Review - Les Miserables (3.23.07)

Les Miserables (Friday, 3.23.07)
Broadhurst Theatre, New York City

By: Claude-Michel Schonberg (music), Alain Boublil & Herbert Kretzmer (lyrics, book), John Napier (design), David Hersey (lighting), Andreane Neofitou (costumes), Jon Weston (sound), Christopher Jahnke (new orchestrations), Stephen Metcalfe (co-orchestrator)
Starring: Alexander Gemignani (Jean Valjean), Norm Lewis (Javert), Lea Salonga (Fantine), Thenardier (Gary Beach), Jenny Galloway (Mme. Thenardier), Zach Rand (Gavroche), Megan McGillis (u, Eponine), Ali Ewoldt (Cosette), Aaron Lazar (Enjolras), Adam Jacobs (Marius), Drew Sarich (Grantaire)

When I saw the show in January, the production obviously suffered from an identity crisis. On the one hand, it wanted to remain faithful to the memory so engrained in the minds of its devoted audience. On the other hand, it wanted to be fresh, new and relevant. The producers and creative directors could not seem to decide, though, what they really wanted to do with the show. Moreover, the young cast showed its inexperience or, at least, its difficulty in re-defining roles that had been played by so many so well. Even the more experienced actors showed they couldn’t necessarily inhabit the roles in a successful way. The results were very varied, and the production as a whole suffered, especially when compared to the original, but more importantly, on an artistic level.

Well, even with some questionable directorial decisions, the cast now playing this show demonstrates what good actors can do to transform a production. Although the cast is largely the same as it was in January, with the actors having a few additional months playing those roles, and with a key casting change, the production that lagged so badly before is now a near triumph. It’s as if this is a whole different production.

Leading the charge is Lea Salonga, an experienced actress who not only has a history with Schonberg and Boublil, but who shows her own versatility in taking on and embracing the role of Fantine. Salonga’s performance is sensational – gorgeously sung, beautifully acted, and appropriately tear-inducing at every turn. Because the first half hour of the show is all about Fantine, Salonga’s presence and performance are key to transforming the piece into something memorable.

The other casting change was an understudy, Megan McGillis, filling in for Celia Keenan-Bolger as Eponine. McGillis is perfect in the role, her edgy voice and tough but fragile demeanor filling the stage. Although she loses some of her power in her big Act II moment “On My Own,” in general she sings very well, and her counterpoints during “A Heart Full of Love” are exquisite. McGillis is a vast improvement of Keenan-Bolger, who never really seemed to capture the fragility of Eponine’s character. McGillis’s desperation for Marius is absolutely heartbreaking.

As for the rest of the cast, several of the actors have settled nicely into their roles. Adam Jacobs and Ali Ewoldt, who have been doing some good work, have grown all the more in their roles, and their chemistry is simply fantastic. Jacobs comes across and ernest and lost – he brings just the right amount of enthusiasm to “One Day More” and just the right amount of pathos to his big Act II number “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.” His duet with Eponine in “A Little Fall of Rain” is beautifully rendered. Meanwhile Ewoldt brings just the right amount of girlist naievete to the role. Her lilting soprano is almost childlike at times, but it is never inappropriate, and more critically, she brings a likability that captures the essence of Cosette’s character. Her duets with Jacobs are marvelous.

Alexander Gemignani has grown into the role of Jean Valjean. Although he is still too young and a little too cool to play this role to its full effect, he at least injects some life into the character’s earlier scenes. We no longer get the character shift that was so jarring when he played the role previously. Instead, his performance is more consistent. Still not quite there, but more consistent. His performance of “Bring Him Home” is beautifully rendered, and is no longer nonsensical or overplayed. It is also nice to report that he is in better vocal form than he was previously, struggling less with the higher range.

The remainder of the cast remains excellent, with Norm Lewis and his silky baritoned Javert as the true standout. Gary Beach and Jenny Galloway are likewise excellent, delivering edgy comic performances. And Aaron Lazar is excellent as Enjolras.

The show retains its smaller and less grand feel. The weak orchestrations and ill-conceived redirection are still lamentable, and do detract from the overall staging. But it is nice to report that the show’s heart has returned from its hiatus. This new new Les Miz is emotionally lifting and gorgeous to listen to, as it should be.