Sam's Review Club

Cosette logo and the words  Les Misérables  are the registered trademarks of Cameron Mackintosh Overseas Limited. Let me start by saying I wanted to love this production. I would have settled for just liking it. Unfortunately, the touring production of Les Misérables that opened at The National Theatre in Washington, D.C. on December 20 is riddled with technical, performative, and artistic fumbles which prevent the production from rising to new heights. The French melodrama remains the same. Jean Valjean (played here by a too-young Nick Cartell) is released following a 19-year prison sentence. After breaking his parole in an attempt to restart his life as a new man, the policeman Javert (Josh Davis, a high point) hunts down Valjean, threatening to undo all of the convict’s hard work. Upon evading arrest, Jean Valjean becomes the charge of Cosette (Jillian Butler), a girl orphaned after her mother Fantine’s (Melissa Mitchell) passing. As the June Rebellion take...

Happy 2018 everyone! A blog might seem so early 2000s but I swear there's a method to my madness. At the end of 2017, I got MoviePass (which is amazing and everyone should sign up for it). I started seeing more movies and talking about them with my friends, family, and co-workers. As I did, a couple friends suggested that I start blogging about my opinions--I have a lot of them after all. That brings us here. This is a blog that serves a few purposes: I'll get my thoughts on paper (does the internet count as paper?) about all of the movies, television, theater, music, books, etc. that I consume. It will make looking back on all of these memories at each years' end so much easier. This will be a great test of my resolve. Resolutions come and go and they rarely stick. Maybe this will build my determination and commitment throughout the year. Writing for personal enjoyment is so crucial. More than any writings done for work this is the best way to develop one's ...