Les Misérables, entering its 5th decade, never seems to get old. The megamusical is once again all dressed up with a lot of places to go. Producer Cameron Mackintosh reconfigured the show for a world tour celebrating its 40th anniversary with what he’s calling The Arena Concert Spectacular. But this is no mere concert: it is performed in costume with enough technical razzle dazzle to make the experience every bit as satisfying as the fully staged productions of the past. And why not…the show is almost entirely sung through; and given the top-shelf performers selected specifically for their vocal talents, backed by a 27 piece orchestra, let’s face it…the music’s the thing. And it is smashing!
Right from the start with that first blast of familiar chords, fans of Boublil and Schönberg’s masterwork are in ecstasy. Directors James Powell and Jean-Pierre Van De Spuy know their audience well. The night I attended, the Radio City Music Hall’s nearly 6,000 seat auditorium was packed with die-hard fans versed in every note and syllable of the nearly three hour-long epic musical; and they returned the love with multiple ovations through the night.
The creatives managed a neat trick to pump up the enthusiasm. The first twelve minutes of the show featuring Jean Valjean’s back story – he’s a good man unjustly imprisoned for 19 years – is presented as a cold open. Once he’s released, on parole, the show gets a second start with the title emblazoned on one of the five giant video screens behind and surrounding the stage.
[Read Melissa Rose Bernardo’s ★★★★☆ review here.]
Those screens provide welcome closeups of the actors who must be commended for their own enthusiasm. Almost every member of this stellar company – more than 65 players and musicians combined – have a long history with the show, having performed in various productions over the past decades. But impressively, even as this is the final stop on the two year long tour, traveling to more than a dozen countries, the actors’ commitment seemed entirely fresh. You could see it in the closeups. The emotions felt raw.
There are three actors listed in the role of the beleaguered fugitive Valjean. I saw Alfie Boe whose classically trained tenor is in top form. Even after so many hundreds of performances, his rendition of “Who Am I” is every bit as powerful as the first time I saw him back in 2015. And that power is only matched by the restrained intimacy of the heart-rending prayer “Bring Him Home.” Boe’s delivery of the technically demanding number is exquisite; and both songs earned sustained standing ovations.
Boe’s co-star (the night I attended) – Bradley Jaden – as the merciless Inspector Javert is equally virtuosic. His transformation from unyielding stoic, singing “Stars” to “Javert’s Suicide” – his face drenched in tears – is as sublime as it can ever get.
Samantha Barks returns to the show after famously performing Eponine on stage and film in years past. For the concert, she is Fantine and quite beautiful in every respect. The true test of course is what she does with “I Dreamed a Dream” and she does not disappoint.
The ruthless Thenardiers, played by Marina Prior and Matt Lucas, are masters of comedy, supplying full bodied comic relief in their big number “Master of the House.” And they are raucously backed by the entire ensemble perched on the giant stage’s multi-level tiers.
Other standouts include Shan Ako as Eponine singing the soulful “On My Own” and Jac Yarrow, as Marius, acing the ultimate survivor’s guilt song “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables.”
Victor Hugo’s monumental 19th century opus is ripe for dramatic adaptation. But it requires equal parts grandeur and subtlety. By almost every measure, the concert lives up to the challenge, delivering both the promised spectacle and the heartfelt humanity at its core.
Very special mention to lighting designers Paule Constable and Warren Letton creating some stunning effects, the kind you’d expect at a rock concert. The climactic barricade massacre scene gets the full treatment with what appears to be streams of gunshots fired from all angles. Kudos as well to sound designer Mick Potter for his expert mix of music and voices so that we could all hear the people sing loud and clear.
When I first reviewed Les Misérables for its Broadway opening in 1987, I knew that it was special. It’s hard to believe that almost 40 years later, the show still gets to me, even after seeing it so many times. I’m obviously not alone. Judging by the number of times the Radio City audience was moved to stand and cheer as if rooting for a hometown sports team, its cult status is deservedly preserved.
Les Misérables: The Arena Concert Spectacular opened July 28, 2026, at Radio City Music Hall and runs through August 9. Tickets and information: nyc.lesmis.com
