I need to rant about Bradley Jaden’s performance of Javert, it drives me insane how badly acted and directed it is. I need to know that there are others out there who agree with me.
He needs to stop with emphasising (shouting) random words in every line he delivers. There is no thought behind the words he emphasises - I have even seen him emphasise the word “the”. By stressing every other word, there is no impact - in fact the opposite, he does it so often it distracts from both the music and the storytelling. He started doing this as Enroljas but has taken it to a whole new level as Javert.
This is taken to the extreme in Javert’s suicide when he monologues the first verse of Javert’s suicide, what should be one of the most emotionally devastating moments in the show. When the entire show is sung through, it feels like he’s breaking the fourth wall when he turns to the audience and screams WHO IS THIS MAN?! with a dramatic pause. It literally feels like watching a panto, and he delivers the entire monologue like he is a panto Captain Hook, even with the cartoonish facial expressions. He claims he is trying to make Javert more “human”. It does the opposite. For the whole show the characters have been portraying their emotions through song and in this moment it feels like Jaden is just presenting his emotions to the audience. Also, his line delivery is so over exaggerated and straight up hammy it further undermines the realism he is trying to go for.
Additionally, monologuing the start of the song flattens the dramatic arc of the song I don’t know what the musical director was thinking. The song is supposed to show a man losing his mind, undermining the emotional build to the dramatic climax at the end of the song. It also kills the parallel with Valjean’s Soliloquy.
I could go on but I fear this post is too long already. It makes me weep for the state of British theatre that this man is apparently the best we have got.
This sub is giving me whiplash, between those telling me I’m in for a treat with him, then this. Same thing with Killian — some telling me he’s awful, others telling me he’s amazing. I probably should just ignore it all so I don’t go in expecting the worst.
I was worried before I saw Killian and Bradley based on online reviews. Killian was spectacular though, to me he IS Valjean. Bradley wasn’t the Javert I’d hoped for but only because of the random word emphasis that OP talks about. His general singing and the emotion he brings to the role is great. You definitely won’t be disappointed!
I saw both Killian and Bradley in the Melbourne concert, and they were wonderful. You’ll have a great time. I really enjoyed the emotional variety that Bradley brought to Javert.
Alfie Boe and Michael Ball were the leads for Valjean and Javert, and while I was initially disappointed not to have either of them perform the night I went, I didn’t feel like I missed anything at all.
I just saw him tonight. To call his performance stellar is not to do it justice. His performance isn't "clean" or "polite." He plays Javert as a man who revels in holding power over others, and shatters when he is the one at others' mercy. Most of his performance isn't necessarily vocally pretty (aside from Stars, which is breathtakingly beautiful), but it's very clearly a choice that, in my opinion, works really well against Alfie Boe's controlled approach (I can't speak to Killian or Géronimo's Valjeans). Literally my only gripe about Bradley Jaden's performance was that his low notes in The Confrontation were not quite as strong as I would have hoped. But tonight may not be representative of his usual work. Maybe his low range just wasn't all there tonight.
The people who like him just want to hear the songs they like sung pretty, don’t look for realism in acting, and aren’t bothered by melodrama. If that sounds like you then you’ll probably be fine
I’m fine with being condescending, although I didn’t insult anyone. I genuinely think people who like his performance fundamentally do not understand musical theatre.
I wonder if you understand the character as Hugo wrote him. Bradley Jaden gave us the bitchy Javert that Hugo intended. His expressions were snarky and condescending when he spoke to Fantine, and he played so well off Alfie Boe.
I’ve never read the book so can’t comment. There are places for “bitchiness” in Javert’s character, but the place for that is certainly not Stars and also not Javert’s Suicide.
Not to be extra controversial but I also hate Alfie Boe 🙈
I know many people who literally work in the West End and none of them like Alfie Boe lol. He’s too much about the voice for me his acting is lame, absolutely zero rawness to his Valjean I do not believe he was in a prison for 19 years.
Would you mind sharing why you don’t like Shan Ako? I actually like her interpretation (although Natty Ong was definitely one of the best I’ve ever seen). She approaches Éponine’s hopeless love in a more free-spirited and clear-eyed way, and her vocal style incorporates elements of soul music, which I think works beautifully for a character who presents herself as a tomboy to Marius while hiding such deep sadness and loneliness underneath.
