By Jasmine Ong
Growing up in a household where my first exposure to a musical was the Phantom of the Opera on CD, it is probably no surprise that as soon as someone got a hold of the Les Misérables broadway cast recording, it quickly became the second most played CD in the home.
While I didn’t get the chance to see the musical in person until I was a lot older in New York, I did get my Les Mis exposure visually before that, through the film and the DVD recording of the 25th anniversary concert. So, when Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular World Tour was announced with its Singapore stop, I knew it was another chance to experience the songs live again.
It is important to note that this is not the stage production of Les Misérables, but rather a concert-style production of the famed musical so there are no big sets, dialogue or the usual style of theatrics you would see.
With that said, I knew what I was going to see prior to show day so it came as no surprise when the stage did not look like its usual self. Instead of the orchestra being in the usual pit, they are now up on stage for everyone to see. The ensemble, safe for the leads, barely left the stage and were often seen as part of the sets, which I did not mind since it made for a refreshing take on this timeless production.
I did think, however, that with the lack of sets around, this puts the onus on the cast to make up for it with their voices and their expressions as the spotlight was solely on them. This was one of the reasons why I felt that it was important to that the cast remained vocally competent throughout the whole show, so as not to break from the illusion that the audience was not watching a musical production.
Unfortunately for my show day, the first half of the show fell short for me as I had quite a few moments where I lost the connection to the songs that were sung, specifically one of my favourites which was “The Confrontation” between Javert and Jean Valjean.
While Jeremy Secomb (who plays Javert) and Gerónimo Rauch (who plays Jean Valjean) were both vocally strong in their own ways, I did find their range a bit too similar during the song, which made it hard to distinguish the voices when they came to the bit where they had to basically out-sing each other.
Because the voices almost sounded like they were blending together, a lot of the lyrics became a bit of a jumble and it was hard to hear each character pointing out the circumstances and exasperation they both were feeling at that time, specifically with Javert’s revelation that he was born inside a jail!
I had come into the show without any expectations, but it was at this juncture that I found it extremely difficult not to compare with my favourite version, which was performed by Alfie Boe and Norm Lewis.
Even though I was feeling a little disappointed, I have to say that I was cheered up by the brilliant Lea Salonga and Red Concepción who plays Madame and Monsieur Thénardier. Often seen as the comic relief of Les Misérables, the two had such great chemistry and were able to play off of each other’s energies, while perfectly capturing this dysfunctional couple’s dynamics.
Despite the rocky first half, the second half definitely redeemed the entire show for me as it had a couple of heavy hitters which included “On My Own”, “Bring Him Home”, and “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables”. These were songs that held so much emotion that singing just one note differently would ruin the entire song.
Having seen clips of Nathania Ong as Eponine, I knew she wouldn’t disappoint and true enough, she delivered. From the softness in her vocals to the resigned expressions she would have, Nathania truly captured the essence of Eponine in her mannerisms, which could only stand to reason why there was no better person to fill this role.
Gerónimo Rauch and Will Callan (who plays Marius) each stood out with their solo songs too, especially with Will’s rendition of “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables” and his ability to translate the grief, anguish and despair of the song with not just his vocals but his expressions.
A surprising song that I didn’t think that I would come to like was Jeremy Secomb’s performance of Javert’s Soliloquy. Although it is a song that Javert sings before he commits suicide, it is also a song where Javert goes through a conscience crisis where he seemingly grapples with his religious beliefs that had grounded him all his life.
As there were no big sets for Jeremy to simulate jumping off of a bridge, I loved the way they portrayed this using his vocals and the play of stage lights, which still managed to capture his tragic end without any form of abrupt deviation.
All in all, while there were hiccups, Les Misérables The Arena Spectacular World Tour was still a really enjoyable show that summed up why the musical continues to be a timeless classic. Whether you are a fan or not, the concert-type format makes it an easier form to digest, and proves that the conventional method isn’t the only way for musicals to resonate with audiences.
