Musical Theatre Coach Reacts | ON MY OWN - LES MIS | Samantha Barks 

Yes, "the queen of blandsville!" That is how I have always felt about Cosette. Eponine has my two favorite songs in the entire show, both heart-breakers. I think she is truly the most miserable of les miserables, but still able to love deeply and truly, and always giving of herself.

Samantha Barks will always be my Eponine. She killed it in the 25th anniversary concert and brought the same energy to this performance. Her and Eddie Redmayne are probably the best parts of this film.

I absolutely adore Samantha Barks, I don't know how she manages to make every "I love him" so different and profound each time she sings it!! Eponine is always the character that steals my heart in this show!

so so amazing to see Samantha Barks on this channel - she's from my hometown, and her sister was actually my primary school teacher! Everyone from the Isle of Man is so so so proud of her and how far she's come

In all honestly she was the best thing about this adaption

Samantha Barks was the most overt pro in that depressingly mismanaged film. Holy smokes, her death scene. It speaks to her talent and strength that even Hooper's nonsensical direction couldn't result in a bad performance from her.

"Queen of blandsville that is Cosette" 🤣

Marc, I wanted to let you know that you have really captured my interest in musical theater. Hamilton on Disney was basically the first musical I have ever seen, and I found your channel through your reactions from that movie. Thanks so much for putting out great content, you've converted at least one person to the joy and beauty of musical theater!

I tend to think that when people say Cosette is "the queen of blandsville," it's because they don't understand the point of her character. She's almost a placeholder in the story, representing Valjean's act of atonement to Fantine, and the barrier to Eponine being with Marius (even though Marius wasn't interested in her before Cosette came into the picture, but anyway...). If you look at the story, her character journey is pretty impressive. She was raised apart from her mother with the Thénardier family, whose entire mission in life was to take what they can get. Cosette is abused and neglected until she's rescued by Valjean. This is a difficult beginning that could have jaded her, but instead, she follows her adoptive father's example and strives to be good and kind. I've always thought they didn't give more focus on her character in the musical because that made it easier to focus on Eponine's pain and longing- you wouldn't feel for Eponine so much if you saw Cosette a good person, or possibly more deserving of Marius. BTW, is that true that Taylor Swift was competing for the role?!? That would have ruined the movie! I know there's a lot of die hard Swifties out there, but lets be honest- while she'll be remembered for how many downloads or concert tickets she sold, she won't go down in history as one of the great vocalists of her generation. You can't just have a decent voice for the leads in Les Mis. Ask Russell Crowe...

She's flawless! You should do a comparison video of Samantha Barks' "On My Own" performance in the 2012 movie vs the 25th Anniversary Concert. I'd love to hear your perspective of the acting / vocal choices between film and stage (albeit, concert "stage").

that tiny, subtle sob when she sings "I love him" breaks my heart every time.

I love this rendition because it focuses on the emotion other than vocals. I will always prefer to be moved by a performance than to be like dang they can sing. That’s what the radio is for.

Honestly, Cosette has always lacked a dimension that could've pushed her to the same level as Eponine. Realistically speaking, how can a person face that much childhood trauma and still remain that innocent?

Marc Daniel Patrick as Eponine...WHO'S GONNA MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!

2:01 - 2:09 That delivery was just absolutely perfect... I can't think of a better way to annunciate those first few lines then Samantha did here. That hesitation between the "close my eyes," "and he has found me." Gives me chills every time

THANK YOU!!!! She goes full voice during the 25th Anniversary but i find in this we, the audience, get the raw emotion more

If I could play a character in Les Miserables, I would pick a background character who doesn't sing. I fear it wouldn't be a good production otherwise

Les Miz is becoming my favorite show. I was recently cast as Valjean in a local theater.

Could you react to Jeremy Jordan's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"? I absolutely loved that performance and it's one of the time's(In my opinion) when his acting choices really work. Another great performance of his is "Losing My Mind" That one was a lot softer but absolutely breathtaking nonetheless. Love the channel so much!

Yeeeeeeesss this is my all time favorite song of any musical movie Samantha Barks fucking killz it🙌

Please react to Lea Salonga singing “I dreamed a dream”. I actually even prefer that to her rendition of “on my own”.

I love this song for how it builds, and builds and just keeps building.

I love how they did this movie with real time singing. Beautiful song sung just heartbreakingly well.

Your commentary on this performance could not have been more illuminating. The details you point out that come together to help make this performance so captivating. Thanks so much!

I love her rendition of this song. I can play it on repeat all day. You can feel exactly how she's feeling through every note.

I love your channel - it brings me great happiness! Thank you!

