Things That Happened During Performance: The Finale

marius-new-hat-and-coat:

And just like that, it’s all over… I’m happy to say that our performances went remarkably well! And knowing us, there were naturally continued hijinks, both onstage and off.

• We had a spare Enjolras vest, so during “Drink With Me” on the last night, someone wore it on onstage. Cue a brief reenactment of the Spiderman meme. O N S T A G E.
• AND THE DIRECTORS DIDN’T NOTICE.
• Also during the last night, Marius actually slapped Thénardier at the wedding.
• I accidentally kicked one of my shoes halfway across the stage during a dance sequence in “Lovely Ladies” but nbd
• Several people (me included) were in tears during “Turning.” Side note, it’s really hard to sing when you’re crying.
• Oh boy, the last night was emotional all around. Enjolras cried the last time she sang “Let others rise to take our place until the earth is free!”
• Basically there was a lot of crying. Backstage, onstage, before performing, after performing…
• The only time Valjean ever broke character was when Mme. Thénardier unexpectedly kissed him on the cheek during “The Bargain.”
• During “The Beggars,” the students handed out pamphlets. Some of them said things like “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” or “Vive la France.” However, one of them simply said “Eat The Rich.”
• Fantine naturally wanted to continue being part of the show after her death, so we dressed her as a dude and said she could be one of the students. Thus, we added in our own Bahorel, who I’m sad to say is not actually in the script.
• During the Grantaire / Marius bit in “Red and Black,” Grantaire flung the tablecloth over Enjolras, who was too surprised to react right away.
• Remember that post about Feuilly and Joly? Well, I noticed them hugging during “One Day More,” holding hands during “Drink With Me,” and saving each other from snipers in the first battle. Jeuilly is hands down the best ship in this production…
• As a cast we came to the unanimous decision that Marius gives the best hugs.
• Joly also played Montparnasse and BEGGED for a top hat, but had to settle for a bow tie, and was just a little bitter about it

It was an amazing ride! Thanks everyone for enjoying my silly behind-the-scenes tales. I’ll probably never have the chance to be in Les Mis again, but I’m glad I have such a big list of memories to remember it by!