Les
Misérables
by
Chris Holmes
57
Aluredian
House. Greg Albery was a most convincing
Marius: his tender duets with Bryony were
intensely touching. The complex Eponine,
blindly in love with Marius, was a perfect role for
Tamar Dewbery, intelligent yet full of conflicting
forces within. Her death at the barricades was
one of several heart-stopping moments.
Toby Catton was an ideal choice for Enjolras,
full of idealistic liberalism and an inspirational
leader of his men, all expressed in some
powerful vocal scenes. Joe Merriweather too
deserves special mention as Gavroche: this
was a really touching performance - his end
was another chilling moment.
The innkeeper Thénardier and his wife were a
real highlight, outlandish and larger than life,
brought to life by Jordan Webb and Ruth
Canham with impressive comic timing and
wonderfully characterised singing. They were
accompanied in many of their scenes by a
magnificent chorus, full of life and energy, and
superbly trained by vocal coach Jennie Morris -
you would have paid money in a professional
theatre for their multi-part singing at the end of
each half.
And it was this sheer professionalism that ran
throughout the production. The driving force
behind this was new Head of Drama at King's,
Alastair Wood. His imaginative vision and eye
for colour and design provided the audience
with a feast for the eye - the production was
visually stunning. Alongside him were the
musicians, expertly brought together yet again
by musical director Colin Albery. They must
draw huge satisfaction from the production -
the audience certainly did.
A
fter the through-composed
rock opera production of
Jesus Christ Superstar, and
last year's entry into the
fantasy world of The Wiz,
the musical of 2009 was
perhaps the most ambitious of any at King's, the
full-scale telling of the compelling and powerful
drama that is Les Misérables. This awardwinning
West End musical by Alan Boublil and
Claude-Michel Schönberg is at times intensely
moving, even depressingly sombre, and yet is
ultimately uplifting with its aspiration of justice
for all, and its underlying selfless heroism.
These complex layers were subtly and
intelligently drawn in the King's production, no
mean feat for performers of this age. Central to
the story is Jean Valjean, brought to life in a
virtuoso performance by Sam Merriweather. For
months he lived and breathed the part, and his
handling of the epic size of the role was hugely
impressive. This is a voice of surprising maturity
and sophistication - a sheer delight all evening.
The police inspector Javert, who tracks and
hunts Valjean throughout, yet ultimately
realises that the courses of action he thought
right are actually indefensible, was given a
suitably complex and multi-layered portrayal by
Freddie Barker. Turmoil and confusion of
conviction combined tellingly with powerful
singing. Hannah Cartwright gave a subtly
fragile performance as the tragic Fantine, with
some truly haunting vocal moments.
Cosette in her earlier years was beautifully
portrayed by Emily Albery, and then in later life
given greater depth and maturity by Bryony