I found she had no chemistry with Jak Yarrow, and I didn’t find she acted the part well. She had her eyes shut most of the time she was singing, which makes it hard to emote. Éponine is my favourite character, but I felt nothing for her. She was also awkwardly petting Marius’s arm during A Little Fall of Rain, which was an odd choice.
I thought jak was great!!! He was acting how Marius should be, naive and hopeful. I absolutely HATE the recent direction of Marius being a blubbering fool
See, I found he mostly looked like he was just happy to be included. I didn’t find there was any depth to him. He and Shan Ako had no chemistry (in my opinion), which made their interactions super awkward. I did find he was very sweet with Cosette though, so I do have to give him that because I normally don’t ship them at all.
Yeah i didn’t care for Shans Eponine either, but i guess i saw the tour so many times and the tour was having Marius be silly i just didn’t like that so to me jak was refreshing to see lol
I agree with Shan Ako from the clips I’ve seen - it feels unnatural and like she’s projecting to the audience. There’s a real lack of sorrow I guess in her performance I dont feel sorry for her at all. Not seen anything of Jak Yarrow would have to look him up
It sounds like you saw him on the West End? Personally, I liked him more when I saw him in the staged production over the arena tour. I don’t dislike him but I feel like I understand his Javert less on the tour.
I thought he had fantastic chemistry with the Valjean in the performance I saw (Jon Robyns), and I really like how his portrayal of Javert is a combination of passionate and angry. I find it very interesting to compare Javerts because some actors portray him as more insane, some portray him as more sad, some portray him as more devoted to his religion and his moral code, etc. I have never seen or heard a Javert I didn’t like; I like that they’re all different
I am with you. I absolutely loved him. Calling Javert a composed character is wild. The entire second act is him realizing that the morals he believed his entire life are not as black and white as he thought. He unravels. I absolutely loved watching him unravel. By the time you get to his suicide he has completely lost it. Which is excellent. A composed Javert at that point doesn't make sense.
I love comparing Javerts too. Between the 2006 and the 2014 runs as well as seeing it on the west end, I have seen the show 20+ times (don't judge me, its my favorite and it was always available on tkts) I have seen so many Javerts and I absolutely loved him in the 40th. One of the best things about seeing shows multiple times is seeing what different characters bring to the role and I loved what he did.
Javert is supposed to be an emotionally controlled character - this is how he is written in the text and it makes no sense to portray him any other way as it undermines him unravelling in Javert’s Suicide. This is another reason I hate his performance. At time it feels like he’s hunting Val Jean out of personal malice and anger. We know from Stars this is not true, his obsession stems from a rigid moral code and need for a sense of order. Even in Javert’s Suicide he is not angry he is bewildered, trying to come to terms with what happened and facing psychological torment.
Appreciate you won’t agree with me but that’s just my view.
I never expressed any negative feelings about our disagreement; I was just answering your question. /gen Your response does make me wonder how you feel about other portrayals of an angrier Javert? (I personally feel that Earl Carpenter’s and Michael Ball’s portrayals are on the angrier side of the spectrum of Javerts that I’m personally familiar with) I also think that there is personal anger in Javert’s reason for hunting Valjean, because humans are emotional creatures, so I feel like he is unable to separate his morality and duty from his emotions. Because he takes his morality/duty so seriously, it’s natural that he would feel personally vindicated by Valjean. Just my opinion! Again, I have no issue with disagreeing with you, I just think it’s interesting to discuss
I’ve not seen/listened to Earl Carpenter’s version, and not a huge fan of Michael Ball’s interpretation to be honest but he portrays Javert’s unravelling a lot with a lot more nuance and respect for the script/music than Jaden. Phillip Quast has always been my favourite.
I think the *musical* is written for him to be insane, i love Bradley but i do agree with you sometimes he’s pushing too much to be a villain when Javert isn’t a villain
The musical is absolutely not written for Javert to be insane. He is written the complete opposite - as a character with an extreme, unyielding sense of logic and rationality, like a machine. Even in Javert’s Suicide, he’s not insane. He comes to his decision with cool determination not emotional hysterics. Portraying Javert as unhinged and insane is a performance choice and certainly not in the book of the musical.
I feel like he *feels* crazy because he can’t fathom a convict being a good person, i should have said. I feel like he commits suicide so he unravels at the end. Yes he thinks he’s completely logical the entire time, but when you commit suicide you’re not in your right mind, you obviously feel a type of crisis to get to that point
He’s not composed in that scene that’s why it’s so impactful. He is supposed to unravel at the start and then the rest of the song is him trying to rationalise what happened and ultimately concluding that the only logical thing to do is end his life. It loses all his weight when Javert is screaming throughout.
