Les Miserables

Cameron Mackintosh's strident 1985 show is one of the most iconic and longest running musicals of all time. This presentation by Manchester Musical Youth was led by a compelling Joshua Kime as Jean Valjean alongside a dynamic cast which together blew a whirlwind through the Z Arts Theatre with their production of Les Misérables.

The metaphysical struggle between the former convict Jean Valjean and the pursuing policeman Javert is a very real and dramatic one, Cameron Hall paired up to the level of Valjean’s character thanks to his impressive portrayal which I enjoyed and relished more than any other enactment of Javert that I’ve seen before.

With songs this familiar, the cast have their work cut out to make a distinctive mark at the musical barricades. Many pop icons have given the majority of ‘The Miz’ standards their own flair but those pop bends and quiver-esque habits should be set aside to remain in that genre only.

I do not envy Rachel Kevern (Fantine) and Eve Rowan (Eponine) as these characters, respectively, deliver what are probably the two most iconic numbers of the score which certainly come with the highest of expectations, neither of which are what anyone would call an easy sing. These big belters – ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ and ‘On My Own’ were challenged head on and both should be immensely proud with their performances. Although poppy quirks did tend to make the occasional appearance, I did favour that over the common cop out of slipping into head voices for the big belting notes. Both of these performances were delivered with superb acting quality which both left their firm mark in this rendition.        

Sam Bate and Lara Hancox as young lovers Marius and Cosette struggled with pitching occasionally but the believability of their story and relationship kept us gripped.

This epic Boublil and Schönberg score soared beautifully and better than anything I’ve heard in this venue and indeed by this group before, a triumph for Kimberly Holden and her gifted musicians as they excel with class, drama and charm from the out of sight pit. Vocally, these youngsters sound marvellous with their choral work, it’s evident that this ingredient is given the utmost priority. One Day More was the grand finale to the first act that it’s famed for and sounded nothing short of incredible! With such a distinction of ensemble vocals which this group has to offer it surely opens up the scope for future show titles to adhere to this strength, with 2017’s titles announced, who knows what’ll be pulled out of the bag for 2018? …some classic golden age Broadway perhaps or even a light opera musical(!?)

Now, back to the show in question… Riccardo Atherton was a brilliant Gavroche, such a short lived role (literally – and yes, pun absolutely intended). Given this is the school edition production, I still cannot understand why they’d cut a song from the score which is actually sung by a child in the show, and an up-tempo one too; ‘Little People’. They keep the reprise of it in which doesn’t seem to make as much sense without hearing the actual song beforehand but sadly, there is nothing that anyone of us can do about that but, nonetheless, Riccardo brought out a loveable, charming character presented by a gifted young individual indeed.

Skye Collier was another stand out performance as Young Cosette, such an enchanting act and a gorgeously presented cameo.

Nelly Tomlinson and David Beeby offered the light relief of this show as the Thénardier’s who both brought the occasional chuckle, titter and upright vocals with their renditions though I found the clarity of their lingo a struggle in parts, missing a fair few punchlines.

A couple of minor niggles, and they are only marginal gripes in the grand scheme of things here. The fight choreography seemed a little unnatural, we could have afforded for this to be performed with more attack and aggression as it translated as a little tame and without much conviction or believability. More of an irritant than an enhancement was the light which shone at us through the upstage doors which blinded us on a number of occasions for reasons I didn’t really understand, it only prevented us from seeing and enjoying the production during those parts, forcing us to look away which I’m sure isn’t what you’d want your audience to do. I imagine you’d have got the effect you were attempting if the light wasn’t so bright.

This is Valjeans story, undeniably, but Joshua Kime didn’t steal the limelight at all - which is a 100% positive attribute for me, it was refreshing to witness this role delivered under-cooked and without that air of self-importance which often accompanies such a protagonist, he modestly showed us what his character would naturally be.      

Each of the principals (and many of them there are) had their impressive moment - be it remarkable vocals, stout dramatic portrayal, expert command or all of the above. Dan Jarvis leads this production with his directorial vision which I was glad to see remained true and faithful to the book, certainly the right choice for such a piece at this time. MMY deliver the best results when they’re truly challenged. This is a show which would test any company to the limit who’re attempting to stage it – and in all possible departments too – but for MMY it’s a production that has truly paid off as there is no question that this was their mightiest presentation to date. A truly well-executed version of the classic.

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