Newcity Stage

Theater, Dance, Comedy and Performance in Chicago

A Last, Less Elaborate Look at a Reimagined “Les Misérables” The twenty-fifth anniversary reimagining of the musical, now running for over a decade, makes its final stop in Chicago with its current two-week run.

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by Dennis Polkow
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A group of people in historical clothing stand on a smoky barricade, one person raises a red flag dramatically under bright stage lights, evoking a scene of rebellion or revolution.

Broadway in Chicago’s “Les Misérables”/Photo: Matthew Murphy

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The now-over-a-decade-and-a-half-old North American production of “Les Misérables,” originally reimagined for the musical’s twenty-fifth anniversary, is making its final Broadway in Chicago stop with its current two-week run at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, we are told.

What a run it has been. A huge improvement over the original, the production kept improving and tweaking things upon return visits. Therefore it was somewhat surprising that the elaborate digital set design was a bit scaled back this time around.

Nick Cartell is back as Jean Valjean, albeit singing “out” more than past performances. I preferred his previous, more nuanced approach, but perhaps this was how he felt the role for the Chicago opening.

A bride and groom dance together in the center of a dimly lit ballroom, surrounded by blurred couples also dancing, creating a romantic and dreamy atmosphere.

Broadway in Chicago’s “Les Misérables,” with Peter Neureuther and Alexa Lopez/Photo: Matthew Murphy

Javert is now being played by Hayden Tee, who takes a more literal approach to the role than the previous more ambivalent Javert played by Preston Truman Boyd. That makes Javert’s journey a bit jolting when he comes to see the error of his ways, as there needs to be more of a trajectory to get there. But his departure remains as powerful as ever.

The women of the show are more of the “belter” variety than past incarnations of this production, where the voices were more controlled. It’s almost as if producer Cameron Mackintosh was having a bit of nostalgia for the approach of his original production.

Nonetheless, the show manages to work its magic and it feels sad to be experiencing it in such an elaborate production for a final time.

A woman in a tan coat and red headscarf stands with folded arms on a foggy stage, with broken wooden barricades and dramatic lighting in the background, evoking a scene from a theatrical performance.

Broadway in Chicago’s “Les Misérables,” with Jaedynn Latter/Photo: Matthew Murphy

Still, the staying power of “Les Misérables” is such, along with Mackintosh’s talent for reimagining properties, that it surely cannot be too long before we’ll have yet another “One Day More.”

“Les Misérables” is on stage at Broadway in Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 West Randolph, through May 24. Tickets available at broadwayinchicago.com.