So here I am once again at the Nottingham Theatre Royal for the Wednesday night performance of Les Misérables: Let The People Sing! with a new cast of principals in the roles of Jean Valjean, Inspector Javert, Éponine, the Thénardiers and new children playing Gavroche and Little Cosette and Young Éponine. This review is not meant to compare the fine acting and singing demonstrated last night but just us supporting this theatrical endeavour and the companies involved. East Midlands Theatre thank you all for the gracious second press invite. Phil Lowe

Firstly, a little slice of theatre information of how this stunning production came into being.

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.

This is one of those brilliantly done shows that I could happily watch for every one of the eight performances this week. 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.

Photos credit: Stuart Reekie

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.

Photos credit: Stuart Reekie

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), as well as 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.

Zak Charlesworth (Jean Valjean) and Kirt Hammonds (Inspector Javert) play fantastically strong leading protagonists. Charlesworth every inch the angry broken member of Javert’s chain gang redeemed through God’s blessing; a man who eventually learns through many hardships and sacrifices the true meaning of love. Tonight’s audience certainly feel the power and beauty of his acting and singing.

Kirt Hammond’s daunting Inspector Javert is a officer of the law you wouldn’t want to mess with and Hammond infuses his character with a short fuse, an imposing gait, impenetrable attitudes on the law and justice as he sees it and a super strong voice to die for. His dramatic interactions with Charlesworth’s Jean Valjean make for incredible musical theatre.

Victor Hugo describes M. and Madame Thénardier (Daniel Bogod and Siân Scattergood-Grantham ) thus: a small skinny untrustworthy swallow faced man who smiled constantly as a matter of precaution. Madame Thénardier: Everything trembled at the sound of her voice, window panes, furniture, people. They were an ugly and dreadful pair, the Thénardiers, a marriage of cunning and fury. Bogod and Scattergood-Grantham’s excellent characterizations are much more geared towards the villainous uncaring Thénardiers; a serious pair of fraudsters and thieves. Occasionally we get a glimpse of dark humour and malicious glee predominantly in the wedding scene. As they sing and propose – “We’re the ones who make it in the end.”

Jenna Hancock’ portrayal of the lovelorn Éponine steers away from sugary inclinations and, whilst periodically vulnerable, Hancock portrays her as a tougher streetwise girl who secretly desires to be with the charming Marius (excellently played and beautifully sung by Craig Youngman). Her singing of “A Little Fall Of Rain” is exquisite .

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 Mabel Kay tonight. Her singing of the poignant “Castle On A Cloud” is a sad reminder of abused childhood hiding in a veil of innocence and very well executed by Miss Kay.

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.

Henri Reynolds is a confident clearly spoken lovable Gavroche and is well liked by tonight’s audience. Betty Barnes is Young Éponine.

This production is musical theatre perfection throughout the whole show. Whether we are appalled by the brutality of the prison chain gang slavery of Jean Valjean and the other prisoners or uplifted by the bravery of Enjolras (Harri Evans) and the courageous students or appalled 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.

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

Photos credit:Martin Holtom

Fun fact: In Victor Hugo’s novel the Thénardiers changed their name to Jondrette. This is after their inn has gone bankrupt and they have escaped to Paris to avoid paying their debts.

Fun fact deux: The name of the man crushed under the weight of his own cart is Fauchlevant. Disguised as M. Madeleine textile and jet factory owner Jean Valjean rescues him and on his recovery gives him a gardening job at the local convent.