The
turntable swirls, the barricades rise and fall and the
characters suffer ever so nobly.
Such is
'Les Miserables,' the enormously popular musical
that recently closed on Broadway after a 16-year
run, but lives on in its national company, which
has taken up residence at the
Colonial for five weeks. That many cast members wereteenagers when the musical
first opened is only proof of its enduring appeal.
From the onset, some
complained it trivializes its source - Victor Hugo's
epic 19th century tale of struggle and
redemption. But what its adaptors - composer Claude-Michel Schonberg and
lyricists Herbert Kretzmer and James Fenton (adapted
from the French lyrics by Alain
Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel) - do extraordinarily
well is condense the novel into a
musical that remains as compelling as it was nearly
two decades ago.
When its myriad characters
converge in the streets of Paris, each singing a
different melodic line at its
first-act curtain, it's impossible not to be caught
up in its fervor. And when the now-legendary
turntable spins to reveal the bodies of the
young student revolutionaries
perched on the battlements, it is difficult not to
be moved, especially these days.
Much of this has to do with
its deftly integrated score, a synthesized mix of
soaring ballads, revolutionary
anthems and novelty numbers. Add to this the superb
staging (by Trevor Nunn and John Caird) that gives the show a cinematic sweep,
abetted
by the turntable in John
Napier's brilliant designs.
At the heart of the show is
the cat-and-mouse chase between Jean Valjean
and Javert, the police officer
who relentlessly pursues him. In these roles are two
solid performers: Randal Keith is
superb as Valjean, bringing a rock-star charisma to
the role, especially with his
moving``Bring Him Home.'' And
as Javert, the ably voiced James Clow
matches him every step of the way, most notably with
his powerful
"Stars.''
In fact, there are strong
voices all around: Tonya Dixon is a touching Fantine, Ma-Anne Dionisio belts
effectively as Eponine, Josh Young sings with a
beautiful tone as Marius and Cindy
Benson and Michael Kostroff provide good
comedy relief as the loathsome Thenardiers, to mention just a few in the
outstanding ensemble.
( ``Les Miserables'' at
the Colonial Theatre, Thursday night, through Dec.
7. )
