Les Miserables

Where on earth do you even start reviewing what is possibly one of the greatest musicals ever written?  “We’re not worthy” springs to mind because surely by now it goes without saying that you are simply not going to see a bad production of what is arguably one of the worlds biggest musicals?  It’s insane to think that when the show opened in 1985, it was to notoriously bad reviews.  But the audience disagreed and argued back, with the show selling out, and it has continued to do so ever since with its numerous productions right across the globe.  This audience revolution against those early critics echoes the students in Les Mis who stand up for what they believe in, and the rest of the world will be forever grateful.

Now if you’ve never seen the show, giving you a synopsis of the story is a tricky one because on paper it sounds pretty grim yet it is possibly the best thing you will ever see.  Based on the epic novel by Victor Hugo, convict Jean Valjean breaks parole and goes on the run.  Through honest work and his new found faith, he works his way up to be Mayor and pledges his life to raising the daughter of a dying factory girl he allowed to be dismissed without good reason.  But his arch enemy Police Officer Javert is hunting him down, and as their paths constantly cross throughout the years, it is a battle of strength, will and sheer determination that seals the fate for both of their futures.  As we see the years pass, his child Cosette grows up and falls in love with student Marius, who is part of a group of young students leading a revolution.  Valjean learns of their love through Marius’ friend Éponine, and heads to the barricades to help the students fight and keep an eye on Marius.  Following a tragic defeat, Valjean pulls Marius to safety through the sewers, with Javert close on his trail.  As time heals Marius’ wounds, age catches up with Valjean.  He finally confesses his true identity to Marius, swearing he must never tell Cosette.  On their wedding day, Marius learns it was Valjean who saved his life that night and they rush to his side, just in time to be with him as he passes away.  As Cosette reads her fathers last confession, we see Valjean being welcomed to his afterlife by all the people who have passed away during the show (which is pretty much the entire cast).  It sounds dark, grim, sad and heartbreaking and it is but, oh it is also incredible.  People flock back to this show year after year because at its heart, it is about people, true emotion, life, death and humanity.  Every character is shown with flaws and every character is shown with good.  The archetypical villains Javert, Thénardier and Madame Thénardier are given the opportunities for the audience to understand an insight into their actions, permitting them to portray kindness.  The heroes are equally shown to carry demons that are very capable of unleashing themselves.  Add into that an outstanding score, songs that blow not only your mind but your heart, and it becomes clear why those early audiences fought back.  This is definitely a show about people and for the people.

This version of the production was actually conceived in 2009 to celebrate the 25^th Anniversary, and it’s no surprise it smashed box office records in the UK and globally!  It has been dusted off and now has set the country alight yet again with its current tour.  It is a much grittier, epic and overwhelming production than previous versions I have seen, with an almost cinematic feel to it.  The scenery is so large, so impressive that it takes your breath away.  The streets of France are created with imposing three storey town houses, with characters performing in the top balconies, meaning for the first time ever, I saw a production that has actors simultaneously engaging their audience from the stage right to the rafters!  But let me go back to the opening which is reminiscent of the film and true to the novel.  Different to previous productions, we see the convict chain gang as they are on a boat and we get our first demonstration of the use of projections to enhance the scenery as waves splash all around them.  It is a strong and powerful opening, accompanied with those infamous deep and delicious notes which belt out to the world that Les Mis has arrived.   

As we see Valjean trying to make an honest life for himself as a branded convict, the character is allowed to be flawed as previously mentioned.  He doesn’t accept his fate as easily as he does in previous productions, and we see the mental anguish of nineteen years of brutality in prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sisters dying child, take their toll.  Valjean is on edge, unpredictable and violent.  He doesn’t steal from the Bishop with a heavy heart, he does it with glee.  It is really refreshing to see the Hero not painted as a perfect man, but a real man lashing out at the world for the wrong doings he perceives he has faced.  To me, these choices make an already perfect musical more believable and it made me invest more than ever in the heart of the characters.  The same can be said of the treatment of Fantine.  She is brutally beaten and abused, with acting so incredibly realistic, it is difficult not to jump out of your seat and help her.

The whole production also felt more intimate, possibly because we get to know the characters truth more than ever but also because there are many beautiful moments where the actors engage directly with the audience, make eye contact, reach out for help, sympathy, and understanding.  These subtle changes to previous productions make a world of difference and I simply loved it.  It is also funnier in places than before, for example the hand over scene of Cosette from the Thénardiers to Valjean.  This is in essence a vile scene with its content, and the elevated level of humour makes it palatable without taking away the seriousness of what is unfolding.  It is quite remarkable how the balance has been struck.  

Dean Chisnall (Les Mis West End Concert, Blood Brothers, Mamma Mia, Shrek) is simply perfection as Valjean.  He portrays the character with a blind truth and such strength yet such vulnerability that every human element can be reflected in his performance.  His powerful voice rings out through the theatre with the respect it deserves and he has the ability to bend the audiences emotions at will.  Bring Him Home was an obvious show stopping moment for him but his talent in switching from his aggression with Javert to a beautiful tenderness with Fantine or Cosette is pure class.  Outstanding.

