Les Misérables

Free-Rain’s gutsy take on Les Misérablesmade me fall in love with this wonderful score again. With a somewhat pared-back treatment, this production emphasises the moral dilemmas and social commentary. Peter Cousens makes a conflicted Valjean, with “Valjean’s Soliloquy” an early highlight. Tony Falla (Javert) is initially overshadowed but comes into his own by “Javert’s Soliloquy”. Fantine (Amy Dunham) pours anguish into a heart-wrenching ‘I Dreamed a Dream”. The child players were good, especially Jake Keen, who makes a cheeky and confident Gavroche, and Hannah McConnell in a sweet performance as young Cosette. As the adult Cosette, Stephanie MacLaine has a gorgeous light soprano voice which soars through the challenges of “In My Life” and “A Heart Full of Love”. Sam Ward’s rendition of “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables” was poignant and tragic.

The ensemble pieces look and sound fantastic, with the battle and wedding scenes moving and beautiful (assisted by stunning costumes and good lighting). Favourites like “Do You Hear the People Sing” and “The ABC Café/Red and Black” sent shivers down my spine, and traditional light relief “Master of the House” is great.

That said, there was an unevenness here which could be a consequence of the casting. Readers will know Cousens as a luminary of Australian musicals including 1,500 professional performances as Marius. His Valjean is polished to a mirror sheen which seems to make him stand apart from the rest of the cast, who have more rawness or realness to them. Which isn’t to say it’s bad – he just seems to belong to a different production. Also, surprisingly, Jim Adamik’s Thenardier was not quite as utterly brilliant as I expected him to be, not least because his voice isn’t strong enough. I also wondered if needing to stick to the rhythm of the score threw out his native comic timing?

That nit-picking aside, it’s a great opportunity to reacquaint yourself with this romantic epic.

Cathy Bannister