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A sad day indeed. Even though the Palace wasn't really its original home, it had come to be something of a cherished
landmark and charmingly dilapidated place of homage to all the musical theatre buffs of my acquaintance. In the ultimate gesture of indignity, One of London's greatest theatrical gems is to be staged in the grotesquely
unremarkable and 'sans balconie' Queen's Theatre. Gone will be the days of sitting in a rusty and antiquated seat peering almost vertically through a
mesh of unreassuring iron-work and gripping the armrests tightly, partly out of sheer emotion, but otherwise out of a genuine fear that you may fall to
your death on the barricade. We are told that the staging will be 'rethought' for the new location -surely not. The fastidiously uninspired
set and woefully irksome turntable have become celebrities in their own right so I hope rethinking does not entail any significant changes.
Much as I appreciate the palace is falling down and as such this is a necessary action, I am still upset to have to
witness the end of an era.
Will Cooper _____________ My wife and I also lament the end of "Les Mis" at the Palace Theatre.
Yes, the Palace is a tad run-down & frazzled at the edges. But the Palace
fits one just like that trusty old & worn recliner tucked in the corner at
home - it's a cozy place to settle down and escape the world for a few hours.
And what better way to escape than by immersing one's self in the world and
characters of Les Mis? It is truely an experience taking in "Les Mis" at the
Palace as the staging, the music, the words, and the theatre all fuse into an
unforgettable evening out.
We fly over from the States several times a year to take in London for several
days, and the Palace and "Les Mis" are often a part of our journey. I'm not
looking forward to how our next visit will feel with "Les Mis" in a new home. We
will miss "Les Mis" performed at the Palace, and we're glad to have experienced
it several times at the Palace.
Barry & Carol Liimakka
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