[/caption]While thousands of people flocked to the Lincoln Memorial to watch the “We Are One” Inaugural kickoff concert, a decidedly smaller gathering was treated to a fresh new look at one of the world’s most famous musicals.
Les Miserables, presented by the Signature Theater in Arlington, Virginia, is a show most Broadway enthusiasts will recognize as the longest-running musical in history and, as such, has had countless different incarnations. What makes this production in particular so special is the way it is presented to the audience: in a small, blackbox theater that only seats roughly two hundred seventy five guests per performance, and on a stage that is viewable from three sides.
Signature Theater’s ability to juxtapose such a large-scale show – equipped with thirty cast members, an eighteen-piece orchestra, and several large set pieces – with such a small and intimate venue is a triumph for director Eric Schaeffer, who is also artistic director and co-founder of Signature Theater. As the cast is given three directions to play to, each member of the audience is given a unique experience where there isn’t a single bad seat in the house and everyone feels like they are part of the revolution.
Schaeffer has given the production a gothic feel, which naturally goes well with the dark tones of the piece. With lighting used to cast shadows over the stage, dark costumes, and strikingly pale makeup, the production looks like something out of the mind of Tim Burton.
The show, however, is not all style and no substance: the cast members are terrific, and both the singing and acting was spot-on throughout the show. Particular stand-outs include Enjolras, played by Chris Sizemore, Eponine, played by Felicia Curry, and the Thenardiers, played by Christopher Bloch and Sherri L. Edelen. Importantly, they do not merely regurgitate what has already been done again and again in preceding productions of the same show: rather, they took the roles and made them their own, experimenting with different emotions and creating three-dimensional characters, providing for a realistic theatrical experience.
As Les Miserables is such an arduous show to produce, it rarely comes in such good form. The Signature Theater has outdone itself with this production, and it is certainly a show worth seeing to all those in the DC area.
Les Miserables at the Signature Theater will run until February twenty-second. Ticket prices start at sixty five dollars and can still be purchased at Ticketmaster.
-Alex Laska
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