Expectant applause fills Olney Theatre Center’s Roberts Mainstage in anticipation of its new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s beloved musical Les Misérables. But the show hasn’t even begun. From its 16-year original Broadway run, its two major revivals, its life on the West End, its national tour—not to mention its 2012 Oscar-nominated film adaptation, which grossed $442.8 million worldwide—Les Mis is nothing short of a blockbuster musical. Yet, it’s not just the familiar title driving the hype, it’s the abundantly optimistic energy in the room.
Who’s to say that, had the November election results gone differently, the opening projection announcing the year as 1815 (22 years after King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette met the guillotine) would have been met with quite such wild enthusiasm? As the title suggests, times are tough in 19th-century France. But Olney’s production has no kings. Directed by Stephen Brackett, this Les Misérables brings a healthy dose of l’optimisme millénaire to the stage.
The Battle of Waterloo behind us, Les Mis begins in rural France. Convicted thief (who stole a loaf of bread and broke a window) Jean Valjean (Trent Saunders), aka prisoner 24601, is released to parole after 19 years. Relentlessly threatened by inspector Javert (Kevin S. McAllister), Valjean finds charity from a local bishop, but is quickly caught and arrested for stealing silver from the house. In an act of outright kindness, the bishop denies theft and encourages Valjean to use the silver to “become an honest man.”
Eight years later, Valjean has reinvented himself as a wealthy factory owner and mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. Here, he encounters a young factory worker, Fantine (Stephanie Waters), with whom his destiny will become entangled; for her, Valjean must face Javert once more for his crimes. When another man is identified as escaped prisoner 24601, Valjean must decide between protecting the life he has built and abandoning his own sense of mercy. After confronting Javert for the second time, Valjean escapes and rescues Fantine’s daughter Cosette (alternatively played by child actors Sage McClure and Zoey Ottaviano) from her wicked caregivers, Madame and Monsieur Thénardier (Tracy Lynn Olivera and Jordan Friend), and commits to raise her as his own.
The remainder of the play is set in Paris in 1832, on the eve of the June Rebellion. We meet a cast of student rebels led by Enjolras (Tyler Dobies) and Marius (Ben Clark), the latter of whom wins the heart of the now-grown Cosette (Quynh-My Luu) much to the dismay of Éponine (Alex de Bard), who pines for her friend Marius. As the uprising grows, loyalties are tested, battles lost and won, reunions are had, lovers united, and Valjean must once and for all face the identity he tried so desperately to outrun.
Coming from Broadway’s Dead Outlaw (and a number of other impressive credits), Saunders is a superb Valjean—one of the most coveted yet challenging roles for men in the modern canon. Earnest yet electric, Saunders leads but never steals attention from the ensemble behind him. McAllister is also outstanding. (I find myself nearly as obsessed with McAllister as Javert as his character is with Valjean). With such captivating solos as “Stars,” “Who Am I?” and “Bring Him Home,” you can sense the audience shift in their seats with hungry anticipation when either of these two actors takes center stage.
Having played Cosette on Broadway and in the national tour of Les Mis, Waters brings wistful innocence to Fantine (a far cry from Anne Hathaway’s Oscar-winning but ruinously emotional performance in the 2012 film). The intensely memorable “I Dreamed a Dream” feels like a lullaby more than a eulogy in this production—and it is this exact sense of nostalgic melancholy that sets this Les Mis apart. Though Fantine is a tragic figure, Waters’ performance summons dreams of better tomorrows rather than dirges of what could have been.
Dobies, Clark, and de Bard play the rebel heroes with gusto and ingenuity, with Dobies particularly shining as the gallant but naive Enjolras. One of his most emphatic lyrics has never felt clearer: “The colors of the world are changing day by day.” Luu has the same restless lust for knowledge and experience as any teenage girl, making her Cosette stand out from a more tightly corseted version, which conceives of her as a love interest and nothing more. That said, de Bard earns the respect of any musical theater aficionado who has long admired—or heard ad infinitum—Éponine’s gut-wrenching ballad of unrequited love, “On My Own.”
With nods to Les Mis’ production history and period-appropriate style, costume designer Sarah Cubbage adds a contemporary spin—Marius in a denim jacket and Cosette in a baggy teal sweatshirt over combat boots, for instance. From peacoats to puffer jackets, Cubbage’s costumes blur the distinction of “then” and “now.” Madame and Monsieur Thénardier are especially flavorful in animal prints, furs, and quite a bit of skin. Local favorites Olivera and Friend have the chutzpah to make it work.
Episodic projections of key dates and details imbue the production with a critical, thoughtful perspective, while a full-scale barricade designed by Arnuflo Maldonado conjures the spirit of a rising rebellion. The production also leaves ample playing space for the actors, with stark black backgrounds that encourage audiences to focus on the play’s content rather than its spectacle. Abigail Hoke-Brady’s atmospheric lighting design holds hidden “don’t blink or you’ll miss it” treasures that fuel the momentum of this already galvanizing musical.
With the national tour at a close, Olney is one of many U.S. regional theaters who leapt to secure the rights to this musical. They couldn’t have done so any sooner. Whether you call it optimism, call it catharsis, or call your senators, the resounding sentiment leaving the Roberts theater was “I needed that.” With a message of integrity, forgiving our fellow humans, and a brazen call to action, Les Mis is an overdue reminder that “even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”
Les Misérables, written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and directed by Stephen Brackett, runs through Jan. 31 at Olney Theatre Center. olneytheatre.org. $57–$118.