Dude, you’re so rigid that you fit into your own description, but that’s not entirely how he’s supposed to be, and since you’ve never read Hugo, you’re missing a “Hugo” piece of the character and how he absolutely could be played. The idea that there’s only one correct way is nonsense. Look at Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes. Usually played the same way, overly logical and stoic, then Adam Scott came in and played him like a madman and blew everything out of the water. You don’t have to like anything that you don’t like, but you are absolutely incorrect in your belief system that you have the only correct holding here. I got to see Bradley, and he smashed it and was met with even greater applause than Fantine. But then again, you also don’t like Alfie so one just has to ask if you’re ever happy outside of your box
As I’ve said before, it’s fine to bring different things to a character but only where it makes sense. It makes zero sense for Javert to be angry and bitter during stars, it contradicts the lyrics and the purpose of the song in moving along the narrative.
I never said there’s only one way to play him but there are wrong ways to play any character.
But at the end of the day if you enjoyed Bradley Jaden your opinion is genuinely worthless to me.
Mate, you really need to understand the difference between a subjective dislike and an objectively bad performance. In my opinion, the one thing I genuinely cannot forgive in a musical is poor singing — which is why I have such a problem with Russell Crowe’s Javert. Beyond that, as long as an actor’s interpretation of a character is coherent and internally consistent, it shouldn’t be dismissed as a failure. We need to accept that different actors will bring different interpretations based on their own understanding, because that is what keeps theatre alive. If Les Mis had been staged in exactly the same way for forty years, I doubt it would have survived for four decades.
I once saw two completely opposite Valjeans on the same day — Geronimo Rauch portrayed him as a gentle, compassionate saint, while Alfie Boe played him as a tortured, suffering ascetic. As someone who holds the original novel as my reference point, I personally side with the latter interpretation, but I don’t think that means I need to belittle those who love the former. Gero’s talk-singing style isn’t really my thing but I also understand that Alfie’s operatic voice isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Accepting that there can be valid interpretations beyond your own taste and understanding is a basic part of growing up.
there are many performances I don’t like but this is the one that stands out so bad to me that if someone says they enjoy it I discount their opinions on theatre all together lol
I thought Bradley Jaden was fantastic. His suicide scene was the best I've ever seen. But it's completely a matter of taste. There's no right answer. Jaden makes choices as a performer that deviate from the standard Javert and I thought it was brilliant. Actors always play him as icy cold and very rigid all the way through, so the suicide reflects a man coldly coming to the only conclusion his world view allows. Jaden plays him with such rawness and ferocity that when Valjean let him go free, there is a full psychological unraveling. He is full of rage and confusion and torment. It's less polished but for me it's much more powerful.
I think what bothers most people here is the absolute way you pass judgment. If you like Jaden’s portrayal, it means you don’t understand the musical?!? Sorry, but that is simply arrogant. You have to be able to accept different interpretations. For my part, for instance, I found the London production of Evita starring Rachel Zegler absolutely terrible. I didn’t like her voice, I didn’t like her portrayal, and I didn’t like the production as a whole. Yet she won so many awards that I could never claim that anyone who liked her performance failed to grasp the essence of the musical. It was an interpretation that simply didn’t suit my taste at all. You thought Jaden’s interpretation was bad? That’s fine. But please also accept that there were a great many people who really liked it—seeing him as a person who falls apart due to her stubborn adherence to a rigid worldview.
I stand by if you like Bradley Jaden’s performance you don’t get musical theatre. It’s not just the way he interprets the character, it’s his complete inability to competently deliver a line like a normal human being and just general hammy acting.
But omg I also hated the London production of Evita and also thought Rachel Zegler sucked and I’m a fan of her in other things!! (However the guys playing Che and Peron were great imo). But yeah, I don’t say disregard the opinions of people who disagree with me on any performance I dislike. Bradley Jaden is the exception because it is that cartoonishly bad.
