A stunning success! At the close of every performance of of Les Misérables, the audience rose immediately for a standing ovation.
Upon leaving, praise of brilliant, outstanding, amazing, was uttered repeatedly by hundreds of over-awed spectators shuffling out the exits, which was predictable given just how many separate numbers were applauded. In short, the latest Comberton Village College musical was an instant success! Before the opening bars of music began, the audience were stunned by the grandeur of the set, with its three-storey high flats and two levels. The first half of the performance rocketed along at so fast a pace as to cover Jean Valjean’s entire adult life until his arrival in Paris as an old man; the second part eases up on the speed to focus on the heartwrenching finale to both the 1848 revolution and the central love story. Here were pin-drop moments of quiet and the sound of the sniffles that accompany the moistening the audience’s eyes. In the lead role of Jean Valjean, Adam Pennington strolled calmly on stage and delivered song after song in deep, measured tones that were, to a note, eerily beautiful. He saved something for the second half too with his breath-taking rendition of “Bring Him Home.” FULLY FOCUSSED: The entire cast of Les Misérables His steady, robust portrayal contrasted effectively with Heinrich Verwoerd playing Police Chief, Javert, and his boundless, if grim, determination to extolls the power of “Little People.” (He makes one wonder if an Oliver Twist hunt down his nemesis, Valjean. Verwoerd’s powerful delivery effortlessly matched production is on the cards.) Alice Heydinger and Eliza Chambers also delivered the officer’s aggression. notable one-off numbers. The manic chorus, whether as denizens of Paris or patrons of the wine shop, awed Director, Jez Frost and his assistant, Charlotte Fenn-Goode, were clinical in their the audience with sheer energy. “At the End of the Day” and “Look Down” in masterminding the whole show; the flawless precision of so many actors across so particular seethed with anger, while “Master of the House” exuded all the raucous many scenes was more to be expected from a cast of seven rather than the 70 or so verve one would except from this comic showpiece. Conor Hunt and Rachael under their tutelage. Chambers were mesmerising at every appearance as the opportunistic M. & Mme The entire production team is to be credited for their superb work with a complex set. Thenadier. Costuming managed to be both sumptuous and harlequinesque, a real pageantry of The other principles likewise shone brightly at their respective moments. Charlie poverty, always colourful and frequently grandiose. Weldon’s, Fantine, carried plaintive warmth in her voice when she dreamed her A fantastic (and invisible!) orchestra, led by Geoff Page, provided a luxurious range dream. As a convincing mother-daughter link, Cossette (Emily Dowd) enjoyed what of music, enhancing the varied vocal styles of the singers. The lighting was precise might have been her finest moment in the wonderful scene by the wrought-iron gate and controlled until the fireworks went off during the revolution which livened up as she sung her heart out for Marius in the love triangle. Abbie Palmer, as the proceedings even further. Engulfed in smoke, it reminded one of a few pubs before devoted Eponine, delivered a magical “On My Own,” which pours forth her unrequited love for Marius, effortlessly carried off by Christian Turner.. the national smoking ban was implemented (as the fire department can attest when Devoted to both his love Cosette, and to his student friends, led by the superb Eddie they responded to the smoke alarms sounding during Sunday’s tech run). Gao, Turner and the rest of the young men managed to capture a naïve, doomed In turns intensely dramatic, full of frivolity, and emotionally charged, this production of idealism with true precision and brilliance. There was a fantastic cameo appearance Les Miserables was sensational. Victor Hugo himself would have been impressed. by Oliver Wilkinson’s, as Gavroche, the urchin who is endearing fromthe moment he Mike Ryall, English Department
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