Photographed at the Hollywood Bowl, courtesy of the LA Phil. Photographer: Farah Sosa/@farastop (ig).
Musical fans (and those who simply appreciate terrific music) were treated to a night like no other this weekend with the Hollywood Bowl’s (admittedly clumsily titled): The Music of Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, and More: Boublil and Schonberg’s Do You Hear the People Sing?
Composers Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Shonberg have crafted some of the biggest and most appreciated scores in the history of modern Broadway. From “Les Misérables” to “Miss Saigon,” their shows have been running for decades with absolutely no sign of stopping.
And what a treat to hear this music performed by some of the best talent in theater (and more). Joined by an orchestra assembled for this production and conducted by Kevin Stites, plus the amazing Cal State University Fullerton University Singers, the evening hosted guest artists from all areas of musical theater, TV, and film.
Patrick Wilson – Photographed at the Hollywood Bowl, courtesy of the LA Phil. Photographer: Farah Sosa/@farastop (ig).
The night began with eight selections from “Miss Saigon,” the first being the melancholy choral piece “Bui Doi,” which featured actor/director Patrick Wilson (the film version of “Phantom of the Opera”) on lead vocals. Soon after, Emily Bautista, who played the lead in the most recent touring company of the show, performed the tragic ballad “I’d Give My Live For You” to rapturous applause.
In addition, fan favorite Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) belted character Chris’ signature ballad “Why God, Why?,” while Bautista and Rachel Tucker (London’s recent “Sunset Boulevard”) performed the haunting duet “I Still Believe,” Jon Jon Briones (who has played the Conductor for many, many years) exhilarated the crowd with his signature song “The American Dream.”
A fun curiosity came in the shape of an entire portion of the “Miss Saigon” set being dedicated to the character of Ellen, Chris’ American wife who must deal with the fact he might still be in love with Kim, whom he had to leave in Vietnam. Her character has undergone various changes over the years, with her solo song being rewritten four times. Hearing about the reasons behind the changes was fascinating, and to hear portions of all four compositions sung by Nikki Renee Daniels (NYC’s upcoming “Once Upon a Mattress” with Sutton Foster).
Nikki Renee Daniels – Photographed at the Hollywood Bowl, courtesy of the LA Phil. Photographer: Farah Sosa/@farastop (ig).
The night continued with a song from an earlier French musical, “La Revolution Francaise,” sung by Marie Zamora, the very first Cosette from the original French production of Les Miserables.
The first act closed with three songs from the lesser known “Martin Guerre” (which is apparently being rewritten for a new production), “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miz,” and one final selection from “Miss Saigon.”
Act Two opened with songs from another lesser-known musical called “The Pirate Queen,” then it was off to the races with eleven selections from “Les Miserables.” Briones and Tucker made “Master of the House” their own, Astin and Wilson had “The Confrontation,” while Wilson dazzled with the ballad “Stars.” He and Astin teamed up once again for a duet version of the classic “Bring Him Home” (which was a late entry to the musical itself), while Zamora and Bautista shared the stage for Eponine’s ballad of longing, “On My Own.”
Emily Bautista – Photographed at the Hollywood Bowl, courtesy of the LA Phil. Photographer: Farah Sosa/@farastop (ig).
The night ended with the entire cast onstage performing the rousing “One Day More.” After taking their bows, they sent the audience off into the night with “Do You Hear the People Sing?”
It’s funny, though, that there wasn’t a lot of singing in the audience. Not that they didn’t know the music, but the talent on stage was so good that you didn’t want to miss a note!
Coming Soon to the Bowl:
Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks 8/2 & 8/3
Reggae Night XXII 8/4
Seal 8/9
For information and tickets, visit www.hollywoodbowl.org.
