Les Misérables is arguably the most decorated musical of all time, and has a special history in Australia, with the largest ever crowd for the musical being in Sydney’s Domain. Now celebrating its 40^th anniversary, the production returned to Australia for a staged concert featuring some of the world’s greatest musical theatre stars. 

When the opening beats of the musical are heard, it sparks a thrill that few other moments in musical theatre can bring. While this is a staged concert, the musical translates very well to the arena stage, with this production still using minimal staging in order to convey meaning. For some of the more elaborate set pieces, videos were used, which complemented the on-stage action well. 

But what the audience really came for was the cast and they were, quite simply, extraordinary on the whole. Alfie Boe is well regarded as one of the best Jean Valjean’s ever and he lived up to this reputation with a scintillating performance. His version of “Bring Him Home” was breathtaking and he managed to capture every bit of emotion that the musical gives. Rachelle Ann Go was also incredible as Fantine, giving one of the most heartfelt renditions of “I Dreamed a Dream” that I have heard that was worth the price of admission in itself. The vocals on the whole were truly extraordinary and befitting of the occasion.

Even some of the generally less exciting roles in the musical, like those of the Thenardiers were played exceptionally with Little Britain’s Matt Lucas bringing out the laughs in the audience with his hilarious rendition of “Master of the House”. He was very well-supported by Helen Walsh, who stepped up to the role of Madame Thenardier in the absence of Marina Prior and did an absolutely stellar job. Alexandra Szewcow and Sebastian Sero as Little Cosette and Gavroche respectively were also fantastic in challenging roles and have bright futures ahead of them. 

While most of the performances were superb, some perhaps did not quite live up to the hype (and flawless execution) of the other cast members. Jac Yarrow seemed to be nursing a cold as Marius and while he still performed admirably, lacked some of the dramatic conviction of the others. There were some moments of tonal inconsistency between Yarrow and Beatrice Penny-Touré as Cosette and Shan Ako as Éponine and Michael Ball’s Javert lacked some of the intensity that the role demands (although his suicide scene at the end was incredibly well done). 

However, none of these issues detracted from what was a truly remarkable spectacle. To see such talent on the one stage is a rare treat, especially in Australia where concert-style Broadway/West End shows are a rarity. To make the show even better, Cameron MacIntosh brought out some of the most famous actors to ever play in the musical for an encore of “One Day More” at the end of the show including Normie Rowe, Philip Quast, William Zappa, Lara Mulcahy, David Campbell, Simon Burke, Scott Irwin, Nikki Webster, which was a poignant and emotional moment for everyone in attendance. 

Overall, this is an incredible production which combines technical brilliance with heart and emotion to push the boundaries of what theatre can accomplish. Selling out stadiums around the world is a rare feat for musical theatre, but this is the show that can achieve it. The show deservedly received standing ovations at both the intermission and the curtain call, with Boe, Lucas and Walsh receiving particularly rapturous applause. Minor issues aside, as far as musical theatre goes, this show is as good as it gets, being a masterful spectacle of the theatrical form and one can only hope that the hype that this has created around the country will be the impetus for an Australian tour of the stage production, which is long overdue. 

Rating: ★★★★★

Les Misérables plays around Australia through May and June. For more information, click here.

Photo credits: Danny Kaan/Daniel Boud