On My Own "Known" Comparison 

I expect an Eponine to sound rugged and absolutely broken, but most of the singers here rather make her sound rather dignified and too powerful; they all sound amazing but behind each clean and perfect belt, the picture of Eponine is lost somewhere. :/ For that reason my favorites are *Frances Ruffelle, Kaho Shimada, Stephanie Martin, Leona Machalkova, Andrea McArdle, Lea Michele, LYDIA FAIREN!, Alexia Khadime, Lily Frazer, Park Ji Yeon & Lea Salonga.* And special mention to *Melissa Lyons* because she doesn't quite fit my image of Eponine, but I have a nostalgic value for her roles as Barbie! XD

Lea Salonga ftw. Perfect diction, well-discplined vowels and unbelievable breath support. She digs out the bottom notes with the same ease as she belts the highs -- all without over-singing the damn thing. As a plus, her stage presence and nonverbal communication are legendary. As others have said, she sets the bar for all the rest!

Can't help but be critical after Lea Salonga. the bar was raised after.

Frances, Lea Solonga, and Sam are my favorites but there's so many amazing women in this video❤️

My favourite is Carrie Hope Fletcher. Her voice is phenomenal and the emotion she portrays in every song she sings is amazing.

My favorite ones: 1. Sam Barks 2. Carrie Hope Fletcher 3. Lydia Fairén (I'm so proud of her, best Éponine in Spain for me) 4. Eva Noblezada (the current Éponine) 5. Lea Salonga

Lea ftw! Acting-wise and singing-wise. And she can hit high and low notes with ease, without straining and without too much force in the "known" whereas others sound screaming.

My top 3 have to be Samantha Barks , Carrie Hope Fletcher and Melissa O'Neil with Rosalind James and Frances Ruffelle

Samantha Barks has the best "Known". A great "Known" should have a small vocal shudder at the end, to show Eponine's despair, sadness and desperation and Sam nails it, every time. Samantha Barks IS Eponine.

I love me some Frances, Lea, Linzi, Minako, Sutton, Samantha, Joanna, Celia, Lydia. Alexia is a sweet spot with me because she was my first Elphaba.

Lea Salonga is still the best Eponine for me 😊

Go LEA SALONGA!! Your the best! and also Samantha Barks..

I think the challenge is to have a compelling enough voice to really bring the crowd into her struggle, but at the same time a vulnerable voice that properly portrays the desperation, and acceptance of the martyr. For me Samantha Barks uniquely captures Eponine. I would put Lea Solonga, just a bit too perfect second, and Frances Ruffelle third. That said, this video really helps one realize the amazing amount of talented women who have portrayed Eponine.

I can’t believe I just listened to people singing the same word for 11 minutes

I don't understand why people dislike Celia Keenan-Bolger, I think she is one of the best.

Frances Ruffelle will always be my absolute favorite!!!!!

Been looking through some old Mis Programmes and realised that I have seen at least 14 of these brilliant Eponines.

They all give me shivers, their voices are beautiful and strong

I love lea salonga :)

Carrie is my fave

On a side note, Alexandra Burke sounded like she was constantly running out of breath.

Carrie will always be Eponine to me

Lea Salonga is still the best eponine for me

I love Carrie and Samantha.. I can't stand Alexandra Burkes version.. It may have been for a charity performance but surely they could have found somebody that actually knows the part and that won't stop and start like she's singing on a roller coaster.. It ruined the emotion of the song for me and for most of my theatre friends as well..

frances ruffelle for sure!

Lea Salonga, Sutton Foster, Alex Sharpe, Pili Artaza, Diana Kaarina, Sabrina Aloueche, Samantha Barks, Lydia Fairen, Carrie Hope Fletcher were the best. If it were done later, I would have added Kerrie-Ann Greenland. I saw her live in Melbourne and she was incredible.

1:28 2:26 3:09 3:49 8:25 9:07 10:15 11:05

I loved looking at some of the costume variations and of course hearing many Eponines

I had no idea Sutton Foster was Eponine! She's amazing as her!

Frances, Carrie and Samantha are my favourites. I love Frances because 1. She was the first english Eponine, and i love her needy, childlike take on her. It gives Eponine more character plus i just love her voice. On the other end, there is Carrie and Samantha who are both really clean in their delivery , Samantha arguably reaches the note better than Carrie (going off this video) but Carrie shows a lot of emotion and has a great voice. They are all Eponine to me 🥰

Barks and Salonga for goodness sake

I saw Chasten Harmon in LA, and me and my mom didn't like her. My mom didn't like her style of singing, while I didn't like the fact that apparently, Eponine got re-vitiligo just like Uncle Ruckus claims he has. By the time Les Miz came to San Francisco over a year later, Harmon had left and a white Eponine (I'm guessing Briana Carlson-Goodman) had taken over (it's also worth mentioning we saw J. Mark MvVey, a former Broadway Valjean, in LA; by the time the show came to SF, a different Valjean who spent the prologue bald had replaced McVey; in fact, pretty much everyone had been replaced; the only constant was Andrew Varela as Javert).

