James MacKay, as Valjean, and Hayden Tee, as Javert, shine in Les Miserables. Photo / Lyndon Katene
The raw emotional power of Les Miserables is driven home in a stirring, heartfelt production that has an urgent message for our times. As we face the consequences of unbridled greed and cynical corruption, Victor Hugo's heroically optimistic vision rings out as a clarion call to join the struggle for
a better tomorrow.
The show is also a triumph for Auckland Music Theatre, celebrating its 100th anniversary. Its partnership with Amici Trust delivers a production that combines boundless enthusiasm with finely crafted professionalism.
At the heart of the story is the epic confrontation between the police inspector Javert representing pitiless adherence to the law and Jean Valjean, the brutalised convict whose life is transformed by an un-asked for gesture of mercy.
James MacKay skilfully handles the shift from the bitterness of Valjean's rage against injustice to the exquisite tenderness of a father's love for his daughter; Hayden Tee chillingly evokes the relentless cruelty of Javert's judgmental adherence to the law and movingly captures the bewilderment of a man who is incapable of receiving mercy. Rebecca Wright's I Dreamed a Dream gives voice to the delicate nostalgia of a wretched outcast yearning for a time when the world was a song.
A tumultuous love triangle captures the wild passions of young lovers, with Emily Robinson evoking the torments of unrequited love while Alexandra Francis is swept up in the mysterious, unsettling emotions of A Heart Full of Love. Will Martin's superb tenor carries the aching melancholy of failed dreams as Marius deals with the guilt of survivor in Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.
