Review: LES MISÉRABLES at Orpheum Theatre

Les Miserables stormed into the Orpheum Theatre this week, electrifying the audience and keeping them on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Brought to life by a heart-stirring, unforgettable score and lyrics of exceptional power, this production is quite simply extraordinary. Playing now through October 5 at San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre, Les Miserables is a theatrical tour de force you will not want to miss.

Based on Victor Hugo's 1862 masterpiece Les Miserables tells a story of injustice, mercy, and the unbreakable human spirit. In a moment when our nation still wrestles with inequality, punishment without context, and the grinding realities of poverty, the show feels painfully current, reminding us how systems can crush dignity and but also how acts of courage and grace can change lives.

Nick Cartell anchors the evening with a commanding, heartfelt Jean Valjean, while Nick Rehberger's Javert is a portrait of inflexible law untempered by fairness or mercy. Lindsay Heather Pierce's Fantine sings "I Dreamed a Dream" with haunting power and resonance, while Delaney Guyer's Cosset and Jake David Smith's Marius offer a tender, steady counterpoint to the brutality of the barricades. Mya Rena Hunger's Eponine brings raw honesty to "On My Own," letting us all feel her pain. The youngest performers, Emerson Mae Chan (young Cosette), and Greta Shaefer (young Eponine), and Jack Jewkes (Gavroche) are standouts, with Chan's "Castle on a Cloud" distilling a child's longing with simple, piercing clarity.

Christian Mark Gibbs brings gravitas as he leads the students with fiery conviction as Enjolras, while Matte Crowe and Victoria Huston-Elem revel in the Thenardiers' brazen comedy "Master of the House." On the surface, they're comic relief, but their scheming represents something darker: those who profit from the chaos and misery of others. They are like the flip side of heartless billionaires and bureaucrats who exploit the vulnerable when the world falls apart. Unlike Valjean, Fantine, or even Javert, the Thenardiers never seek redemption; they remain unapologetically corrupt, reminding us that some always find ways to fee on the suffering of others. The ensemble's "One Day More" that follows is a roof-lifting, precision-driven surge that alone is worth the price of admission.

On the tech side of the house, the production is visually stunning. Matt Kinley's set, inspired by Victor Hugo's own paintings, and the projections by Fifty-Nine Productions immerse us in the dark streets of Paris and the sewers below, amplifying the relentless struggle of the characters. Sound by Nick Potter and Lighting by Paule Constable were perfect. The orchestrations were brought to life by a wonderful orchestra conducted with consummate care by Glenn Alexander II. 

Ultimately, Les Miserables is not nostalgia, but a mirror. It asks what becomes of a society when law is weaponized and poverty criminalized—and whether mercy, solidarity, and stubborn hope can still prevail. Do you hear the people sing? Here in San Francisco, we can hear them loud and clear.

San Francisco / Bay Area Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. URINETOWN (Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble)

16.7% of votes

2. THE DAY THE SKY TURNED ORANGE (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company / Z Space)

9.3% of votes

3. SWEENEY TODD (Cabrillo Stage)

8.4% of votes

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