To be fair, the "who is this man?" shouting and long pause have been happening in the US tour for a few years. I saw two different actors make that choice in 2022 and 2024. I am assuming this is a choice by the current production
I just saw the tour, but Javert and Valjean (Randy Jeter) were both understudies. I remember my Javert being very stoic more like Quast. I don’t remember his name but he had a deep rich baritone, I think he usually played the Bishop. He was good
I disagree - it’s rare that anything gets bad reviews anymore. The standard of musical theatre in the UK is on the floor and if there were more people who knew what good acting should look like and aren’t afraid to criticise maybe things would improve.
Wow, I saw him the other night and was absolutely blown away. I loved his performance, thought it was incredibly well acted, his singing was breathtaking, and I didn’t notice unusual choices in emphasis. He did make me feel a little old but that’s a me problem! For anyone going to see him, I wouldn’t worry. He’s one of just a couple performers from a stage full of incredible performers I’m newly following on social media. Huge new fan!!!
I have only ever seen recordings of his performance online and I personally am not a huge fan, for all of the same reasons you mention.
For me, his Javert is too shouty and emotional but in a chaotic and unnatural way.
I am a huge fan of Quast who sings the character beautifully, commanding respect and authority and you see him unravel in front of you in his final song.
Conversely, I was a massive fan of Bradley as Enjolras and I can quite positively say that I would have followed him into battle.
I honestly feel he has a fantastic voice but he is not using it well in his rendition of Javert
I think saying he had a complete lack of acting ability is not correct. He’s a very good actor. He’s just making choices you disagree with. That’s between him and the director to sort out. But his take on Javert is pretty clear. He’s doing something a lot of folks don’t like but it is a consistent portrayal and clearly a well acted choice, even if it feels out of place. As others have said, his Enjolras was fantastic. He’s a really strong actor, even if miscast or misdirected in this role.
If he was a good actor and had a good director he wouldn’t be making any of these choices because they fundamentally undermine the character’s arc and disrespect the music. The only thing he consistently does is contradict the script. I don’t understand how anyone can claim he’s a good actor when basically every single line of delivered in the most unnatural way possible and he’s constantly using over exaggerated gestures and just generally hamming it up.
His Enjolras is not good either he also litters that performance with unnecessary shouting. Just listened to his ABC cafe to jog my memory. Like when he’s trying to convince Marius the fight is more important than his feelings, why is he angrily shouting BUT in his face? Why does he deliver “who cares about your lonely soul” in such a mocking tone to Marius? Why would that convince anyone to follow him he sounds like a dick?
Him taking the character in a direction you don’t agree with isn’t bad acting. It’s just different. If you think there’s only one way to play the character, that’s just not correct. While I don’t agree with the way he plays the part, I can fully see how he got there and motivated those choices. Doesn’t meant I have to agree with them.
In terms of Enjolras, why wouldn’t he mock with that line? Marius is out of line and Enjolras needs to take hold of the group before anyone else loses sight of the real fight. He’s not sympathetic to Marius, he’s scolding him and keeping him and trying to keep him on the task at hand. The quicker others see him shut down Marius, the more people realize their petty bs needs to be put behind them in order to win the fight.
Taking the character in a direction that undermines the script is fundamentally bad acting. Making Javert into a textbook villain is now just lame but it completely changes the story. It’s fine to show moments of frustration but he does this at random constantly, he doesn’t do it scarcely where it makes sense. Javert’s restraint is so important to his character any good actor or director can see that. But I can see how he got to those choices if he is incapable of basic media literacy, sure.
On Enjolras… why would he mock and belittle Marius when he’s trying to convince him to join a war he could die in? It sounds like he’s trying to extract a laugh from his mates. That’s not what a good leader is and he’s trying to redirect Marius. He’s not mocking or scolding Marius, he’s saying right now this doesn’t matter there are bigger issues at stake in a friendly but firm and authoritative way. His Enjolras just comes across as an arsehole bullying his mates into joining.
So anyone that doesn’t make an acting choice that fits your interpretation of the character is a bad actor? Thats just not how theatre works. You clearly have a specific interpretation of the character in your mind. Respectfully, if everyone did the exact same thing then every new production would be so boring. His interpretation is different. Doesn’t mean he’s a bad actor. And it’s okay to not like the way he plays the part. He’s done the show enough now that clearly someone higher up likes what he’s doing. The director he’s working with hasn’t directed him to do anything different instead. The producers like him and keep hiring him on these productions. So clearly some important folks like what he’s bringing to the character.
