"Les Mis?rables," the critically acclaimed musical that has entertained millions for over 20 years, has come to the District's National Theatre just in time for the holiday season. Featuring a strong cast and orchestra, as well as some of the best sets in a musical, the tour puts together a performance that is comparable to, if not better than, the Broadway production.
"Les Mis?rables" tells the tale of ex-convict Jean Valjean, who breaks his parole and devotes his life to putting the past behind him and redeeming himself in the eyes of God. To do so, Valjean adopts Cosette, the daughter of Fantine, a woman forced into prostitution after losing her job. Valjean does all of this while being relentlessly pursued by Inspector Javert, a police officer who wants prisoner 24601 brought to justice and who is determined to not give up until he sees him behind bars once more.
The cast of the show is incredibly strong. Randal Keith (Valjean), Robert Hunt (Javert) and Melissa Lyons (Eponine) deliver nearly perfect performances that exemplify the strength and emotion of the musical. All three actors have powerful voices and are capable of more nuanced singing, as opposed to just belting out the songs. Lyons's interpretation of "On My Own" is enough to cause even the manliest of men to tear up, while Hunt's earnest rendition of "Stars" allows the audience a glimpse into the mindset of the villain of the story. Keith impressed the audience with every note. Additional praise goes to the orchestra for performing the pieces with tremendous accuracy and vigor without overpowering the singers.
Although a mostly tragic show, there are moments of levity, mostly brought about by the Th?nardiers. Th?nardier (Fabio Polanco) lies, cheats and steals the very pants off of the patrons of his inn while his wife (Jennifer Butt) complains about her scalawag of a husband. Their unique brand of innuendo and physical comedy add something special to the show, and most of the audience is bound to leave the theater humming their catchy trademark song, "Master of the House."
Only Fantine (Joan Almedilla) did not seem to meet the high standards set by the cast. Almedilla's performance is a little weak, and she doesn't capture Fantine in a way that makes the audience feel as strong of an emotional connection to care about her predicament.
The largest problem with the performance was the sound system. The speakers crackled and popped throughout the show, which detracted from the overall experience. Regardless, the cast did a tremendous job and were deserving of the ovation they received at the end of the night.
The set work in "Les Mis?rables" is phenomenal. Due to numerous scene changes throughout the show, the stage has been set up to freely rotate, and many of the sets are minimalist or multipurpose. For example, the pieces used for the buildings in the slums of Paris rotate and drop to interlock together as the barricade created by the revolutionaries. In addition, they create many sets (like the sewers) through the cunning use of lighting and basic props. One small problem with the sets is the amount of noise made when bringing them onstage and taking them off again, but the cast made maximum use of the minimal sets and props to immerse the audience in the locations to produce a very full and rich show.
The greatness of the performance comes from the balance struck between the cast and the orchestra, in conjunction with the crew's work to light the stage and make sure everything is in place to make such a show go off without a hitch. The national tour accomplishes this, putting together one hell of a production that truly is the "Master of the House."
"Les Mis?rables" will be at the National Theatre from now until January 21, 2006. Tickets run from $36.25 to $83.25 and are available online or at the box office.
