How much more can one say about a 42-year-old international hit musical based on a 160-year-old classic novel that hasn’t been said yet? Assuming there may be a few 4-year-olds remaining who haven’t yet heard of the global phenomenon, suffice it to say it is still simply brilliant. Maybe the most perfectly executed tour on the road at this time. The show that gave birth to the megamusical has aged like a fine French wine and with breathtaking new staging reconceived by directors Laurence Connor & James Powell. What does it say when a show which, with ticket grosses approaching $3 billion worldwide, it is safe to assume virtually everyone has seen, is the must-see show of a touring season?
Les Misérables is arguably closer to a modern opera than a contemporary musical, and the demands on the actors are just as huge. Whatever your definition, be it sung totally through, hyper-dramatic content, or vocal range and style of performance, it fits the bill. Typical tragic opera usually leads up to the hero or heroine’s untimely death. Composer Claude-Michel Schönberg & original French lyricist Alain Boublil sacrifice no less than 5 major characters and an entire subgroup of the ensemble in Victor Hugo’s decade spanning story of the events leading up to the June Rebellion, or the Paris Uprising of 1832, and Connor & Powell treat them with the grandeur and respect of a modern grand opera. And for the casual observer, one must remember that the incredibly, moving music one is turning oneself over to for the evening, plucking all the appropriate heartstrings, is a translation from its original French to English for the global production. So be it flawless, poetic interpretation by Herbert Kretzmer of Boublil’s original lyrics, perfectly executed melodies by Schönberg, or the universal themes it strikes across the human experience, there is no wonder this show has withstood the test of time as well as (or perhaps better than) its original source material. And Music Director Brian Eads gives us an even more vigorous experience interpreting Stephen Metcalfe, Christopher Jahnke, & Stephen Booker’s new, revitalized orchestrations (based on John Cameron’s originals).
Based on the 2015 Broadway revival, this new production is totally re-envisioned. Gone is the overused and unnecessary revolving stage, the pre-assembled barricade that clutters the proscenium until it becomes part of the story, and all the stock standard visuals from the old production. But don’t worry about missing any of those familiar trappings. Everything is a midlife makeover that leaves the production bigger, brighter, and more impressive with even more heart. The sets and costumes are more dazzling, the lights are more precise and deliberate, the vocals are clearer and more powerful, the performances are more heartfelt and moving, the comedy is broader, and the tragedy more devastating. Most importantly the characters, whom a generation has grown up loving on stage and are immortal in literature, are even more vivid and real. Forty years later this show still hits all the right emotional notes with even greater resonance.
Nick Cartell as protagonist Jean Valjean is unparalleled, perhaps the best this critic has seen since his first viewing at this theatre in 1986. Strong in voice and physical presence, Cartell is the new breed of Valjean that is cast for his powerful looks and build as much as his even more powerful voice. Subscribing to Victor Hugo’s original text that described his great physical strength and muscular frame, Cartell fits the description and gives the most moving interpretation ever of his second act show stopper “Bring Him Home” in full voice, leaving the falsetto vocals of the previous production a relic of the past and setting a new gold standard for the song. Cartells, with an assist from Makeup Designer Stefan Musch, inhabits Valjean convincingly through the ages from prison release to old age to immortality.
The entire cast is simply magnificent. Other performance standouts include Haley Dortch as a fragile yet determined Fantine, who gives us the taste of disappointment and heartbreak that sets the tone for the entire show in her stirring “I Dreamed a Dream”. When a character you’ve known for 20 minutes can induce tears with death scene in scene 3, she’s doing something right. Preston Truman Boyd as Valjean’s dogged pursuer Javert delivers one of the biggest ballads of the show ,“Stars”–and hold your breath for his newly envisioned demise. Christine Heeson Hwang as the underappreciated Eponine boldly dares to bring a touch of justified anger and resentment to her usual anthem of self-pity, “On My Own”, making her character less of a dishrag and a little more the Taylor Swift of her time. And a vibrant Devin Archer dons the familiar red vest well as student rebel Enjolras, leading numerous rousing anthems with a strong voice and massive stage presence. (And Connor & Powell, sans revolve, still finds a creative way to salute his classic final tableaux of old.)
