I think Nick did a great job. He’s already familiar with the show, he played Gavrouche who is the little boy, so now playing Marius, I think he did a phenomenal job.
Despite not having THE voice, he still brings a new perspective (voice) to the traditional Marius which I find beautiful and love as well as gives a different style of Marius
I searched many versions of this song to accompany my black and white photo of my parents' back yard after my father's wake. It was composed of empty chairs and table. I chose this one, because it was the most naturally sung version. Wonderfully delivered, with no up-nosed pretentions.
nick was only 17 when he did this. Like yes, he's clearly not broadway trained but considering his previous experience was the Jonas Brothers, he was decent
Nick Jonas quite literally grew up on the Broadway stage (starting at age seven), way before he did anything with the Jonas Brothers or in the realm of pop music. He acted in productions such as Annie Get Your Gun, Beauty and the Beast, and even played Gavroche in the final production cast of Les Mis. While he may not be as good as the most acclaimed Marius performers, he very clearly is Broadway trained and his exceptional Broadway performances are the reason why he was discovered by the music industry and has the career he has today.
to be honest he is not that bad it's just that he was beside these seasoned musical actors with powerful tenor voices who have played in Les Miserables so many times in various characters they probably could recite all their part in their sleep and Nick Jonas in 2011 was just a Disney kid.
And he was just 18 when this came out, so his voice was bit teenage-ish still. Maybe he could have acted a little better too, but again: he was just 18!
I completly agree, but imagine if he years more of vocal training for this role, I would have died to see Nick Jonas pursue musical theatre in his career further because I personally think his acting is fantastic, and he clearly has the capacity to sing at the level needed for this role. It just seems to me like he needs more technical training for this type of singing.
I always thought that there is something to Marius sounding like this. Nick sounds like a boy when surrounded by musical theater singers... which Marius is. He's a young student head over heels in love with a girl he barely knows, who didn't understand what he and his friends were doing. I don't personally prefer this sound, but I do think it's a fair match for the character.
This was the most heartfelt rendition I've heard of this song...and I've listened to many sing this song. It was refreshing to listen to Jona's young, male voice.
@@cicadaz No flat means toneless - as in he's not actually hitting the notes and it sounds like he's really straining to get low. Jonas is like a lot of male pop singers; he's a tenor with fairly limited natural range who relies heavily on falsetto. If you want to hear someone actually hit those lower notes try giving Anthony Warlow a listen (he's a lyric baritone who does an excellent rendition of some of the Marius and Valjean songs, despite them being written for a tenor).
A lot of people don’t like this, and I’ll admit it isn’t the best performance of this I’ve ever seen, but I feel like this just hits all the right marks, and it’s the standard for this song.
Really? He was playing opposite Katie Hall as Cosette. For me, Katie's performance is so lively and passionate. Just look at the way her eyes lit up when she sang "In My Life"! In comparison, he was just...deadpan. Surely he had tried. But he is just not as good as professional musical theater actors when it comes to acting, and singing as well.
@@yueli5935 I will not take anything away from Katie’s performance. It was truly incredible, but when we talk about musical theatre actors, he’s definitely not one of them. He’s a professional television actor which helps in the circumstance in being on stage. Him being a professional tv actor allows him to not over act, but to act just as well as in movies which is some thing the other actors on that stage do not have.
@@Ziggudubs17. Guess we'll just have to agree on disagree. Unfortuately this is a musical not a movie. If you think the other actors are "over acting", then musical theatre is perhaps not the genre of art for you.
@@yueli5935 I never said they were over acting lol. I’m just saying that he does professional television acting super well. Him using his ability to “tv act” in this production is just beautiful to me. Again, everyone was incredible, I was just so surprised with his performance.
Gracias por este Maravilloso concierto y por esta hermosa voz es un regaLo para mi CRis Amo esta composición beLLa musicaL me hace LLorar por dentro hasta asomar y sentir mis Lagrimas CRistina 💎🌈
Jonas is my favourite Marius. He brings to the role a raw emotion that is so powerful and believable compared to all the more polished singers. What he did at that age was brilliant. That said, Michael Ball is a close second.. coz it's Goddamn Michael Ball.
