JANUARY 5 • 2023 | 47
W
hile many musicals are
entertaining, even moving,
only a few merit repeat
viewings. Les Miserables is one of those
shows, a magnificent production that
unites first-time audiences with a
worldwide cadre of loyal fans who line
up to see it again … and again and
again.
The current North American
tour, playing at the Fisher Theatre
through Jan. 8, features a superb cast
of performers who bring new life to
this timeless story and its spellbinding
score.
Les Miserables, based on Victor
Hugo’s 1862 novel of the same name,
began as a French concept album
written and composed by Claude-
Michel Schönberg, Alain Boubil and
Jean-Marc Natel, which led to a short-
lived stage production in 1980. After
hearing the soundtrack, producer
Cameron Mackintosh developed an
English version with new lyrics by
Herbert Kretzmer. After a successful
London premiere, the show opened on
Broadway in 1987, winning multiple
Tony Awards and critical acclaim. To
date, Les Mis has been translated into
22 languages and been performed in 45
countries. More than 70 million people
have been touched by the iconic songs
and enduring message of hope and
redemption.
Set in 19th-century France, the
musical opens as ruthless law officer
Javert (Preston Truman Boyd) releases
Jean Valjean (Nick Cartell) from
19 years of harsh imprisonment for
stealing a loaf of bread to save his
sister’s ailing child. The story follows
Valjean as he becomes a respected
member of society and fulfills a
deathbed promise to take care of the
daughter of Fantine (Haley Dortch), a
downtrodden villager.
The subsequent adventures of Valjean
and his surrogate daughter, Cosette
(Addie Morales), are set against the
backdrop of an unsuccessful revolution
against the French army, planned by
a group of idealistic but ill-prepared
students.
What makes the musical so
inspirational is that it begins with the
depths of the human condition — soul-
crushing poverty, humiliating working
conditions and unrequited love — and
soars to the heights of sublime love,
true friendship and devotion to a cause
worth dying for.
Every performance in this production
is excellent, especially Cartell and Boyd
as Valjean and his nemesis Javert and
Christine Heesun Hwang, who plays the
lovelorn Eponine. Exceptional acting
skills and comic relief are provided
by Matt Crowle as the unscrupulous
innkeeper Thenardier.
While it is hard to highlight one or
even two scenes, notable moments
include Javert’s suicide jump into the
realistically depicted roiling waters
of the Seine, the bloody battle on the
barricade and the lavish wedding of
Cosette and Marius (Gregory Lee
Rodriguez).
Every song inspires awe in its own
way, especially Eponine’s poignant “On
My Own,” the rousing “Red and Black”
by Enroljas (Devon Archer) and his
fellow revolutionaries and the comical
“Master of the House” by innkeeper
Thenardier, his wife (Christina Rose
Hall) and their unsuspecting patrons.
ARTS&LIFE
THEATER REVIEW
A stellar cast brings the timeless
story of hope to the Fisher stage.
After 37 Years,
Les Mis Still
MESMERIZES
RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Les Miserables runs through Sunday,
Jan. 8, at the Fisher Theatre, 3011 W.
Grand Blvd. in Detroit. Ticket prices
start at $45 (including facility and
parking fees). Tickets for the Open
Captioned (ASL) performance on
Friday, Jan. 6, must be purchased
in person at the Fisher Theatre Box
Office or by phone at (313) 872-
1000, ext. 0. Group sales available
at broadwayindetroitgroups@
theambassadors.com or (313) 871-
1132. For general tickets or more
information, call (313) 872-1000 or
visit www.broadwayindetroit.com.
MATTHEW MURPHY & EVAN ZIMMERMAN FOR MURPHYMADE
Matt Crowle
and the cast
of Les Mis