Daphne Rubin Vega as Fantine post-Hathaway

[IdinaBellFoster]

After seeing Les Miserables for the second time yesterday, I started to think about the rawness of Hathaway's 'I Dreamed a Dream' against how the song is typically approached.

Now I did not see her in the role, so anyone who did feel free to disagree, but from what I've seen, do we think Daphne Rubin Vega's Fantine would have been received with more open arms post-Hathaway? Her voice is obviously not your ideal choice for Fantine, but it brings a weakness, and a rawness to the song. Not for everyone, but it's there.

I should state I am in no way a fan of Rubin Vega, just wanted to hear others opinions.

[darquegk]

There's a big difference though- Hathaway, though not the semi-operatic voice that years of Les Mis as a "modern Broadway operetta" has trained us to expect with a nod to Susan Boyle, has a relatively conventional musical theatre "actress who sings fairly well" voice. It's not the ravaged, damaged and idiosyncratic tone of Rubin-Vega's voice, with its raspy howl, ghost of a mostly-gone accent, and and unique phrasings.

I LIKED Rubin-Vega because it WAS different, but comparing it to Hathaway's live singing is something of an apples and oranges statement, in my opinion.

[jimmycurry01]

It turns out that I like Rubin-Vega's performance less than I remembered. I also thought to compare the two.

[Jordan Catalano]

"I should state I am in no way a fan of Rubin Vega, just wanted to hear others opinions."

Glad you made that crystal clear. God forbid you like her!

[faithzilla]

I think Rubin Vega's rendition would have been helped by the new placement of the song (after the prostitution, etc). I think her raw sound would fit better in that case.

[bjh2114]

I think NOTHING would make her rendition more acceptable. It was painful to listen to. Hathaway's rendition is "raw" as you say. Her character was damaged. The damage that came across in Daphne's performance was her VOCAL DAMAGE. I also found her portrayal incredibly stilted.

[Polka Dot2]

Goodness I just listened to only a few seconds of that song...so painful...

[faithzilla]

I said helped, not fixed. I'm not a Daphne Rubin-Vega at all, in fact I don't really like her. I totally agree with you that her voice is too damaged and just wrong for the part. I just think that the new order of the songs could have helped her a little.

[ljay889]

I actually don't mind her vocals here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jjBpXXnKIs

I hate when the song is performed as a big inspirational power ballad.

[Jordan Catalano]

I thought she waa great in the role. And I also know a lot of other did, also. And I ALSO know there's a lot of people who didn't see her do it who say how much they hate her, because like a lot of other things, it's cool to be like other people.

[ljay889]

And I ALSO know there's a lot of people who didn't see her do it who say how much they hate her, because like a lot of other things, it's cool to be like other people.

This could not be more true.

PS: What happened to your avatars?

[Jordan Catalano]

I tried uploading a new one last night but it won't let me do it on my phone. I'm waiting for my new computer to be delivered this week so I guessbi haffa wait until then.

[darquegk]

I assumed his new avatar ran away with one of the previous ones. Either that or they've been formed into a Green (Pink?) Beret team of musclemen, porn stars and male gigolos who can track down the trolls on the board and beat them to death with their dicks.

[bobs3]

Isn't Daphne Rubin Vega a little long in the tooth to play Fantine? She could possibly get away with it on stage but on film -- no way.

If the film had been made 8 years ago Marion Cotillard would have been perfect but 8 years ago no one (in the U.S. at least) knew who Marion Cotillard was.

[Jordan Catalano]

Did anyone say they wanted Daphne to do another musical version of the LES MIS on screen?

[winston89]

No, I don't think that Rubin Vega was/is right for Fantine at any point in time. I remember there were a few times when I saw the revival of the show, where at intermission, people were talking about how glad they were that Fantine finally finally kicked the bucket. They couldn't stand her singing.

[South Fl Marc]

Wow, I forgot how truly dreadful she was as Fantine , well, or anything. She always sounds like she garbled with drano.
Truly one of the worst voices to be in a broadway musical.

[grumpyoptimist]

At the time of the revival Les Mis was my favorite show. Ms. Rubin-Vega's performance made me consider seriously leaving...and then I remembered I wouldn't have to endure her breathy, over-enunciated lyrics again until the end of the show. The friend who was with me (and has seen a decent amount of theatre with me) said she had never seen me physically react to one actor/actress the way I did to her every time she opened her mouth.

[BroomstickBoy]

I think her singing would be more listenable if THAT voice didn't sing with THAT phrasing. I mean, I admire her clean diction, but with a raspy alto...it just hits the ear wrong.

I think a lot of casting from that revival caused some violent disdain from audiences.

I liked her take on Fantine. It's not supposed to be pretty. But OH it's an opera, and it was my first musical, and it demands professional singers, and that one note was sour so the whole song is wrong....

Whatever. You want someone destroying a Les Mis song, look up Katie Holmes singing "On My Own". THAT's abominable.