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| Carl Hulden as the Bishop and David Foley Jr. as Jean Valjean in the Little Theatre musical 'Les Miserables.' Sullivan News-Progress photo by Keith Stewart. |
You can take
You can give
Let him be
Let him live
If I die, let me die
Let him live…
—
“Bring Him Home,” from “Les Miserables”
By Dan Hagen
The hardest thing for a reviewer
to do is to monotonously lard up a review with superlatives, and yet here I am,
faced with that unpleasant task.
We’ve waited a quarter of a
century for the famed musical “Les Miserables” to arrive at the Little Theatre,
and yet, based on Sunday’s matinee performance, I have to say the long wait was
worth it.
Noel Coward famously noted that
it’s funny how potent cheap music can be. Similarly, it’s odd how emotionally
gripping inherently preposterous material can be.
Stephen Sondheim opened my eyes to
something when he casually observed that farce and melodrama are virtually the
same thing. Both turn on hugely improbable events and even employ many of the
same dramatic devices — the difference is entirely one of attitude.
And Victor Hugo’s “Les
Miserables,” set against the background of France’s ill-fated 1832 “June
Rebellion,” is romantic melodrama with all the trimmings — secret identities,
narrow escapes, monumental coincidences, relentless pursuers, heroic
self-sacrifice and love not merely at first sight, but within the first
nanosecond of meeting.
Those are pretty silly things that
seldom or never happen in actual life, you know. So how can they figure so
prominently in this show — one that carries enough of an emotional charge to
prompt the theater to actually offer “Les Miserables”-logoed facial tissue for
sale in the lobby?
Well, Hugo knew the power of well-handled
soap operatic material even in 1862, and gave his tale a superstructure of
universal human aspirations — for freedom, for love, for an end to hunger and
despair, for redemption, for a noble death, for meaning in existence. This
musical, and this Little Theatre production, makes all that soar, and that means
you’ll need to slip your hand into your pocket for those tissues.
Credit is due to
director/choreographer Kelly Shook and costume designer Timmy Valentine. Scenic
designer Jason Bolen has given us a substantial, two-tiered set to house the 31
performers in this rescaled Broadway spectacle, all broken shudders and hanging
chains. And there behind a clever scrim on that set are musical director Joshua
Zecher-Ross and his orchestra, especially beefed up for this bombastic classic.
The lighting design by Greg
Solomon gives its full support to colorful romanticism, with moody
backlighting, harsh foreground lighting, an effective follow spot and the smoke-filtered
flash of battle.
The performances are all superior.
Let’s start with Sean Zimmerman, memorable as the Pirate King previously at the
Little Theatre. But I like him even better as Inspector Javert, a
clarion-voiced character whom he invests with a perfectly imperious manner.
Javert is a living embodiment of the fallacy of deontological ethics, a man so
devoted to duty, to rules, to the Law that he is willing to grind justice and
compassion beneath his boot. Zimmerman’s “Soliloquy” is thrilling.
Tim Quartier and Amelia Millar are
convincing as the beautiful young couple, Marius and Cosette, despite being
saddled with what I regard as the least convincing aspect of the story — the
fact they are required to fall in love literally the first second they see each
other. Why? The problem is logistical. The show is already three hours long,
and crammed full of blood-and-thunder plot developments. There’s just no room
left for a lengthy courtship.
Karla Shook, as Fantine, gives
full justice to one of the show’s most famous throat-tightening songs, “I
Dreamed a Dream.” Little Theatre vet Cary Mitchell has a strong, brief turn as
Bamatabois, the lying hypocrite who delivers the final blow to the faded,
degraded Fantine.
Two children — Piper Countryman as
Young Cosette and Oliver Adamson as Gavroche — transcend mere cuteness to
really win over the hearts of the audience.
Garrit Guadan has a skin-shivering
voice that conveys youthful idealism as the admirable and foolish rebel
Enjolras.
 |
| Therese Kincaid as Madame Thenardier |
My two favorite characters are
Eponine, played by Equity actor Ruthie Stephens, and Jean Valjean, played by
Equity actor David Foley, Jr. They are just so damned noble.
I hear this show described as
“dark,” but I never think of it that way, despite all the death and desperation
in it. All of that is redeemed, for me, by the numinous nobility of these
characters. They seem to make life worth living, even there and then.
Eponine, cursed to be the daughter
of the Thenardiers, loves Marius hopelessly, and is willing to sacrifice
everything for the happiness of a man who will never love her.
Stephens’ “On My Own” solo must
have kicked up a good amount of dust in the theater. A lot of it seemed to end
up in my eyes.
And finally there’s Foley as
Valjean, a man embittered by a long and unjust imprisonment who betrays a
kindly bishop, only to be forgiven yet again. This stunning act of charity is
the catalyst that transforms Valjean into a kind of secular saint, asking
nothing, shouldering burden after burden, saving person after person. Foley
carries off this difficult role with a voice that is piercingly heroic, yet
never overbearing, and eyes that can project a convincing sympathy. We believe
him.
Listen to Foley pray “Bring Him
Home,” listen to the people sing, and as this show ends your knees will
straighten and propel you right onto your feet.
I never give standing ovations,
but I did this time, and I wasn’t alone.
Incidental intelligence: The Little Theatre’s version of this Cameron
Mackintosh-produced musical features production stage management by Bill Munoz.
The cast includes Anna Zaccari, Ethan Carpenter, Carl Hulden, Charles South, Adam
Molloy, Matthew Deitchman, Jared Titus, Jason Weitkamp, Vincent Diperi, Joshua
Phan-Gruber, Jack Scott. The show runs through March 3. For tickets, call The
Little Theatre On The Square Box Office at 217-728-7375.
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