When the City Springs Theatre Company decided to mount the first local production of “Les Misérables” in over a decade, I remember thinking – that’s a tall order.
Based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name, “Les Misérables” is completely sung-through, and the music, by Claude-Michel Schönberg (lyrics from Herbert Kretzmer), requires a massive amount of vocal stamina and range. The City Springs production is directed by its artistic director, Shuler Hensley, who is a “Les Misérables” veteran, having played the character of Javert on Broadway. But still, it’s an ambitious task to take on for the company as it heads into its ninth season.
The company saw some kinks on opening night, particularly given the sung-through nature of the show. But, given the raw talent on stage, these kinks feel like issues the ensemble should be able to work through as the run continues. And when the ensemble found their rhythm and the solo performers had their moment, the show soared.
“Les Misérables” follows the story of Jean Valjean (Jacob Keith Watson), a thief who decides to turn his life around after a bishop inspires him with an act of mercy. Valjean spends the rest of his life trying to atone for his past while also on the run from a police inspector named Javert (Jonathan Christopher). Their paths continue to cross, eventually leading them to Paris and an attempted revolution.
This time around, the space on the Byers Theatre stage feels a good bit larger than it has in recent memory, the set populated with different levels, allowing multiple spaces both high and low for the actors to perform. “Les Misérables” isn’t the most choreography-heavy show in the world, but the large, spacious set helps accentuate its grandness. During the show’s prologue, Valjean and the rest of his fellow inmates enter from the aisles as Javert stands high above the stage, Hensley taking advantage of the space to the best of his ability.
The grandness of “Les Misérables” is evident in its music, the rhythm and pacing of which sometimes seemed to get away from the performers, particularly in the moments between big, stand-out songs – an aspect of the show that will hopefully settle as the run continues. But, those aforementioned stand-out songs are as impressive as ever.
The City Springs cast is exceedingly talented vocally, and Hensley stages the show to call attention to those talents. During the majority of the show’s big solos – “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Stars” – a curtain comes down to hide the expansive set, leaving the soloist alone onstage, singing directly to the audience. “Les Misérables,” a show often performed as a concert, lends itself to this type of staging, allowing the audience to stare, rapt, as a single performer sings their heart out, allowing the emotion of the moment – and the difficulty of song itself – to spill out over the audience. These moments represent the show at its most memorable, and are also the moments that this particular production finds itself at its strongest.
“Les Misérables” continues at the Byers Theatre through Sept. 27.
