Matt Crowle and Cast Photo by Mathew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

This touring production delivers all the soaring force and sheer beauty of the score by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with the seamless grace of its English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, from the original French by Alan Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, itself based on Victor Hugo's epic novel published in 1862. Its complex narrative spins together diverse elements: a moral argument of "good" in its pure form versus "good" as defined by the law; romance, both euphoric and unrequited; a critique of capitalism and the subjugation of the working class; and historical drama, complete with a street battle waged by hopelessly outnumbered idealists. Space is even allowed for comedy, offering welcome relief from the intensity of its drama.

The heroic central character is Jean Valjean, an ordinary man who was imprisoned for a petty crime (the theft of a loaf of bread to feed his nephew), embittered after doing hard labor for nineteen years (five years for the original crime, the rest added for his attempts to escape) but is reborn as the epitome of virtue after his life is saved by an act of immense generosity and mercy by a Catholic bishop. The central villain, Javert, is a police inspector in relentless pursuit of Valjean for violating his parole. Javert's great flaw is not an innate evil, but absolute and inviolable fidelity to the letter of the law, which for him is not the work of imperfect men, but sits on a pedestal beside God himself, along with a conviction that men are born either bad or good, and that a man who commits a transgression, no matter how small, no matter what his reason, can never be anything but bad.

The many important secondary characters include Fantine, a factory girl struggling to save her dignity and then her life after committing what was the unforgivable sin of bearing a child out of wedlock; Cosette, the young daughter Fantine, in her final moments, entrusts to Valjean's protection; the thieving country innkeeper Thénardier and his equally corrupt wife, in whose care Cosette was misguidedly placed by her mother; and Eponine, the Thénardiers' own daughter, whom they spoil while making Cosette into a house slave. It is 1821 when Jean Valjean rescues Cosette from these tormentors.

Time passes. It is 1832 and developments have led Valjean and Cosette, as well as the Thénardiers, to Paris. A group of students embroiled in civil unrest against the restored monarchy introduce us to Enjolras, the charismatic leader of a band of students taking part in the uprising, and Marius, a student and comrade of Enjolras, who falls instantly in love with Cosette (and she with him) after a chance encounter on the street. This is complicated by Eponine's unspoken love for Marius, who treats her only as a great friend. Last among the principals is Gavroche, a young street urchin (not, as in Hugo's original, the Thénardiers' son) who represents the brazen idealism of those who dare to resist the oppression of the ruling classes. The parties converge on the doomed Paris Uprising of June 5-6 (this latter is based on the actual history) and its aftermath.

Nick Cartell returns with the tour as Jean Valjean, repeating the stunning performance he delivered two years ago, and, if anything, brings even more power and emotional shading to the role. Cartell has now appeared in more than 1,200 performances as Valjean, but there is not a hint of weariness in his portrayal of the character's emotional journey, nor in his singing such powerhouses as his "Soliloquy" in the prologue, "Who Am I?," a heart-stopping "Bring Him Home," or leading the entire ensemble in the thrilling first act finale, "One Day More." Nick Rehberger, as his nemesis, Javert, gives a similarly impressive performance, particularly rousing in his glorious ode to the mission that has propelled his life, "Stars," and in his crushing second act "Soliloquy."

Lindsay Heather Pearce conveys the tragic arc of Fantine's life, drawing the audience to her side in her painful appraisal, "I Dreamed a Dream." As Eponine, Mya Rena Hunter wows the audience with raw emotion melded with a beautifully toned voice in "On My Own" and the sweetness of her duet with Jake David Smith as Marius, "A Little Fall of Rain." Smith soars on his own in the rueful "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," which is touchingly staged, and in "A Heart Full of Love," expressing the joy of first love in duet with Delaney Guyer as Cosette. Guyer endows Cosette with a rounded, girlish voice, capturing how Valjean has kept her sheltered from the pain that has racked his life.

Matt Crowle returns in the comic role of Thénardier after appearing here two years ago. He milks every bit of comedic juice out of the part, in particular with the uproarious "Master of the House," though he also excels in expressing the grim side of his nature in "Dog Eats Dog." In the comedic mode he is ably abetted by Victoria Huston-Elem as Madame Thénardier. Both Crowle and Huston-Elem deliver the physical as well as verbal aspects of their roles with gusto. Christian Mark Gibbs brings an impassioned voice and sense of unswerving commitment as the leader of the resistance, Enjolras, rousing up his followers in both "Red and Black" and the glorious anthem, "Do You Hear the People Sing?"

Directors Laurence Connor and James Powell maintain steady hands on the immense sweep of this show, with its many scene changes, full spectrum of emotions, and large cast, the ensemble often appearing on stage as if by the flick of a switch. As large as this production is, we are drawn to observe even the slightest detail if it has bearing on the enveloping story. Though the ensemble is in near constant motion, Les Misérables could not really be called a dance musical, in the sense of have full-out dance numbers. There is a brief wedding dance, staged with elegance, and plenty of emphatic movement incorporated into scenes such as "Lovely Ladies" and "Master of the House," with Geoffrey Garratt doing the sure-footed musical staging.