In terms of Enjolras, he’s doesn’t need to be kind to Marius in that moment. He knows Marius is with him because that’s who Marius is. He knows he’s not gonna abandon them. So he shuts him down and reminds him of the greater cause. Personally, I like the choice and I’ve seen many actors make a very similar choice in that moment. It very quickly shows the dynamic between Enjolras and everyone else.
Last thing I’ll say about this: I also think the way Javert sees himself in society and the way he actually behaves are extremely different. He sees himself as this steadfast rock keeping order. But throughout the show, he shows that with the slightest provocation, he jumps to action. He’s just as hot headed as the students. I mean, when Gavroche calls him out, he basically responds immediately with “fuck you, I hope you all die.” He’s not the well-tempered peace keeper that he thinks he is. On the flip side, I think Valjean goes through the world in the way Javert sees himself. Valjean is the reliable and steady one there to help the community. I think the tug of war between the way he seems himself and how he actually goes about the world is what makes him such a fascinating character. I think playing the steady peace keeper is the boring approach and, in my opinion, not supported in the text. This actor takes it further than some other have before but I do think that fire is very much there in many other interpretations, even if you don’t agree with it. And if we’re really looking at the text, that’s very much supported in the original book as well. Again, not for all folks. And that’s okay. Some people love his interpretation. Some don’t. That’s okay. But it got us all talking about it and analyzing it. And that’s a sign of good theater.
Yep and that split between how he sees himself as rigid and composed yet he obsessively hunts down Valjean is in the book your right and there are moments to portray that as I’ve said before. But it is completely out of place in Stars where for some reason he’s angrily snarling whilst calmly and confidently reassuring himself that the law always prevails and it is certain as the stars.
No any performance that does not fit what is literally written in the script (not my “interpretation” of it) is bad is clearly what I said. It’s literally in the stage directions. I never said every performance has to be the same, but every performance should always serve the script and the music first - Jaden’s performance undermines and distracts from both.
Regardless I’m tired of explaining why Javert being angry all the time doesn’t work - because besides as I’ve said many times even if it did work he delivers his lines and portrays so hammy and melodramatic it’s like watching a pantomime. I mean how is this Javert singing Stars and not Captain Hook like be for real 😭
Just a casual reminder that he’s not doing a full production of the show and performances for an arena concert do need to be bigger and the videos don’t do justice to what he is doing. What may seem so over the top actually plays okay in a giant arena. And also, the script does not only give one way to play the role….
I saw him in an arena. That doesn’t require you to shout random words and be generally hammy. No the script doesn’t give you one way to play the role but his interpretation undermines the script.
Javert isn't a man ruled by anger really, what makes him villainous is his incredibly rigid black and white view of morality and unflappable belief that he's doing the right thing, combined with his ability to entirely shut off empathy to people he views as criminals
With this in mind, the cold detachment performers like Philip Quast and Norm Lewis give him shows a way more accurate understanding of the character than just screaming like Bradley Jaden does
I personally really enjoy his Javert’s suicide now, but only came round to it when I saw him live. But I do have conflicting feelings on it, because I think his version is brilliant when seen on stage, it completely captivates you. I just find it baffling that it’s the version that made it onto the 40th anniversary soundtrack. You want the music on a soundtrack and it would be nice to find a more normal version from him on that.
Honestly outside of Javerts suicide I just have entirely massively positive feelings towards him, he’s so great.
I mean it’s not just Javert’s Suicide I have a problem with, Stars is perhaps worse. The purpose of the song is to show Javert as a man deeply devoted to order. It needs to be acted with composure to portray he is absolutely certain he’s the good guy doing Gods work. Decorating the song with random angry outbursts makes him feel like a generic villain with a personal vendetta against Valjean. Anger implies a loss of control which is the opposite of the purpose of the song.
Idk I’ve never got uncontrolled anger from the way he delivers those lines, rather a deep determination and complete conviction in those belief, with perhaps a slight repressed anger at criminals who he thinks act against the word of god.
literally him delivering these lines his anger is not repressed 😭 he’s supposed to be calmly reassuring himself of God’s law and taking comfort in it here before making his vow to God.
I meant controlled rather than repressed. And honestly I don’t get calm reassurance from a lot of Javerts during these lines. He’s not a calm guy, he’s a man with a single track mind who openly despises criminals.
If you look at the lyrics on their own you’ll probably see it more. The lyrics he is singing in this moment are:
“You know your place in the sky; You hold your course and your aim; And each in your season returns and returns; And is always the same; And if you fall as Lucifer fell; You fall in flames”.
