Les Misérables

Shows of such high calibre don’t happen by chance. The creative team and volunteers at CentreStage Geelong have gone above and beyond (the barricades) to bring Les Misérables to regional theatre starved audiences. During Covid, CentreStage’s previous production, West Side Story, had to be shutdown with enormous repercussions financially and otherwise. Producer David Greenwood and many other financial backers short of selling their hair and teeth, have saved the company and managed to put on this wonderful new production to rave reviews, relatively few ‘empty chairs’ and standing ovations from audiences with ‘a heart full of love’. 

There are so many ‘little people’ involved in this mammoth production I cannot give them all credit here. ‘At the end of the day’, over 50 performers onstage, 30 plus musicians and 150 volunteers are all ‘stars’ and deserve recognition.  

Even though Victor Hugo’s story is 160 years old, this production feels really fresh and current and the themes chime true. World events including wars, economic hardships and even shootings affect our loved ones on a global scale.

Personally I feel the characters in this production seem like everyday people like you and I. They very relatable. I really felt empathy for them. I was walking in their shoes the entire show. 

Martin Croft’s strong directorial abilities are evident through the high standard of acting. 

Nick Addison’s portrayal of Jean Valjean is very sensitive and believable. His rendition of ‘Bring Him Home’ is perfection. Shaun Kingma (Javert), with over 30 years of performing behind him, is a force (of the law) to be reckoned with. With his apparent classical training ‘Stars’ and ‘Javert’s Suicide’ were highlights of the night vocally.  Erin Cornell (Fantine) had the audience hanging off every heartbreaking word during crowd favourite ‘I Dreamed a Dream’’. Jessica Faulkner (Cosette) played a giddy love starved teenager capably, delighting the audience with her Snow White vocals on ‘A Heart Full of Love’. During Storm Randall’s (Marius) performance of ‘Empty Chairs’ you could hear a pin drop and plenty of noses blowing. Samuel Allsop (Enjolras) commanded each scene with his powerful vocals. Sharni Clarke’s (Eponine) rendition of ‘On My Own’ was heart wrenching.  After nearly lifting the roof off the theatre followed by sobbing on the last few words, I doubt there was a dry eye in the house. 

Barry Mitchell (Monsieur Thenardier) and Michelle Marcu (Madame Thenardier) were spot on as the shady, buffoonish innkeepers who will do anything for money. Every time they entered the stage you couldn’t help but giggle. ‘Master of The House’, with the largest ensemble I recall, was exceptionally uproarious and a crowd pleaser. Madame Thenardier’s entrance in the wedding scene, tripping over her gaudy dress and legs sprawling in the air was a knockout.

For this performance, young Cosette was played by Jessie Grinter (alternate with Samarah Parker). Gavroche was played by Campbell Van Elst (alternates Daniel Lim & Emerson Hudson-Collins). Out of all the Australian productions of Les Misérables I’ve seen since 1989, Jessie and Campbell have to be my favourite Cosette and Gavroche. Jessie seemed so at home on stage and ‘Castle on a Cloud’ was sung very beautifully. Likewise, Campbell’s stage presence for a 13 year old is impeccable. His final dramatic scene was so believable that it reduced me to tears. Young Eponine was played gracefully by Zoe Baker (alternate Evie Walsh). The remaining main roles and ensemble are all to be congratulated for a performance good enough to grace major theatres anywhere!  Don’t ‘look down’ on this production because it is up there with the best.

Les Misérables connoisseurs will be excited with this new version from the West End, as it contains new music and orchestrations. Most notably a short melody as Jean Valjean and Cosette leave the Thenardiers inn, new orchestrations on ‘Turning’ and ‘Dog Eats Dog’ and, to my surprise, the addition of pipe organ to the ‘Finale’.  A couple of other staging changes I noticed were the addition of the female ensemble singing ‘Do You Hear The People Sing?’ along with the students in Act One. Additionally, after the students are killed on the barricade the wives and mothers come onstage sobbing and hugging their loved ones. This was a very emotional scene and well done. 

Although not having flys or large wings on the Costa Hall stage, the main set consisting of a street facade was seamlessly moved or changed to different settings without a hitch.  Sets and props including a runaway cart, the barricade, the inside of the inn and the wedding feast have obviously been meticulously researched and crafted. The wedding scene in this production is one of the most lavish I’ve seen. The costumes throughout the show are fresh, going to great lengths to emulate the styles of the era. 

Jason Bovaird’s lighting design is extraordinary! The silhouettes, projections, backlights, a starry sky and hundreds of other lighting effects are almost a main character in themselves. The wash of colours from orange and green, red and blue and deep purples to name a few were delicious. The lighting used for the final battle scene felt like being at a Pink Floyd concert. The sound design by Nick O’Connor was sumptuous. You could clearly hear all dialogue and vocals. Sound effects such as dripping water in the sewer scene or bullets ricocheting around the theatre were used subtly to great effect. And the amplification of the orchestra was no mean feat. It sounded like a full symphony orchestra.

The orchestra, consisting of 34 musicians under the capable baton of Phil Kearney, is a powerhouse. This difficult score goes from epic symphonic moments to delicate strums of an acoustic guitar. There’s hardly a minute’s rest for the orchestra playing over two hours of music in each show.

Congratulations to all the cast and crew for such a spectacular production. Geelong performing arts is now rightfully back in the spotlight!  “Do You Hear the People Sing?’  No?  Well, you can! There are still five more shows left in the season, playing until June 11. Shows this good don’t come around every day. You’ll be miserable if you miss out! 

Jonathan Cox