The Theatre At Headington, Wed March 26th - Sat March 29th 2008

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Simon Tavener March 28, 2008

I have to admit to having been in love with Les Misérables for over 20 years. I had the cassette when it first came out, I bought the CD of the London Cast as soon as I had a CD player, I then got the original French recording and the complete Symphonic recording. I have seen it several times. But I have never seen it performed by a cast made up of actors all under the age of 20. I was a little worried.

I need not have been! The cast give their all and they have plenty to give. There is talent in depth in the company and this is such an ensemble piece, many of them are given their chance to shine.

I could, quite easily, list all of the principal players and say very positive things about them – they deserve that. Singling a few out for special praise seems to underplay the achievement of those I don’t mention – but I don’t want to produce a list of names.

Les Mis stands or falls pretty much as a result of the performance of the Valjean. He is on stage for the majority of the 3 hours and has some incredibly challenging music to sing. Kurt Townsend does a sterling job. He has a powerful voice and a good sense of character: a genuine talent. He is well matched by Ben Watts who has gravity and strength as Javert. I could hardly believe that the actor playing Enjolras is only 14 years of age – he is certain to progress to greater things over the next few years.

I enjoyed the flamboyance of Kerri Dixon as Madame Thénardier – a real gem of a part for a character actor. Jasmine Coll, as her daughter Éponine, has a true sense of stillness and this gave her portrayal a special edge.

I could go on – maybe I should – but suffice it to say that there is a cast of talented singers and actors on display. Many of them could well be in the West End in a few years time. It is great that so many young people in Oxfordshire have such a passion for music theatre.

Given the resources of what is, essentially, a studio theatre, the production is very effective. The use of a revolve is a neat echo of the original London version. The costumes work well giving a sense of character and period. Edward Blagrove – one of the busiest men on the Oxford drama scene – directs with clarity and conviction. It must have been a massive undertaking to bring this show together. He should be very proud of the results.

I hate to have to say this but the talent on stage was somewhat let down by a very lacklustre performance from the orchestra. Ensemble was ragged, timing was, on occasion, very poor and the choice of tempi frequently very doubtful. More time should have been spent to ensure that the orchestra supported the singers rather than drowning them out. There were also a large number of tuning issues (particularly with the upper strings and parts of the brass section) which marred the overall effect to my ears. I know this piece very well and the singers were not well served musically.

Luckily, this did not spoil the evening. I love the show and I had to wipe away a tell-tale tear on a couple of occasions. I had my doubts that 18 year olds could convincingly carry this intensely emotional show – but they did. 


Post Script:

A word about the theatre itself….

It was my first visit to the Theatre at Headington. There is no doubting that it is a well-equipped performance venue. The seats are somewhat short on leg-room – if you can get row D that would seem to be your best bet if you are over 5ft 2in tall! Also there was an excessively lengthy queue at the Box Office to pick up the tickets – many patrons were clearly and understandably annoyed by this. However it was not manned by the theatre's own box office staff, and I'm assured these delays are not the norm!

It is a venue I hope to return to – but I will make sure I get my tickets in Row D!

One of the great things about Les Misérables is that there are so many principal parts, meaning that many people are given the chance to show what they are made of. The downside of this however is that it requires a lot of gifted performers as each character is as important as the next.

There is a great deal of talent on show within this production, with many of the actors showing great potential. Joseph Harrison, playing the role of Enjolras, shows great promise. He commands the stage well and really does begin to incite revolution from right within the audience- a difficult feat for anybody to achieve, let alone a boy of 14. He is however slightly let down by some of his ‘students’, who sometimes lack enthusiasm. This is of course a generalisation as many of the chorus members managed to make an impression and played an important part in the overall production.

For me, the stand-out performances of the night came from Fantine, Jean Valjean and rather surprisingly, Javert. Ben Watts’ portrayal of Javert added weight to the entire show as he delivered not only great vocals, but also had an excellent understanding of a character that is so often played as a one dimensional villain. I have seen many portrayals of this character, both amateur and professional and this is by far one of the best, in terms of a multi-faceted performance, that I have seen.

Similarly, Fantine, played by Natalie Batten was simply outstanding. ‘I dreamed a dream’ is one of the most well-known songs in musical theatre and it is sung simply beautifully in this OYMT production, absolutely brimming with real emotion. It seems as though she were born to play this part and we are sure to see her on a West End stage in the very near future.

The difficulty of staging a youth production of Les Misérables is that so much has to be asked of its lead, Jean Valjean. This was therefore who I was most worried about with this performance. I need not have been. Kurt Townsend is a real talent and exudes charisma on stage. ‘Bring Him Home’, one of the most challenging songs of the show was sung to perfection, capturing the tone and emotion of the piece in a way which many professional Valjeans have failed to do.

