e-mail | web site )
Reason for joining: Defender of Cosette for long time at Le Cafe. (:
Favorite Cosette moment: hm.... how about the doll scene in the book? It''s so sweet! (:
Suggestions for the improvement of the society (optional): T-shirts! (;
Christine ( e-mail )
Reason for joining: I totally agree with you guys! Cosette is a plucky kid! Stop abusing her! (You don't want the ghost of Fantine after you do you???)
Favorite Cosette moment: At the end of the novel when Valjean is dying he tells Cosette that when she was a little girl she "hung cherries on her ears." I thought that was darling.
Suggestions for the improvement of the society (optional): group trip to Paris ?!
Manon ( e-mail | web site )
Reason for joining: Because she's a perfectly nice girl, and at least as interesting a character as the vaunted Eponine, and I'm tired of hearing her character abused. I've even put up a page in her defense :)
Favorite Cosette moment: Probably toward the end of the book when she looks in on Valjean and Marius arguing, and yells at them for discussing politics. :)
Moria ( e-mail )
Reason for joining: I'm sick and tired of hearing everyone bad-mouth Cosette. She's a cool character!
Favorite Cosette moment: When she and Marius are having their "eye arguement" in the Luxembourg
Suggestions for the improvement of the society (optional): Spread the word!
Rabbit ( e-mail | web site )
Reason for joining: The girl's a sweetheart, wonderfully complacent and... well, I'd date her.
Favorite Cosette moment: She looks into the mirror and sees that yes! she is, actually, beautiful.
Stefanie ( e-mail | web site )
Reason for joining: Because Cosette's great! Yeah, she can get dangerously ditzy, but that happens to everyone, and she doesn't do it too often. She has to be smart, she's educated, she's interesting. She deserves (favorable) attention. She did not steal Marius, he gave himself to her. That, and I happen to have one in my mind who isn't at all bad. And a Moderne one named Charlotte. And the whole scene where she agonizes over her looks is adorable.
Favorite Cosette moment: It's been too long since I read the novel. I'm amused by her night-long conversation with Marius that ends with her finally telling him her name. I generally like her all the time (exception being after her wedding in the book when she's just too ditzy, but I'll excuse her, as she just got married and no one is normal then).
Amanda
Reason for joining: I am opening in the role of Cosette in the third National Tour of Les Miserables on August 20th. In my research for papers and ideas about how Hugo saw her, I found your page. I can only hope to do her justice, but I am really enjoying the journey into who she is.
Favorite Cosette moment: Jury is still out.
Paolo ( e-mail )
Reason for joining: I have always liked the "Cinderella" characters and Cosette falls into this category. I have seen the show 8 times since 1988. Unfortunately, I have never seen a good Cosette. The Broadway recording is my favorite because it really distinguishes vocally the differences between Cosette and Eponine. Sadly, I find David Bryant's Marius absolutely dreadful. I think this vocal distinction has been lost over time between the two girls. By the time I saw Les Miz, Judy Kuhn had already left and her replacement, Tracy Shayne's acting was fine, but I have never before or since heard such a tiny voice. She is on the international recording and trust me, the engineers turned the reverb up big time on her. I also had the wonderful opportunity to meet the original actress, who created Cosette in London, Rebecca Caine, who was singing at the Tulsa Opera. ;I wish I could have heard her in Les Miz because I was told the vocal distinction was very clear on stage between the two girls. I love the London recording, but the distinction is vocally less pronounced. I think Cosette should be played as very reserved and sung by operatically trained singers who are also good actresses such as Judy Kuhn and Rebecca Caine. This provides a vocally opposite characterization to Eponine's pop style singing which has a raw girl of the streets quality. I am especially fond of Frances Ruffelle, but her replacement on Broadway, Kelli James was excellent and remains my favorite actress in the role.
Cosette loves and is grateful to Jean Valjean, but her life does not fully blossom until she meets Marius. Her childhood was extremely harsh under the Thenardiers and I don't care for actresses who bounce onto the stage in order to sing "In My Life". At this point, Cosette is still not sure whether she will see Marius again. Thus, I find that her characterization should be more reserved until her song with Marius. At that point, she realizes he loves her in return.
