Les Miserables, Theatre Royal, Brighton 13th to 23rd August 2025. Review by Janet Lawrence

In this show, Brighton Theatre Group, lead producer, collaborates with Brighton & Hove Operatic Society, The Rattonians and Worthing Musical Theatre Company. Between them they produced a show to outshine any other. By special arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh Limited and Music Theatre International, Keith Shepherd is, as always, BTG’s hard working Producer; Michael Burnie and Jodie Michele joint directors. With, I believe, about 500 people auditioning, the casting team has the knack of choosing the right voices and actors for the rôles.

The programme cast list includes named photographs of every cast member: a clever idea for main characters is a picture of the actor with another of them in their character part. Interesting transformations. Supporting main characters show photos with a little biography, honouring the importance of every single one and their rôle.

Special acknowledgement goes to the excellence of the Ensemble - all 53 of them, with their essential and colourful presence, appearances in crowds; as ordinary Parisians, citizens and pub drinkers, embodying characters as the scenes required. A crucial rôle in bringing the story to life. Important contributors to its atmosphere and energy. And carefully chosen and marvellous voices.

Costumes are 1800s period styles, cleverly diverse according to the status of the character part. A challenge for Head of Costumes Donna Harrop, assisted by Mia Starr.

There was nothing delicate about the opening of the show. We’re assaulted with noise and a line of prisoners tethered with chains marching along the stage. One of them is tossed out, wearing just his prison robes. It’s Jean Valjean, prisoner number 24601

tattooed on his body. He’s served 19 years for a minor offence, clutching his yellow ticket of leave. His jailor - the all-powerful Javert.

Then magically, the scene changes to reveal a stage full of villagers, chatting, and a young street urchin appears - Gavroche. “We do not want you here”, he sings.

And in another scene change, the Bishop of Digne (Mike Mackenzie) invites this sinner, Jean Valjean, to his abbey for shelter and food. There Jean Valjean steals the silver candlesticks and other precious items.

Fantine is Cosette’s mother, her father having abandoned them. She sings “I dreamed a dream,” her voice pure and emotional - a song of disappointment and longing. We have two amazing Jean Valjeans, on alternate nights: James Harrington (first night) and Craig Whitely. While Wayne Roberts plays Javert for every performance. Charismatic and powerful men.

The scene jumps to Montreuil sur Mer, 1823. Another crowd: little Cosette’s (Juliette Mitchell-Gears / Bella Guy) mother Fantine (Amie De Valero Bragg) suddenly gets entangled in a situation where she has to sell her locket and have her hair cut, to earn some money. Ending up as a prostitute.

The story continues with Fantine dying, the reformed and decent Jean Valjean taking on her daughter Cosette as his own. Rescuing her from the Thenardiers (Carl Lovejoy & Wayne Douglas), a couple who own a pub and treat the little 10-year-old as a slave, while loving their own daughter, Eponine (Mitzi Tullet). The Thenardiers are rough, vocal and hilarious. She’s tall with a tall red wig (Lucia Romero Clark, on all nights), with her husband (alternately Carl Lovejoy and Wayne Douglas) - diminutive and totally under her control.

We see Cosette as a young girl in rags, and as a lovely grown woman (Nina Hayward), about to marry handsome Marius (Max Jenkins), a French student and revolutionary who loves her.

There are tender moments, where Eponine sings of her unrequited love for Marius, and she dies with his arms around her.

The story has uplifting scenes, heart rending scenes, magic scene changes, lighting effects and an excellent orchestra to reflect situations and moods. We are conscious of Javert’s relentless pursuit of the man he considers a villain.

At last, the barricade - a magical structure of furniture and wooden scraps that fills the stage. Cast members use long guns to fight off supporters of the monarchy. (Props - where did you get those guns?)

“Bring Him Home”, sings Jean Valjean, begging God to spare Marius for Cosette, before the fighting at the barrier.

And the heart stopping sight of Gavroche, Enjolras, and others, dying one by one. Javert and Valjean survive. As does Marius, to rejoin Cosette, “Life without Cosette means nothing at all,” he sings. Javert is plagued with the guilt of being kindly rescued by Jean Valjean, and commits suicide.

“Les Miserables” is performed entirely in song, with orchestra accompaniment throughout. Perhaps the most important part. Accolades to Conductor Dan Lacey who leads a talented fourteen-strong orchestra to carry the action and lead it along.

Brighton Theatre Group and its stage company allies, have produced an unforgettable show, of conflict, love, guilt, forgiveness, humour and joy. It that will go down in the annuls as one of the triumphs of historical theatre.

The show had a two-week run, from Saturday 23rd August - evenings Thursday 21st, Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd: Matinées Thursday 21st and Saturday 23rd.