Les Misérables is sung-through and thus has an astonishing amount of music in the course of its near three-hour running time, though the facility of the staging, engrossing plot, and high caliber performances keep it from feeling like so long a time to sit. The clarity of sound (designed by Mick Potter) enables us to make out the lyrics, and the fifteen-member orchestra conducted by musical director Will Curry plays beautifully, a real feat considering there is nary time for them to rest. The original orchestrations by John Cameron, updated for this tour by Stephen Metcalfe, Christopher Jahnke, and Stephen Brooker, create a rich, multi-textured delivery of the score.

Matt Kinley's set and image designs are inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, and indeed bring a sense of fidelity to the surroundings, be they a prisoner ship, a smokey factory floor, a brothel district, the Thénardiers' ramshackle inn, the cramped streets of London, a subterranean tavern where the students congregate, the barricades on which they fight, the dark labyrinth of sewers beneath the streets, Jean Valjean and Cosette's genteel garden, or a hall for a joyful wedding celebration. The projections by Finn Ross and Fifty-Nine Productions contribute greatly to the production's stunning visualization. Andreane Neofitou's bounty of original costume designs, with additional design by Christine Rowland and Paul Wills, are dazzling and superbly matched by Stefan Musch's design for hair, wigs and make-up. Paule Constable's lighting and Mick Potter's sound design, like everything in this production, are terrific, never more so than in bringing the battle at the barricades to life.

I have said before and say now again, Les Misérables, in my mind, stands among the greatest works of musical theatre. This touring production is as sharp now as two years ago, and if you have loved Les Misérables in the past, but not seen this most recent rendition of it, I strongly encourage you to find a way to see it now. Its beautiful music, spectacular production, and engrossing performances remain as potent as ever, while its theme of pursuing justice, virtue and love in a time when those things seem sorely lacking may strike a chord of hope in you as well.

Les Misérables runs through December 1, 2024, at the Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis MN. For ticket and information, please visit hennepintheatretrust.org or call 612-339-7007. For information on the tour, visit www.lesmis.com/us-tour.

Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer; Original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel; Additional material: James Fenton; Adaptation from the novel by Victor Hugo: Trevor Nunn and John Caird; Directors: Laurence Connor and James Powell; Musical Staging: Geoffrey Garratt; New Orchestrations: Stephen Metcalfe, Christopher Jahnke and Stephen Brooker; Original Orchestrations: John Cameron; Set and Image Design: Matt Kinley; Projections: Finn Ross and Fifty-Nine Productions; Original Costume Design: Andreane Neofitou; Additional Costume Design: Christine Rowland and Paul Wills; Lighting Design: Paule Constable; Sound Design: Mick Potter; Wigs, Hair and Makeup Design: Stefan Musch; Music Supervision: Brian Taylor; Music Director and Conductor: Will Curry; Musical Supervision: Stephen Brooker and James Moore; Casting: Felicia Rudolph, CA, Merri Sugarman, CSA for Tara Rubin Casting; Resident Director; Brendan Stackhouse; Associate Director Corey Agnew; Musical Staging Associate: Jesse Robb.

Cast: Kyle Adam (Grantaire/Major Domo), Ashley Alexander (Old Woman), Jeremiah Alsop (Constable/Montparnasse), David Andino (Bamatabois/Babet), Daniel Gerard Bittner (Laborer/Feuilly), Jenna Burns (ensemble), Nick Cartell (Jean Valjean), Emerson Mae Chan *(Little Cosette/Young Eponine), Ben Cherington (swing), Matt Crowle (Thénardier), Steve Czarnecki (Farmer/Factory Foreman), Arianne DiCerbo (ensemble), Emily Fink (Wigmaker), Nicole Fragala (ensemble), Christian Mark Gibbs (Enjolras), Jackson Parker Gill *(Gavroche), Delaney Guyer (Cosette), Audrey Hofman (ensemble), Mya Rena Hunter (Eponine), Victoria Huston-Elem (Madame Thénardier), Randy Jeter (Bishop of Digne/Lesgles/Loud Hailer), Jack Jewkes *(Gavroche), Danny Martin (Courfeyrac), Mikako Martin (seeing), Eden Mau (Innkeeper's Wife), Andrew Marks Maughan (Champmathieu/Combeferre), Paige McNamara (Factory Girl), Ashley Dawn Mortensen (swing), Lindsay Heather Pearce (Fantine), Tim Quarter (swing), Juliette Redden (swing), Nick Rehberger (Javert), Matt Rosell (swing), Christopher Robin Sapp (swing), Greta Schafer *(Little Cosette/Young Eponine), Jake David Smith (Marius), Kaitlyn Sumner (ensemble), Kyle Timson (swing), David Walker (Innkeeper/Claquesous), J.T. Wood (Fauchelevent/Joly), Jonathan Young (Constable/Jean Prouvaire). *alternating performances