When Victor Hugo wrote “Les Misérables” in 1862, it was a monumental work, weaving together two stories covering a period from 1815 through 1832: one of honor, bravery and love on the part of an ex-criminal named Jean Valjean; the other a tale of the cruelty, depravity and obsession of a police chief named Javert, who relentlessly hunts Valjean for years.
Producer Cameron Mackintosh has created a twenty-fifth anniversary production of the original “Les Misérables.” Currently playing at the Kennedy Center, it may not be the “Les Mis” you remember, but it has all the drama of the original and is propelled by an appreciable new energy.
Directors Laurence Connor and James Powell keep the story tumbling along so fast that you may have the impression that there might not be an intermission. The sense of speed also comes from certain physical elements of the staging. When the students are marching for freedom, for example, projections of Parisian streets behind them unfurl so rapidly that they suggest that the students must be running.
| Onstage |
| ‘Les Miserables’ |
| Where: Opera House, The Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., N.W. |
| When: Through October 30 |
| Info: Tickets start at: $39; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org |
But none of that matters, since the essential thing that has always anchored good productions of “Les Misérables” is there in full force: astonishing voices singing glorious songs. As Jean Valjean, J. Mark McVey’s clear, powerful tenor delivers some of the most memorable numbers, including “Who Am I?” and “Bring Him Home.” Andrew Varela has the vocal muscle and stage presence to create a truly fearsome Javert.
Fantine, the young woman whose life Valjean saves, is portrayed artfully by Betsy Morgan. Fantine’s daughter, Cosette, is played with a nice mixture of toughness and delicacy by Jenny Latimer. Justin Scott Brown brings strength to the role of Marius, Cosette’s boyfriend.
Richard Vida as Thénardier and Shawna Hamic as Madame Thénardier provide superbly sung and danced comic relief. Éponine, their daughter, is given a jazzy interpretation by Chasten Harmon, who belts out a stunning new version of “On My Own.”
Paule Constable’s lighting is subtle and effective. It neatly highlights Matt Kinley’s detailed set, a masterpiece of moving parts. Kinley uses impressionistic, water-color-like backgrounds, inspired by Victor Hugo’s paintings.
With its great themes of suffering, love, forgiveness and redemption, and its great soaring arias and motifs, this “Les Misérables” will rank with the original as one of the most successful grand musicals of the twentieth/twenty-first centuries.