Lea and Samantha in either order. Almost alone they do not struggle at with the note for "known." You omitted a fine performance by the young woman (name?) who was Eponene in the Oslo production. She was nearly as good as Lea and Sam. Then, so far as I know, she fell off the face of the Earth (surely not!).

You need to do one for To love another person is to see the face of God

Lea is my favorite then Samantha.

Why is it that nearly all the women who play Eponine are Gorgeous? is it like Les Mis law or something?

I love Carrie,Lea,And Sam. Sam and Carrie make the role fuj to watch and Lea can sing.

After Lea I admit I was just watching the various costumes. Interesting what differences there are ...some really strange and not anything 1830 France at all...lol.

Nancy Sullivan will always be my favorite Eponine

Diana Kaarina, to be honest she went on for too long and I lost interest XD

Can you please do one of “the summers die” from Bring Him Home or “Took the silver... took my FLIGHHTT”

You missed shonagh daly she was in the west end and got asked to do the 25th in London but couldn't because she was getting her wisdom teeth pulled the same day .. She is my mams second cousin

That Lydia Fairen is amazing! That grit. That soul! I believe it!

Carrie Hope Fletcher, Kaho Shimada and Samantha Barks for me.

Sutton and Samantha

Kelli James?? She deserves some recognition because she was the FIRST American actress to play the role after Frances Ruffelle (her understudy until she left after she became principal). I know there aren't any audio clips out there of her but could you please give her at least some recognition. (She's my voice teacher by the way)

James Corden. Nuff said

Samatha Barks and Carrie Hope Fletcher will always be Eponine☺️😘

Both Leas and Carrie! Ahhh!

Salong was good, and so was Samantha Barks (movie) and whoever was in the 10th anniversary

Andrea McArdle Linzi Hateley Frances Ruffelle Alexia khadime

Sutton foster

diana held her note for so long because it was her final performance. the director wanted to push her, so she held it longer.

lea

Listening to all renditions, it's clear that LEA SALONGA set the bar too HIGH!❤

Lydia Fairén, Lea Salonga and Samantha Barks are my favorites Éponine. And I love my darling Lea Michele 😍😍

And as usual there haves not put the Quebec version who a Have there own cast album

Alexia Khadime and Celia Keenan-Bolger will forever my favourites in this role

1:12 the perfect one

FYI most of these dates (and cities/countries/production info) is wrong. More is wrong than correct.

Samantha, Carrie, both Lea's, Shan (More recent, not included in this video), Danielle, Melissa and Sutton are my favorites. It's so hard to choose just one!

Theres only one Eponine Lea salonga

and sabrina aloueche

Samantha Bearks= Best Nikki M James= worst

Fraces, lea, and barks r the best

Frances and Samantha.

obviously sam💖

I love Gemma Wardles. I think Lea Salonga vocally is the best, but Frances as the original truly understood the vulnerability of the character and her voice captures it so well, which is why she’ll always be my favorite. Samantha is close to that though

Diana is so talented❤️

Am I the only one who knew that Deborah (Debbie) Gibson also played Eponine for years in the early 90s?

so much glottal and cords bashing! OMG. No wonder most of them have little voice left.

how much of their head voices are used in that last note? or is it all chest

Carrie, Sam and Nancy Sullivan.

Lea Salonga, because only her singing of the word known doesn't give me a pain in my head. She never belts and yet her voice is very powerful.

God they must have gone 6 or so Eponine's in London in 2012 alone.

Lea Salonga is the best Eponine.

Stéphanie the best Eponine in my heart

sutton foster and lea salonga are my faves.

Oh my god I didn't know that Joanna Ampil has done Les Mis ! I saw her last year as Grizabella in Cats, that was amazing *-*

I think the Megan Mcginnis is from the first Broadway revival, as the orchestration is different; this one uses the "I have never known" horns that were super prominent

3:15 you can hear her heart being broken

Lea Salonga, Lydia Fairen, & Park Ji Yeon

I'm a huge fan of the orchestrations that began when Celia came along.

And Diana Kaarina for the end

Lea Salonga Lea Michele Sam barks Carrie hope fletcher and Frances rufelle

sorry but i really dont like lea salonga

Man, she’s not my favorite, but Alex Sharpe’s version broke 💔 my heart. Anyone else? I felt her pain as Eponine.

Lea for me not shouting just pure and clear diction!

Lea Salonga is the best Eponine.