There were many other excellent appearances within the show; however I did feel slightly disappointed with the inconsistent showings of Marius, played by Stephen Hosking and Cosette, played by Camille Robineau. Although mostly vocally capable, there was no real connection between the two, therefore failing to make their personal story believable. In addition to this, ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’, once again, vocally fine, seemed to lack feeling and perhaps a real understanding of the song. This was not helped by the staging as, for a song which is supposed to be haunting, there were too many people on stage.

The real sticking point of the evening was the music. Aside from the obvious, the orchestra are supposed to provide support to the singers; however it felt as though the performers had to keep up with the orchestra who seemed to have timing and tuning issues. Thankfully this did not manage to mar my overall enjoyment of the evening. Les Misérables is a huge show and OYMT have triumphed. The only question now is; how on earth will they top it next year?

Peter Ramsey 30 Mar 2008

For a small theatre and young cast what a fantastic show they put on, even on the opening night. It was a great performance by Kurt Townsend as Jean. This main character makes or breaks the show, so great job. Thenardier and Madame Thenardier were fantastic. They really made me laugh - a great bit of character acting from Charles Worthy and Kerri Dixon. For a young lad a great performance too from Joseph Harrision as Enjolras.
Well done to all - a great show.

ski man 28 Mar 2008

Les Mis is a musical with some glittering songs, but whose tale is unremittingly bleak: consumption, suicide, child abuse, blackmail, poverty, civil war, theft,unrequited love and prostitution! However, shot through this bleakness (enhanced by the sparseness of the stage in this OYMT production) are moments of colour, literally in the red uniforms, coloured sashs etc and in the performances.

Eponine and Enjolras were the stand out performances on Thursday night. Enroljas, with his natural stage presence, roused the entire company in his rendition of Red and Black - definitely one to watch. Eponine, in purple (but with a peculiarly modern mac) struck just the right note and held the stage well. Her death in the arms of the man who would never love her was particularly moving, spotlit, with the barricade (size of a barn and very awkward to move..well done stage crew) as a backdrop. Cozette, Marius and Eponine placed like statues on a bare stage sang their trio beautifully.

The chorus were convincing,and even those at the back acted their hearts out. The Thenardiers have a gift of a song in 'Master of the House', a real tub thumper but seemed slightly shy of giving it their all. Perhaps this will come in later performances. Valjean was convincing with 'Bring Him Home' but sounded rather strangulated at other times.

The abiding frustration was the sound: at times the orchestra drowned out the singing and the microphones seemed to flatten and muffle rather than enhance; a real problem with music which needs to be sung with crystal clarity to achieve the full effect.

It's a sell out nonetheless, and all those who have tickets will no doubt enjoy it. There are some golden nuggets in the darkness which will delight.

Boo73 28 Mar 2008

It is certainly a daunting task to take on one of the world's most loved and difficult musicals, but this cast of superbly talented young people easily do it justice.

As with all opening nights, there were some technical issues, as well as some clumsy scene changes. However, what this production lacks in terms of a sophisticated finish, it more than makes up for in raw talent and ability. Javert's suicide was what can only be described as spine tingling and Fantine's solo practically forbids an entire audience not to burst in to tears. Similarly, Jean Valjean does not fail to disappoint, with a stunning voice and a stage presence which commands the attention of both cast and audience alike.

Overall an incredibly enjoyable production which should provide great hope to any sceptics who may be tempted to believe that the British talent pool is drying up. Believe me; the water is plentiful.

Southern Belle 27 Mar 2008

Opening nights are always a bit dodgy as the cast are almost always unsure of props and set. That being said this was an amazingly enjoyable night out, the cast were all very talented and Javert and Fantine's solo's sent shivers down my spine. I felt compelled to revolt after "Red and Black" and "Do you hear the People sing", and was very moved after "A Little Fall of Rain".

It did, however, seem to me that the stage crew aren't yet at the standard that you would expect in a performance of Les Miserables, the removal of the barricade was too noisy and detracted from the feel of the night. But all in all the cast and production team should be very proud of themselves, for putting on such a good production with such a young and raw cast.

Unknown 27 Mar 2008

An excellent performance despite lacking the sophisticated props of a west end production, the voices of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Éponine and Javert do not disappoint. Although it was the first night and there were one or two wrinkles it was enjoyable. The performance is slightly let down by the sound system and direction - it would be better if Javert sang to the audience and not the stars on the back drop. Thénardier and Madame Thénardier could do with more precision in their acting.
But when the cast 'get it right'... boy do they get it right!
The Queen's Theatre London should take note: 'there are young lions in the house' and they roar beautifully.

M/Bowen 27 Mar 2008

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