Ruthie Henshall's & Lea Salonga's "I dreamed a dream" - which one is better?

[aemory2]

Lea is great as Eponine... but Ruthie will always be the best Fantine in my mind. She has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard.

I wonder if most of the Susan Boyle fans ever heard either of these two??!!

[pollykot03]

no need to choose they are both awesome...!!!

[kaibigan111]

Well guys needless to argue, who has the most awards given to someone who is gifted and truly deserving, that none other than lea salongs, i am not a fan of her but her voice brought so much emotions that would take you to what the song is all about. It has so much power and crystal clear, emotions or acting wise was siperb, kudos to both of them but lea salonga is million miles ahead of ruthie, thats it. Period.

[sintaks29]

Both memorable...

[justles1]

won't vote they are both wonderful

[TwoWolves100]

I don't see the point in "choosing" between beautiful angels of love, life and music. As a lay person I'm so tragically unqualified to make that distinction. Is it ok if I just give my heartfelt appreciation too both ladies for making my life sweeter with their song?

[johnjg536]

@BestEstonia A suggestion: Since you put up the video and started the poll, you should just let your viewers post their thoughts and make their votes. You shouldn't be making comments because you are unnecessarily creating bias and appear to be influencing the feedback and the poll, which ruins the credibility of this entire activity.

[joselitog1]

@johnjg536 That makes sense. This probably explains why Ruthie fans have been flagging BestEstonia's comments -- as the uploader's comments make the fans' comments appear "invalid," since the objectivity of this feedback has been sacrificed.

[nuderm]

my answer is SUSAN BOYLE!!! lol ..dont compare, its like your comparing a cat to a dog.. BOTH are great performer..Lea and Ruthie

[38missshane]

Ruthie is also good...but I prefer to choose Lea she has full of emotion not over acting...sing without emotion is nonsense..you cannot feel it...

[38missshane]

Lea is good..she has full of emotion..every one can carried away...everytime she sing..She is great broadway singer..I go for Lea.

[mrABCastillo]

lea !!!!!!

[RusDion]

ruthie is the best.. she performed the song in less effort..... thats why.. she acts like sad and hopeless woman... Lea is overacting....

[mushy58mushy]

RUTHIE HENSHALL. I like the coarseness in her voice. It shows desperation and emotion, and suits Fantine's character. Lea's voice is sweet and innocent, more of a girl's voice than a woman's, which was why she was a great Eponine.

[AnnieVesper]

Ruthie makes this song real. There're true emotions in her eyes.

[luciloooo]

Both are powerful performances but Ruthie's is plain and bland... Lea's version is much more exciting.... she sang it with deep feeling.

[myluckyshop]

Oh, hands down, LEA SALONGA a billion times over.

[Hazza1234ish]

they're both great but i prefer Ruthie

[companythemusical]

what a useless piece of posting

[hyunbin92482]

There is nothing to compare between these two great stage actors. They both gave the role their own version. Ruthie's version is subtle, Lea's version is aggressive yet filled with so much emotion. BOTH are best in their own rendition of Fantine.

[UnofficialPsycho]

Don't make us choose. Both Ruthie and Lea performed this song beautifully in different ways.

[athan15ache]

LEA LEA LEA......

[themis970]

Nop, i prefer Ruthie Henshall as Fantine. In this video Lea looks too old to be Fantine and (for me) she is overacting. Lea is a good eponine

[BeckyMLG]

Both are amazing. Why compare? There's no point- both make the song their own and perform it beautifully.

[HeigoOts]

Oh, so now we've reached a new level: a performance is judged by how long ago it was done. As for the "ovation", Ruthie's version is from the album, is it not? The applause you hear here is not real. And that isn't an objective standard by which to judge something either ... on live recordings like this, people are actually told how much noise they must make anyway. 

[donaldDKS]

@HeigoOts it's from the live concert in 1997.. LesMis 10 year anniversary concert.