There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables Now my friends are dead and gone. Here they talked of revolution. Here it was they lit the flame. Here they sang about tomorrow And tomorrow never came. From the table in the corner They could see a world reborn And they rose with voices ringing And I can hear them now! The very words that they had sung Became their last communion On this lonely barricade at dawn. Oh my friends, my friends forgive me That I live and you are gone. There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on. Phantom faces at the windows. Phantom shadows on the floor. Empty chairs at empty tables Where my friends will meet no more. Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me What your sacrifice was for Empty chairs at empty tables Where my friends will sing no more
I was crying over the loss of so many loved ones but then busted out hysterically laughing at the idea of nick jonas singing this (I’m sure it’s great but like , that’s actually hilarious)
He's putting more effort for the accent than the song. He has a lovely voice, but maybe not in this register. Would love to hear it rearranged and sung more naturally by him.
everyone saying this is bad you are very much wrong. he sang this beautifully and for people saying he tried to sing like other people um thats called emotion. nick did amazing he played marius beautifully
If you feel the need to go out of your way to defend it, you probably know there's some truth to it. He gave it his all, but ehhh.. others have done it better over this performance including older Nick Jonas. This wasn't it.
There are SO MANY incredibly blu talented aspiring Broadway actors, and this is what is here. Nothing against Nick Jonas, but I am sure another talent could have done better at this particular role.
I think the casting of Nick as Gavroche was much more suitable than as Marius in this Anniversary recording. I just listened to Michael Ball singing this, & he was so much more powerful & emotive. Nick Jonas has a nice pop voice, but he paled in comparison to the other voices like Ramin Karimloo & Alfie Boe on the stage.
Outside of his youthful looks, he was not the right choice for Marius. He does not have the voice. He gave it his all, which is admirable but not enough
I am a fan of Nick Jonas but this isn’t his wheelhouse at all. Anyone saying this was s good proper rendition of this song doesn’t know theatre. Give Nick the right style music and he’s amazing. This just isn’t it.
I thought it was way better than Hugh Jackman's singing in the movie. And I liked it the first time I saw it, even if there are more polished performances of it. I might not know theater, even though I sing well, but people have different opinions about music and that's okay.
Nothing against Nick Jonas, but comparing him to Michael Ball there is no comparison. Nick’s voice is perfectly fine for pop, but he does not have the chops for broadway. By the same token, I cannot imagine Michael Ball doing well on radio. Each to his own lane.
Acting wise Nick does well in the role of Marius, the voice is where I feel it lacks a bit. Michael Ball is the far superior Marius, the acting PLUS his voice are incredible.
This was good but he doesn’t have a broadway voice like Michael Ball, Renee Goldsberry, or Barbra Streisand. Likewise, not many can match but that presents of voice is needed. He is very good at what he does but to quote another comment, it’s not really his wheelhouse. That’s like asking a movie actress to suddenly play a broadway role. It’s unnatural and kind of like a shock culture. In movies who have to BE the character- ie Jennifer Aniston does not exist anymore. She is now her character. Vs a broadway person ACTS their character. It’s like seeing homogeneous vs a heterogeneous mixture.
Stunt casting. Doesn't have the pipes for the role. Artists need to know their limitation and not do things they know is beyond them. Ego always gets in the way.
!["Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," (Les Miserables), Michael Ball [10th Anniversary]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JqtN9x3rPi4/mqdefault.jpg)
I really like Nick’s youthful voice for Marius, it shows how even he was only young as a part of a revolution, the only survivor among many boys
I think Nick did a great job. He’s already familiar with the show, he played Gavrouche who is the little boy, so now playing Marius, I think he did a phenomenal job.
Yeah and he was only 17 when he did this.
@@ban1o I didn't realize he was that young doing this. Actually well done.
Nick in here: singing beautifully
Also Nick: rEd DrEsS
P.S. today i had a dream of a jonas bros concert where nick sang red dress btw
Despite not having THE voice, he still brings a new perspective (voice) to the traditional Marius which I find beautiful and love as well as gives a different style of Marius
The ghosts of his friends standing behind him is so haunting
And then they leave as if disappointed when he questions their sacrifice
@@AlexxEnglishhin one version I watched, Enjolras lingers then is the last to leave
i love that they wanted him to be in it again since he was in it when he was little
I remember how shocked I was when they put this play out on PBS. It was glorious.
I searched many versions of this song to accompany my black and white photo of my parents' back yard after my father's wake. It was composed of empty chairs and table. I chose this one, because it was the most naturally sung version. Wonderfully delivered, with no up-nosed pretentions.
Aw, what a sweet story! 🥰💙
what a wonderful tribute to your parents😢
That is super sweet but what do you mean naturally song? Do you mean the most clear?
nick was only 17 when he did this. Like yes, he's clearly not broadway trained but considering his previous experience was the Jonas Brothers, he was decent
... You know he was Gavroche on Broadway, right?
