Les Misérables

The first reaction is relief that all the principals are such glorious singers. Having sat through Russell Crowe’s top note strains in the movie following, its elongated opening number, this production was liking a soothing antidote.

Once over the comparisons to the movie, then commenced reflections on how the musical has changed since it first burst onto Australia’s shores in the late 1980’s.

Les Misérables is now a much tighter beast. Songs have been trimmed and the opening night crowd welcomed them back with roars of approval you might hear at a rock concert.

Also speeding up the pace is the cinematic backdrop. This was most striking when Jean Valjean was dragging Marius through the sewer. Not so much a slow grind to rescue a man caught in sludge as a brisk ride at an amusement park.

Whilst purists missed the opportunity to hear some songs in full, overall it was a welcome change to fast forward some of the scenes.

A minor quibble with the new look was the lighting. It is a very dark production, making it a challenge for those without the sharpest eye sight.

Bringing light to the production however was the talent all in one place.  This makes Les Misérables worth another look.

Simon Gleeson as Jean Valjean and Hayden Tee as his nemesis Javert were formidable. Equally thrilling were the female leads, Kerrie Anne Greenwood (Eponine), Patrice Tipoki (Fantine) and Emily Langridge (Cosette).

The favourites for me were Lara Malcahy as Madame Thénardier and Trevor Ashley as her husband.  When Trevor Ashley was first announced in this role the thought crossed my mind that he could use his female impersonation skills and play Mrs T.

But no departure from the script was necessary as each outdid the other with their shabbiness.

The choreographed chaos was pitch perfect.

David Spicer

Click here to read Coral Drouyn's review of the Melbourne opening.

Image by Lindsay Kearney of Lightbox Photography.

More Reading - Musicals in 2015 and Beyond