[norstad10]

o well just compare the ovation of the audience for both of them and you'll know eventually who is better... :D

[norstad10]

@BestEstonia if my grandfather is still alive maybe he would say ruthie by it is so so soooo way back and also he has ear defect.... LEA SALONGA is BEST! Ruthie ahm ur good and that's all... :D

[aaprato]

Ruthie, of course, he he, since it's all Ruthie fans here (also tried to locate this video thru Salonga -- didn't work, so I don't expect to hear from Salonga fans). They're both great, though, and have been on a number of shows at the same time. I'd love to see them do a project together again!

[TheIevuze]

ruthies is better

[tacoshmaco13]

Ruthie hands down

[companythemusical]

both are wonderful...ruthie is english beyond class and lea is american and real, painful and of its dynesty...both are stars x MS

[companythemusical]

both are wonderful...ruthie is engish beyond class and lea is american and real, painful and of its dynesty...both are stars x MS

[flartyjane]

Seriously, tho, Ruthie & Lea, who've worked together in a number of projects & adore each other (I saw them talking animatedly backstage at one event in NY ages ago - Ruthie looked so lovely & Salonga so young), would be horrified reading the comments here, making us appear as if we know more about singing & acting than they do. I go by the few posts here that actually make sense: don't hate, appreciate. Having this video mix is a treat for their fans (if Lea's fans can find this; JK, lol!)

[flartyjane]

I found this video by accident, while watching one of Ruthie's videos and clicking on one of the suggestions on the right. I experimented with the search, and found this on the first page of Ruthie's (10th on the list, too); I did Lea Salonga's, but stopped scrolling after the fourth page when I still couldn't find this. (On the other hand, who cares if her fans don't find this and who cares about her fans' opinions, anyway? JK, lol!)

[benagustine]

@147register Surprising, yes, given that this video (and therefore the poll) comes up only for Ruthie followers (this video won't come up for Salonga followers as the dozens of Salonga Les Miz videos bury this one in Youtube searches). Given the minute variance in sampling, however, Ruthie should get anywhere bet. 51-99% (realistically above 75%) of the votes in the end, statistically speaking. In this case, the occurrence, rather than the quality of performance, determines the outcome.

[147register]

@benagustine The video shows up on the first page of search if you type in "Lea Salonga I dreamed a dream". The same goes for Ruthie Henshall.

[benagustine]

@147register Nope. Several people in our office have tried it. It comes up as item #10 on the first page on Ruthie's, though.

[djm1072]

I listened to both first without watching the video coz i was doing something. in terms of voice, they both were wonderful. Ruthie has a very clear tone but i felt Lea's rendition more. I felt the pain that the song needed. Then I replayed it and watched the video. I saw some emotions in Ruthie's rendition that added to the story of the song. But when I watched Lea's I had goosebumps after goosebumps. At the end, I wanted to hug and console her.

Ruthie played the role.

Lea BECAME Fantine.

[kalboo]

@djm1072 amen



[af2un]

These comparisons leave a bad taste in the mouth. Ruthie, for instance, has EXACTLY the same vibrato technique as Salonga (with Salonga just able to hold it longer). So we're now saying they're BOTH nasty singers? Ridiculous. Fanaticism gets us nowehere; one performer doesn't have to be criticized to make the other look good. I like it that we can view both of them here. They're BOTH amazing. Let's APPECIATE, not hate. Thanks for posting both videos here.

[147register]

I'm even a little surprised that only 60 % preffer Ruthie. Lea's version was a major dissappointment for me. Lea has too much of that nasty vibrato. Ruthie's voice is more clear, thus she seems to be more "pure" and carry more real emotion. Lea tries too hard and the outcome is unconvincing.

[lyk2sing2]

I wish we didn't have to choose; I love them both. But Lea has something Ruthie doesn't - and one critic, as many others, has pointed this out: "Six songs into the first act, when Fantine is introduced, you'll completely forget you're watching a concert... Salonga immediately wins you over." Lea's consistently strong stage presence and delivery bring audiences into the story, rather than the trappings of the production. Ruthie's numbers can be underwhelming w/o awareness of the environment.

