Les Mis Live Review

Article by Ethan Jacobs

Les Miserables was originally a novel written by Victor Hugo. The story has been adapted into a musical to tell the tale of Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned to the chain gang for stealing a loaf of bread. Freed by officer Javert, Jean Valjean goes on to rob a man of god for his silver. The priest forgives him, allowing Jean Valjean to make a new life for himself as a mayor and factory owner. When one of the factory workers has a daughter she cannot care for, Jean Valjean takes her daughter in and tries to give her a good life. However, with Jean Valjean’s parole broken, Javert makes it his mission to relentlessly hunt him down.

My Background -

If I was asked what my favorite musical was, I wouldn’t hesitate to say Les Miserables. I remember around 2012, my sister and my mother went to see it in the theater, and bought it on disk a little later. Both of my parents had seen the musical live a few times beforehand, but it was actually the movie that introduced me to it. At around 7 years old, I was obsessed with all the music. I used to sing the songs frequently around the house, which my parents didn’t find as annoying then as they do now whenever I sing. My interest in the French Revolution was also sparked, and in 2nd grade, I went as Napoleon for Halloween. Which I can’t say I love in retrospect.

About a month ago, my mom randomly asked me and my sister if we wanted to see Les Mis in Pittsburgh (it counted as a birthday present). Being more interested in musicals now, I was delighted by the opportunity. I would also like to mention that this would be my first time witnessing a professional musical production. Beforehand I had only seen high school and community theater shows, with the exception of one time I went to Broadway around 2014-ish. I didn’t see a musical there though.

It was the Friday after Thanksgiving that we had tickets to see the show. Surprisingly enough, I had never been to downtown Pittsburgh before this opportunity, which to me is baffling. Driving to the show was a little difficult with parking and such, but the pros outweighed the cons.

The Experience -

The show itself was performed at the Benedum Center. The Benedum Center is a very gorgeous building, and I think it was the perfect stage to take on Les Mis with its lavish and extravagant atmosphere. Our seating was nice, and I had a good view of the entire set. I’d like to mention that while everyone was getting seated, I wasn’t sure what to think of the set then. The set looked really small, and having no prior knowledge of this level of theater, I didn’t realize that the screen up front that displayed some backgrounds would actually rise up and reveal greater set pieces farther back. With the entrance of the first musical number, Look Down, I had chills. The richness of the vocals were superb, especially having only known the movie soundtrack at this point.

Before the show, I was curious what the high notes for Jean Valjean would be. After his encounter with the priest, I was blown away. At some point he belts this high D5 note. It’s hard to reference anything to compare it to because this note is so seldom sung by men in popular music. In fact, I do not believe that this note was in the original Broadway recording. The high D note only came about in recent years of the production.

At The End of The Day, which happens early on, was very well performed. I had trouble following it because people behind me with flashlights didn't know where to sit. The set change here and lighting definitely deserve some appraisal though. The actress for Fantine was also good, but definitely not the best to portray her in the versions I have seen. Lovely Ladies, which followed, was an incredible number, maybe even my favorite. The set design, lighting, and choreography were perfect. I Dreamed a Dream was also pretty solid.

The most stunning performance for me had to be Who Am I. Nick Cartell, the man who portrayed Jean Valjean, is maybe one of the most incredible vocalists I have heard. His timbre and vibrato are excellent, and his upper register is hard not to admire. At the end of Who Am I, Valjean belts a high C5, while not as high as the D5 from before, is much more resonant and he tops off with incredible sustain and vibrato. I had chills.

Master of the House was definitely a fun number to hear, and the actors portraying the Thenardiers did a great job. I do believe his wife was a little better overall. They brought a great sense of comic relief, which felt fresher than any of the gags used in the movie. It was definitely well orchestrated, bringing more instruments to the table such as the accordion and the guitar.

Javert’s Stars number was also very well done. It’s needless to say the actor for Javert did a better job than Russel Crowe in the movie. He brought rich baritone vocals to the role, which played very well in his back and forth numbers with Jean Valjean.

After One Day More, the first act wraps up. It definitely sounded as good as ever. I personally liked the first act much more than the second, but that's more to do with how the musical plays out than anything. The second act did have some of the most impressive moments visually. It also had On My Own, which was performed by a stand in I believe. I’m not totally sure. Regardless, Eponine’s actress had an incredible voice. She was definitely one of the standout performers like Jean Valjean’s actor.

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables was also a personal favorite of mine, on par with the broadway recording from the 80s. The second act still had some good numbers. As one could expect, Do You Hear The People Sing was also excellent as a more group oriented performance. The most shocking moment of the second act had to be Javert’s suicide. It was one of those things that. I, as well as my mom and sister, kept wondering how they were going to perform. Instead of Javert jumping anticlimactically and hiding behind something, the background creates this incredible illusion that he’s falling and we’re watching him sink into the water below. Then the lights fade and he is hidden. It was breathtaking.

Overall, the performance was phenomenal. There was nothing off at all, and even if there was, the cast and crew were competent enough to make anything work.

Notes -

The most visually entrancing aspect of the musical had to be the set. I spent a good portion of the musical gawking at the sheer beauty and complexity of it. The way backstage would so seamlessly roll in and out set pieces was truly incredible, the way the lighting would strategically hide and highlight what the director wanted you to see…it was marvelous. The set pieces themselves were also incredibly detailed. This includes the barricade as well as some of the background building facades. I was amazed by the sheer massiveness of the pieces, as well as how easily they went in and out of use.

The pit orchestra was also amazing. The musical accompaniment gives the musical so much flavor, and the selection of instruments was certainly diverse. Each song or motif had its own sort of sound. For instance, Master of the House’s sort of French, polka sounding instrumental. I certainly admired all of the performers and the pit and how clean of a performance they gave.