Momentous. That is the singular word that encapsulates Broadway Across Canada’s rendition of Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Les Misérables. The Tony Award-winning musical by Alain Boublil and composer Claude-Michel Schönberg wowed audiences at the National Arts Centre last night, where it opened a six-day run.
While few have tackled Victor Hugo’s 2,700-page tome, Les Misérables, the title is widely recognized, often through its multiple cinematic renditions. Notably, the 2012 adaptation directed by Tom Hooper, boasting a star-studded cast—Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, and Eddie Redmayne—garnered multiple Acadamy Award nominations and achieved a trifecta of wins.
From the moment the curtain rose on the stage at the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall, the singing began, and the audience was drawn into the narrative conveyed solely through song. We met prisoner 24601, also known as Jean Valjean, among his fellow convicts rowing to the penal colony. The audience soon learns that Valjean stole a loaf of bread to feed his sister and her starving children. Although he appears a disagreeable character, the severity of his punishment is excessive.
The set design in this production is excellent. The opening scene incorporates digital projections to immerse the audience in the story. It is a tool that is used throughout multiple scenes and really enhances the sense of place. In addition, the physical sets are quite remarkable, and their automation, constantly moving to meet the scenes of the fast-paced story, is impressive.
Les Misérables is a big story with a large cast. The two-hour and 55-minute running time covers a lot of ground. The mood is dark and solemn, and Valjean reveals himself as a very flawed man with a dark past trying to integrate himself back into a society that is equally dark and most uninviting.
A bishop gives Valjean a second chance at life, and his first act of redemption is to help the downtrodden Fantine, a young woman he saves from the indifference of the upper class and the clutches of the law. Haley Dortch, as Fantine, sings one of the most notable ballads of the production, “I Dreamed a Dream,” a beautiful rendition that tops Susan Boyles’s Britain’s Got Talent performance.
If the costumes and sets were suddenly stripped away, the musical performances alone would carry the show. Nick Cartell as Valjean delivers an incredible performance. In Act Two, his ballad “Bring Him Home” is a beautiful plea to God to save his ward’s suitor, Marius (Jake David Smith).
Taking on the roles of jesters, the crooked innkeeper Thénardier (Matt Crowle) and his wife Madame Thénardier (Victoria Huston-Elem) perform two excellent, fun-filled songs: “Masters of the House” and “Beggars at the Feast.” Their comedic performances add an element of fun to the darkness portrayed on stage.
Set against the backdrop of the 1830 French Revolution, Les Misérables is akin to reading Shakespeare; it’s grand and often intense, and numerous layers are revealed as you delve deeper into it. In its simplest form, the story is about light and dark, good and bad, and the fight for a fairer world.
The audience recognizes that Jean Valjean’s transformation from a convict to a morally compassionate citizen with integrity is complete when he says, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” Aged and feeble, illuminated by the glow of two candlesticks, Valjean leaves this world and rises to heaven as a righteous man, where he joins Fantine and his comrades who fell at the barricades.
Seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries and 22 languages, it is easy to see why Les Misérables is one of the world’s most popular musicals. It is epic and a must-see.
Broadway Across Canada’s staging of Les Misérables runs until Sunday, August 11th. Limited tickets can still be purchased via the National Arts Centre website.
This fall, after 26 years on the stage, Broadway Across Canada is bringing Disney’s The Lion King back to Ottawa. Click here for more information and a link to tickets
For information on Broadway Across Canada, visit ottawa.broadway.com/shows/
Photo: Matthew Murray