Nick Jonas quite literally grew up on the Broadway stage (starting at age seven), way before he did anything with the Jonas Brothers or in the realm of pop music. He acted in productions such as Annie Get Your Gun, Beauty and the Beast, and even played Gavroche in the final production cast of Les Mis. While he may not be as good as the most acclaimed Marius performers, he very clearly is Broadway trained and his exceptional Broadway performances are the reason why he was discovered by the music industry and has the career he has today.
to be honest he is not that bad it's just that he was beside these seasoned musical actors with powerful tenor voices who have played in Les Miserables so many times in various characters they probably could recite all their part in their sleep and Nick Jonas in 2011 was just a Disney kid.
it was flat and emotionless
And he was just 18 when this came out, so his voice was bit teenage-ish still. Maybe he could have acted a little better too, but again: he was just 18!
He has a beautiful voice but he lacks legato and technique for musical theatre. Still, I give him credit for getting through with the libretto.
@@alexanderzamora5930he’s lost in the boy band singing. He used to do broadway.
I LOVE this musical! It is my favourite, I never get tired of the songs
honestly nick jonas wasn't quite strong enough for this role but he more than made up for it in this incredibly emotive performance
I completly agree, but imagine if he years more of vocal training for this role, I would have died to see Nick Jonas pursue musical theatre in his career further because I personally think his acting is fantastic, and he clearly has the capacity to sing at the level needed for this role. It just seems to me like he needs more technical training for this type of singing.
I always thought that there is something to Marius sounding like this. Nick sounds like a boy when surrounded by musical theater singers... which Marius is. He's a young student head over heels in love with a girl he barely knows, who didn't understand what he and his friends were doing. I don't personally prefer this sound, but I do think it's a fair match for the character.
he was only 17 when he did this too. He did well enough.
Oh that was SO Beautiful! Great job Nick.
This was the most heartfelt rendition I've heard of this song...and I've listened to many sing this song. It was refreshing to listen to Jona's young, male voice.
How on earth did he pass the audition, his breathing technique is awful…he let the whole cast down
@@MrDougiew1 This was star casting
haha, probably I've never heard the Michael Ball rendition.
Keep in mind, this show was 14 years ago. You go, Nick Jonas!!!
Such a heartbreaking song, it always brings tears to my eyes. 💔😢
Nick needs to do this again or something similar. His voice magnifies beautifully the character of human grief.
I had no idea Nick Jonas’s voice was that deep.🙀
it's not, he is flat on a lot of the lower notes
@@ablurida but flat means deeper than should be, no?
@@cicadazIn this case, it means dull/weak/boring.
@@cicadaz No flat means toneless - as in he's not actually hitting the notes and it sounds like he's really straining to get low. Jonas is like a lot of male pop singers; he's a tenor with fairly limited natural range who relies heavily on falsetto. If you want to hear someone actually hit those lower notes try giving Anthony Warlow a listen (he's a lyric baritone who does an excellent rendition of some of the Marius and Valjean songs, despite them being written for a tenor).
i think this is AMAZING
A lot of people don’t like this, and I’ll admit it isn’t the best performance of this I’ve ever seen, but I feel like this just hits all the right marks, and it’s the standard for this song.
Michael Ball at the 10th anniversary performance is THE standard...this is flat and emotionless
@@allisoncampbell1631 I respectfully disagree. Michael Ball is like, the GOLD standard, this for me is like, nothing spectacular, but serviceable.
In my opinion he acted so much more than anyone else in that concert version. He’s incredible.
Really? He was playing opposite Katie Hall as Cosette. For me, Katie's performance is so lively and passionate. Just look at the way her eyes lit up when she sang "In My Life"! In comparison, he was just...deadpan. Surely he had tried. But he is just not as good as professional musical theater actors when it comes to acting, and singing as well.
@@yueli5935 I will not take anything away from Katie’s performance. It was truly incredible, but when we talk about musical theatre actors, he’s definitely not one of them. He’s a professional television actor which helps in the circumstance in being on stage. Him being a professional tv actor allows him to not over act, but to act just as well as in movies which is some thing the other actors on that stage do not have.
@@Ziggudubs17. Guess we'll just have to agree on disagree. Unfortuately this is a musical not a movie. If you think the other actors are "over acting", then musical theatre is perhaps not the genre of art for you.
@@yueli5935 I never said they were over acting lol. I’m just saying that he does professional television acting super well. Him using his ability to “tv act” in this production is just beautiful to me. Again, everyone was incredible, I was just so surprised with his performance.
I’ve never seen this! He did so well ❤
Nick was fantastic with this song. Its not just the song but how you deliver a performance and he was right on. 👍
This is not as bad as I was led to expect.
