‘Les Mis’ has almost come to define the modern, big West-end musical, and a year does not seem to pass without a major production returning to the Palace in Manchester. A youth presentation of ‘the school edition’ by Tempo (a production association for 10-20 year olds serving North Cheshire, based in Alderley Edge) seemed to suggest a different take on this well-known show but this reviewer went along with an open mind and was more than pleasantly surprised.
The staging was essentially an augmented back-screen of a typically French street of the period, with shuttered windows and large barn doors but this worked remarkably well, with the generous stage accommodating anything from one to over forty performers, often in very quick succession. It would be unfair to call the staging minimalist because whilst some scenes were comprised just one or two key items of furniture, some of the of the other sets were truly impressive, notably the barricades for the revolution scenes, which could accommodate over ten of the cast at various levels, not forgetting an impressively-detailed city gateway.
The lighting by Callum Foy was very imaginative. For example, the barricades were lit with subtle blues and shadowing greens in the distance which eventually gave way to brilliant whites, artistically illustrating the passage of time from night to day. The sound had attention to detail as well; the guns sounded like actual muskets (writing as a former member of a military re-enactment society!).
The costuming by Alison Bisset was first-class with a lot of attention to period detail. For the most part, the cast wore drab, peasant colours interspersed with the red, white and blue sashes of the revolutionaries but the girls of the tavern were adorned in an array of vibrant colours and some quite exotic costumes.
Overall, the effect was very good, giving vivid impressions of a street battle or a crowded bar. Not forgetting a scene near the end which looked almost Vienese as members of high society danced in elegant dress.
The biggest surprise came with the singing. In a nutshell, this was a youth presentation that sounded like an adult production with some fine casting. Marco Dennis captured the emotion of Jean Valjean in his journey from slavery to redemption, right up to the moving ending. Seb Fitzgerald and Seren Jones were brilliant as M. and Mme. Thenardier, bringing considerable comic physicality to the dubious duo. Jake O’Donnell gave a powerful presentation of Javert, holding the stage in a moving solo of self-exploration after having been the archetypal villain of the piece. These were just a few personal favourites because the entire cast brought a consistent energy throughout, aided by Hannah Davis’s slick choreography. Even though there were some twenty odd locations in the show, front of curtain was only employed four times, with the titles projected for just a matter of seconds as the cast swiftly glided from scene to scene. When Valjean was remembering all those who died in the barricades, the appearance of the ghostly dead, backlit from behind the front curtain was particularly effective.
Full credit must go to Director Vicki Clarkson for a superbly entertaining production, doing full justice to this very complex show. With a running time of 2 hours 20 minutes, it was hard to see what made this a ‘school edition’ and similarly, the orchestra conducted by John G. Barry sounded amazing, with every nuance of the score included. Above all, this was both a thoroughly enjoyable show which brought over all the drama and emotion of Victor Hugo’s powerful story.
Les Miserables runs until the 22nd March 2025.
Reviewer: John Waterhouse
Reviewed: 18th March 2025
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