Review: LES MISERABLES Will Leave You Awestruck at Victoria Theatre Association

If you don't already have tickets to see the hottest show in town right now, get them today. You don't want to miss this national tour of LES MISERABLES presented by the Victoria Theatre Association at the Schuster Center.

LES MISERABLES, music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, enjoyed successful runs in its original French and London runs before coming to Broadway in 1987, winning eight Tony Awards, In 2014, a revival hit Broadwany and ran until 2016. The musical is derived from the classic novel by Victor Hugo of the same name. It tells the story of Jean Valjean and all of those he encounters culminating in a battle during the June Rebellion in 1832, a precursor to the French Revolution, and its aftermath. The soundtrack has been recorded multiple times in multiple languages and is one of the most loved musicals of all time.

I first saw LES MISERABLES on one of its early national tours in the 1990s, although I had been familiar with the music from repeated listening prior to that. As a teen, it was one of the first musicals to really capture my imagination and lead me to a deeper love and appreciation for musical theatre. This production, from the 2014 revival, brought new life to this old favorite of mine and I loved it, in some ways even more than the original. My favorite musical song of all time is "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" sung by Marius (Joshua Grosso) in Act Two. Not only did Grosso do a marvelous job with the vocals, I loved the simple staging and the volumes it spoke.

I did not find fault with any aspect of the production that I saw on opening night. All of the performances were flawless, most notably from the hero Jean Valjean (Nick Cartell) and his formidable archrival Javert (Josh Davis). The comic relief is provided by the Thenardiers ( Matt Hill and Allison Guinn) although the production does an excellent job of providing bits of comic relief throughout the show, not just the obvious bits provided by the over the top innkeepers. Rivals for Marius's affection, the crystal clear voiced Cosette (Jillian Butler) and the grittier streetwise Eponine (Paige Smallwood) were both stunning. Parker Weathersbee as young Gavroche and the rest of the ensemble were all equally impressive. Add these performances to all of the phenomenal technical elements and you get a show that you likely won't forget. I would gladly watch it over and over again.

There are still some tickets available, although not too many. The VTA reports that Sunday evening performance has the most options. Single seats only may be likely for the other remaining performances tonight at 8 PM, Tomorrow at 2 PM and 8 PM and finally on Sunday at 2 PM and 7:30 PM. Please only purchase tickets through the authorized seller, Ticket Center Stage. There have been reports this week of patrons who bought tickets from a third party seller being scammed with invalid tickets. Go to www.ticketcenterstage.com or call the box office at 937-228-3630. You can also visit the box office in the lobby of the Schuster Center.

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