Nick Jonas continues to astound.
Gracias por este Maravilloso concierto y por esta hermosa voz es un regaLo para mi CRis Amo esta composición beLLa musicaL me hace LLorar por dentro hasta asomar y sentir mis Lagrimas CRistina 💎🌈
This isn’t my favorite Marius, but it is why he’s my favorite Jonas.
Idc i love him and i love this performance
Beautiful young man.❤
Jonas is my favourite Marius. He brings to the role a raw emotion that is so powerful and believable compared to all the more polished singers. What he did at that age was brilliant. That said, Michael Ball is a close second.. coz it's Goddamn Michael Ball.
I think you’d like Eddie Redmayne’s performance even more. I think you should check it out :)
Jonas over Michael Ball? hahah
My actual favorite version ❤️
Absolutely! He nailed it
I can understand some of the criticism, but it is still a great performance.
Just love this clip Elliot so much talent do hope his career is what he deserves.
Magnifique !
Siiiing, Nick! Well done!
I love Nick in this role.
There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone.
Here they talked of revolution.
Here it was they lit the flame.
Here they sang about tomorrow
And tomorrow never came.
From the table in the corner
They could see a world reborn
And they rose with voices ringing
And I can hear them now!
The very words that they had sung
Became their last communion
On this lonely barricade at dawn.
Oh my friends, my friends forgive me
That I live and you are gone.
There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on.
Phantom faces at the windows.
Phantom shadows on the floor.
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will meet no more.
Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me
What your sacrifice was for
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will sing no more
This song is used in Yom Hazikaron memorials. Amazing preformance!
Wow his dedication! What a performance!
👏👏👏👏👏 Bravo Nick, great job !!
Nick sang really well this song, however I expect a singing with more resonances and operistic placement like Michael Ball does in musicals.
обожаю этого парня 🌟🫶🫶✨✨какой он красивый и голос красивый ♥️✨✨приянка и ник 🤩😍
For those who say his voice wasn’t strong enough, have a go yourself!!! Then you’ll realise how good this was
Michael Ball: “Challenge accepted.”
@@sergeant_ruh_rh8537 Micheal ball is a legend but nick was phenomenal for a teenager.
I was crying over the loss of so many loved ones but then busted out hysterically laughing at the idea of nick jonas singing this
(I’m sure it’s great but like , that’s actually hilarious)
Bravo Bravo 👍 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
What, are you kidding 😢, I just can't believe my ears!!!!! What after so glorious tenors this kid must be really joking
I like his voice for this better than Hugh Jackman's voice in the movie. Actually I think he sounds great especially for singing live.
It was Eddie Redmayne as Marius in the movie though…
I disagree with the one who said he does not have the voice. He does..
He was very good, but Eddie Redmayne remains my favourite singing this song. My second would be Michael Ball in the 10th anniversary of the show.
My first is eddie my 2 is andy mientus
Rob Houchen does a powerful version too.
@@HannahMariaPoulter yes Rob all the way
He did great. He was practically a baby.
Refuse to believe this is the best they could find
they probably wanted a younger audience to watch because this was during his prime time of fame
Gave me goose bumps!
*me just scrolling through les mis videos, looking for muppet parodies*
WOAH NICK???
ufff after Michael Ball performance in 10th Anniversary, kind a difficult say something, but i like the fresh performance.
🥰💙The perfect Marious in my opinion 🇫🇷
Gets me every time
He's putting more effort for the accent than the song. He has a lovely voice, but maybe not in this register. Would love to hear it rearranged and sung more naturally by him.
This was free on UA-cam and I still feel like I should get my money back…the one thing haunting him is the phantom of Michael Ball
His brothers and Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato would be proud 👏 ❤
He is good
This is a good karaoke version. If you want to see it sung properly, check out Hadley Fraser
Man said "karoke version". Dude was a teenager and absolutely killed it , stop with the bullshit.
I think he did good here. I think his issues come out when he has to sing with the rest of the cast.
I remembered 2,000 plus Filipinos who disappeared from 1970s to 2024.
ok but it’s so annoying that some of this is so fckn good
Incredible. His voice was made for this number.
haha, probably I've never heard the Michael Ball rendition.
love how they had to change the key of the song and it was still too low for him lol
it looks like nick jonas had a coma scare when he is singing this song because his eyes were wide open
everyone saying this is bad you are very much wrong. he sang this beautifully and for people saying he tried to sing like other people um thats called emotion. nick did amazing he played marius beautifully
wrong
If you feel the need to go out of your way to defend it, you probably know there's some truth to it. He gave it his all, but ehhh.. others have done it better over this performance including older Nick Jonas. This wasn't it.
