Theater: Les Miserables

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Les Miserables

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The familiar story of parole-breaking French convict Jean Valjean relentlessly pursued by rigid police inspector Javert stretches from 1815 through 1832 and taps into nearly every element of the human condition. Valjean later becomes the mayor of Montreuil-Sur-Mer, but the mark of Cain continues to burrow deep into his soul.

His saga continues with a promise at her mother Fantine's death bed to rescue the child Cosette, who was being abusively raised by the Thenardiers -- opportunistic inn keepers. As the story presses on, Valjean helps a group of Parisian students during their futile revolt and lives long enough to see the adult Cosette reunited with Marius, the young fighter Valjean rescued from the barricade.

"Les Miserables" helped usher in an era of revolutionary operatic Cameron Mackintosh-produced musicals when it premiered in London in 1985. The entire production is sung and features a revolving stage that allows the action to move in a kinetically seamless fashion.

Today, unfortunately, rather than coax the drama out of every note, the artists deliver "Greatest Hits"-style renditions. Audiences, therefore, become intensely aware of a formula ? not a heartfelt story. Most evident in the current production, the vocalists speed through most of their songs, rarely sculpting the music into the essence of their characters. Yet, ironically, their careless plowing- through each song cannot hide the disturbingly languid underpinnings of a staging that almost seems bored with its well-worn personae.

J.P. Dougherty and Aymee Garcia as the scheming Thenardiers are so cartoonishly over the top they confuse broad vulgarity with well-crafted parody. Stephanie Waters? shrill and fidgety adult Cosette turns a character with depth into the stereotypically shallow ingenue. Stephen Brian Patterson as romantic lead Marius is merely competent. Neither Jayne Paterson's Fantine nor Dina Lynne Morishita?s Eponine has been evocatively defined; and Randal Keith?s Jean Valjean is surprisingly flat and undeveloped.

Only Joseph Mahowald as Javert and Stephen Tewksbury as student-revolt leader Enjolras have a clear and truthful command of their characters? multifaceted dimensions.

The production desperately cries out for a fiery, angry edge. As it stands, this "Les Miz" simply goes through a number of half-hearted, sanitized motions. And, if all the artists are going to do is sing the songs, why bother with a full production? The producers should consider doing a symphonic version or, better yet, start thinking about releasing the rights to regional theaters with the freshness and urgency needed to do justice to this 20th century musical-theater classic.