Great musicals are all about magical moments.
Anne Hathaway has THE moment with her performance as Fantine. Her rendition of "I dreamed a dream" is how songs are meant to be sung. It's not about pitch perfect notes but about communicating passion and emotion. I don't hear the music - I feel the pain, the sadness, the anger, and yet some remaining remnant of hope. I am still moved to tears just thinking about it. It is an experience - not a performance - Hathaway doesn't just become Fantine but makes me become her.
The rest was middling (Cohen, Syfried, Crowe ) to very good (Jackman). I enjoyed the musical immensely and so did the audience at the theater we were at which burst into applause at the credits.
However, it was Hathaway, who was on screen may 10-15 minutes total, who stole the show - and was one of those rare magical moments that people remember decades later...
Anne Hathaway has THE moment with her performance as Fantine. Her rendition of "I dreamed a dream" is how songs are meant to be sung. It's not about pitch perfect notes but about communicating passion and emotion. I don't hear the music - I feel the pain, the sadness, the anger, and yet some remaining remnant of hope. I am still moved to tears just thinking about it. It is an experience - not a performance - Hathaway doesn't just become Fantine but makes me become her.
The rest was middling (Cohen, Syfried, Crowe ) to very good (Jackman). I enjoyed the musical immensely and so did the audience at the theater we were at which burst into applause at the credits.
However, it was Hathaway, who was on screen may 10-15 minutes total, who stole the show - and was one of those rare magical moments that people remember decades later...