I'M WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO, THANKSSS😍😍😍😍

Not exactly out on a limb here, but to me, the movie version went: Samantha Barks Aaron Tveit ... Everyone else ... Russell Crowe

Get the full on goosebumps every time I hear her version of this. She’s so fantastic.

Yesssss I love Samantha Barks! Hands-down my number one dream role

I fell in love with her when she was in The Sound Of Music.

Eponine holds a special place in my heart as Lea's rendition set the bar for me. I think what the movie definitely accomplished is really showcasing the emotions each character where had in their moments and Samantha Banks definitely sang and showed the emotions of Eponine profoundly 👍 I love your assessment of Eponine's inner monologue as the true optimist and no matter if no light can come from your feelings, you never give up and that we all know someone like this! You hit that right on the MARK, MARC 😉 Bravo!!!

Far out, another outstanding performance and reaction!

On My Own describes my teen/young adult years :-) Love this song and character so much. I am so glad you mentioned the strength and dreaming nature of some of the song. I always felt some optimism when listening to it.

Please react to West Side Story! The 1961 film version was the first musical I ever saw and made me fall in love with musicals when I was 13.

Your explanation of this made me understand this song even better than I thought I had understood it.

You should react to Anne Hathaway's "I dreamed a dream". I think there's a lot to be said about that performance in every way. Edit: Just to be clear, I don't think that's the best rendition of the song by a long shot, but I really enjoy the way Marc deconstructs performances so I'm really interested on his take on this one.

This and Little Fall of Rain by her broke me in this movie 💔

Very moving....Samantha Barks......an absolutely incredible talent.

Without me, his world will go on turning. Oh, God.

Beautiful voice ❤️

I personally really love your energy in your reaction videos. :)

You should react to Carrie Hope Fletcher! Saw her live in london in 2015 and she’s been my favorite eponine ever since

I liked her better in the 25 anniversary show better, but this was pretty good too.

I love her in the 25th Anniversary Concert as well.

"The queen of blandsville" made me laugh so hard

I just listened to this a few days ago hahaha. Samantha Barks is amazing, I love her. Her waist is so thin here, it's insane.

I would like it if you would react to Anne Hathaway's version of "I Dreamed a Dream". The first time I saw the movie, I was blown away by the sheer emotion of her performance. I honestly love it because its so emotive and so devastatingly raw.

A lifetime of tears 🤣, queen of blandsville 🤣 oh I adore you! Love the hair on you, btw 😍

Can you also cover Samantha Barks' version in the 25th?? She's amazing in each of her versions. She's the sweetest and kindest soul ever. And also an incredibly person

despite my probably unsufficent vocal range, ive always wanted to play Marius, specifically 'empty chairs at empty tables'

Eponine will always be one of my favorite characters. Just loves with her whole heart and is willing to do everything to make her loved one happy even if it means not being with her. Still hopeful throughout that Marius will see the light and see what she has done for him. Which he does...just too late. Samantha did a wonderful. A true highlight of the film.

Who would I pick to be in this? Uh, yes! Let me do it as literally any charecter or item in this show! That's how much I love it.

Samantha Barks is amazing and is also a very nice person

I saw Samantha Barks perfromed live as Elsa in West Ends Frozen. She has so much stage presence.

I would love to play Eponine! She is fantastic, and I love her songs

Go Sam, You do our Island Proud.

I LOVE LOVE this movie... it totally changed movie musicals for me, because of the real singing, and I've seen the 'making of' video, so I know a bit about how they did it (with layering the orchestra in after etc), but this is one of the songs that's particularly impressive, from a technical POV, because she must have had to sing over the top of the final video in the studio after... there would have been way too much interference from the rain to only use the audio that her mics picked up when it was being filmed.

Javert, absolutely!

This. This is and always has been the true love story in Les Miserables.

Love Samantha Barks

Thanks Marc. I love this movie and really agree that Samantha Barks nailed the performance of this song. I like Eponines death scene on the West End production rather then in the movie, it would be interesting for you to do a comparision of them.

A world that's full of happiness that I have never known... You know, I've seen every rendition I can get my hands on, read it more than once and just now realized the composers got this wrong. She was a girl child of Mme Thenardier and as such was a favorite and completely doted on until sometime not disclosed exactly when but definitely after Cosette is taken. Given Gavroche is never disc!owed as her brother either, so there's that lol.

Eponine is definitely the part I sing most often in the shower (this song and a little fall of rain) but I wouldn’t pass up the part of the inn keepers wife. The character you can put into that part!

