Theate review: Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular
Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular
Based on the novel by Victor Hugo
Concept, Book and Original Lyrics Alain Boublil
Book and Music Claude-Michel Schönberg
Directors James Powell and Jean-Pierre Van Der Spuy
Producer Cameron Mackintosh
Photo Credits Daniel Boud and Danny Kaan
Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP, MAICD
Impresario Cameron Mackintosh keeps coming up with the goods. Thirty-eight years after he first produced Les Misérables in Sydney, Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular opened to a packed 8,000 seat ICC at Darling Harbour. Designed for larger venues, this isn’t just a concert version; there’s plenty of theatrical production on a bigger scale. “Spectacular” only begins to describe it. Sixty-five people are in the cast and orchestra.
On the opening night the place was heaving with energy and anticipation and we knew that we were in for something special.
How was the all-important casting? For starters, every cast member is an outstanding triple threat.
Alfie Boe is the best Jean Valjean I have seen. His singing and projection of the numerous emotions along his character’s journey pulls us in and keeps us with him.
When I saw Philip Quast in the original Australian production decades ago, I didn’t think that there could possibly be a better Javert, and there hasn’t been, but Michael Ball comes close. Ball played Marius in the original production in London’s West End in 1985. His voice, power and stage presence are riveting. Boe and Ball definitely hold up their ends of the main plot dynamic.
Interest in Matt Lucas as Thénardier was high, and when he entered he projected a Keith Richards vibe. Lucas certainly knows how to do comedy and he possesses a very decent set of pipes.
The now veteran performer Marina Prior had a throat infection and couldn’t perform as Madame Thénardier on the night but Helen Walsh stepped up to make the most of her opportunity.
Two stand-out performers are Rachelle Ann Go as Fantine and Shan Ako as Éponine. Their acting abilities are truly impressive. Their emotions held us there and their soaring vocals blasted through the high ICC ceiling. When Go sang I Dreamed a Dream, her voice kept going higher and higher and higher and higher and I wondered how high she would take it. Ako’s On My Own was mesmerising. Her clean and clear voice had me in.
As Enjolras, James D. Gish reminded me of a young Anthony Warlow, and as the other young revolutionary, Marius, Jac Yarrow was also compelling, especially when he sang Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.
In this production, all of the poorer French people had Cockney accents. They must have come from the East End of Paris.
The above-stage lighting grid ascends and descends like a space ship and tilts to become the barricades.
The two upstage prompt and OP side screens provide close-ups of the performers and the larger, centre screen subtly sets the location scenes.
The sound system is perfect, and those spectacular singing voices, backed by the full orchestra, fill the entire space and provide many goosebump moments.
There are normally standing ovations on opening nights, but people were standing and applauding well before the curtain calls. If you are partial to music and musicals, especially Les Miz, enjoy and appreciate outstanding talent and crave a spectacular, high budget production experience, Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular is on at the ICC in Darling Harbour, but not for much longer before it moves to Melbourne.