LES MISÉRABLES: LET THEPEOPLE SING! REVIEWS - 2025

REVIEW BY PHIL LOWE - EAST MIDLANDS THEATRE

Les Misérables: Let The People Sing! is produced here at Nottingham Theatre Royal by special arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh and Music Theatre International. It has been created by Nottingham Operatic Productions in collaboration with Carlton Operatic Society, The Cast and Nottingham Theatre, Royal. It is a UK amateur premiere of Les Misérables in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s beloved legendary musical with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer.

Taking place between March to August 2025 the project will see eleven community wide productions of Les Misérables: Let The People Sing! being mounted in cities across the United Kingdom. These are Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, Norwich, Porthcurno (Cornwall), and Swansea. This full length show has never been made available to amateur groups in the UK and has generated huge excitement in amateur musical circles and in the theatre going public’s hearts. An edited Schools’ edition was previously launched in 2002 to mark the bicentennial of Victor Hugo’s birth.

Nottingham Operatic Society, Carlton Operatic Society and The Cast have created an extraordinarily wonderful and unique stage re-working production of Les Misérables with a cast of over one hundred. As an episodic piece of musical theatre each scene slips one into the other like magical mercury. This is down to the discipline of the cast under the direction of David Covey and Justine Lee (Movement Consultant) and long hours of preparation and rehearsals from all involved. Plus invaluable support from MTI. There are also two sets of main principals and child characters and this review concerns the cast on the opening night. To be fair to both casts of principals, I am reviewing on the second night too. C’est une vie difficile mais quelqu’un doit le faire.

So, right from the off, that thrilling opening orchestral prologue has us lovers of musicals hearts a-racing and this potent and fantastic production already proves itself visually and orally stunning. Et, mes amis dans le public, we are hardly a few minutes into le spectacle. If you want to know the whole storyline blow-by-blow by musical number by life-changing brutal and romantic engagements this isn’t the type of review for you. We like to keep it short and tease you with the highlights. And buy a programme you blumming cheapskates. It’s all in there.

One thing that is absolutely key to this Nottingham Theatre Royal production is the way that the gloriously talented ensemble are used throughout the whole show and often in creative ways that are quite different from the West End production. The big choral pieces like “Lovely Ladies”, “One Day More”, “End of The Day”, “Do You Hear The People Sing?” “Master of The House”, and “Look Down” are acted and sung with astonishingly powerful emotion and voices. Other more tender songs such as “Turning”, break one’s heart and get the tears flowing. The singing throughout is incredibly good and technically perfect – big numbers- solos, two and three part harmonies – the works. Morven Harrison’s musical direction is superb and her orchestra are musical perfection in their handling and playing of the score.

Morgan Brind’s scenic design is visually bold and smart enough to allow all sorts of imaginative entrances and exits and boy does this production utilise the creative nature of the main set. The costumes are period perfection. The show is graced with terrific lighting (Tom Mowat), acoustically spot on sound by Michael Donoghue the sound designer and operator.

David Birt is wig master. The wig work is brilliant and most convincing on stage.

Leading the cast are Ollie Last (Jean Valjean) and Dan Armstrong (Inspector Javert). Both are two very talented actor/singers and excellent in the entirety of their demanding roles. The physical confrontation at the bedside of the dead Fantine is convincingly fought and each actor’s well known songs such as “Stars” and “Bring Him Home” gain rapturous applause from tonight’s audience.

M. and Madame Thénardier (Simon Theobold and Hilary Leam) are a well anticipated fun but scary aspect of any Les Mis fan watching the show, and this daft dynamic duo do not disappoint. Full of frantic and cunning energy Theobold and Leam light up the stage with their character personalities and on off criminal relationship.

Francesca Lewis’ portrayal of the lovelorn Éponine is sweet and vulnerable yet tough, perfection both in her desires to be with the charming Marius (excellently played and beautifully sung by Craig Youngman) and in her singing. “A Little Fall Of Rain” never sounded so good as Lewis does it here.

Cosette’s ill fated mother Fantine (Ella Greenwood) needs to switch from giddy romance to deeply felt tragedy within a short space of stage time and Greenwood does socially neglected grief stricken woman tremendously well. We feel her pain and her dying concerns for her little daughter. Little Cosette is played by Caitlin tonight. Her singing of the poignant “Castle On A Cloud” is a reminder of abused childhood innocence and very well executed by Miss Leighton.

Laurel Jones, as the young adult Cosette, is much more affecting than is sometimes the case. We really feel her desires for Marius and especially in the scene with her aging father, Jean Valjean, as she pleads with him for her independence. Her “A Heart Full of Love” is an unparalleled vocal triumph.

Harley Butler makes for a cheeky Gavroche and is well liked by tonight’s audience.

This production is musical theatre perfection throughout the whole show. Whether we are appalled by the brutality of the prison slavery of Jean Valjean and the other prisoners or uplifted by the bravery of Enjolras (Harri Evans) and the courageous students or amused by the gross Thénardiers this amateur production is professionalism writ large. Every soul on this stage tonight shows 100% total commitment. Yet one character has been given much more stage time than is usually the case. And it works very effectively. This is the extension of the part of The Bishop of Digne (Christopher Grantham). After he has told Jean Valjean that his life journey now belongs to God, the Bishop then becomes a spiritual guide appearing silently in the shadows as Jean Valjean tries to do good in his life and during historical moments of great danger and deadly insurrection. I can’t wait to see it all again on Wednesday night!

LES MISÉRABLES: LET THEPEOPLE SING! REVIEWS - 2025

REVIEW BY PHIL LOWE - EAST MIDLANDS THEATRE

This production will go down in local amateur musicals as a stand alone landmark production.