Review: Les Misérables, Bristol Hippodrome – ‘Impactful in a way that few – if any – musicals can match’

As an appreciator and sometimes critic of theatre and musicals, my friends in ‘the drama community’ have reacted with appropriately melodramatic horror whenever I admitted that I hadn’t watched Les Misérables. After all, few musicals have hype on the scale of ‘Les Mis’.

Even fewer live up to that hype, but there’s no question that the current national tour of the musical – now at the Hippodrome for a three week run – does so.

For the minority who haven’t already watched Les Mis, the musical tells the tale of Jean Valjean, tracking his story from convict to Good Samaritan at a time of extreme poverty and unrest in nineteenth century France.

Javert from Les Misérables – photo: Danny Kaan

His antagonist, the Inspector Javert, spends most of the musical seeking Valjean, who has broken the terms of his parole. We’re also introduced to several groups of characters, from the revolutionary students to the unscrupulous innkeepers, the Thénardiers.

It is this wide range of characters that helps give the musical a depth in plot, from which it explores themes of love, justice and redemption. These are well conveyed thanks to the outstanding talents of Dean Chisnall as Valjean and Nic Greenshields as Javert. Alongside the fantastic ensemble and orchestra, the audience is very much in safe hands.

You don’t need to have seen Les Mis to have heard of its most popular songs, and they are certainly done justice here. Do You Hear the People Sing is stirring, particularly in its reprisal, while the best solo performance of the night is from Nathania Ong as Éponine, with her devastating rendition of On My Own.

Empty Chairs At Empty Tables from Les Misérables – photo: Danny Kaan

Ong’s exploration of Éponine’s unrequited love is equally convincing, while Ian Hughes and Helen Walsh plays the deliciously evil Thénardiers with relish.

Glory should also be given to the child actors on the night, with Charlie Hodson Prior, Rachelle Bonfield Bell and Mia Llewellyn Jones (Gavroche, Little Cossette and Young Éponine) meeting the moment in their performances, prompting the audience to aww and laugh with them.

Les Mis has endured as a musical fan favourite since the 1980s, and for good reason, though it isn’t without its flaws.

God on High from Les Misérables – photo: Danny Kaan

The end of the first act in musicals tends to be the standout song – whether it’s Defying Gravity in Wicked or the titular song in Anything Goes. Les Mis’ counterpart is immense, in the form of One Day More, but it means that the first act’s duration is almost 100 minutes.

The result is an unbalanced production, where the much shorter second act can’t meet the depth of the first, as it rushes through resolving all the many characters’ conflicts. In turn, the audience isn’t given much time to absorb one plotline before the orchestra begins playing the next song or interlude.

While this was in the back of my mind, I can’t say I cared that much. As the lights turned on in the auditorium following the last number, I couldn’t see many faces that weren’t tear-stained by the sheer emotion of the production.

Beggars At The Feast from Les Misérables – photo: Danny Kaan

Moments like the image of the barricades following the attempted revolution, or the sound of the ensemble singing together with soaring harmonies were impactful in a way that few, if any, other musicals can match.

I had assumed my friends were exaggerating their dismay at my prior neglect of Les Mis. However, I left the Hippodrome as both a convert and an evangelist for the musical: get your tickets before they’re gone!

Les Misérables is at Bristol Hippodrome until August 6 at 7.30pm, with additional 2.30 matinee shows on Thursday and Saturday (no shows on Sunday). Tickets are available at www.atgtickets.com.
Main photo: Danny Kaan

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