BWW Reviews: LES MISERABLES Is Still Delighting Sydney Audiences

Sunday 12 July, 2015, 3pm, Capitol Theatre, Sydney

In celebration of the upcoming Bastille Day on the 14th of July, Cameron Mackintosh and the Ambassador of France, H.E. Mr Christophe Lecourtier hosted a celebratory performance of LES MISERABLES. Whilst BWW-Sydney reviewed the opening night on 26th March 2015, it was wonderful to get to see the work again, from a new perspective of a different seat in the theatre. In addition to the dignitaries and guests, this was also a special performance for the hearing impaired with two amazing AUSLAN interpreters that seemed to know the entire score, signing all of the songs to an appreciative audience.

As with my initial review, Matt Kinley's sets are still breathtaking with the second viewing, and from the new vantage point in the stalls, Fifty-Nine Production's projections are even more striking. Whilst the differentiation in class is clear from a distance in Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowland's costumes the second viewing allowed further appreciation of the detail from the wonderful range of brocade waistcoats and velvets worn by the wealthier and the grimier ill-fitting versions scavenged by the poor.

The two leading men, Simon Gleeson as Jean Valjean and Hayden Tee as Javert still carry the show vocally with their clarity, precision, and power combined with a sensitive understanding of their character's emotion and the music's purpose. Of the female characters, Kerry Anne Greenland as Éponine stands out in both vocal quality and connection to the young woman's love of a man that will only ever see her as a friend with street smarts.

Octavia Barron Martin stepped into the role of Madame Thénardier for the performance, and being able to witness the interaction between Trevor Ashley's Thénardier and his wife again was delightful as the little details to their characters highlights a different side to the grotesque characters. The affection and devotion they share is in contrast to the treatment of Cosette and Éponine and what they would have people believe during Master of the House, adding a layer, potentially missed when trying to take in everything. Nicholas Cradock as Gavroche is delightful in his musicality and his interpretation of the gutsy street urchin.

It is noted that directors Laurence Connor and James Powell have chosen to have much of the work delivered with variations of English accents. Potentially aiming to satisfy patrons used to the original London works, the quality of the interpretation varies greatly which can prove distracting and detracting when they turn characters, beside the Thénardiers, into caricatures. There are also some questionable connections between the actors and their characters such as Patrice Tipoki's odd skip/hop as Fantine leaves with Bamatobois which is incongruous with the reluctance Fantine would feel as she resigns herself to sell her body to make money, the final concession to the poverty she finds herself in. For some of the roles, the depth of passion doesn't always translate into the interpretation of the music, resulting in potential difficulties for the audience to connect to a character and there was a lack of strength in power and pitch of some of the significant characters' vocals that can prove distracting.

That said, LES MISERABLES is a visual feast, coloured by Claude-Michel Schönberg's beautiful music that is well worth seeing before it leaves Sydney. Simon Gleeson's heart wrenching pure interpretation of Bring Him Home, Hayden Tee's rendition of Javert's Stars and Kerry Anne Greenland's On My Own must not be missed.

LES MISERABLES

Capitol Theatre, Sydney.

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