LES MISERABLES AT THE QUEEN'S THEATRE, LONDON
Theatre Run: Continual
Performance Viewed: Matinee, Wednesday 10 October 2012 (as press)
Reviewed by Kyle Pedley
Les Miserables is one of those seminal entities already etched firmly into the history of musicals - becoming ‘now the longest running musical in the world’ (according to the show’s official website) and it isn’t hard to see why. This is classic, grandiose and affecting musical theatre at it’s most raw and bombastic, and this original production, now in it’s 28th year and currently residing at the Queen’s Theatre, London, has lost none of it’s relevance, impact or almost incomparable quality.
For a show of so many years the most notable praise must go first and foremost to it’s ambition and spectacle. Where the producers, designers et al could quite comfortably have leant on the shows legacy and repute to acquire it’s audience, instead this current production continually impresses and at times amazes with faultless costume design, remarkable technical artistry and an almost astonishing number of elaborate, complicated sets that surpass practically anything currently on show in the West End. With almost every scene transition comes a moving, turning, growing location; piecing itself together and moving into place, the whole production continually feeling vibrant and alive as a result. The seamless and utterly convincing sense of place that is evoked throughout, from the hushed chambers of the Bishop of Digne through to the bustling, elaborate slums of Paris and militaristic fortifications of the revolutionaries barricade, displays a craftsmanship and scope that is thankfully met by Les Miserables’ sweeping story, engaging and diverse cast of characters, a now-classical score and a genuinely terrific cast bringing it all to life with power, conviction and heart.