I don’t see anyone saying it’s bad, you just made a comment for likes
Totally agree with you
Woefully outclassed by the other singers on the stage. Great voice in the right situation but can't compete with the chorus members even
There are SO MANY incredibly blu talented aspiring Broadway actors, and this is what is here. Nothing against Nick Jonas, but I am sure another talent could have done better at this particular role.
Linkin Park…”One More Light”. Life imitates art.
So beautiful!! Chills!!
I hated how he cut notes short….this was the first version I saw of the play so I didn’t realize (until I saw Michael Ball) what it SHOULD sound like.
I think the casting of Nick as Gavroche was much more suitable than as Marius in this Anniversary recording. I just listened to Michael Ball singing this, & he was so much more powerful & emotive. Nick Jonas has a nice pop voice, but he paled in comparison to the other voices like Ramin Karimloo & Alfie Boe on the stage.
Outside of his youthful looks, he was not the right choice for Marius. He does not have the voice. He gave it his all, which is admirable but not enough
Especially at the age of 17 when he voice was changing. He sang it a couple years ago and improved so much.
he did a fabulous job, especially for his age. i think it fits much better especially after the movie version. this one wins
Check out Michael ball, i think he did this song much more justice
This was just stunt casting. Nick is a serviceable pop singer, but he doesn't have a Broadway voice. A valiant effort, tho...
He gives it his all and tbh it's pretty good
Or I'm just blinded by the fact that I'm a Jonatic...
literally who allowed this
1:27 😭
Aka, Thanksgiving at Allentown!
Where is Michael Ball when you need him?
I am a fan of Nick Jonas but this isn’t his wheelhouse at all. Anyone saying this was s good proper rendition of this song doesn’t know theatre. Give Nick the right style music and he’s amazing. This just isn’t it.
A tremendous miscast. Right up there with Russell Crowe as Javert.
I thought it was way better than Hugh Jackman's singing in the movie. And I liked it the first time I saw it, even if there are more polished performances of it. I might not know theater, even though I sing well, but people have different opinions about music and that's okay.
There were better casting choices but it’s not terrible; just lacking emotion.
Were those nerves withholding him to sing freely?
Probably. Wasn't he like 17 here?
Nothing against Nick Jonas, but comparing him to Michael Ball there is no comparison. Nick’s voice is perfectly fine for pop, but he does not have the chops for broadway. By the same token, I cannot imagine Michael Ball doing well on radio. Each to his own lane.
Acting wise Nick does well in the role of Marius, the voice is where I feel it lacks a bit. Michael Ball is the far superior Marius, the acting PLUS his voice are incredible.
This was good but he doesn’t have a broadway voice like Michael Ball, Renee Goldsberry, or Barbra Streisand. Likewise, not many can match but that presents of voice is needed. He is very good at what he does but to quote another comment, it’s not really his wheelhouse. That’s like asking a movie actress to suddenly play a broadway role. It’s unnatural and kind of like a shock culture. In movies who have to BE the character- ie Jennifer Aniston does not exist anymore. She is now her character. Vs a broadway person ACTS their character. It’s like seeing homogeneous vs a heterogeneous mixture.
I thought he had a weak voice. There are thousands with stronger voices, just my opinion
Why does he look like he is having a difficult bowel movement ?
I was thinking the same thing!
He's technically capable; and he's quite capable of singing this song: but I think his talents lie elsewhere.
Did nick give it his all? From the looks of it yeah. Was it good enough? No. Not at all.
he should stick to kpop sounding juvenile songs
Nick Jonas was the weak link. Voice is too thin to pull off such a demanding role.
Such a pity he was the weakest member of the cast, such a wooden performance
Stunt casting.
Doesn't have the pipes for the role.
Artists need to know their limitation and not do things they know is beyond them. Ego always gets in the way.
His voice was not quite up for the part. Only Michael Ball will do for me.
Just no. No acting chops. Not a good enough voice. They had to change the song for him. Hard pass.
This is barely acting
He didn't have the voice for Broadway at all,. and certainly not for this part.,
He shouldn't have played this part. His voice is not good and he had a hard time staying on key.
He is on pitch but struggling in the higher notes. I just wish his voice is lower and his attempt at an accent is cringey.
When pretty face simply is not enough. I must laugh and feel sorry for his vain effort.
Nah….ive heard better.
Out of place. Why did they pick him?
He';s awful in this. And learning that he's a Trumpanzee makes his playing this part hi9ghly ironic.
I didn't like it