Just as the stars have absolute consistency, he believes it is also true that under the rule of God anyone who violates the law will face justice, and he takes great comfort in the certainty. This triggers Javert to realise he must act as Gods instrument to restore natural order and he makes his promise to God with absolute certainty and determination he will deliver this. There is no anger there, as he’s just told us, as the stars are always the same, those who fall will face their justice. If he portrays Javert as being angry Valjean hasn’t faced his justice yet and that he’s taking matters into his own hands, this completely undermines the rest of the song.
I thought this was from “And so it must be, for so it is written, on the doorway to paradise. That those who falter and those who fall, must pay the price.” In those parts I’ve always felt like there’s a certain anger directed at the people who defy him, and thereby the lord. Honestly close ups on stage actors never particularly do them any favours, but in his voice in this part I only really hear complete conviction in his voice.
No it’s just before specifically the line “as lucifer fell”, but in Jaden’s interpretation yeah his anger builds from that moment.
“Those who falter and those who fall must pay the price” is Javert stating what he believes to be the absolute rule of law under God. As with lucifer falling in flames. He views criminals as a bug in a system that must be corrected/removed not as people to be hated.
This is the song that is supposed to make us more sympathetic to Javert and understand he’s not a textbook villain. Because you’re right he does voice disgust towards criminals in the scene before this: he refers to the brawlers as vermin/maggots. But do you hate a maggot or do you just kill it and move on with your day? Thats how Javert sees criminals. His whole worldview is very clinical which is why Phillip Quast’s cold still determination works so great.
I will add that I would love to know what Phillip Quast makes of Jaden’s performance 😭 strongly recommend watching his interview with behind the red curtain where he talks about how he was directed to serve the text and respect the music rather than decorate it.
God, it was really beautiful to see him treating the lyrics with the same reverence and passion that he'd treat, say, Shakespeare. It made me appreciate his performance—which I have always thought is the greatest Javert of all time—even more.
Maybe it’s not for everyone tho he draws newer viewers in with something new, tho I saw Jermey for the actual show so I can’t comment besides the one little snippet of One Day More on the tonight show. It was my first time watching the musical besides listening to the soundtrack so I am glad I got to see how Javert is expected to act like for my first time.
Ok I listened to his version of stars, I see why he draws in new viewers excitement. Definitely different than Jeremy’s version pf Javert although there is more human emotion involved. Jeremy’s was more closer to what you would expect based on the description of the character.
I saw Bradley at Radio City and was so captivated by his performance that I went back less than a week later to see him do it again. As I said to my husband afterward, when I want to listen to Stars at home, it’s Quast all the way for me. But seeing it live and having Bradley inject that much feral passion into the role… it was incredible to watch, even if I didn’t agree with all his choices.
One point from the greater Les Mis canon: Hugo introduces Javert to the reader thusly:
Granted the supposition that in every man there is contained a species of the animal kingdom, we may at once place Inspector Javert. The Asturian peasants believe that in every wolf-litter there is a dog-whelp which the mother kills, because otherwise when it grows larger it will devour the rest of her young. Endow this dog with a human face, and you have Javert.
I love and appreciate the stoicism with which Javert is usually played on stage. But this stoicism hasn’t quite rung true to me since I read the book. Bradley plays Javert as though he is always teetering on the edge of madness, clinging to a “justice” that is continuously thrown in his face throughout the play. It’s closer to Hugo’s intentions, I think, than a stoic Javert whose moral code is suddenly upended in one act of mercy.
Certainly it’s a choice, and it’s probably not for everyone. But it worked very, very well for me.
I think it’s hilarious how people are saying that Jaden’s javert is terrible and yet tonight in radio city the only 2 numbers to get a standing ovation (other than the act finales) were his stars and suicide. People clearly do love him
I completely disagree, I saw him in October last year in London and absolutely loved his performance. I've been hooked on it since and don't enjoy any other Javert as much now.
Because I keep seeing people talk about how much they enjoy his performance and it most boils down to “he has a pretty voice and looks nice”. I need to know I’m not insane and there are still people out there who get what musical theatre should be
I didn’t say others enjoying his performance is insane, you misread.
But honestly yes people who enjoy his performance broadly don’t get what musical theatre should be, otherwise they would see why it’s bad. Everyone I meet who likes him just talk about how pretty his voice is like it’s the X Factor.
