Review: LES MISERABLES AT THE KENNEDY CENTER

Yes, just as the iconic poster hints at, this beloved musical child has returned again, after being birthed oh, about 39 years ago. The artistic phenomenon based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel made its final stop right at the Kennedy Center in 1986 before beginning its extraordinary Broadway run and cementing its landmark musical status.

For those who have found living quarters under a rock, I will briefly outline the original story.

Jean Valjean (an inspiring Nick Cartell ) is released from prison after 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. An act of compassion by a bishop leads him to his inner redemption. With a new purpose, he attempts to make good on his vow, which involves a promise to a down and out employee. He sacrifices his own life and happiness while being relentlessly pursued by his nemesis the gendarme Javert (a scary good Nick Rehberger) as he protects her child through tumult and revolution, finally getting resolution for himself at the end.

So, for Theatre goers, many of whom have had the Les Mis experience, how is this current National Tour different? The creative team, including Directors Laurence Connor and James Powell, in addition to adding some background material and emphasis, have upped the game at a visual level. The use of a separate projection unit, by Finn Ross and Fifty-Nine Productions, gave it a level up feel without taking away from the essential humanity of the material. Effective uses are the realistic depiction of a sewer as Valjean escapes the barricade, of Javert falling to his demise in a kaleidoscopic maelstrom reminiscent of hell, and even Hugo’s own paintings used as backdrop, a nod to the author.

The greatness of Les Miz is that it takes you away and holds you there for a good long time.  The difficulty is in the brisk pacing and the challenging vocals. As constructed by  Claude-Michel Schonberg (music) and  Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel (lyrics) its operatic vocal arrangements imbue the show. Most of the dialogue is sung and the action burst forth at a frenzied pace. The layers of this show also offers many subplots--secondary characters that you get to know and embrace or watch in horrible fascination.

Aside from the spectacle are the characters—

One of the great adversarial pairings in literature are Valjean and Javert. The performance of Cartell’s Valjean is solid and heartfelt.  A veteran of the role, he is not physically imposing, but projects his will onstage and has an easy pleasant tone that can call on power. Rehberger’s Javert is balanced, full and natural, with a quiet belief in all things law.. It is electric theatre when  Javert finds him and they clash both physically and verbally in “The Confrontation’ as they circle each other in song, symbolically grappling with a chain.

The use of a separate projection unit, by Finn Ross and Fifty-Nine Productions, gave it a level up feel without taking away from the essential humanity of the material.

The fight or flight reflex is palpable in Valjean’s life and it comes out fully at the barricade that the students construct and rally around, while slowly realizing it will never hold. Valjean makes a decision to try and save Marius and risks revealing himself. Cartell’s "Bring Him Home" is a wonderfully slow tenor plea to God to grant him this wish of safety for Marius that stopped the show. Javert, captured in the action, is freed by Valjean and, unable to accept this gesture and the failure it implies, commits suicide in ‘Soliloquy.’ Great power and force from Rehberger to make this realistic, and with his chilling baritone, we also feel his pain, however misguided.

As well as the show does “big” some minor items were a head scratcher to a veteran Les Miz watcher… Young Cosette is a brunette but grows up to be a platinum blonde? Viva  la L’Oreal! In another visual issue, Eponine is white as a young child, but African American as an adult? I will lay that one at the altar of replacement players filling in. Finally, Valjean looks quite young and composed coming out of the chain gang, and in the finale his wig is a frosty white, with the same hairstyle. Surprising, given all the attention to the visual of the show.

Jake David Smith’s doe-eyed Marius as nicely heartfelt with was a standout onstage. Lindsay Heather Pearce as Fantine was measured and strong, with a touching “I Dreamed a Dream.” Mya Rena Hunter’s Eponine was adequate but much too bitter in the heartbreaking “On My Own.”

The Thenardiers, of course supply the show’s comic relief. Their rendition of ‘Master of the House,’ always a crowd pleaser, is played with especially earthy tones, shall we say. Like the opportunistic survivalists they are, we see them cleverly injecting themselves into the storyline as foils for Valjean. Great hilarity in their over-the-top performances, and with Matt Crowle as Thenardier it is played in a more cunning, wink wink approach. Enhanced by their costumes, they were more a pair of malevolent clowns. But it worked.

The ‘schoolboys’ as they are referred to, have great camaraderie, idealistically planning to make a difference in their world, singing "Do You Hear the People Sing?’ Christian Mark Gibbs as leader Enjolras was a standout with resonant pipes, though he posed a bit too much operatically.

The National Tour Production Team has crafted a fine Les Miz 2.0, with inventive musical staging, (Geoffrey Garratt)  clever use of travel sets and sound and cutting edge effects but still pays homage to the 17th century (Mick Potter, Paule Constable). And the nice adaptation by Trever Nunn and John Caird to blend into the full Les Miz experience. It is a show of constant snapshots and they created a visual mosaic.

And I finally understood the weight of Valjean’s remorse as he looks back on his life, baseless or not. His pain and final release offers a cathartic moment and a chance to let Valjean’s virtue resonate within us.

Running Time: 3 hours with an intermission.

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