I’ll just start this review by saying “One Day More” is still stuck in my head.
“Les Misérables” was one of the first musicals (film, 1998) I ever saw as a kid. I didn’t get it then, but it left me wanting more. I saw it again as a teenager when one of our rival high schools performed it. It was fantastic, but I still didn’t quite get it. With Broadway Across America bringing the show to Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University Nov. 4-9, I figured I had to see it again as an adult to understand the monumental hype behind this absolute behemoth of a show.
I attended the performance on Tuesday with a friend who knew much more than I did about “Les Mis” and the French Revolution, and she was able to add a little perspective to some of the things I noticed and ultimately enjoyed about the show.
Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, “Les Misérables” begins just after prisoner Jean Valjean (Nick Cantrell) is released on parole in 1815 Digne, France. The story follows his struggles as he attempts to rebuild his life while being relentlessly hunted by justice-obsessed Inspector Javert (Preston Truman Boyd).
Jumping to 1823, Valjean’s story begins to intersect with several other “miserable” characters residing between Montreuil-sur-Mer and Montfermeil, including single mother Fantine (Lindsay Heather Pearce), who, after a beautiful mixed belt rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream,” does whatever she can to send money for her young child Cosette (Kayla Scola Giampapa). Valjean promises Fantine he will care for the child, whom Fantine left in the care of con artists Thenardier (Matt Crowle) and his wife (Victoria Houston-Elem).
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Although persistently annoying, the greedy characters do give us one of the more raunchy, vibrant and artfully busy numbers with “Master of the House.”
The story jumps again, to Paris 1832, where a group of young college kids wax poetic about revolution, singing of social justice in “Red and Black” and their rallying cry “Do You Hear the People Sing?” It’s during these public protests that Cosette, now grown (Alexa Lopez), meets and falls hopelessly in love with rebel Marius (Peter Neureuther). Their duet, “A Heart Full of Love,” is a lovely reprieve from the previous laments, with just a touch of hope as it leads into the Act I finale, “One Day More.”
In full transparency, “Les Mis” isn’t like other shows. It is a sung-through musical with operatic components, featuring more than 40 characters, 28 songs and several time jumps. Oh, and it’s three hours long. However, the pacing moves the story along fairly quickly, jumping from one song to the next, as seamlessly as the streets of Paris become a rundown inn, chateau or a barricade.
It is an emotional journey filled with yearning, doubt and self-reflection. It’s not in my top five, but I appreciate the complexities that lie in turning a more than 2,000-page book into a three-hour musical with not one, not two, but about a dozen different songs that just get stuck in your head for days.
After about a 15-minute intermission, I was eager to get into Act II as many of my favorite songs in the show take place back-to-back. Eponine (Jaedynn Latter) is simply magnificent on stage despite her character’s tragic backstory. “On My Own” is heart-wrenching every time I see it, casting an overall pitiful vibe as the walls part and the shadow of the barricade looms over the stage.
However, immediately following “On My Own,” the show came to a screeching halt due to technical difficulty. The audience sat in the dark, chatting amongst ourselves for a little less than 10 minutes before the lights came up on stage, revealing the barricade.
The scenic design for “Les Misérables” is brilliant and complex, and I don’t think I could even adequately describe it. It’s something you have to see for yourself to truly appreciate how much time, engineering and technical brilliance go into getting these shows to work every night. Even with the tiny hiccup, the rest of the show continued to dazzle the audience.
There’s something special in the way lighting gives a character depth and in the way it signifies a character’s death.
This was my first time back at Clowes Memorial Hall since the renovations were completed, and I had a really good time. Getting in and out of the theatre was much smoother than before. I also enjoyed the new concessions and the themed drinks (Cosette’s Kiss was the mocktail, and it was delicious).
“Les Misérables” is such a bold and powerful choice to start off the Broadway in Indiana season. It’s intense, complicated and challenging in a lot of different ways. The characters, who are all largely just misunderstood or misinformed, juxtapose ideas of freedom, justice, mercy and redemption.
Beyond that, the show contains flashing lights, loud noises, simulated gunfire, smoke and haze, as well as themes of violence, death, suicide, sex work, child abuse, war, rebellion and adult language.
Also, a lot of people die onstage – most of them actually. It’s not really a happy ending, but it’s an ending we can ultimately understand and accept.
That being said, it’s one of those shows I think everyone should experience at least once.
“Les Misérables” is on stage at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University, 402 Sunset Ave., Nov. 4-9. For more information about showtimes or to purchase tickets, visit butlerartscenter.org/performances/les-miserables.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
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