Among my other weaknesses as a reviewer, I have a blind spot for musicals. I usually enjoy musicals that other critics trash, while I underestimate shows that they, and audiences, thoroughly embrace. Years ago, Les Miserables seemed (as I wrote then) "by turns thrilling, tedious, heartfelt and slick...great fun while it lasted, but as soon as I left the theater, I couldn't remember a minute.." How thick I was that first time -- for not acknowledging the show's brilliance, for not mentioning the invigoratingly staged production numbers ("Master Of The House," "Do You Hear The People Sing?") and lovely ballads ("I Dreamed A Dream," "Drink With Me to Days Gone By"), for believing the hype about Les Miz being impossible to follow without the Playbill's book-length synopsis.
In truth, this adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel is quite clearly told, and although the love-triangle plot doesn't quite rivet us as much as the Valjean/Javert and student revolution sagas, all three stories rise to moments of breathtaking power. And far from descending to road-show raggediness, this 11-year old hit has fine voices to spare. There's also joyful rapacity from the bottom-feeding Thenardiers. Yes, some of the ballads sound too similar, the show is too long by a quarter-hour (by 11:05, we're kind of waiting for Valjean to die already), but I hereby apologize for all the dismissive things I've said about Les Miz in the past. The vengeance of Javert upon me.