Nic Greenshields (Les Mis The Staged Concert, Young Frankenstein, Guys and Dolls, Billy Elliot, Phantom) as Javert is incredible.  He is strong, intimidating and powerful, but yet again he has the capacity to flip all of that and actually make your heart go out to him as we see his utter confusion as everything he thought he knew about order and law, right and wrong is brought into question by Valjean saving his life, and in this particular production, Greenshields reaction to Gavroche being killed allowed us to see a new layer to the seemingly emotionless character.  His rendition of both Stars and his Soliloquy were stunning and tragic.  A brilliant performance that has stayed with me.  It was beautifully haunting.

Katie Hall (Oklahoma, Fiddler On The Roof, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Phantom) as Fantine was a fantastic actress.  Her believability, as mentioned, when being beaten and abused was frighteningly good.  She quite literally threw herself into this part and this take on her character allowed her story to be even more tragic so by the time we reached I Dreamed A Dream she had already managed to make me feel the emotions that it usually takes the song itself to bring out of me.  By the time she had poured her very soul into the song, I was a dithering wreck!

Ian Hughes (Award winning actor, Twelfth Night, Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe, The Lion King) was hilarious as Thénardier.  He brought an entirely fresh approach to the character, with every comedy choice being new.  His subtle moves, winks, nods, and jaunty dance moves were comedy gold and his relationship with Helen Walsh (The Wedding Singer, Man Of La Mancha, Wicked, The Wizard Of Oz) as Madame Thénardier was second to none.  Walsh was equally as quirky and unique and their synchronicity as a couple was just sublime.  These characters are foul.  We should hate them, but in such a dark show a little bit of comedy relief is needed and is provided by the vilest of the characters – an opportunist couple who are always on the make with no morals whatsoever.  Hughes and Walsh are the perfect pairing and absolutely own the audience favourite number Master Of The House.  Their comic timing and intricacy during this number is remarkable.

The love triangle of Marius, Cosette and Éponine is played by Will Callan (Les Mis marks his professional debut) as Marius, Paige Blankson (Les Mis marks her professional debut) as Cosette and Nathania Ong (Be More Chill) as Éponine.  It’s incredible to believe that these three are new and almost new to the professional stage.  What a trio!  Charming, delightful, engaging and undeniably talented, they blend into a seasoned cast of professionals with the respect they deserve.  Each brings something new to their performance from previous productions and their vocals blow your mind.  Samuel Wyn-Morris (Wyn-Morris has worked extensively in various Les Mis roles since 2019) as Enjolras has clearly found his musical home in Les Mis and it is understandable because he plays his role with conviction.  He is a robust leader of the revolution, and commands the stage when he appears.

The biggest transformation with this production is the utterly incredible creative team.  James Powell and Laurence Connor direct, Matt Kinley is set and image design with Finn Ross as projections realisation, Paule Constable is lighting design, Mick Potter sound design and Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowland costume design.  The reimagined scenery is dazzling, innovative and spectacular.  As well as the incredible impact of the set, the scenery is just as magnificent.  Movingly taking inspiration from Victor Hugo’s own paintings, the backdrops create a romantic impression of France and its ever-changing ambiguity between figure and form.  The effect is mesmerising and magnetic, as is the entire show.  The staging was a wonderment in itself.  A trinity of lighting, set and scenery created a magical illusion of theatre before our very eyes.  The lighting design is something I do not always notice, but this was so exquisite that it was impossible not to.  The gradual diminishing of light to blackness upstage whilst actors performed downstage, allowed entire scenes to be alternated as if by magic.  Light would slowly be reintroduced and hey presto – an entirely new scene had emerged without you noticing it had happened.   Javerts suicide was a remarkable combination of lights, imagery and staging.  I have never seen it done this way before and the element of surprise to a show I have seen possible over ten times before, is testament to the labour of love that has clearly gone into this production to keep audiences returning time and time again.    The same can be said for the scenes in the sewers where Valjean rescues Marius.  With its use of moving imagery, this is an ideal illustration of this production carrying Les Mis safely towards future audiences.  All of these elements combine to spectacular effect in the barricades during the fighting.  Add in the sound, which quite literally surrounds you so it sounds like bullets are whizzing past your head in every direction, you feel the tragedy not only in your heart but also in the vibrations its presence creates.  It felt eerily real and given the current world situation with war, was a poignant moment that left many audience members like me, silently crying at the unnecessary tragedy and feeling that uneasy lack of control which breaks into sheer helplessness.

Les Misérables is one of the best musicals in the world for a reason and this production reminds everyone why.  Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg are beyond doubt musical theatre geniuses and thank goodness they had faith, belief and conviction in their work.  It unites musical theatre with an opera style approach, blends a tragic story with humour, hope and heart, and touches its audience time and time again with its genuine love, passion and desire to connect with us in a story about the spirit, strength and possibilities of humanity.  It is no wonder that the entire audience were on their feet applauding before the final note had ended.  It was an instinctive response to something that moves you beyond words.  The audience were crying regardless of age, gender or anything else that tries to differentiate us, because that is the power of Les Misérables.  Make this show your first visit, your tenth visit or your hundredth visit, but wherever you score on the Les Mis visiting scale, I can assure you that it won’t be your last.

WE SCORE LES MIS - 10/10