One of the Broadway’s biggest hits is hitting the stage at Place des Arts until August 4th, and it is nothing short of spectacular. The production by Cameron Mackintosh and presented by evenko has pulled out all the stops to deliver a musical masterpiece that will leave audiences enthralled long after the final note fades and the curtain drops.
Nick Cartell plays fugitive-turned-benefactor Jean Valjean—the ultimate antihero, proving his worth and extending his generosity across time and the backdrop of 19th-century France. He is accompanied by a cast that elevates the production to new heights and a 14-piece orchestra playing 23 instruments, bringing new energy and a fresh take to a familiar soundtrack.
But it is the set that makes this production most unique—a background character that never fails to surprise and impress, shifting from street scene to revolution barricade to wedding hall, moving aside to reveal new and breathtaking landscapes. Projections give the stage layers of extra depth, and you’ll find yourself taking in props and watching scenes morph as much as you follow the story.
The production company has provided a sense of the scale in numbers: 148 speakers, 1,200 costumes, 8 wedding ball gowns, 88 wigs, and entire tractor trailer of scenic towers, all travelling with the cast and crew and able to be set up in merely hours. This is a well-oiled and finely tuned machine of a production, and seeing it on our home stage is nothing short of a spectacular treat.
Catch Les Misérables at Place des Arts’s Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier until August 4. There are still tickets left here.