I found your channel a couple days ago and been binging all the videos since haha, I love your channel! Would it be possible for you to react to one of the group numbers where a lot is going on, like Attack on Rue Plumet or ABC Cafe? I find those especially interesting because they require so many actors to be in sync with each other, but not a lot of people talk about those.

"Queen of Blandsville" should be the next shirt design.

I haven't seen this movie, but why was Anne Hathaways song the only one ppl were talking about? This is absolutely incredible *especially* considering the way they filmed/recorded bare

Loving this series of yours. If I may make a few suggestions; Bea Arthur doing 50 percent or Man in the moon Judi Dench doing send in the clowns Sydney Lucas doing Ring of keys.

On My Own, the part of the film when everyone regrets that fizzy drink they guzzled down 😅

If i had any singing ability and could play any Les Mis character it would without a doubt be Gavroche. He just always strikes me as such a fun and interesting character. That or I think it would be fun to play Javert

Could you please put a link to the videos you‘re reacting to in your videodescription.

Marc Daniel Patrick, could you react to Colm Wilkinson’s Who Am I from the 10th anniversary of the Les Miserables musical from 1995?

The best in the film!!

Éponine is my ultimate dream role and I look up to Samantha soooo much. She's incredible! My favourite song from Les Mis. I just wish my vocal coach (she isn' a musical theatre coach because it's not very popular in my country) would listen to me and not yell at me to open my mouth at the beginning...I tried to explain it was a character choice and that it's supposed to be calm and quiet at first but she still didn't listen...

Nothing beats LEA SALONGA, for that song, in my own opinion. She was perfect. But Sam is good too.

And all the actors were singing live

Marc, after all that has happened these last few days in Washington DC, you and this video are a much needed haven as I have moved from close to tears to anger. Anyway, like you, I love Les Misérables. I was not and am still not a fan of the film version because so much of the music had to be transposed to accommodate the cast. I have the DVD version of the 25th anniversary cast so I was pleased that Samantha Barks' Eponine did not have to be transposed. She is beautiful to watch as she transforms Eponine into a dreamer, an old soul on a fantasy of optimism. who is willing to sacrifice for her love. For me, she was the only vocal and dramatic positive in this film. Thank you Marc for this much needed escape.

I was playing Madame T in our school musical but it got cancelled a week before we were gonna start because fo covid

I wanna know ur comparison reaction between Lea's & Sam concert version?

If I was to take on that musical such an iconic musical if I say so I’d go for Marius

You should react to Russell Crowe's "Stars", might be a slightly different reaction

Samantha barks and Helena Bonham Carter are some of the few reasons I rewatch The Les Miserables movie ❤️❤️❤️

Could you do Valjean’s Soliloquy or I Dreamed a Dream from this movie?

please react to aaron tveit, honestly doing whatever song from whatever musical bc there are so many videos to choose from

i would love to see your reaction and thoughts on her performance in the les mis 25th concert. i would argue that its the best the song has ever been performed

She MAKES this film. There is no better Eponine.

First I played Cosette- I wanted eponine then I became Mme Thernardier- I wanted eponine Then I played Fantine- and Omg- I always want this role now. Over the eponine thing. Also- Banks does something a lot of women don’t do on this song- she allows for silence between the notes- so many people over sing this melodramatically

God I can so relate to her heartbreak and trauma

Who would I want to be if I were in Les Mis? I mean, Fantine or Eponine would be amazing, but Madame Thénardier is one of my dream roles.

I agree tha Samantha is one of the best actresses to play Eponine. She comes a close second to Lea Salonga imo. It's hard to believe that she was in a UK talent show (came in 3rd) in 2008, and scored the film role of a lifetime playing Eponine in 2012.

I love how much detail and knowledge you give on your reaction videos. Would love to hear your thoughts on Tim Minchins performance of "Heaven on their mind" from Jesus Christ Superstar. Or any song from that musical for that matter 😁

Little fall of rain

It’s sadder when you know the story of the book

I'd have to pick Marius if I could pick any role!

the friend zone song

High school me would love to be fantine but i know now i dont have the vocal chops to take on that mammoth of a song. So,because I like to have fun, give me the innkeepers wife!

I know it is in Danish... But even if it's justone your own time, please give "Atlantis: Kvinde Terzet" a listen... I my oppinion it is close to perfection of a musical song of that kind!

The best singers in this movie were Samantha Barks and Aaron Tveit hands down. Can you please do anything from Aaron Tveit next? Here are some good suggestions: Red And Black (Les Miserables) / One Song Glory (Rent) / Che Gelida Manina (La Boheme) / Being Alive (Company) / Come What May (Moulin Rouge).

React to this movie's "a little fall of rain"

Please do "Bring Him Home" by Hugh Jackman!