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OSCA production of Les Mis - ReviewOld Scotch College Association (OSCA) production � Les Mis � Melbourne Australia
Firstly, let me say what an excellent production this was. Basically, it was performed by an amateur Company with a smattering of semi and professional performers. The barricade was an absolute marvel, a brilliant piece of construction � the best barricade I have ever seen, on a par with some of the International productions.
I have been twice so far in the 8 show season, Friday 17th Oct and last night, Wed 22nd Oct and I will go to the last night on Friday 24th October., each time sitting in the front row.
The orchestra was well conceived in so much it was never obtrusive and always supported the action on the stage. The sets ranged from minimalist to highly complex. Some of the garden scenes had blocking centred on Eponine moving the gate from one side to the other, which seemed to me a bit unnecessary.
The only real problem was the sound. OSCA had real sound problems on both nights. On the first night the mics didn�t work and I had trouble hearing the voices. They improved in the second half. On the Wednesday, a lot of intermittent interference sent the mics screaming and screeching at various times � a pity really.
Let�s go onto the main protagonists. Just a general comment first, the show took nearly all its blocking from the current London production, which was a very safe and inspired choice. So, my comments are really only personal preferences on some of the individual acting choices.
Jean Valjean (Gerard Schneider) � a really solid performance, the backbone of the show, without being totally mind-blowing. He sang �Bring Him Home� rather impassively, without displaying the emotion that is often associated with this song. Again, his interaction with Cosette was not overly firm, especially in the scene just before �One Day More�. He chose not to perform the falsetto bits (such as at the end of �Who am I�), a pity.
Javert (Jon Ricketson) � this guy has a great voice and acted the part really well. Unfortunately, I had a problem believing his interpretation due to his youthful appearance. �Stars� and the �Suicide� were excellently performed and got all the applause they deserved.
Fantine (Ellen Casey) � The microphone problems destroyed �I Dreamed a Dream� for me on the first night. I thought she struggled with the story being told by this song, especially the high notes. On a personal note I prefer more emotional phrasing in the lines ��.made and used and wasted�. If didn�t like IDAD, �Come to Me� was fabulous � why? � because it wasn�t overacted. The song was sung quite slowly with total belief that she knew she was dying and would never see Cosette again. Her struggle to the end of the bed, lying on the floor to be picked up and put back into bed by Valjean was a great acting choice.
Marius (Stewart McGhee) � �Empty Chairs at Empty Tables� was wonderfully sung, capturing all the remorse Marius shows for surviving the barricade. A �gooey� relationship with Cosette, which seemed to work quite well, was perhaps a bit over the top with Eponine � he tried to �love� her and �use� her at the same time.
Cosette (Laura Slavin) � Lovely soprano voice. She chose to portray what I call the �gooey� Cosette. By this I mean that she went all �gooey� in �A Heart Full of Love� and in the reprise she made a lot of �childlike� interactions with both Marius and Jean Valjean. Many Les Mis regulars hate this interpretation and, for that reason, hate Cosette�s character. However, I don�t mind one way or the other, so long as the interpretation is consistent, which this was. In �In My Life� when she implores Jean Valjean to tell her what happened in the past, I prefer her to be more firm, rather continuing the �gooey, childlike� theme.
Enjolras (Paul Gelsumini) � I think this is such a hard part to capture Enjolras� leadership qualities and this was done really well through great vocals. This part was skilfully executed with great singing. How uncomfortable was his dying position on the barricade!!?
The Thenardiers (Penny Valk and Michael Waugh) � The funny bits were very funny with the portrayal of the Thenardiers as comics rather than thieves and vagabonds who would do anything for a sou. In �The Bargain�, there was no impression of the disdain they held for Cosette and no indication of how they really treated her. The �Colette� joke was completely lost. �Master of the House� and �Beggar at the Feast� were very funny and sung really well (even though M. Thenardier kept mixing up the words of MOH). I really missed the portrayal of their true characters in �The Bargain� and �Dog Eats Dog�.
Eponine (Marianne Pierce) � OK, I�ve left the best until last. On both nights, she was the real star for me. Her �On My Own� was of true professional standard sung with a wonderful voice and interpretation. Her interaction with Marius, especially in �A Little Fall of Rain�, contained some great acting choices. The way she looked at Marius seemed like she was just begging for his love one last time before she died, which is just the way I think it should be. Great performance.
The Ensemble � they just didn�t generate enough energy for my liking, especially in �ODM�. However, with so many of them plus their scene-shifting roles, they did a good job.
Two final mentions � Feuilly (Raphael Wong), what a great voice and stage presence. I would love to see him cast as Javert and one day he will make a great Jean Valjean. Grantaire (Phil Elphinstone), this is always my favourite character in the show and the highest compliment I can pay is that the role was played just as Jeff Nicholson (my best ever Grantaire, from the London production) would play it.
Thanks OSCA for a great production. I am looking forward to Friday�s performance, the last in your season, so please have a lot of fun.
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