The Timelessness of ‘Les Misérables’
The Timelessness of ‘Les Misérables’
Ensemble / Photograph by Danny Kaan
The very first musical I fell in love with, like with most theater kids and enthusiasts born after the ‘80s, was Les Misérables. I never had the chance to watch the Manila staging a decade ago, which featured a wonderful cast including Rachelle Ann Go as Fantine. I was distraught at the time; it would’ve been my first musical experience if I could only afford the tickets. Fast forward to now: I was given the chance to watch a Les Misérables concert, and I immediately grabbed the opportunity to witness the very musical that started my love for theater.
There is a timeless quality to Les Misérables, or Les Miz, from Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg that even decades after its first staging in France, people are still eager to pay and watch this seminal classic in any shape or form. It’s also beloved by the industry as many young and aspiring theater performers would go to an audition and belt out a song from Les Miz. And not only are the songs beautifully composed, but they also hold a mirror to society in which injustice and poverty exists and portray how people react to the wretchedness of humanity. Who knew the turmoil of France in the 18th century would still happen today? Activist groups would sing Do You Hear the People Sing? during rallies and marches to echo their frustrations of the system and call for unity. In the Philippines, a lot has changed since the 2016 staging of Les Miz in Manila. That year saw Rodrigo Duterte elected as president, despite a questionably violent record as mayor of Davao. Now a decade later, the concert production of Les Miz returns to the Theater at Solaire. But Duterte is no longer president and is currently detained in The Hague by the International Criminal Court, awaiting trial for his blood war on drugs campaign. It’s poetic justice, but only temporary when corruption is still rampant and worse today.
Going back to the concert production, aptly named Les Misérables World Tour Spectacular, every cast member has been involved with the musical in the past, with the exception of the child actors. Geronimo Rauch has played Jean Valjean and was even part of a Spanish production. Through his one-of-a-kind performance, we see how Valjean has endured and changed. Jeremy Secomb, who plays Javert, has been the Bishop and Valjean in other productions of the musical. For Javert, he displays a special kind of conviction needed for the character, one that is scary and pitiful even. Earl Carpenter was present in the 2016 Manila production as Javert. During the press call for the concert, Carpenter remarked how much Manila changed yet the beauty of the country is still preserved. Will Callan (Marius), Lulu-Mae Pears (Cosette), and Harry Chandler (Enjolras) reprise their respective roles in a previous West End production.
Lea Salonga and Red Concepción / Photograph by Matt Crockett
The concert also boasts four Filipinos in the cast who have participated in other productions of the musical as well. Perhaps the most well known Filipina inducted in the history of Les Miz is Lea Salonga, who played Eponine and Fantine throughout the years. This time she plays Madame Thénardier (in her words, she’s “not one of the dead girls, finally”). Paired with her is Red Concepcion as Thénardier, and I must say that their comedic chemistry is unmatched and they definitely understood the assignment. Another Filipina who has played Fantine is Rachelle Ann Go, who has stepped in the same role in the 2016 production of the musical (along with Carpenter). Even after a decade, Go still managed to belt out her songs without any flaw in her voice and performance. She has even stated how much she understood Fantine more now that she is a mother. The Filipino-American theater actress Emily Bautista fills in Eponine’s role one more time, her previous time being part of the North American Tour of the musical in 2018.
The cast, despite production being played out in the form of a concert, managed to embody their characters and connect to the audience as their characters. The cast has stated that they are able to amplify the emotional depth and message of the songs through this format and I have to agree. Though I wished the musical was staged as a play, the concert didn’t ruin the momentum and structure of the musical for they creatively told the story despite its format. The cast are still wearing their costumes. Even the set design is somehow close to the original staging of the musical, only modified to fit the format.
It’s no surprise that this concert production of Les Miz has sold out. The concert itself is an expertly produced and staged production, packed with a talented cast and exceptional orchestra. With numerous concert productions of the musical has been done numerous times before, starting with its 10th anniversary concert, Cameron Mackintosh has definitely perfected the formula of how to produce a decent concert production. The production also came to our country just in time. We need a reminder of its enduring strength and how we must fight the injustices of society.
‘Les Misérables World Tour Spectacular’ is running in the Theater at Solaire until March 1. All tickets are now sold out.