I feel like the closest I came to seeing a characterization that I would have liked would have been when I saw the world tour in Seoul with Theresa Borg as Cosette. Sadly, her voice was extremely fatigued and she could not even sustain the notes. However, I did feel that she had the ability; but, on that particular night, the stage manager should have put on the understudy. My heart really went out to her because I know that she must have been extremely frustrated and embarassed
I think you can tell from all this analyzing that I am a big Cosette fan!
Favorite Cosette moment: "A Heart Full of Love"
Suggestions for the improvement of the society (optional): No suggestions, I am just glad you exist!
Mary ( e-mail )
Reason for joining: My firstborn (who just turned one) is named Cosette after the character in the book. It''s a beautiful name!
Favorite Cosette moment: Don''t have one yet - I'm still reading...
Eponinenkind ( e-mail )
Reason for joining: Ok I'm an Eponine-fan - but I really like Cosette, too! In the novel, though, not in the musical. I think it's a pity that she's such a colourless person in the musical - she's so cute and lovely in the book! Btw, sorry for my English - I'm from Germany. :)
Favorite Cosette moment: In the novel, where she finds the letter from Marius - it's soooo romantic!
marzoog aka Les Mis Freak ( e-mail | web site )
Reason for joining: Well I must confess at first, when I only knew the basic story and had only heard the musical, I was an Eponine fan. Then I read the book. I think that comment may be self-explanitory, but I just loved the whole "Luxemburg" bit and the fact that she DOES love Marius TONS more than Eponine. Eponine I felt sorry for, but Cosette I loved.
Favorite Cosette moment: I would have to say that bit when she bursts in to tears because she thinks Marius might not come. POOR THING!!!!
Comments: I would add a fanfiction archive maybe.....I think that some Cosette fanfiction might be a good thing to have for once.
Natalie
Reason for joining: I haven't read the book yet, but my cousin is currently the Cosette in the 3rd National Tour (and if I'm not mistaken is a member, Amanda). I'm not anti-Eponine, but I love Cosette. Even if I am a bit biased.
Favorite Cosette moment: I'm not sure yet.
Emmaline ( e-mail | webpage )
Reason for joining: I didn't like Cosette until I read the book - I admit it, I was an Eponinist ;-) - because in the musical she is bland and without depth, but in the book, she's lovely and adorable! In fact, in the novel, I prefer Cosette to Eponine.
Favorite Cosette moment: At the Thénardiers, the way she played with a sword because she didn't have a doll. It was so adorably pathetic. Oh, and later in the same scene, when she was sneakily playing with 'Ponine and Azelma's doll.
Jo
Reason for joining: Yeah, Cosette is very cool. I really love the portrayal of her in the novel...even though I am an Eponine fan I like Cosette too, and I LOVE Enjy!!!!!!!!!!!! I've just discovered Les Mis and its so cool the way there's loads of stuff about it online - I love the book and I listen to the tape THE WHOLE TIME ...I'm going to see the show in the holidays.
Favorite Cosette moment: That scene in the book which describes her and Marius and how they meet in the garden every night. Being a complete romantic, I think it is so beautifully written and I love all the description. *Happy sigh*
Comments: This is a great site, its nice to see that there are Cosette fans out there...but 'Ponine still rocks...hehe!!!!!!!
Jennifer ( e-mail )
Reason for joining: Okay, I admit it, for a long time, I didn't like Cosette (*dodges angry blows*). But I'm looking at the page and thinking about the novel and comparing how sweet she is to Eponine's spiteful, "if I can't have him no-one can" attitude, and... dang I like her. :} She's such a sweet, loving character (except in the evil 1998 version of the movie -.-).
Favorite Cosette moment: The whole section where she and Marius meet in the garden in the Rue Plumet. I particularly like the scene where she asks Marius: "Did you know my name is Euphrasie?" (Sorry if the quote's wrong, I don't own the book) and the ensuing dialogue.
Comments: The essay on Cosette (Weak or Strong?:...) was very cool (<- insert more educated adjective here).
