by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg; Herbert Kretzmer lyricist
seen at the Capitol Theatre (Sydney) on 2 September 2015
This production of the long-running musical features new set designs by Matt Kinley, but the whole affair is still supervised by Cameron Mackintosh. The cast includes Simon Gleeson as Jean Valjean, Hayden Tee as Inspector Javert, Patrice Tipoki as Fantine, Trevor Ashley as Thénardier, Lara Mulcahy as Madame Thénardier, Kerry Anne Greenland as Éponine, Emily Langridge as Cosette, Euan Doidge as Marius and Chris Durling as Enjolras.
The unlikely success of turning a sprawling 19th-century novel by Victor Hugo into a fantastically successful three hour musical is no longer news - but it remains a surprising and striking achievement. The decades-long struggle between the ex-convict Valjean and his steadfast pursuer Javert underpins the narrative, but our attention is also drawn to a ridiculously romantic pair of young lovers, to an unscrupulous couple of parvenus, and to the doomed 1830 Paris revolution in which 'schoolboys' (perhaps more accurately idealistic but painfully young university students) pit themselves against the military might of a conservative state.
It is a lot to take in, even in the most broad-brushed way, yet the musical score and the driving rhythms of the text convey the political urgencies of the times, while the Thénardiers, repellent creatures in the novel, provide comic relief even as they exploit everyone they meet. The put-upon child Cosette, pitifully attempting to manage an outsize broom, has become one of the iconic images of musical theatre. She clearly inhabits the Cinderella role while Éponine is feted by her grotesque parents. But as young women, Éponine expires in self-sacrifice as the unrequited lover while the flawless Cosette eventually gets her man, each outcome tugging the audience's heartstrings.
The production is accomplished and exciting, with a brilliant use of the Capitol's large stage and even wider proscenium. Paris apartments spread to the walls of the auditorium, and can enclose the stage in a series of swivelling flats, or else peel back to reveal the street on which the fatal barricade appears, or to allow for interior scenes or the passage through the sewers. The back-projection work gives an added sense of fluidity and threat, and it all seems very fresh in comparison with the original staging, which is looking rather tired in London after 30 years.
However, the aural side of things on stage is not much altered. It may be a function of the now-obligatory voice amplification, but the singing resembles recorded examples very closely in both inflection and intonation, and there is a certain flattening effect which sometimes makes it hard to distinguish individual voices among the minor characters. Simon Gleeson and Hayden Tee have strong and contrasting voices as the principal male antagonists, but some of the others appeared to be imitating past performers rather than imposing their own personal interpretations of their roles.
This reservation aside, the production is stirring, moving, enjoyable and exciting, with excellent support from the orchestra in the pit.
It is a lot to take in, even in the most broad-brushed way, yet the musical score and the driving rhythms of the text convey the political urgencies of the times, while the Thénardiers, repellent creatures in the novel, provide comic relief even as they exploit everyone they meet. The put-upon child Cosette, pitifully attempting to manage an outsize broom, has become one of the iconic images of musical theatre. She clearly inhabits the Cinderella role while Éponine is feted by her grotesque parents. But as young women, Éponine expires in self-sacrifice as the unrequited lover while the flawless Cosette eventually gets her man, each outcome tugging the audience's heartstrings.
The production is accomplished and exciting, with a brilliant use of the Capitol's large stage and even wider proscenium. Paris apartments spread to the walls of the auditorium, and can enclose the stage in a series of swivelling flats, or else peel back to reveal the street on which the fatal barricade appears, or to allow for interior scenes or the passage through the sewers. The back-projection work gives an added sense of fluidity and threat, and it all seems very fresh in comparison with the original staging, which is looking rather tired in London after 30 years.
However, the aural side of things on stage is not much altered. It may be a function of the now-obligatory voice amplification, but the singing resembles recorded examples very closely in both inflection and intonation, and there is a certain flattening effect which sometimes makes it hard to distinguish individual voices among the minor characters. Simon Gleeson and Hayden Tee have strong and contrasting voices as the principal male antagonists, but some of the others appeared to be imitating past performers rather than imposing their own personal interpretations of their roles.
This reservation aside, the production is stirring, moving, enjoyable and exciting, with excellent support from the orchestra in the pit.
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