Speed Reads

Crime and punishment

Watch Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel perform a very impressive, very impromptu Les Miserables duet

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for PCA

Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman: You have some competition.

With last year’s film version of Les Miserables still the current measuring stick for the classic musical’s songs, asking Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel to perform an impromptu duet of "The Confrontation" was a pretty brave request. It was one that a member of the audience at an Inside the Actor’s Studio episode made of the How I Met Your Mother stars, nevertheless.

"Since Les Mis is coming back to Broadway, I thought maybe Jason and Neil might give us a little bit of 'The Confrontation'?" he asked, as the actors began laughing.

It takes musical master NPH all of eight seconds to launch into Javert’s role, and Jason Segel (who really does make a pretty good Jean Valjean) gamely jumps in, too:

How I Met Your Mother may have lost its spark over the last few seasons, but the true fun and chemistry between its stars is a welcome reminder of why so many people started watching in the first place. Bravo.