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The latest national tour of Les Miserables is overwrought, overblown and oversung--and the audience completely ate it up. I found myself (strangely enough) thinking of the movie Spinal Tap when I was watching the show. ("We're turning the amps up to eleven!!!") The music starts big and goes bigger and biggest--but it doesn't stop 'til it hits gargantuan: furthermore--most of it is hard to sing with loads of impossibly high notes for every cast member. The good news is that everyone in the large cast is up to the task (there's not a bad voice among them) and they had to sing over a large orchestra (12 pieces instead of the usual 3-5 players). Honestly, it would be a sin to try and find fault with any aspect of the performances--they were 99 44/100% spot on. If there is anything to complain about in the show, it's the plot itself.
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Les Miserables, the novel from which the musical is taken, is a behemoth: the story spans many years and many locales. Following the story on stage is next-to-impossible: you would be completely lost without program notes. Furthermore, the whole story is one gigantic roller coaster: characters are either purely good or evil and motivations can swithc 180 degrees on a dime. For me, those are major "minuses" in a show. There's not a ounce of subtlety in ther show: everything is full out--whether it is the singing or the plot. I found myself wishing for a little less now and then--but I was definitely in the minority. I don't think I've seen the PAC fuller and the entire audience went wild for everything.
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This is the kind of show for those who don't attend theater regularly to go see: the audience can feel like they've seen something important without being mentaly or emotionally challenged. The songs are beautifully written and memorable (even if the average person will never be able to hope to sing one). Even though the cast is unknown they are all incredibly talented and their vocal instruments are spectacular to hear.
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FINAL GRADE: B+
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