[royal511]

Salonga. One doesn't even need to look at her - every note drips with emotion. And it doesn't hurt that her voice is much more beautiful & controlled, each note hit perfectly. Looking at her only makes the experience more captivating, as each nuance of movement blends in with each lyric and screams Fantine. Ruthie does a good job, too, of course. Her naturally scratchy voice (plus difficulty sustaining notes) helps here, but it takes me to Ruthie the singer than Fantine the character.

[hopaparei]

Why even compare the legendary Ruthie Henshall, who was officially the dream Fantine, to Lea Salonga, whose singing is unconvincing and whose acting is on the level of kindergarten pantomime? Henshall is better by far.

[alphalava]

@hopaparei Then all the jurors of Tony Award are extremely stupid for bestowing the Best Performance award to Salonga in 1991.

[TheEarthland]

Obviously Ruthie. Lea is a great singer, but that's the end of it. When Ruthie sings, you can hear the whole story, real emotion. She is so natural, so pure. If there was a world in which people sang all the time, real Fantine would have sung like Ruthie. It's so powerful.

[noisycanary]

They're both amazing! :-)

[ruthforin]

Comment peut on choisir entre ces deux anges. toute les deux vous livre au seuil de dieu.C"est mieux d"etre heureux sachant qu'il y a un recompense avant de mourir

[sintaks29]

What I like about this upload is that I can watch both of them in one click (THANKS!). What I don't like about this comparison thingy is that it strongly appears as a solicitation for rabid Ruthie fans to say NO to anyone else playing Fantine (I haven't checked the site yet, but I'm sure for the most part, only Ruthie fans would care to vote, removing the credibility of the poll). Inasmuch as I think Ruthie was amazing, I don't want to be associated with such fans, so no votes from me, too.

[1419sunnyside]

I like both of them.They are great singers and actresses,but in this scene,Lea dominates.

[joselitog1]

I love Les Miz and Ruthie is among my favorites, but voting for her will make me look like a closed-minded Ruthie fan, as if no other performer should do the role when clearly, there are so many great actors around who can do justice to this role. So I won't vote and will just appreciate BOTH lovely performances.

[joshgardell]

These comparison votes and video are a very ILL-CONCEIVED idea. Ruthie did this over 15 years ago, her performance served her fans well (the same fans who probably also loved Salonga as Eponine), and she has graciously MOVED ON. She can't play Fantine forever. All these comparisons do is unnecessarily insitigate flame wars. I for one will not vote as this makes Ruthie fans look DESPERATE, clinging on to something that is LONG GONE. She was great. Now it's time for everyone else to MOVE ON.

[MsGEOLOVER]

This two ladis seem giving the character different personality, then how can I compare?

[flyingcatfish]

It is foolish to compare the two singers when they have two different presentation and interpretation of the character. Ruthie was more resigned where as Lea had some anger or what to me sounds like anger anyway for her situation.

To me they are both equal in their delivery. Excellent voices and signing.

[NordicAspect]

Why must you make people choose, in Youtube it causes nothing but flame wars...

[emmybethsmall]

They're both awesome. Why do I have to chose?

[xSJJACKSONx]

ruthie FTW always i think she and Lea r great both should have been in the 25th x

[Ladypurpulhair]

Ruthie Henshall's

[abigindianfan10]

Ruthie

[aledu89]

LEA!!!!!!!!

[liongale1]

Ruthie is great.

[KristoneVonDyke]

LEA

[alex7896]

Ruthie although I do love them both

[TheEsmi12345]

lea of course thou i lalso love Ruthie but still prefer lea's version of this song.

[m4giceyetr1x]

LEA!!!!!!!!

[clapclapno]

Ahhhh....i love both of them...im jus gonna watch them again...and again...okay maybe one more time...