LES MISERABLES At Fox Theater Review

A scene from Les Miserables. Photo by Matthew Murphy. Courtesy of the Fox Theater

– By Cate Marquis –

The Tony Award-winning “Les Miserables,” arguably the greatest of modern musicals, returns to Fox Theater after too long an absence. Based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel of the struggles of the poor, and a man sent to prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s child, “Les Miserables” (The Poor) has a story that resonates still, but it is great theater as well. The musical is packed with memorable songs by composer Claude-Michel Schonberg with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, and book by the French by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, is epic scope and equally memorable characters.

This touring production brings all that drama and spectacle to the Fox. The sets are outstanding and the singing voices are strong. The touring productions are also known for the show’s big, impressive sets, especially the barricade that the idealistic young rebels hide behind in the second act and the sewers of Paris through which characters escape. This production delivered on all that stage magic, with impressive sets and wonderful visual effects.

“Les Miz,” as the show’s title is often shorted, is almost entirely sung, like opera, which places a heavy weight on the cast, who not only sing ballads to showstoppers non-stop but are required to doing all their acting through their singing. “Les Miz” has a large cast and an epic scope that spans years.

The main two adversaries in this drama tale are Jean Valjean (Nick Cartell), the man sent to prison for 20 years for stealing a loaf of bread but paroled with one year left at the show’s start. Inspector Javert (Preston Truman Boyd) is the morally rigid policeman who becomes obsessed with Valjean and pursues him relentlessly through the years. As a parolee, Valjean is required to show his papers to everyone, subjecting him to abuse and making it nearly impossible to make enough to live, but his downward trajectory into a life of crime is interrupted by an encounter with a bishop (Randy Jeter), who extends kindness to him as no one else has, and sparks Valjean to change his life, breaking parole to adopt a new identity.

Other major characters are Fantine (Lindsay Heather Pearce), a young mother abandoned by her husband, who loses her factory job and, penniless, falls into desparate poverty. Her young daughter Cosette (Lillian Castner and Kayla Scola-Giampapa, alternating) is in the care of a greedy, crooked innkeeper Thenardier (Matt Crowle) and his equally nasty wife Madame Thenardier (Victoria Huston-Elem). The innkeepers dote on their pampered daughter Eponine (again, Lillian Castner and Kayla Scola-Giampapa, alternating) while working and neglecting Cosette. The now-sucesssful Valjean rescues the dying Fantine from the street, and she leaves Cosette in his care, but other events reveal Valjean’s true identity, and he is again forced to flee ahead of Javert’s pursuit.

In the second act, the now-grown Cosette (Alexa Lopez) and Eponine (Jaedynn Latter) meet again in Paris, while students, led by Enjolras (Christian Mark Gibbs) and Marius (Peter Neureuther), prepare to stage a rebellion with hope to secure a better life for the poor.

The music is gorgeous and memorable, with so many standout songs, including Fantine’s heartbreaking “I Dreamed a Dream,” little Cosette’s haunting “Castles on a Cloud,” and the stirring “Do You Hear the People Sing?” There are great comic numbers, with a satiric twist, like Thenardier’s “Master of the House.”

The story is dramatic but care must be taken not to let it fall into melodrama. Unfortunately, the opening night of this show had a few issues, which seemed largely resolved by the second act, and hopefully will not occur on subsequent nights.

“Les Miz” is almost entirely sung, like in opera, the performers must both sing and act at the same time throughout, instead of separating the two into musical numbers and spoken dialog. That puts an extra burden on the cast, and means that the lyrics must be heard clearly. Sound quality can be challenging at the Fox, built originally as a grand movie palace, and one can often tell when touring groups let the Fox staff handle that tricky portion and when they don’t.

The first act on opening night had the kind of muddy sound that indicated the latter, making it difficult for the audience to understand the lyrics and follow the story. Someone who has seen the show more than once might not have a problem but anyone new to it would, as the lyrics are the dialog for the musical. The cast members seemed to be straining to sing, as if singing louder would make the words cleared, which seemed to take their focus off their acting, making some scenes feel flat. Further, the scenes also often felt hurried as well.

Things were much improved in the second act, and hopefully later performances will not suffer from this problem. Despite the sound issues that distracted cast from the acting and emotion portion, the singing was strong, with good voices throughout. A standout was in the second act, where Jaedynn Latter as Eponine sings her moving solo. Also in the second act, there were some standout in the ensemble acting performances of the students.

All in all, “Les Miz” is always a show well worth seeing, for his powerful story, its memorable songs, and its dramatically impressive staging. “Les Miserables” is a show that every fan of theater, even those who do on particularly care for musicals, must see at least once, but it also is a show that stands up over time, enjoyable to see over multiple productions.

“Les Miserables” is on stage at the Fabulous Fox through Nov. 23.

© Cate Marquis