Interview: Simon Gleeson Talks LES MISERABLES' Return to the Singapore Stage This June

Australian musical theater actor Simon Gleeson is no stranger to accolades, specially when it comes to his critically-lauded 2014 debut as Jean Valjean in the re-imagined Cameron Mackintosh production of LES MISERABLES which opens at the ESPLANADE THEATER on June 3, 2016.

"Receiving the Helpmann Award has had very little if any impact on my portrayal of Jean Valjean," shares Gleeson, who, along with the entire Southeast Asian touring production, just finished a well-received, extended run of LES MISERABLES in Manila, Philippines, where the tour kicked off almost two months back.

"The story has become deeper, more detailed and more centered," he continues, and rightfully so, given the many complexities his character alone had to struggle through.

"Of course this happens over time in an almost imperceptible way, like hair growing," he gently teases with a creased smile.

The Winning 'ELEMENTS' of LES MISERABLES

With the first anniversary of the official release of Gleeson's debut album ELEMENTS partly overlapping with LES MISERABLES 2-decade-long anticipated return season to the Singaporean stage, there might just be other unnoticed parallels between these two peaks in Gleeson's careers - both as a musical theater luminary and a recording artist.

"Aside from 'Bring Him Home', which is from LES MISERABLES, I think there are many songs from ELEMENTS that are thematically similar," he shares when asked if there are any songs in his album that share the same themes as the iconic songs from LES MISERABLES.

"For example, 'Stay With Me', is about a parent not wanting to let go of their child, much as Jean Valjean doesn't want to lose Cosette," he continues.

Growing up LES MIS

Gleeson has always been very vocal about how he grew up to the music and the stirring plot of LES MISERABLES. Now as the lead actor in one of the most acclaimed touring productions of the Alain Boublil and Claude Michel Schonberg legendary musical, his primal recollections of the show still remain deeply rooted in him, just as his portrayal of Valjean is most assuredly deeply emblazoned onto the subconsciousness of audiences who have had the privilege to see him in this musical theater role of a lifetime.

"As it was nearly three decades ago, I don't remember many specifics from the original production I saw as a child!" he says.

"What I do remember is the feeling it provoked within me," he recalls.

"I remember how the music stirred me, how the story made me feel. How terribly inspired I was," he continues.

"It was like a guilty pleasure because I didn't share it. I didn't want to. Singing for me as a child was something I did just for myself. Performing the role is the complete opposite. I don't do it for me at all. All of it is shared and given to the audience. But it is the same great feeling of going through this powerful story," he says.

THE ROAD TO VALJEAN

"I don't think there's any role that could have aptly prepared me to play Jean Valjean," Gleeson says matter-of-factly.

"The vocal range is unparalleled as is the emotional scale of the role," he continues, when asked if there have been other musical theater roles that he has carefully studied or taken on in the past that he feels has somewhat prepared him for taking on the iconic Valjean.

When asked if there are other iconic characters - apart from Valjean - that he wants to play any time soon, he has this to say. "There are a lot of plays I'd like to do. Too many to name!"

The Powerful Gift of LSS (Last Song Syndrome) of LES MISERABLES

It was in an episode of famed TV Sitcom SEINFELD - hailed by critics as one of the finest American television shows of all time - where resident "Lord of the Idiots" George Costanza kept singing several lines of "Master of the House" on a loop, which even got other characters singing the catchy tune at one point or another during that half-hour episode. When Jerry Seinfeld asks, "what is that song?" Costanza, in one memorable line, befittingly describes just how palpable and dangerously unforgettable a LES MISERABLES song can be.

"Its from LES MISERABLES, I went to see it last week I can't get it out of my head, I just keep singing it over and over, it just comes out, I have no control over it. I'm singing it on elevators, buses, in front of clients... Its taken over my life!"

Taking the cue from Costanza's "Master of the House" LSS affliction, we asked Gleeson to share any personal experience on how he found LES MISERABLES songs to be particularly indelible.

"LES MISERABLES has been in my head since I was 12 years old!" he shares cheerily.

"It is very difficult to remove and I'm not sure I'd even want to remove it," he continues.

Bringing LES MIS back to Singaporean Audiences

TWO DECADES AND COUNTING- that is how long ago LES MISERABLES was last seen on a Singapore stage, and this touring production, whether aware of it or not, has an added duty to the iconic mega-musical, one to ensure that the two-decade-long return is worth the wait, most specially for hardcore LES MIS fans.

"The entire LES MISERABLES company are incredibly excited to bring this new production to Singapore. We have heard how passionate Singapore audiences are and how much they enjoy this show," Gleeson shares, explaining how the entire company has been psyching themselves for the Singapore run of Les Miserables.

"To bring LES MISERABLES to a new generation of Singaporeans is something I'm very much looking forward to," he continues.

The Ageless Reach of the Music of LES MISERABLES

Since joining the cast of LES MISERABLES, it is without a doubt that Gleeson and the rest of the cast have, in one way or another, personally experienced how uncannily some lines between art and reality can blur into one another, most specially for those who have been in the production for a remarkably extended spell.

"The night of the bombings in Paris was a special night for the Australian company," shares Gleeson in a somber note.

"We had a moment with the audience at the end of the performance, which I don't think I'll ever forget. It was a moment of silence that was very profound," he continues, sharing how much an impact the entire musical has had on him and the entire production, specially during those rare moments when even just one song from the musical can unite thousands of voices together to rise above the deafening distresses of real-life tragedies.

In the Singapore staging of the re-imagined 2016 production of LES MISERABLES opening at The Esplanade this 3rd of June, Helpmann Award-winning musical theater actor Simon Gleeson will be playing Jean Valjean against lifelong foe, Earl Carpenter's Javert.

Other principal cast members featured in this strictly limited run of LES MISERABLES at The Esplanade are Patrice Tipoki (Fantine), Cameron Blakely (Monsieur Thénardier), Paul Wilkins (Marius), and Helpmann Award winning actress Kerrie Anne Greenland as Éponine.

LES MISERABLES is based on the eponymous literary classic by Victor Hugo and is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel.

Adapted for the stage by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, LES MISERABLES features additional content by James Fenton. The 25th Anniversary Production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell and designed by Matt Kinley.

LES MISERABLES is brought to Singapore by Michael Cassel Group.

Tickets are now available through all SISTIC channels.

For further information visit www.lesmis.sg or www.facebook.com/LesMisSG