Review: LES MISÉRABLES at Keller Auditorium

Boublil and Schönberg's LES MISÉRABLES stormed back to the Keller Auditorium last night. I went in wondering how a show about a failed anti-monarchist uprising in 1832 might land differently now, on the heels of the third national "No Kings" protest, than it did when it was last here in 2018. 

For the uninitiated: the musical follows Jean Valjean, who serves 19 years of forced labor after stealing a loaf of bread, then breaks his parole and rebuilds his life as a factory owner and mayor, only to be relentlessly pursued by Inspector Javert, a self-righteous law enforcer who mistakes rigidity for divine purpose. Their stories weave through decades, culminating at the barricades where a group of student revolutionaries have taken over the streets of Paris. It's a vast saga about love, redemption, compassion, and the conflict between legal and moral justice. It could be set today.

What struck me most, six years since the show was last on the Keller stage, is how the emotional resonance was even sharper. The underclass, les misérables themselves, seemed even more destitute, the love stories even more passionate, and the students’ struggle for a reasonable life even more urgent.

This is the newer version, and it has a propulsive energy I find really compelling. It moves fast (though it still clocks in at just about 3 hours), but the pace isn't the only thing that makes it feel contemporary. Many of the vocal performances are pop-inflected, a departure from the more classical style of previous productions. This was true of everyone except Javert (played powerfully by Hayden Tee). He alone sings in a grander, more old-world register, because he's the one defending the old monarchical order, standing against social progress. It's a small choice that creates a bridge between the world of the musical and ours.

A show this emotionally demanding requires a phenomenal cast, and this one is. Nick Cartell has now performed the role of Valjean more than 1,700 times, including the 2018 production. At that time, I wrote that he was the best Valjean I'd ever seen, and his performance has only gotten better since. Hayden Tee was an incredible Javert, as were Lindsay Heather Pearce (she’s from Portland!!) and Jaedynn Latter in the roles of Fantine and Éponine, respectively. I could go through the whole company – there were at least three moments where the show had to pause and wait out extended applause.

And throughout all of it, there's genuine theatre magic at work. Scenery and people seem to materialize out of nowhere. More than once, the entire set shifted without my quite noticing how or when it happened.

LES MIS won the Tony Award for Best Musical (and several other categories) in 1987. Almost forty years later, its message is just as stirring, its call to action just as galvanizing. I highly recommend you get to the Keller to hear the people sing. I take no responsibility for whatever it inspires you to do on your way out.

LES MIS runs through April 5. Details and tickets here.

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