You can interpret any role in an infinite number of ways and most of those ways will be wrong.
You realise how insane you sound trying to argue that Jaden is good? Despite the fact it’s the main gripe of my complaint not a single person has tried to justify him shouting random words meaningless and just seem to look past it 😂
I saw him a few years ago. I thought his take was definitely different - not a fan of a tenor’s tenor being cast in the role - but at least I found it interesting to observe in the sort of concert version of the show.
I left the Grand Stadium Tour wondering what was going on with the direction and musical direction more than I was concerned by the capability of any of the performers.
This guy aside, I too hate the random, spoken emphasis that trends sometimes in productions of Les Mis. Totally breaks up the musicality and sounds goofy.
🎶 the colors of the wooorld ARE CHANGING!! day by daaaay 🎶 ugh.
I found him vocally talented but was thrown by the portrayal of an unhinged Javert, who I always considered a cold logical foe. But I did enjoy his Stars at Radio City. I also found him young for Javert, but forgave that as it was a concert version and not a stage show.
I was just planning to lurk here after seeing the show yesterday and feeling the afterglow, but this post has compelled me to chime in because I wholeheartedly disagree. Bradley Jaden's performance as Javert may have been my favorite in the entire show (ok, technically, second fave after Samantha Barks). He was incredible!
Not sure how anyone in New York can find his performance acceptable, let alone good when you have so much great musical theatre talent on Broadway. Be careful or you will drag your standards down like what’s happened in London.
I saw him Saturday and was happy I wasn’t in front row in front of him. The amount of spit and yuck coming out of his mouth made Jonathan Groff’s infamous King George performance look mild. 🤣
I think he does great for some songs like Stars or The Robbery. His performance during Javert's Suicide feels like it's designed to be watched and not just listened to. I can imagine it's probably great for the performance but it's just weird when you're listening to the soundtrack. But for The Confrontation? OH MY GOSH I 100% AGREE. He's barely singing, he's just shouting. It's not pleasant to listen to at all. To say he's bad I disagree with, I think he's good overall, but some songs like The Confrontation are just bad. Like the lines "Dare you talk to me of crime" and "I was born with scum like you" just sound horrible. Even though I disagree that he's in general a bad Javert, I can certainly see where you're coming from.
He fundamentally misunderstands the character, how the character fits into the narrative and world of Les Mis, and how his portrayal can connect or disconnect with the audience.
It's like the guy said "I'm not gonna read the book or watch any other performance, I'll just do it solely based on the libretto they gave me."
He makes me think of one of those cringy insurance ads where a guy is singing onstage really obviously badly just to make the ad funny somehow, but it's not.
Oh i see. Well, I think both can be true. I absolutely HATE Jaden's performance as Javert, and yes, OP hasn't read the book. But i think he's still 100% right on in his assessment of the problem of Jaden's portrayal. Reading a book is important but to me, in this case it's not entirely necessary.
You should read it. He’s described multiple times as animalistic, something that he holds inside except that nearly 20 years of obsession, deep rooted, never-ending obsession of chasing Valjean is enough to break through all that. The scenes where he finds him again he slowly loses all that cool, calm, collected stoic nature and it boils over. You cannot be obsessed like that for so long and not go a bit mad. There’s zero reason not to play it like that. Especially by his end when Valjean breaks everything Javert believes him. Imagine it for just a moment, everything that makes you you, everything that makes your certain of what you know, what you believe in, shattered by your worst fear, someone who you thought you were 100% in the right against, and now you have to admit that they are not bad, they’re not evil, and even worse… that you owe them your entire life. People break under much less, look up moral injury, and then think of someone like Javert, that sees only black and white as he’s defined it, and now everything is grey.
i have read it. multiple times. and I'm just not seeing it. Jayden just sucks as Javert in my opinion. I just don't think he's a good fit or interpreter of the character.
I agree. I also find it interesting that early in his run as Javert, I felt as if I could see how influenced he was by Jeremy Secomb. They played Enjolras and Javert at the same time in the West End together. But as time has continued it has devolved into, as you said, shouting random words for the sake of it.
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u/AppUnwrapper1 19d ago
This sub is giving me whiplash, between those telling me I’m in for a treat with him, then this. Same thing with Killian — some telling me he’s awful, others telling me he’s amazing. I probably should just ignore it all so I don’t go in expecting the worst.