“Who am I? 24601!”
Can you believe I have been reviewing shows since 2016 and have never reviewed Les Misérables the West End Musical? Considering it’s my all-time favourite musical, that’s shameful if you ask me, so I couldn’t go “One Day More” without telling you, my thoughts.
I’m pretty sure I have probably seen Les Misérables 15+ times . . . so have seen multiple variations and productions of the show, West End, UK Tour and the Staged Concert in 2019 which was incredible, and even a school edition in 2017. I have seen the likes of Carrie Hope Fletcher as Éponine on multiple occasions in the West End and as Fantine in the Staged Concert, Samantha Barks as Éponine in the West End, Bradley Jaden as Enjolras and Javert in multiple West End productions, Michael Ball as Javert in the concert (Ball actually played Marius in the original London production all those years ago), Matt Lucas as Thénardier in the concert and I should’ve seen Alfie Boe in the concert however he was sick, so the role of Jean Valjean was played by John Owen-Jones who I had seen previously on the West End and is incredible!
My love for the longest-running musical in the world, came after a trip to the theatre in 2010/11 where I first watched Les Misérables, and my love grew even deeper after the feature film came out in January 2013, the film starred Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Eddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks and I absolutely loved it! Due to the film the soundtrack became more popular than ever, and seemed to be everywhere and has been stuck in my head ever since (I quote lines from the score on a daily basis).
“At The End of The Day” what’s it all about? Set in 19th century France, Les Misérables follows the life of Jean Valjean, who stole a loaf of bread and was imprisoned for 19 years, after his release Valjean struggles to adapt to life on the outside and as no one will take him in or give him work because he’s an ex-convict, so he decides to break his parole to become a new man. In his quest for absolution, Jean Valjean agrees to take care of Cosette (the daughter of one of his factory workers Fantine) however Javert the ex-guard is hot on his tail and Valjean is found in Paris many years later during the French revolution. The show includes love, passion, courage, and heartache but who for? You will need to watch the show to find out.
Les Mis is currently playing a new production hailed as “Les Mis for the 21st Century” at The Sondheim Theatre. It transferred to The Sondheim Theatre (then The Queen’s Theatre) in 2004 after a 19-year run at the Palace Theatre. As I said before, I have seen it so many times, and have seen multiple variations of the show, some changes I personally think didn’t need to happen and I would’ve preferred they stayed the same, and some changes I feel have massively improved the show. A few examples, in previous productions they had a revolving barricade which has now been replaced with a static barricade (I do prefer the old version) there is one poignant scene with Gavroche which I feel worked better in the old productions, however Javert’s final scene I feel has been massively improved, and is so much better in the new production, as are the scenes after the barricade falls, in the sewers.
Enough of the history, lets talk about the current cast I saw when I last went in February 2023. Dean Chisnall plays Jean Valjean, I’m pretty sure this is the first time I have seen Chisnall in this role, he was fantastic, and provided an emotional and heartfelt rendition of “Bring Him Home” which is one of my favourite songs from the show. David Thaxton plays Javert, it was my first time seeing the new production, so Javert’s final scene gave me goosebumps, also Thaxton’s rendition of Stars again gave me goosebumps and reminded me just how much I love this show! Gerard Carey plays Thénardier who I have seen in previous productions and was fantastic as ever.
Éponine is played by Nathania Ong, her on stage chemistry with Robert Tripolino who plays Marius was fantastic, Éponine’s unrequited love for Marius is so strong, and what with Lulu-Mae Pears as Cosette entering the love triangle, love and compassion is rife, but between who?
I have never seen a bad production of Les Misérables, I genuinely belief it’s not possible, as the casting is always so fantastic and they seem to get it spot on every time. I may not agree with some of the production changes over the years, but that’s just me, if its your first time watching the musical then you have nothing to compare it to, I think as I have seen it so many times, I easily notice the changes, but it’s still an absolutely fantastic show, and will always be my number 1 favourite musical of all time.
No expense is spared when it comes to the set design, seeing Les Misérables on the West End is a true experience, which I think everyone should experience at least once in there lifetime. Fun fact, Les Misérables has been seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries and in 22 languages, so why not make it 130,000,001?
So do not spend One Day More having not seen this show, see it On Your Own if needed, Dream A Dream, Look Down and Hear The People Sing. Book tickets from £24 via LondonBoxOffice now.