Theater review: Les Miserables School Edition

by Gina Robertson of John Garcia's The Column

Children on Stage ... School Edition ... Such phrases seem so contradictory to everything that makes Les Miserables one of the most profound works of performance art ever to grace the stage on Broadway. I was expecting to find Garland Civic Theatre's production (now playing at the Granville Arts Center) to be horrifyingly innocent, watered down, and cheerful.

Thanks to director Clayton Younkin's vision and a cast of breathtakingly talented kids, I was in for a chilling surprise. As grim and gritty as any adult presentation, this adaptation loses nothing in using children to tell the tale. In fact, the youth may deliver a stronger emotional punch because they bring so much energy and spirit to a show that has become a relic. Younkin set out to revive the original feeling and meaning of the story, going all the way back to Victor Hugo's book, which he required everyone in the cast to read. You'd have to see the show half a dozen times to catch all of the symbolism.

What a spectacular payoff these kids earned for a bit of heavy reading. What subtle things are added to each character when a talented teenager actually knows and understands the story!

Gorgeous set design, creative special effects, beautifully detailed costumes, and live musical accompaniment combine to enhance the startlingly complex performances delivered by kids aged 8 to 18. They will leave you in awe if not in tears, as I was at the end of Friday night's performance.

Les Mis is really the last Broadway musical you'd expect someone to adapt for children to perform. In conservative places like Texas, we generally prefer to deliver moral lessons to our kids in simple shades of good/bad, yes/no, right/wrong. Few would expect even young adults to grasp the deep, complex adult moral themes of this story, much less teenagers and adolescents!

It is the story of Jean Valjean, a man who goes to a prison work yard for stealing bread to feed his sister's ailing son. After twenty years, he is released but finds himself shunned and cast out as a convict by the decent folk. Resentful and desperate, he steals from a kindly bishop who takes him in for a night. The bishop's generosity and forgiveness shame Valjean into devoting himself to being a good man and succeeding by honest means. Hunted by prison guard Javert, Valjean hides his past and rises to the top of bourgeois society. Javert won't let him forget, though — once a criminal, always thus, and Valjean is haunted by the question, "Who am I?" Is he the thief, the prisoner, the convict, the mayor, the wealthy business owner, the adoptive father to a girl left orphaned by one of his workers? Set against the backdrop of the French revolution, class morality provides another layer of meaning.

Never were these themes, along with sex, despair, prostitution, child murder, suicide, prison, slavery, revenge, betrayal, and young love performed more brilliantly than in this "school edition."

When Carolyn Baker as Fantine turns to prostitution to save her daughter, her anguished cry, "Don't they know they're making love to one already dead?" conveys every bit of her shame, determination, fear, and loathing.

Alex Gilbert doesn't portray Javert as simply the villain. Understanding the motivation of this character allows him to shade Javert with many facets. He is not evil but rather sees himself in earnest as the good guy. In his arrogance, he fails to see that he has lost his humanity in his overzealous pursuit of Valjean. Because all of this is so well played, his suicide is the most chilling thing I have ever seen performed on stage.

Musical numbers range from heart-wrenching to hilarious. Braden Herndon and Jayci VanCleave (Monsieur and Madame Thenardier) are masters of comedic timing. The moment when they peer at the ceiling after dropping stolen silver from her skirts is priceless.

The laughter evoked by the innkeeper and his wife is matched by the tears that flow when Valjean prays to God to let Marius live. I don't believe any live performance has ever gotten to me the way Cole Ragsdale's Jean Valjean did. His vocal range is incredible, and though nothing was done to make him appear old, he thoroughly sells himself as the aging Valjean throughout the show.

Cassidy Cocke is poignant and sweet as little Cosette. She and Mary Faith La Prade (young Eponine) hold their own as the smallest members of the cast. Lindsay Haden is memorable as the spunky Gavroche, who wins hearts with "Little People." Alexis Henderson gives a touching performance as the ill-fated Eponine suffering from unrequited love for Marius. Henderson's voice blends notably well with those of Emily Hawkins (Cosette) and Trey Orman (Marius).

Don't let my failure not to mention the others take away from them in the least. Not a single performance was less than spectacular in this show. If Friday night's audience appreciation was an indication, tickets will go fast, so get yours today.