Les Mise'rables

by Ed Bruce edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

Obviously (to me)......as well done as this play has ever been done.... anywhere..... anytime. I have seen every Las Vegas production show for the last 25 years, Broadway, Utah Shakespeare Theatre, Hollywood and everything else.....THIS WAS BETTER THAN THEM ALL !

SPECTACULAR ! ! !

Lets start from the top......the three times a week mamouth production at the equally spectacular TUACAHN Theatre outside St. George, Utah is 134 miles from Las Vegas, all freeway, no problem. World class stuff happens here !

I grade these shows on a scale of 100 A+ for the best and they lose 1 point for every minute late.....this sucker started at 8:43 so they are working on an 87 before kickoff. It truly is incredible that something this big and costly can't start on time, there are no excuses and 2000 plus were there and ready at kickoff ! My big three negatives are too late too loud and too dark and without content it is always possible to go down hill before kickoff or lose me completely. Not so here but also down 13 before kickoff !

Enough negativity for now......again this was as good a production of Les Mis as could ever be done... they spared no detail or cost and everyone on and off stage was world class, from Genesis, author Victor Hugo, original London production by Cameron Mackintosh and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. This has been done, redone and done some more but never like this, whatever they got and used and stole and recreated from all the previous prodcutions was edited in here and then they did more. Thanks to everyone.... maybe director Scott S. Anderson or whoever hired him gets the ultimate credit, Anderson certainly was head coach and responsible for all the pieces coming together.

Start with this big outdoor stage with huge moving sets and horse drawn carriages coming and going....cannons shot out of the hills behind the stage and fireworks explosives overhead during the war scenes. Really unbelievable how much detail and expanse was put into this at no small cost and all so done well. I love sound and lyrics, of course, the best here with flawless powerful 40 miked characters (all clear with perfect pitch, tone and volume) WOW, they were backed by 16 live pieces...... so well played and highlited by the perfect guitar quasi-solos.

Really unfair to this production to write about it and not see it, this is a must see ! Some of the previous productions I have seen were shorted.....not today.....93 minutes first half.....a 17 minute 15 minute intermission and 71 minutes for the second half.

I loved the sound, I loved the script, I loved the lyrics, I loved the staging, I loved the acting, I loved the costumes, I loved the dancing, I loved the continuity, I loved the talent, I loved the commitment, I loved the production, I loved the theatre staff, I loved the theatre, I loved the night ( I was there long enough to see the Big Dipper disappear behind the rocks) and I loved this outdoor neighborhood experience.

A little more rain on your parade here in addition to 13 mintes late.....the ever fruitful Utah mothers saw fit to bring many of their babies to this epic and allowed them to cry, why ? Evidentally we will never be able to stamp out small video screen devices,.......in Las Vegas they are totally out of control and here I did not notice any the first half but there were some after that...I just don't want to be distracted by anything and especially at the level of production I was witnessing on AUGUST 7 2008.

I could have given this a score of over a 100 and dispite how great it was, late overpowers it all...there are so many symphonys yet to be heard and so little time !

In conclusion this runs thru August and if you miss it you are a colossal loser....they are doing the Sound of Music on alternating nights and if it is, a tenth as good, it will be spectacular...I am making arrangements as we speak ! Both are in repertoire with lots of quality overlap I am sure !

It gets 86 B !