Sondheim Theatre
This review contains spoilers
Les Misérables is a triumph of a musical. It has been standing strong in the west end since 1985, seen 14,156 audiences and yet it shows no sign of slowing down. So, when my parents asked if I wanted to go with them to see Les Mis, I leaped at the chance to see if the second longest running musical could live up to the expectations I had set. Spoiler alert- it did.
The set:
The story of Les Mis is set in the midst of poverty, which is apparent by its set design. Even before the curtain goes up you are greeted by the ambiance of the production- utter devastation and darkness, and as the curtain rises, you can’t help but to be engrossed into the heart-breaking but captivating world of Les Mis.
As a lover of the turntable, I was a little apprehensive at how well the show would work with it’s absence. However, to say the emphasis of emotion was still there would be an understatement. This production was still as intense and heart shattering as the previous version I had fallen in love with.
Songs:
Even if you don’t know anything about Les Misérables, I reckon you must have heard some of it’s iconic songs- “I dreamed a dream”, and “on my own” to name a few. Finally hearing them live was nothing less than surreal, and each of the songs were sung with such vulnerability and desperation, particularly ‘I dreamed a dream’. It’s probable that it’s the most well known song in Les Mis, so my excitement to hear it live was very high and it did not disappoint.
However, unexpectedly the song that stood out to me most was ‘Javerts Soliloquy,” sung by Bradley Jaden, thanks to Jaden’s powerful acting. -trigger warning- The song ends with Javert committing suicide to escape from “the world of Jean Valjean,” due to his frustrations of letting Valjean slip away repeatedly and therefore, he fails to do his duty as a police officer. The song is a builds up to this and is the first time that Javert is really vulnerable with the audience (Javert even admits that his “heart is stone”). You can hear Javert’s hesitation as he finally admits how Valjean’s diligence and carefulness overpowers his own determination. Throughout the song, you hear him slowly distend into sheer distress as he adopts a defeatist attitude, whilst still holding on to heaps of anger towards Valjean.
The ending song- “Do you hear the people sing? (reprise)”, was the perfect mix of optimism, whilst still acknowledging that it was a bittersweet situation (considering that are all in the afterlife). There was not an inch of defeat in their voices, which I really liked- after all, the “chain is broken” and they are now “hoping for a brighter tomorrow.”
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