If you regularly follow the content from the Onstage Blog creators, then there’s a chance you’ve seen the article “Two Songs That Should Be Cut From ‘Les Mis​’”. This article sparked quite an interesting discussion about whether it really was worth it to cut Javert’s “Stars” or Éponine’s “On My Own” from the three-hour show. Naturally, many fans who have always loved Les Mis​ were quick to defend these beloved songs, and I’m here to do the same.”

“And for everyone else, we were given a gift last night, a beautiful reminder that theater and Broadway are not gone; the ghost light stays on for us all.”

“For the most part, I have been impressed and amused seeing how the writers of the musical condensed and streamlined the massive story. Two characters, though, have stuck out to me as having made unnecessarily imperfect translations to the stage. I believe the musical version of “Les Mis” would be better if Javert and Éponine’s big numbers were cut.”

“If the idea of making fun of the pandemic makes you feel ill, then, by all means, don’t, but if you think it will help keep you sane, let me give you a few prompts.”

“When we think of “cast recordings,” we think of “the original Broadway casts.” We don’t always think about the revival casts, recordings in other languages, or revisits. Here is a short collection of cast recordings that were not the “original” casts, but are very special, nonetheless and worth sitting down with some good headphones to enjoy.”

“So, I recently got dumped, and it kind of sucks. It’s not uncommon for people to drown their sorrows in music during these times, but where many people may turn to Adele or Taylor Swift, I prefer to turn my attention to musicals.”

Today, March 24th, news broke that playwright Terrence McNally had passed away due to complications of coronavirus. Mr. McNally was a legend in his field and his work, I contend, ranks as some of the most important written work of the 20th century.

“This is the perfect album for right now. It’s fun, it’s new, it’s dancey, it’s exciting, and it takes some of theater’s most classic songs and turns them inside out. Need something new to listen to? You’ve got it.”

“I do hope that this show was archived in some way. It was a stunning production of a stunning play and deserved to be seen by the entire NY community and, I believe, receive many awards come awards season.”

“During the COVID-19 theatre shutdown, I think we need to try to do everything we can to make this easier for performers, even if it’s minimal in the grand scheme of things. One way to do that is for theatre unions to cease collecting dues during the shutdown, or go a step further and refund them.”

“Audiences - sorry, some audience members - seem to completely forget that getting sick is out of our hands. Actors haven’t gotten sick on purpose just to spite you.”

“While no Broadway houses or large regional theaters have stopped performances, many theaters are responding to the coronavirus crisis.”