The lobby of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa rippled with excitement as long time Les Miserables fans and first timers looked forward to the curtain going up on the the blockbuster musical sensation.
Based on Victor Hugo’s classic 1862 novel set during the years leading up to the 1832 Parisian Uprising this brand new gargantuan production does not disappoint, with eye-popping visuals, bombastic music, and high wire emotion keeping audiences enthralled until the final bow.
The plot revolves around a story of dreams, passion, love, and redemption, a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Nick Cartell’s supreme acting skills in his performance of Jean Valjean, the protagonist of the novel, and Steve Czarnecki’s inexorable bad guy Javert, make the acting on par with the singing.
The extraordinary scenic designs by Matt Kinley have been directly inspired by paintings by author Victor Hugo himself. Paula Constable’s dark moody and stark lighting evoke the layers of Parisian life in the nineteenth century while still working with Finn Ross’ gorgeous cinematic projected backgrounds, a nice touch of combining the tried and true with modern high-tech.
With almost three hours of musical story telling and not one spoken word, the show has put together a spectacular cast of very impressive and powerful vocalists. Mixing operatic, classical and some contemporary pop the performer’s blast out a wall of sound at full volume. Solos are sung at an emotional high that hits the rafters, prompting many to describe the 40+ song score as a pop opera.
This is an extraordinary evening which will leave you thinking about the power of hope, desire, passion and love. Don’t miss it!
September 19, 2023 - October 1, 2023
https://www.scfta.org/