Matt Crowle and Christina Rose Hall reach new comic heights as the deliciously trashy antagonists of the piece, the sleazy innkeeper Thénardier and his disgruntled wife. They deserve special note because they give us the only two very necessary respites of humor in this 3 hour tragic tale of woe and heartbreak, “Master of the House” in the first act, and their second act reprise of it “Beggars at the Feast”, and between all the great new non-stop comic business packed into both (musical staging by Geoffrey Garratt) and masterful portrayals of white trash humor reminiscent of a French John Waters, they steal the show in their limited but hilarious moments. (Pay attention to all the various ingredients the unethical host tosses into his meat grinder). They can also reach new despicable lows in between the belly laughs.
Set and Projection Designer Matt Kinley, with a valuable assist from Finn Ross & Fifty-Nine Productions who realized them, and Lighting Designer Paule Constable give us a beautiful, brighter, more streamlined multi-level look enhanced by stunning water-color backgrounds (inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo himself) and dynamic lighting effects. Special praise to Constable for the precision pinspots of bright, heavenly light that illuminate the faces of the dying in all five major deaths scenes. The best improvement is losing the lazy blocking by eliminating redundant reliance on the old revolve, and the creative reimagination of two set pieces that are now outstanding visually. Valjean’s chase through the sewers of Paris with the body of Marius is now a thrilling segment that gives the convincing illusion of movement through the underground city. But their biggest accomplishment is a newly reconceived interpretation resulting in the most realistic depiction of Javert’s suicide ever, where set, lights, projections, and special effects all combine in perfect unison to give the illusion of the antihero drowning, descending, and disappearing into the abyss. It almost allows the viewer to pity the soul who harassed our hero for his entire life over a misdemeanor crime at the most. Their combined design for the student battle at the reconceived barricade also is loaded with powerful flashes and effects of gunfire and death which bring new levels of exhilarations and fears. But Constable’s greatest contribution is the breathtaking first act finale “One Day More” when he finds specialty spots for no less than 8 leads singing about their dreams and intentions for the second act. This mid-show climactic moment, arguably the best Act 1 finale ever written for musical theatre, still 40 years later takes the breath away at the culmination of a powerful and action packed first act.
Costume Designer Christine Rowland keeps the best of original designer Andreane Neofitou’s classic plot and takes a bold new swipe at the visuals with more vibrant colors which honors many of the familiar and expected looks (the historically accurate French military jackets, Enjolras’ red rebel vest, Eponine’s signature trenchcoat and beret), while providing for more scope to the ensemble looks, and more color and grandeur in Cosette and Marius’ wedding ball. Wig, Hair, and Makeup Designer Stefan Much works with Rowland to effectively age the characters across the arc of the story’s years. And as usual, Mick Potter’s sound design is impeccable at the Kennedy Center Opera House—almost unprecedented by industry-standard—which is mandatory in a show that depends entirely on musical balance to understand the lyrics of a sung-through modern opera to produce the dynamic effects that this masterpiece elicits. His sound effects at the battle of the barricade also add to the incredibly realistic and thrilling experience.
I could go on for pages praising everything about this show. But suffice it to say, experience it for yourself. If you’ve never seen Les Misérables, you must see this production. If you’ve seen Les Misérables in any other context, you must see this production. If you’ve seen this particular production, do yourself a favor and see it again. It is a testament to the level of artistic achievement contributed by everyone from the original composers and translators, to the previous creative team who gave it life, to the current creative team who have given it a renewed life, to the superiorly talented performers that deliver it to us, that a show that virtually everyone has seen can still be the most thrilling entry of a theatrical season. So clear your busy schedules this month and embrace the chance to head to the Kennedy Center to spend One Day More with one of the most perfect national tours ever mounted.
All photos courtesy of Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Running Time: Approximately 3 hours with one intermission
Les Misérables , a Cameron Mackintosh & Networks Production, currently plays through April 29, 2023, in the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington DC 20566. For tickets, call the box office at 202.467.4600 or purchase online