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Regional Reviews: St. Louis Les Misérables Also see Richard's recent reviews of Ripcord, Steel Magnolias and Woman in Mind
Nearly forty years later, it's all fully augmented by a great cast, supplemented with ravishing work by shimmering-voiced choristers through a partnership with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Under the dramatic and wickedly comical direction of Seth Sklar-Heyn (Cameron Macintosh Inc.'s executive producer since 2013), the show soars magnificently for three hours in Forest Park in St. Louis through June 23rd. When it first moved from London to Broadway in 1987, the English-language version won eight Tony Awards. Here at the nation's largest outdoor theater (11,000 seats), the unstoppable music direction is by Michael Horsley and conductor James Moore. And any inconvenience caused by the run-time is fully made up for by the beautiful complexity of the story, and a brilliant portrayal of the human desire for liberty, equality and fraternity. Teal Wicks is haunting and heartbreaking as Fantine, a factory worker betrayed by all around her, save for one. The show, based on Victor Hugo's great 1862 novel, climaxes with the fiery June Rebellion of 1832: a student uprising in Paris in the Rue St. Denis. And its sense of idealism lands on our ear like an ancient shofar, a cris de couer to rouse our logy American souls. This Les Misérables never lets up, except for the laughs we get from the execrable innkeepers, Mr. and Mme. Thénardier, unforgettably portrayed by Red Concepción and Jade Jones. The couple has enslaved a child, Cosette (12 year-old Kate Kappel), whom Valjean has sworn to protect. The unassailable cast also features Ken Page as the noble Bishop of Digne. As a side-note (and the Hugo novel is replete with side-notes), the only time I ever caught the great critic and humorist Robert Benchley out of sorts was when he finally learned, at The New Yorker, that he actually had two days to write his Broadway reviews (among other things), though for some reason he thought he was only granted one. He seemed quite indignant about it in one of his books of collected essays. And that deadline difference still feels like life or death. Here, with the Muny Opera in St. Louis, you get only one day to write and edit a review (instead of three or four), because these astonishing, epic shows (far more ambitious than any touring musical that touches base here in our largest indoor theaters) run only for a week. So, apologies for everything a critic leaves out. And for everything he leaves in. "One day more!" But the musical itself is very straightforward, with characters from the eight o'clock hour mystically reverberating back in to the story, three hours later, to gain iconic status. And even as we're checking our watches at 11 p.m. (the show starts at 8:15), great new scenes of hypnotic literary intensity begin to unfold. Ms. Wicks is brilliant as Cosette's mother, singing "I Dreamed a Dream." Grace Annabelle Parker is lovely as Cosette at her ingenue age. And Emily Bautista is stunning as Cosette's gracious rival in love, Éponine, singing a very powerful and uplifting "On My Own." The whole show comprises a Noah's ark of Mr. Schönberg's towering melodies. Peter Neureuther is every inch the young romantic hero as Marius, the man caught between Cosette and Éponine, and James D. Gish is splendid as Enjolras, the leader of the student uprising. Several of the young male rebels, among them Noah Van Ess and Dan Klimko, get brief, trumpet-like voluntaries in Act Two, whilst barricaded at an inn. Outside, the army of Louis Phillip I (the second-to-last monarch in France) threatens to kill them all. A big wedding scene near the end puts the whole chorus in colorful fancy dress, circa 1832, courtesy of costumer Gail Baldoni. Comical Mr. Concepción returns with a dramatic story that reunites Valjean with his family. And a one-of-a-kind storybook ending sends us on our way. I always rush out after a show, to savor it in my head for as long as possible, uncontaminated by other voices, before setting to write. But "rushing out" is not an option at the gargantuan Muny Opera, with thousands of people leaving all at once. Though I got out much faster on the north side ramps this time. Nevertheless, a charming kind of "contamination" did manage to stalk me down, in the form of a sunnier version of Javert, when a wonderful friend ended up walking back toward our cars with me. On that little walk, he and his companion regaled me with talk of the original production, and subsequent productions, focusing on the death of Inspector Javert in particular, near the end of the play, and how this death scene didn't work for them, compared to the original staging's "Javert jumping off a revolving bridge in a swirl of smoke" moment. It was my first time seeing the show, so I thought a simple, bizarre lighting effect at the Muny, when Jordan Donica (armed with a pistol) confronts a blinding light upstage after his "Soliloquy," was perfectly effective. Artful billows of smoke become a second Romantic character in that sprawling, painterly scene. (The many lighting effects throughout are designed by Jason Lyons.) The evening's performance was dedicated to a longtime veteran of the Muny Orchestra, Vicky Smolik, who played trumpet in the pit for 45 years. In that time, she'd had more than her share of Dollys, and Curlys, and Mames dancing overhead on the Muny stage. This time out, in the 21st century, under Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson, it is, instead, a sense of trampled human dignity, and the full force of the will to survive in love and tragedy, that brightly rises up to trip the light fantastic. It was actually fairly pleasant the night I went, in Forest Park. But I still brought along a memory foam chairpad and a flat ice-pack wrapped in a towel on top of that. People bring their own iced drinks, though there are concession stands as well. Next week's show is Dreamgirls. And, yes: maybe I'll never leave St. Louis. But in many ways, the world finds its way to me. Les Misérables continues through June 23, 2024, at The Municipal Opera, #1 Theatre Drive, in Forest Park, near Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis MO. There are some road closures to the north and east, right around the theater. For tickets and information, please visit www.muny.org. Cast (in order of appearance: Thénardier's Gang: Students: Loud Hailer: Nicholas Pattarini Swings: Understudy for Jean Valjean: Tim Quarter Dance & Fight Captain: Kyle Timson Ensemble: Lee H. Alexander, Leah Berry, Patrick Blindauer, Matías De La Flor, Chris Hunter, Dan Klimko, Ángel Lozada, Daniel Brooks McRath, Sydni Moon, Grant Pace, Sarah Pansing, Nicholas Pattarini, Tim Quartier, Shelby Ringdahl, Matt Rosell, Grace Marie Rusnica, Liz Shivener, Sydney Short, Cecilia Snow, Noah Van Ess Youth Ensemble: St. Louis Symphony Chorus Supernumeraries St. Louis Symphony Chorus Swings: Production Credits: Assistant Stage Manager: Joshua Vinik Assistant Stage Manager: Eric Elz President & Chief Executive Officer: Kwofe A. Coleman Muny Orchestra: Additional Musicians: All Musicians of the Muny Orchestra are Members of Local 2-197 of the American Federation of Musicians Additional Production Staff: Executive Assistant to the President & CEO: Barb Echele Head Carpenter: Dave McCarthy Lighting Department Lead: Rob Denton Select Costumes Built By: |
