SPOTLIGHT ON LEA SALONGA & LES MIZ on Blu-ray & DVD

Today, we are taking a look at LES MISERABLES: 25th ANNIVERSARY LIVE AT THE O2, now available on DVD/Blu-ray, and talking to one of the stars of the spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime concert event - the worldwide singing sensation who has made a name for herself as one of the foremost musical theatre actresses of the late-twentieth and early-twenty-first century: the incomparable and inimitable Lea Salonga! Following a recap and review of the disc, in this exclusive and revealing discussion Salonga and I detail what has made LES MIZ the international phenomenon it has become and how she has grown as both an actress and an individual in the ten years since she first essayed the role of Eponine on the 10th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT CD/DVD - not that we should ever compare the two - as well as what the powerful and prescient message of the show means for us now in 2011. Lea, LES MIZ and much, much more awaits in this deluxe SPOTLIGHT!

On Her Own

From starting out in the West End as a mere teenager in the title role of Cameron Mackintosh's production of Boublil & Schonberg's MISS SAIGON and moving with it to Broadway, claiming rave reviews and her first Best Actress Tony Award; to voicing the classic Disney princesses Jasmine and Mulan (in ALADDIN and MULAN, respectively), and singing the Oscar-winning Alan Menken/Tim Rice anthem "A Whole New World"; to making a return to Broadway in FLOWER DRUM SONG this century and amassing one of the largest international fan-bases of any theatre star through her many recordings, countless concert appearances and tireless charity work - Lea Salonga has managed to fit more into her twenty-year-career than many could fit into one four times as long. It is quite clear to see and hear and emotionally experience in each and every one of her studied and careful selections (both as an actress and a singer) when she chooses to enact a song that she has indeed learned from the very, very best along the way - while, of course, always bringing her own particular brand of magic to the proceedings. Those great genius minds that have guided her along in her career, whether through material penned for her clarion instrument or through their own individual influence on her as a person - Nicholas Hytner, Bob Avian, Alan Menken, Tim Rice, Stephen Sondheim and Cameron Mackintosh among them - combined with her singular skill, artistry and unmistakable vocal timbre exhibited in performance creates the personage of a truly formidable theatrical titan when she takes the stage. She has done and can do any number of roles, but the easily heartbroken and pitiably down-trodden among us - still with a song somewhere in that huge heart of gold, somehow - is where she really excels. Case in point: Eponine in LES MISERABLES.

Few songs have struck a chord with the public at large the way that the two big ballads from the pop-rock/theatrical confection of a score for LES MISERABLES by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg have - and for clear-cut reasons. The score for LES MISERABLES manages to cover any number of genres - from pop to rock to opera to theatre to folk and beyond - and one need not have any familiarity with any theatrical tradition in order to become wrapped up in the drama, romance, comedy, terror and tears that the show possess. It casts a spell. One need look no further than the hundred-million-hits-and-counting Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed A Dream" or Salonga's own many-million "On My Own" from the 10th ANNIVERSAY CONCERT to see the worldwide impact that the show has had on pop culture and entertainment, but what message does the show carry for the everyday men and women coming new to the LES MIZ experience today? It's amply evident in the themes and story of the show that Victor Hugo was hundreds of years ahead of his time as far as depicting the human experience - love, death, greed, pain, fear and redemption chief among the topics of the tale - and all that goes along with it, all the while presenting it in a satisfying dramatic package. To add music is not gilding the lily, but placing the bouquet in the most beautiful of vases - and the crown jewel rose in this mellifluous masterpiece of a concert celebration is none other than Ms. Lea Salonga.

In my conversation with Ms. Salonga, we discussed what it was like to revisit the show now and to be performing it in one of the most hi-tech and humongous live entertainment venues in the world, the O2 Arena in the United Kingdom - and in front of a live audience and sixteen HD video cameras recording it for posterity, to boot! A rock star of the theatre finally feeling like she was performing in an actual "rock concert" was what she described that experience as feeling like - a sort of vindication for her worldwide popularity and indelible gifts as a performer, no doubt. And, rightly so! After all, how to top the Royal National Theater, where LES MISERABLES premiered in 1985, but with the Royal Albert Hall, where the 10th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT was held? So, unquestionably, the next logical step would be a bigger and even better venue to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary... but the most impressive concert arena in the entire world? Considering LES MIZ is the longest running musical in West End history (even longer than CATS and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA), the audience most definitely must be there - and they were, with bells on, with many new fans along for the ride! Surely, LES MIZ: 25th LIVE AT THE O2 was - and is - a resounding success and bodes well for the future of such shows being preserved on video. Also, the fact that the concert - which was screened last year in movie theatres and cinemas worldwide at super-special advance sales one-night-only screenings - is now available on DVD/Blu-ray means that not only can we all experience the show again on video as if we were at the actual concert, but also introduce it to friends and family - and new generations - all from the comfort of our own living rooms. After all, wouldn't Victor Hugo have wanted it that way, if only in his dreams?

