The turntable? You hardly miss it in Signature Theatre’s emotive, blood-and-guts staging of the megamusical “Les Miserables,” directed by Eric Schaeffer and scaled down to fit in the 280-seat Max Theatre.
Not that Signature is doing this epic translation of Victor Hugo’s novel about redemption and revolution a la Parisienne with a couple of flags, a tenor or two and a drum kit. The new version features a 5-ton steel set, a 14-piece orchestra (which is heavy on the electronic keyboards, upping the already high schmaltz quotient) and a cast of 28 actors.
Walt Spangler’s spiky, murky metal set and Kathleen Geldard’s costumes — the women seem to favor Empire-waist shrouds while the men are in grimy linen shirts and black leather pants - conjure up a Paris that would not be on anyone’s list of tourist destinations. The citizenry in this dirty, teeming city fight like guttersnipes to survive, and few rise above the muck. An exception to this is former prisoner Jean Valjean (Greg Stone), who escaped parole but has tried to lead a noble life ever since. This includes raising Cosette (played by Anna Nowalk as a child and Stephanie Waters as a young woman), the daughter of one of his workers, and Fantine (played with exquisite ruin by Tracy Lynn Olivera) who succumbed to prostitution and illness.
All Valjean’s good deeds don’t mean a sou to Javert (Tom Zemon), the resolute inspector who dogs him throughout his life. “Les Miz” purists will note that Javert ends his life in a more violent manner at Signature than the artistically staged jump from a bridge seen in the Broadway production.
As with many shows at Signature, the ensemble singing is exceptional, with full-bodied harmonies lending even more brio to the rousing songs “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and “One Day More.” Some of the solo roles are standouts as well, in particular Felicia Curry as the love-struck street urchin Eponine, who sings “On My Own” with heartbreaking openness; Aaron Reeder’s masterful turn in the small role of a compassionate bishop; and Chris Sizemore as the impassioned student rebel Enjorals. Musical-theater stalwarts Christopher Bloch and Sherri L. Edelen raise gauche to dizzying heights in their portrayal of the unashamedly opportunistic Thenardiers.
Mr. Stone as Jean Valjean lacks the command of other performers in the role. He seems to struggle with the vocal demands and sometimes lapses into an odd falsetto. Miss Waters seems merely ornamental as Cosette - and though she sings beautifully, you wonder just why the student Marius (Andrew Call) goes over the moon for her when Eponine is clearly the superior woman.
Mr. Schaeffer’s visceral approach to the material differs from the unfolding magisterial spectacle of the Broadway show. At Signature, there’s no distance between you and the action, so you can almost smell the gunfire, the sweat of the great Gallic unwashed, and the scent of spilled blood and red wine. These and other flourishes result in a “Les Miz” that is less tragically romantic and more of an unblinking look at a 19th-century France torn apart by war, revolution, poverty and disease.
RATING: ***
WHAT: “Les Miserables,” music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, book by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel
WHERE: Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Feb. 22
TICKETS: $65 to $87
PHONE: 703/573-7328
WEB SITE: www.signature-theatre.org
MAXIMUM RATING: FOUR STARS
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