With such a star-studded cast, I think that this might be the theatrical event of the season.
It was absolutely wonderful to see John Owen-Jones back as Jean Valjean and, in fact, he is the reason that I booked to see this production. His voice is as sensational as ever, and his acting is superb. As with everything that I have seen him in, he completely inhabits the character and, for me, he is the only Valjean. Words can’t do justice to just how brilliant he is - you need to see him in something to understand the mastery.
Any Les Mis fan will know that Michael Ball was originally Marius, so I was really excited to see him as Javert. His performance of ‘Stars’ and ‘Javert’s Suicide’ were fabulous. They were powerful and emotional, and really gave an insight into the character. Quite frankly, they blew me away. One thing that really struck me about Ball’s performance, however, was that, in all other numbers, he stuck so precisely to timing that, apart from the sceptical eyebrow raises and repulsed looks, the character felt a little wooden. So much so that I was willing him to play and act with the numbers a bit more. I realised afterwards what this was though - this was Javert. Ball sticking precisely to note timings was him portraying the unforgiving policeman who is an absolute stickler for rules and regulations, and who is wooden and rigid in his view of the world and the way he lives his life. Once I realised this, I realised just how fabulous and complete Ball’s performance was. In fact, so complete is his performance that I almost didn’t recognise him at first, and someone in my party didn’t realise it was him until half way through the first act!
Carrie Hope Fletcher was brilliant as Fantine. A slightly different portrayal from those that I have seen before, and it brought tears to my eyes. Bradley Jaden and Shan Ako are absolute powerhouses as Enjolras and Eponine (respectively) and give brilliant performances. I wasn’t totally convinced by Matt Lucas as Thenardier, as he was a little too jolly and didn’t really show the character’s menacing side, but both he and Katy Secombe (Madame Thenardier) were great and provided some comic relief. The ensemble were absolutely fantastic and, being star studded, the chorus numbers were amazing. I must make special mention of Earl Carpenter though, who almost stole the show as Bamatabois.
I loved the set and the staging, and thought that the spotlights to indicate the deaths at the barricades were particularly effective (even if an LX cue did ‘kill’ someone out of order). The projections behind the orchestra were somewhat lost, however, and the lighting at the beginning was blinding for the audience - for once, it wasn’t just me who said this, so it must have been particularly bad! Also, little sections of the show that provide exposition had been cut which meant that, unless you knew Les Mis, there was a risk that you might get lost and not understand what was happening at certain points. Several cast members seemed to stoop to reach the microphones at the front of the stage. Everyone was mic’d up so there was no need for this. Also, everything was played out front to the audience. As a staged concert this is understandable but, as everyone has their own microphone, I felt there could have been a little more interaction between some of the characters as there were some scenes - most notably in ‘The Confrontation’ - where the characters felt like islands rather than part of the same scene.
Despite the minor points above, which are mostly personal preference, this was a truly amazing production, and I can’t wait to go and see it again.
Now for a grumble. Fifteen women in the queue for the ladies at the back of the stalls, who had been queuing since the start of the interval, were told that the second act was going up in three minutes and that they were going to miss the start of it. No assistance or alternatives were provided to make the queue shorter. There was no coordination with other front of house staff to find out where the shortest queues were. There was only criticism that they hadn’t gone to a different ladies! That is absolutely not on Gielgud Theatre. People have paid good money to see this amazing production, and to tell them that they are just going to have to lump it and miss the beginning of the second act, when the facilities are not adequate to meet demand, is not acceptable.
Anyway, fast forward to eight minutes later and everyone from the queue was back in their seats and ready for an amazing second half. Five minutes was all that was required. Shows quite often go up late at the start, so it seems only fair to extend intervals if the facilities provided are not fit to accommodate the needs of a paying audience. Nobody wants a super late night - everyone wants to get home - and it is not ok to excessively extend an interval. But, as was proven here, five minutes can make a massive difference. Audience members don’t miss the show that they have paid (sometimes high ticket prices) to see, and other audience members and the actors are not disturbed. A little bit of common sense and empathy is required from the front of house staff as a brilliant night was almost ruined for several people by one particularly rude and officious front of house person.
I stood up for the ladies in the queue and I think that, because of what I said, the second act went up five minutes late. I apologise to other audience members for this, and the cast, but I am proud of what I did and the consequence it had, as the front of house staff behaviour was not acceptable, and five minutes saved the show for a lot of people. Given that this was the worst length queue that I have ever seen at the Gielgud (and I have been here a fair few times!), the theatre really needs to think about making the interval 25 minutes as a matter of course when it sees such queues.