An essential for lovers of "Les Mis"

I purchased this after seeing the production on PBS. I've seen the play in two versions of its north American tour, and know the musical quite well from seeing it, reading the libretto, and being the parent of a talented musician (the songs from "Les Mis" are staples at high school, college, and community theater concerts).

As this was the Tenth Anniversary production of "Les Mis," the producers were able to pull together a cast of stars-- the best actors from numerous international runs of the famous musical, who had in many cases never acted together. The result is stunning. Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean set the gold standard for the part in the original London cast: a performance that will inspire you, break your heart, and inspire you all over again. Lea Salonga is luminous as Eponine, her role in the Broadway cast. Ruthie Henshall appears as Fantine, as she did in one of the London productions. Michael Ball (Marius- London), Michael Maguire (Enjolras- Broadway), Judy Kuhn (Cosette- Broadway), and Phillip Quast (Javier- Australia) complete the dramatic parts, while Jenny Galloway and Alun Armstrong carry the comedic/ cynical parts of Mme. and Monsieur Thenardier. The excellent cast is backed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and a cast of 200-some choristers.

This is not by any means a film of the musical in its entirety. It is really a concert, with costumes, performers at microphones, and little or no staging. It does leave some relevant details out. Even so, it conveys the power and the passion of the musical in a way that may be far better than Hollywood will allow if and when they make a movie of "Les Mis." Hollywood would probably feel the need to pull in big names from the movies, regardless of their ability to sing the parts well.

I strongly recommend this DVD for any lover of musical theater.

Les Miserables, 10th Anniversary Concert

A fantastic production, the worlds best performers live on stage at the Royal Albert Hall with the musical version of "Les Mis"
A must have for all fans of the show, the only thing missing from the dvd compared to the Video is that on the video you get to see the speeches from the producer and the two writers of the production before the 'Jon Valjean's' from all over the globe join together in a finale guaranteed to bring the house to it's feet.
Colm Wilkinson heads the cast as Jon Valjean, with Philip Quast as a very believable "Inspector Javert"
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra provides the soundtrack for the show, along with a company of 250 + performers.

Les Miserables-In Concert

Les Miserables is one of my favorite musicals. I saw it once and really loved it. I wish I could see it again but until then, I like watching Les Miserables In Concert. It is not the same as the stage musical, even though the music is the same. Many stars of the musical are in the concert playing the parts they are famous for. Since I saw the musical on stage, it was easy for me to follow and enjoy. My friends that watched the concert with me, on the other hand, got lost and didn't understand the story and couldn't follow what was happening. By the third song I had to start explaining what was happening in the story. I will recomend this DVD for anyone who has seen Les Mis on stage, but if you wish to buy DVD and have not see Les Mis on stage, then I will recomend you do some resarch on the plot of the musical. A sipnosis of Les Mis that names all the songs that are sung throught the musical will help you better understand the story and even the characters. Otherwise, this is a very good DVD with wonderful music of a classic and very popular musical.

10th Anniversary Les Miserables Celebration Concert

This is a great concert for all Les Miserables fans. This concert was a 10 year celebration of the show and features the original cast with some highlights from actual performances. I gave a good rating only because the DVD I purchased had the 'Play', 'Scene Selection', etc instructions were in Thai (something I knew before I made my purchase), but the entire concert is in English.

Les Miserables - In Concert

This is an excellent DVD for anyone who loves the play. The concert was done in London to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the play and was staged at Royal Albert Hall. The music is incredible and the finale (men who have played the lead role from all over the world sing in their native tongue)is very impressive.