Review: LES MISERABLES at National Arts Centre

Les Misérables hails itself as the world’s most popular musical. Although this statistic may be partially attributed to longevity, the new production of Les Mis, presented by Broadway Across Canada and currently on stage at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, is undeniably a feast for the senses. With incredible stage design, the set is further enhanced using technology to build depth and make the streets – and sewers – of Paris come alive.

Les Misérables is based on Victor Hugo’s epic novel, originally published in 1862. A classic tale of love, loss, and redemption, at almost 1,500 pages spanning more than fifteen years, it was no small feat for the musical’s creators to adapt the book into its musical format without losing the essence of the story. Les Mis tells the story of Jean Valjean (Nick Cartell), a thief convicted for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family, and Inspector Javert (Preston Truman Boyd), a police officer determined to invoke the rule of law at all costs.

The entire cast gave strong performances, especially the two leads, Cartell and Truman Boyd. Cartell has given over 1,200 performances in this role, and it shows; he embodied the heart and soul of Valjean, nowhere more obvious than during “Bring Him Home”. This is a song towards which I generally feel ambivalent, but Cartell’s rendition transformed it into an almost religious experience. Truman Boyd was the perfect counterpart to Cartell in his portrayal of Javert, the man who seeks justice, despite his growing inner misgivings.

Les Mis is a dark musical, set amidst the unyielding backdrop of poverty, suffering, and the 1832 Paris uprising. Whenever the show is at risk of becoming too despairing, the tone is lightened by the corrupt innkeepers, Monsieur and Madame Thénardier (Matt Crowle and Victoria Huston-Elem, respectively). Their featured numbers, “Master of the House” and “Beggars at the Feast”, use an upbeat tempo and the duo are uproariously funny, providing the much needed comic relief.

One of the most famous songs of the show, “I Dreamed a Dream”, performed by Fantine (Haley Dortch), requires an enormous amount of power, momentum, and emotion to make it effective. Dortch rose to the challenge and gave a soulful performance of this notoriously difficult song.

The young people of the story, Cosette (Delaney Guyer), Marius (Jake David Smith, understudied on opening night by J.T. Wood), and Eponine (Mya Rena Hunter) had good chemistry together. Rena Hunter gave a particularly strong performance as the tragic Eponine. Her solo number, “On my Own” was commanding, yet poignant , conveying the hopelessness situation for her character’s unrequited love. Similarly, Wood’s performance of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” was extremely moving. Enjolras (Devin Archer), the sympathetic head of the student uprising, led “Red and Black” and “Do You Hear the People Sing?” two of my favourite songs. The absolute highlight of the evening for me was the company’s performance of “One Day More”, which brought down the house before intermission.

The staging was easily one of most impressive I’ve ever seen. Large, moveable multi-purpose set pieces and lavish props (staging by Geoffrey Garratt) were enhanced with layered projection screens that transitioned seamlessly (realized by Finn Ross and Fifty-Nine Productions), resulting in added detail and depth, increasing the sense of realism in each scene. The lighting could have been slightly improved in areas, and the sound was a bit off at times, but these are small gripes for what is, overall, a fantastic show.

Les Misérables’ riveting storyline, its alternately moving and bombastic score, and elaborate staging combine here to make a spectacular show. This is the reason that the musical continues to enthrall audiences around the world. Limited seats remain for the show’s run at the National Arts Centre through August 11th. – click the link below to see availability and to purchase tickets. Click here to see the lineup of shows coming to Ottawa for Broadway Across Canada’s 2024-2025 season.

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