film, Hubert, Hamish and Harris the three triplets are always up to no good and are even cuter in bear cub form. They were without a doubt my favourite characters. The film has villains in the form of The Witch (voiced by Julie Walters) and Mord'u the Bear. The Witch has a huge part in changing Merida's fate, as the Will-o'-the-wisps lead Merida to her.

What I enjoyed most about the film was the mother-daughter relationship between Elinor and Merida. Of course there are fights, turmoils and trials, however there is nothing more important than a mother's love. It also shows you shouldn't be afraid to make your own decisions and to stand up for yourself.

I would thoroughly recommend Brave whether you are Scottish or not as it is a refreshing fairytale, which shows women can stand on their own two feet without the help of a man. It also is incredibly dark for a Pixar film, however the scariest moments only occur towards the end. A great film which will encourage people to come visit Scotland and explore its natural beauty.

Titanic Super 3D

This is hilarious... 'nuff said!

'Rock of Ages' Review

Last Thursday I took a trip to the cinema to see the hotly-anticipated Rock of Ages. The film, featuring an all star cast, is based on the Tony Award nominated stage musical of the same name.

The film is set in Los Angeles, 1987 and stars Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx, a spaced-out rock star who comes back to play The Bourbon Room, a fictional club which gave him and his band 'Arsenal' their big break. The club is in a financial crisis and on the verge of closing, much to the dismay of owner Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and his technical assistant, Lonny (Russell Brand). Dupree must rely on Stacee's gig to save the club, all the while Stacee's band is on the verge of splitting up, much to the delight of his greedy manager (Paul Giamatti).

The film features different plotlines, the main one being about small-town innocent girl Sherrie Christian (Dancing with the Stars' Julianne Hough), falling for Bourbon Room barback Drew Boley (Diego Boneta). In true Hollywood style, it's your typical boy meets girl, boy loses girl, they go their seperate ways and then they just so happen to come back together and reconcile their love. 

If it weren't so important, the film could have done away with the love story, as it was boring and made the film drag for quite a while. The only thing delightful about the whole Sherrie/Drew storyline was Mary J. Blige who plays gentleman's club owner Justice Charlier. She acts as a mentor for Sherrie, who later works there as a stripper and tells her she can have it "any way you want it."

Catherine-Zeta Jone stars as the LA mayor's wife Patrica Whitmore, whose history with Staccee Jaxx has made her bitter and she threatens to destroy rock 'n' roll by cleaning up the city and turning the Bourbon Room into condos. As her character sums up the rock 'n' roll fiasco: "Stacee Jaxx spits out three things... sex, hateful music and..... SEX!"

Stacee Jaxx's persona attracts women and he has a dedicated possee of girl groupies following him around. However he seems intrigued by Rolling Stone reporter, Constance Sack (Malin Akerman) who confronts him over his unreliability and laziness, but eventually succumbs and falls for his roguish charm.

The cast all have surprissingly strong vocals belting out glam rock hits from the late 80's with souful Mary J. Blige outshining them all. After watching the film, there are some hits, which will never be heard in the same way again. These include Tom Cruise and Malin Akeran belting out 'I Want to Know What Love Is' while performing some *ahem* suggestive moves and Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand crooning to 'I Can't Fight this Feeling Anymore'. The odd pairing of Baldwin/Brand gives the film a more humorous approach and sometimes wishing the film was more about them than anything else.

Cruise has the definitive rock star voice, which was achieved by having five hours of rehearsals every day before and during filming.

If you're a fan of musicals, then do check out Rock of Ages. The film's storylines may seem a bit muddled, but that is overshadowed by the jukebox hits of Foreigner, Twisted Sister, Bon Jovi, REO Speedwagon, Styx and Journey, which encourages you to don't stop believin'.

 

Mona Lisa

I have been to France five times and four out of the five have been spent visiting the romantic capital of Paris. We all know Paris is home to the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and the monument of all monuments the Eiffel Tower.

But, Paris is also home to one of the world's famous art galleries The Louvre. The original structure of the building has been around since the late 12th century and the museum has been situated there since 1793. 

I can't remember much about The Louvre as I was only seven at the time. But what I do remember is viewing Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous paintings The Last Supper (1495-1498) and Mona Lisa (c.1503-1506). 

The Mona Lisa is one of the world's most famous paintings. The woman in the painting has captivated many a person for centuries and there have been many speculations as to who it may have been and at one point there were speculations that the "Mona Lisa" may even be a man. However, according to numerable sources the painting is thought to be of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Da Vinci painted Mona Lisa between 1503 and 1506. The oil painting was originally bought by King Francois I in 1518 and is now in its permanent home The Louvre. 

As the painting is so famous there have been certain measures used to protect her. Mona Lisa sits behind bulletproof glass so she won't be damaged should there be any attacks carried out. Unlike most art galleries and museums, photos are permitted to be taken of the Mona Lisa. Perhaps it's because she is protected behind the glass, but the permanent flashing of excited tourists takes away the time spent viewing how beautiful and magnificent this painting truly is.

Another part that fascinates me about the Mona Lisa are her eyes and her hands. No matter which way you go, her eyes are fixated and follow you, which gives a sense that she is always watching. Her hands are the most prominent feature of the painting, as they are delicate and Da Vinci purposely put the right hand resting over the left hand as he "chose this gesture to depict Lisa as a virtuous woman and a faithful wife"*

Of course, no one can ever forget that enigmatic smile. 

If you ever go to Paris, visit the Louvre. Although you may not get through all the exhibits in one day, make sure that you do visit the Mona Lisa and marvel at her beauty. Be sure to visit in the morning or before peak times, as the painting will be flooded with tourists from all over the world taking a portrait of a well known portrait. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG-A_qTAKEI

*Referenced from www.wikipedia.org/monalisa