| Issue #33, November 10, 2006 |
review: les misérables...by gordin & christiano
Cameron Mackintosh, who brought us Cats, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon, is presenting a Broadway revival of his long running smash hit musical Les Misérables, just over three years after the show, which is still running in London, closed its successful run here in May of 2003. Directed by John Caird and Trevor Nunn, the same team that directed and adapted the first U.S. production, this new version, with fresh orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke, has been slightly scaled down for the smaller stage and boasts an entirely new cast of excellent singers, yet the evening feels like a vibrant, carbon-copy of the masterful original, without its stirring heart.
The engrossing tale with multiple plots is based on the 19th century classic French novel by Victor Hugo that resonates with clarity of vision, “an essential spark, an element of the divine, which goodness can preserve,” that Hugo believed to be indestructible and inherent in every human soul. His sweeping story, which cuts across a wide swath of characters from many social levels, has been smartly cut down by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, so that it unfolds with intense momentum. The saga follows Jean Valjean (Alexander Gemignani), a man of overwhelmingly high morals, who has been imprisoned for 20 years in a chain gang for stealing a loaf of bread to feed a child.
Upon his release from prison, Valjean becomes a wealthy, esteemed citizen, but is nonetheless diligently stalked by the self-justified Inspector Javert (Norm Lewis) for breaking his parole. Valjean encounters a compassionate Bishop (James-Chip Leonard), who puts him on the path toward goodness, and he takes over the care of Cosette (Ali Ewoldt), the daughter of dying prostitute Fantine (Daphne Rubin-Vega), and raises her as his own. Later on, Cosette falls in love with Marius (Adam Jacobs), a dashing revolutionary in the failed student revolt.
The operatic musical began life as a French pop-opera album and, indeed, the soaring music by Claude-Michel Schonberg with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer lifts the evening into another dimension, makes it easy to understand, and is why Les Misérables has been so popular. There is nothing little about this show, and the overflowing staging brilliantly mirrors that largeness, making effective use of an inventive set design by John Napier that has a revolving center, allowing for the many scenes to easily evolve from one to the next with overlapping progressions that often keep much of the cast on stage at the same time.
The entire cast is on stage as the first act ends with the rousing anthem “One More Day.” The unforgettable number is teeming with the voices and raw emotions of the characters we have just met, and all the evening’s elements come together in an overwhelmingly magnificent surge.
In the title role, Gemignani hides behind his splendid voice, and his Valjean fails to register with the intensity necessary to give his performance weight. He is lacking in the early scenes, only feigning emotion, and as a result, his characterization fails to build. He does redeem himself beautifully in the ballad “Bring Him Home”– one of the highlights of the evening – if only the entire performance possessed the same quality.
In the less-complex role as Javert, Lewis does somewhat better, but he too is not forceful enough, and their interactions remain more vapid than compelling.
While some of the actors were unfortunately miscast, others lack passion, but they all sing handsomely. The unevenness of the performances, however, is what keeps this production of Les Misérables from becoming the emotionally moving extravaganza of the 1987 original, and the evening, although still powerful, feels disappointingly gutless.
Les Misérables opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, 233 West 44th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenues on November 9, 2006. For tickets, call 212 239-6200 or visit the box office.
Gordin & Christiano are theatre critics. Barry Gordin is an internationally renowned photographer. They can be reached at bg6@verizon.net.
 |
