Les Miserables School Edition

A Place For Us brought their production of ‘Les Misérables School Edition’ to the Brindley stage, which was directed by Kate Allerston. Upon entering the auditorium, the audience were met with an open stage with a backdrop of a building. It stayed liked this for the entirety of the first act, with other pieces of furniture and set pieces brought on. The barricade was brought on during the interval, and the structure remained throughout the second act. The sparsity of the set worked really well, as it allowed the stage to be full of performers and the focus to be on the storytelling, which is very important in sung through musicals. Kate’s direction was good throughout, with a clear focus on storytelling, which was strong in this production. The pace of the production was good and it moved along nicely. There were some pleasing moments in Kate’s direction, such as the staging of Fantine’s death and Javert’s suicide. Having Javert climb the barricades and disappear when the lights were brought back up was a neat way of showing his demise. Having a police officer appear in one of the boxes in the auditorium when addressing the students was a neat idea, but it was a shame they weren’t lit, as most of the audience may have missed this moment. The staging during ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’ was beautifully done as Marius mourned his fallen friends. The relationships that were built and developed between characters were very good and clearly defined. The costumes were appropriate and worked well for each character. It was nice to see Valjean age during the production through the hair and makeup design.

The musical directors for this production were Chris Bastock and Corey Gerrard, with Chris conducting the orchestra during the performances. The orchestra were fantastic from the opening notes to the conclusion. Chris led them well, and was sympathetic to the cast. The vocals were very good with some strong principal performances and very good ensemble numbers.

The choreographer for this production was Colin Kiyani. The movement throughout was good and added greatly to the production. The cast were full of energy when performing the choreography. The stylised movements were fresh and performed with great synchronicity by the cast.

Technical elements were generally good throughout this production. The sound balance between the cast and the orchestra was good, and every word could be heard. There were some cues with cast mics that were slow, with some not coming on at all. This was more the case in the ensemble numbers where there were solo lines. The lighting design was good, with a great use of colours used. The lighting design during ‘ABC Café’ was a neat touch, as was the French flag appearing through the lighting during the ‘Epilogue’. Some of the follow spots were cued a fraction late at times.

Kyle Ming played Jean Valjean at this performance. Kyle gave a good performance and certainly grew into the role as the production went on. Although small in stature, Kyle was certainly strong in his characterisation. The relationships he had with other characters were full of truth and sincerity. Kyle’s ‘Bring Him Home’ was performed very well, and was a particular highlight in his performance, reaching the high notes with ease.

Jayden Evans played Javert. Jayden proved to be a good foil to Kyle’s Valjean, as he internally battled with himself. Jayden’s vocals were good, and his rendition of ‘Stars’ was particularly strong.

Annie Stuart played Fantine at this performance. This was a very good performance from Annie, who portrayed a range of emotions throughout. Her acting through song was top notch, and her rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ was faultless. Fantine’s death scene was beautifully staged and full of emotion from Annie.

Elsie-An Rhodes showed great confidence as Young Cosette and performed ‘Castle on a Cloud’ very well. Super job Elsie-An!

Harriet Hines and Joel Haslam worked well together as the grotesque Madame and Monsieur Thenardier. They’re mannerisms were good, but they could have pushed the nastiness further. Joel led the ensemble in ‘Master of the House’ very well, creating an engaging number.

Maggie Finnigan was a delight as Gavroche. She was cheeky and had a great swagger. Her knowing glances to the audience were spot on, and added to the overall character. Gavroche’s death was well acted by Maggie.

Maeve Poole played Eponine at this performance. This was a very convincing performance from Maeve, as she yearned for Marius. The loving glances throughout were there, and Maeve created a believable bond. Her final moment with Marius was very moving, and performed well. Maeve’s vocals were strong, especially in ‘On My Own’.

Scott Summers impressed as Marius. His vocals in ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’ were strong, and was able to demonstrate emotion and control in this number. Scott created believable relationships with both Isla’s Cosette and Maeve’s Eponine. This was a mature and convincing performance from Scott.

Paige O’Toole played Enjorlas at this performance. Paige had the essence of the leader of the student revolution. She was confident and collected in her performance, and was vocally good.

Isla Graham played Cosette at this performance. Isla’s vocal was strong throughout, and she was the epitome of the ingénue. She built a convincing relationship with Scott’s Marius, as their love story was explored.

The ensemble worked hard throughout the production. They were fully engaged with the action that was taking place. The ensemble numbers were very strong, with ‘One Day More’ being a particular standout.

Overall, this was a very good production. The orchestra were a delight to listen to, there were some strong performances, and the direction was secure throughout.

A big thank you to everyone at A Place For Us for their kind invite.

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