Les Misérables doesn’t come back around very often. After its original Australian production in the late 1980s, that toured the country and the region on and off for years, we didn’t see it back on a large commercial scale until ten years ago.
It’s smart
for these big shows to opt for scarcity, so they feel special when they return.
If you leave it long enough, a classic like this will build an audience through
a generation who hasn’t had a chance to see it. And if you find the sweet spot,
your previous audience will come back to revisit a favourite of years gone by.
This time,
instead of the show settling into one of our large commercial theatres for
several months, in comes Les Misérables the Arena Spectacular – playing at
Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne for two weeks before jetting off to Brisbane. The
show has already played Sydney.
It’s not
unheard of for rock operas or actual operas to get the stadium treatment. Most
famously and long-remembered is the production of Jesus Christ Superstar
from the early 1990s with John Farnham in the lead role of Jesus. Opera
Australia toured Puccini’s Tosca to arenas last year.
The
production itself is a concert with minimal staging and maximum impact, every
role filled with astonishing performances from actors who know the show and
these roles very well. It’s the musical theatre equivalent of an all-star band.
Michael Ball who played Javert at Melbourne’s opening night created the role of
Marius in the original West End production. Alfie Boe has already played
Valjean on the West End and on Broadway. Earl Carpenter who plays the Bishop in
this incarnation has previously played Javert. And Australian musical theatre
legend Marina Prior – here as Madame Thénardier – played Cosette in the
original production of Les Mis in Australia. It’s an embarrassment of riches.
[Note:
there are alternate performers who will play Javert (Bradley Jaden) and Valjean
(Killian Donnelly) at various performances, which are listed clearly on the website.]
The musical
itself is considered a classic for a reason. It’s packed with musical theatre
standards, many of which are famous beyond the show because they are perfectly
crafted numbers that tell stories or sketch a character so completely. From I
Dreamed a Dream to Come to Me (Fantine’s Death) to Stars to Do
You Hear the People Sing to One Day More and the list goes on.
Hearing them delivered by some of the world’s greatest performers of these
particular songs is a real blessing for local audiences.
I have
often complained about overseas actors being imported, particularly in replica productions,
with the implicit suggestion that producers couldn’t find Australian talent to
fill the parts. Local actors deserve to get ongoing theatre work. In the case
of the Arena Spectacular, I think it’s okay to bring out seasoned performers
with a few years of the character under their belt.
Does the
show work in front of a crowd of 15,000? Being a sung-through musical, much of
the power of the show does lie in the execution of the songs. As long as you
can hear the people sing… does it matter if it’s not an intimate experience?
And just as in a concert, there are large screens to the left and right of the
stage to be able to see faces up-close – handy even for me, who had seats in
the front half of the floor. But essential for anyone further back.
The
flexible lighting grid illuminates the stage in clever and inventive ways, as
well as acting as part of the barricade at the end of act one as the Company
belts One Day More. There’s a third screen that sits front and centre
that occasionally has evocative illustrations that gave a sense of atmosphere
rather than concrete scene setting.
Much of the
ensemble remain on stage for much of the show, sitting in a bank of seating under
the orchestra that does bring power to the various crowd scenes. And the
costumes are vivid and adaptable; some quick changes happen on stage as part of
the action.
I think the
production comes from a place that considers most of the audience has seen the
show before or knows the story. Some of the character beats are glossed over
and one particular climactic moment felt like a dramatic letdown. In moments, it did feel
like a recital of the show – moving from one classic number to the next, but
there is extraordinary power in so much of the production it’s easy to forgive
a few missteps.
And I could
have done without a title card after the prologue; but this is just a
quibble.
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The
performances are all world-class, of course, so it’s hard to pick stand-outs
without making a huge list. It’s a real privilege to see Michael Ball’s powerful
incarnation of Javert. Alfie Boe’s Jean Valjean is astonishing. Marina Prior
and Matt Lucas pair beautifully as the comically sinister Thénardiers. Rachelle
Ann Go’s Fantine is sublime. Shan Ako’s Eponine is achingly truthful. And let’s
give it up for Scarlett Sheludko and Christopher Joseph as Little Cosette and
Gavroche; these child performers are remarkable.
Les
Misérables the Arena Spectacular is a top-notch production full of extraordinary performances. A once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to see this show the biggest it will ever be.
- Keith Gow, Theatre First
The Arena Spectacularis playing in Melbourne until May 25 and is in Brisbane from May 28
Photos: Daniel Boud
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