Great stories live on just like great songs - as do great performances, of which there are a plethora in LES MIZ: 25th LIVE AT THE O2. Nick Jonas (of the Jonas Bros.), Ramin Karimloo (The Phantom in LOVE NEVER DIES), Broadway's Norm Lewis and many more set the awe-inspiring set ablaze with committed, fully-realized performances. Much more so than LES MIZ: 10th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT, the 25th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT is as close to experiencing the show live as you can get, no question. The score comes alive thanks to the pristine, uncompressed sound on the Blu-ray and the images - and even the dirt and grime - positively pop forth from the screen. It's the perfect preservation of a nearly-perfect show that actually works best in a semi-staged concert iteration such as this, as exciting as the show itself is in its own way onstage. A great story made even greater by genius storytelling through movement, character and song in the hands - and voices - of the best the Broadway and the West End has to offer is what can be found here.

In celebration of this landmark theatrical home entertainment event, Lea Salonga was generous enough to reminisce about the score, playing Eponine then and Fantine now and what message the show carries for us in these turbulent financial times. Portions of our conversation follow here.

 

PC: What does it feel like to know how many hundreds of millions of people have seen the original 10th Anniversary concert?

LS: Insane. Insane.

PC: Tell me about the 10th Anniversary versus the 25th Anniversary.

LS: They were very different. It felt very different to do the 10th versus the 25th. The 10th was a more traditional concert - you know, sit on the stage, go to the mic, come and sit back down - so, I was basically sitting there from the beginning of the show, having to wait maybe forty-five minutes before I got to go up to sing.

PC: How is the 25th different?

LS: In the new version, it's much more staged compared to the 10th. There are actual entrances and exits and more of a set that was a built. It's like a rock concert! (Laughs.)

PC: With a real live rock star in the cast - Nick Jonas!

LS: Because it was at the 02 arena, I really felt like a rock star up there. Being next to Nick helped, too! (Laughs.)

PC: What does the story of LES MISERABLES - Jean Valjean stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family - say to us in the difficult economic climate we live in now where the rich are just getting richer and the poor getting poorer? What do you think is the real message of the show and why? Doesn't it seem that the message of any human kindness trumping all monetary value is even more important now than it was even in Victor Hugo's time?

LS: Life isn't just black and white. Sure, it's against the law to steal anything - but given the time period and the reason for the theft, you can sympathize with Valjean and want him to never, ever get caught. Everything he does in his life is always for the greater good. Putting it in today's economic climate, we surely don't want to encourage people to steal a loaf of anything, but there are those that are blessed with the means to change other people's lives. For this reason, I'm thrilled that LES MIZ has returned to the US, if to inspire those that watch the show to spread goodness and kindness around.

PC: How did you find playing the show now to be different than when you essayed the role in the 10th Anniversary Concert? What events in your life changed how you approach  it?

LS: It's a bit different: less about unrequited love and more about the one that got away. I'm much older now, so I let more life experience inform how I render the song.

PC: What is your single favorite moment or line or exchange in LES MISERABLES - as an actress and as a fan? Did you have a moment that resonated with you more now in performing at the O2 concert than it did in the past?

LS: Just seeing Fantine on all fours in the gutter after being humiliated by a member of the bourgeoisie, about to be hauled off to jail, and seeing how compassionate Valjean is to her plight... that just tears me apart. It was never easy to play night after night, I was always destroyed by it.

PC: Do you feel the O2 concert DVD/Blu-ray is the best representation of the show for those unfamiliar with it? Are you happy with your performance in it (you should be - it's utter perfection in every way!)?

LS: It's a very different representation of the show, and so it shouldn't be compared to any other previous recording. It's a different group of actors bringing their own unique qualities to these beloved characters. That said, Blu-ray is just way too cool. I'm pretty happy with my performance, although I probably would've wanted another go at it.

PC: I loved the concert so much and I'm so glad the whole world can see it now! Do you have any concerts coming up where we can hear you do "On My Own" live and in person?

LS: The concerts list should be on my website, and I'm going on my first UNFAO mission on Friday, Feb. 25. I'm very excited!

PC: Thank you so much for this, Lea. You are simply the best.

Experience the event of a lifetime with this spectacular 25th anniversary celebration of one of the most popular musicals ever written, Les Misérables. Honoring 25 years of this incredible show, this momentous film captures the excitement of two magnificent sold-out performances that were watched live around the world. With a phenomenal all-star cast, including pop star Nick Jonas (Jonas Brothers), Tony® Award winner Lea Salonga (the voice of Disney's Mulan and Princess Jasmine), and over 500 additional artists and musicians, revel in the songs of the unforgettable characters as they struggle for redemption and revolution.

Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert is now available on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital Download.

Photo Credit: Bing Shimizu (Lea Salonga as Fantine)