On April 16th, Les Misérables came to the Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston. Despite being met with derision from critics when it first opened in London in 1987, it has become the world’s longest running musical. The story follows a convict named Jean Valjean, who is released on parole after 19 years in jail for stealing bread and then trying to escape prison. He breaks parole and is hunted by the obsessive Inspector Javert for years. Since it began in the 1980s, the musical has been performed in 52 countries in 22 different languages. It has also been seen by over 70 million people. In 2009, a new production of the show opened in Cardiff, Wales. This new staging, which includes set pieces inspired by the artwork of Victor Hugo, is currently touring the U.S. The music is the same, besides a few verses that have been cut out or edited here and there. The main difference between the two productions is the lack of the revolving stage. Many of the featured costumes also differ from the ones in the original production.
I was lucky enough to go see it in Boston on its opening night. Despite the differences from the original production, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The cast was phenomenal, and the actors brought life to their characters. Even though the musical is not a happy one, the audience burst into laughter multiple times throughout the show, showing how artfully the actors were able to portray the many sides of their characters.
The role of Jean Valjean is a difficult one. An actor not only has to perform many difficult solos for this role but also needs to be able to show Valjean’s emotional turmoil from the beginning to the end of the musical. Nick Cartell, who plays Jean Valjean in the U.S. tour, did a fantastic job. The change in his demeanor from the beginning of the show, when Jean Valjean is released from prison and then repeatedly turned away by the people he encounters because of his past, to the finale, when he asks forgiveness for all the wrongs he did, was astounding. Cartell’s versions of Valjean’s solos, especially the iconic “Bring Him Home,” were superb as well. He did an excellent job of conveying Valjean’s feelings and his relationship with his daughter Cosette (Jillian Butler).
Joshua Grosso, who plays Marius Pontmercy, did an excellent job depicting his character’s personality. Whether he was awkwardly stumbling over his words while confessing his love to Cosette or conveying Marius’s despair at the barricade, Grosso’s performance was spot-on. Out of all the portrayals of Marius I have seen, from both productions of the musical and other adaptations, Grosso’s is easily the most similar to Marius from the novel.
The ensemble in any musical is often overlooked, since the focus is placed upon the major roles, but this ensemble was truly incredible. Many of the actors in the ensemble had small solos in songs such as “At The End Of The Day” and “Do You Hear The People Sing?” They not only sang wonderfully, but they also added another dimension to the show. They have perfected making the background scenes interesting without detracting from the foreground.
Les Misérables is a phenomenal musical, but not everyone gets a chance to see it. However, there is an opportunity to see another wonderful musical coming up. From Friday, April 26th to Sunday, April 28th, students from Marblehead High School will be performing Chicago at Marblehead Veterans Middle School. Performance times are listed below:
Friday, April 26th – 7:00 P.M.
Saturday, April 27th – 7:00 P.M.
Sunday, April 28th – 2:00 P.M.