Fourteen years after its Broadway opening, Les Miserables still holds the power to enchant us, with its heart-wrenching stories and improbable alliances, intertwined with episodes of cunning, deceit, heroism, virtue, spiritual awakening, love and patriotism. All of this unfolds within the framework of the French Revolution. However, what saves Les Miserables from being a dry history lesson is the quality of the characters who struggle to survive at any cost. Throughout the tale, they are presented with difficult choices. In this way, the show's creators draw us into the story. Given the same options, we ponder, what would we do?
The show holds up considerably well after so many years. In some ways it has improved, not so much due to the slight trimming of the run time (both the Broadway production and the many touring shows have been cut by 14 minutes), as to the shift in audience perspective. When it debuted, "Les Miz" was touted as one of the new mega-blockbuster musicals. Much was made of the size of its cast, and the size of its set. However, 14 years later, one does not hear gasps when the barricades appear. The set is still gargantuan, to be sure, and it still spins impressively. But after seeing the helicopter in Miss Saigon (by the same team), as well as special effects used by many other musicals, the whirling barricade is somewhat ho-hum.
So how does this relate to the audience's perspective? Instead of focusing on the gyrations of the set, the audience can concentrate on the key elements of the story. The central character, of course, remains the fugitive Jean Valjean (David Michael Felty), who is relentlessly pursued by the policeman Javert (Stephen Bishop). Of these two, Bishop most accurately hits the mark in his portrayal. Although Felty is musically gifted, he is not the charismatic hero one wishes for in Valjean. Bishop, on the other hand, is perfectly attuned to Javert's two-dimensional character. Every gesture, movement and sound is thoroughly convincing. Of the female cast members, this reviewer was more impressed with the young Cossette (Maggie Martinsen), than her older version (Nancy Foster). Martinsen nails the tune "Castle in the Clouds" so clearly that her only rival is Eponine (Diana Kaarina), who sings the show-stopping ballad at the top of Act II, "On My Own." It is impossible to comment on the success of the other tunes, as sound difficulties on opening night plagued many of the musical numbers.
Surprisingly, one of the show's usual highlights, the rollicking "Master of the House," was clumsily executed and sounded like a cacophonous mess. This did not bode well for the "master," Thenardier (J.P. Dougherty) or his wife (Aymee Garcia). They failed to provide the necessary comic relief (i.e., they just weren't funny).
Aside from these quibbles, Les Miserables is a welcome addition to Milwaukee's theatrical summer. It provides a bit of intellectual sustenance in a typically lackluster season.
