Les Misérables - Third National Tour
Chicago - 30 December 2001 and 9 January 2002,
John Haggerty
My hapa boy! I like hapa boys. I like good swings. John is both. I swear I made a complete fool of myself, and it was so dang cold that weekend!
Immensely talented: I think this was the third role I’d seen John play (he was covering for Ben Davis while Ben was Enjolras on Broadway), and he was a fantastic Feuilly. But we know I love Feuillys.
Joe Mahowald
New Javert. Nice guy. Beloved of the Jekkies.
Other than an unfortunate love of hand gestures, especially in “Stars”, Joe has plenty of potential. But “Stars” gets very amusing *g*.
Steve Gannon and Dina Morishita
Gannon is Bart Shatto’s replacement. I prefer Bart, but Gannon is a very good actor. He doesn’t have a strong enough voice to really be ideal, but isn’t nearly everyone better than Hans-Peter? Gannon can actually act!
Dina took over for Diana Kaarina, continuing the “Cute Asian Éponine” trend. Some trends should just be given up. I still haven’t figured out Dina.
Jayne Paterson
Thursday Farrar’s real replacement, after Joan Almedilla finally left. Jayne was Helen Burns on Broadway, so the Eyreheads were quickly coming out of the woodwork.
She seems so much younger offstage than she does onstage. Excellent actress. Her voice is a little more throaty than I like in a Fantine, but at least she knows how to get sick without clutching her stomach.
Stephen Colella
Colella!!! We love Colella. He’s so slimy (as Thénardier, that is). I always like the ones who joke around with me at the stage door. Was not happy to learn that I would be on a plane back to London while he went on as Thénardier.
I’ve only seen him as Thénardier once, and Seth four times, so I feel rather behind. Colella is so great. Scary and slimy as the “Lovely Ladies” pimp, too.