One of the things I love to do is see shows that’s I’ve only seen in Broadway-level tours remounted in significantly different contexts. Whether it is a mid-size professional theatre like the Pasadena Playhouse; a large regional semi-Professional theatre (“semi” = mix of AEA and non-AEA actors) such as 5-Star, MTW, or La Mirada; a regional Community theatre such as Canyon Theatre Guide or Simi Rep; or an intimate (under 99 seat) theatre such as Chromolume, Group Rep, or Olive Branch — it is fascinating to see how these companies adapt the material and make it work on their different stages. Sometimes in works well. Sometimes it doesn’t. But it is always interesting how time and budget forces more creativity.
We saw that last week, when Olive Branch Theatricals mounted Come From Away. We saw it in the Colony Theatre production of Catch Me If You Can. We certainly saw it in the Chromolume production of “The Color Purpose” in an 80-something seat black box. We saw it again last night when 5-Star theatricals attempted an ambitious mounting of Les Misérables, in what I think is the largest production in their history (certainly since we started attending their shows way back in 2000. We walked out of the theatre together saying that they nailed it. 5-Star had an excellent production, with exceptional singing, a wonderful staging, and great performances. About the only technical issue I had was my usual one about visible tattoos, although in this case it appears the actress (the one playing Fantene) did attempt to cover them us; it’s just that the makeup only faded them under the lights. But that is truly a minor minor complaint.
The last time we saw Les Misérables on stage was back in 2019, when the Broadway touring company was at the Pantages. The time before that was in 2011 at the Ahmanson, when I wrote:
Back in 1985, a musical juggernaut was created: Les Misérables, the musical version of the Victor Hugo novel. It hit Los Angeles in 1988, opening at a rejuivenated Shubert Theatre in Century City, where it ran for fourteen months. It returned to Los Angeles numerous times since then under Broadway/LA’s banner (2004, 2006). However, it wasn’t until the current 25th anniversary production at the Ahmanson Theatre that I finally saw the show. As my wife said as it ended last night, “Wow!”.
“Les Misérables” (the musical) tells the story of Jean Valjean, also known as prisoner 24601, and his adopted daughter, Cosette. It is based on the Victor Hugo of the same name, but does cut a few elements of the story. The story, which covers 17 years, is so complicated that a synopsis needed to be published in the program (seemingly, a bad sign). Given that, I’m not going to attempt to repeat it here. You can read it yourself in the Wikipedia Page on the show. Suffice it to say that the show condenses the 1,200 page, five volume novel into two acts of 90 minutes and 65 minutes respectively. The first act covers Jean Valjean’s release from prison and the interaction with the Bishop at Digne, the mayoral years at Montreiil-Sur-Mer where Valjean meets Fantine and takes responsibility for Cosette, the visit to Montfermeil where Valjean obtains Cosette from the Thénardiers, and the years in Paris where the student revolt begins and Marius and Cosette fall in love… all of this while the police officer Javert is chasing Valjean. The second act is solely in Paris and covers the student revolt, its failure, the subsequent growth of the relationship between Marius and Cosette, the final confrontations of Valjean and Javert, and the final redemption of Valjean. That’s a lot of material to cover—trying to cover so much material and so much time is the reason many great novels, such as Gone With The Wind, never make it to the Broadway stage. It is a testament to the original authors Claude-Michel Schönberg (music) and Alain Boublil (a French-language libretto) that they were able to take the beast of a novel and turn it into something understandable (although, arguably, this is really a full opera presented in the guise of a “musical”—at times, the lines between the two blurs). It is also a testament to the English language adapters, Herbert Kretzmer who developed the English language libretto, and Cameron Mackintosh, the original producer, who discovered the French production in 1982 and has sheparded it ever since (I’ll note Mackintosh’s full bio in the program was: “Produces musicals.”). The production was adapted by Sir Trevor Nunn and John Caird.
The translation does have its weak parts, however, primarily in how manipulative it is for the audience. By this, I mean the show in engineered to be a pleaser, with music that builds and leaves the toes tapping; with moments designed to permit the actors to shine; and with act-ending finales designed to stir the soul. In that sense, it is truly operatic as opposed to dramatic. It it also, at times, emotionally overwrought—again, a hallmark of the more operatic side. To some that is a fatal flaw that reduces the worth of the show, but I do enjoy the general effect.
Sadly to say, that production in 2019 at the Pantages was decidedly mixed: “The performances were soaring, and the direction and choreography made the best use of what they had to work with. Voices were remarkable, and the audience was excited. But production decisions mad the ultimate effort hard to embrace. At the Ahmanson, the tour was designed to use the entire stage, which is needed for the company to express the broadness and scope of the production. At the Pantages, the set artificially constrained the stage space, cutting the width of the Pantages stage by an estimated one-sixth on each side (that’s a one-third cut overall, for those math challenged). This limited movement, and obscured sight lines from the side. Further, the lighting was dark dark dark, and then smoke and fog effects were added. This made it hard to see. I recall that the Ahmanson staging was better lit and you could see the actors from a distance. The constrained stage and the lighting served to tone down the show.”
5-Star, on the other hand, hit it out of the park. The performances were strong and the voices were soaring. The staging was not dependent on projections, although at times was a bit sparser on the scenery. It didn’t hurt the show. The lighting wasn’t overdone. In short, it was one of the best production we’ve seen from 5-Star in years (and they generally do strong productions). Now on to some specific highlights.
The leads were OUTSTANDING, most notably Payton Crim as Javert, who had this wonderful deep voice that made his songs just delightful. He paired with Richard Bermudez as Jean Valjean. I was initially unsure about Bermudez, but then he hit is stride and his wonderful tenor kicked in. They were both very strong in the portrayals of their characters.
Fantene is like the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot: She really is only in the first act, and then gets a cameo followup near the end. Still, Emma Hunton did a great job with the characters and with Fantene’s numbers in the first act. Fantene has proven to be a character that has given many an actress a great start; hopefully, that will be the case with Hunton.
Danica Coscino did a great job with the Young Cosette numbers, especially for someone who is so young. As the older Cosette, Jena Allen was just wonderful to listen to.
As you can see, I liked this cast
Joey Richter and Francesca Barletta played the Thénardiers. Richter had the comic performance chops; I was less into his voice. Barletta is a 5-Star regular, and she was wonderful as Madame Thénardier.
A few other notables: Jefflorenz Garrido was strong as Marius. Richard R. Rosales was just spectacular as the Bishop of Digne. He really just had one scene, but his voice shone in that scene and was distinctive and memorable. Maile Masako Brady had a haunting voice for the older Eponine, and Julian Comeau was a strong ENjoiras.
The real summary is that this is one of the best productions 5-Star has done. Visit the 5-Star Website and get tickets. Depending on when you read this, there is one more performance this weekend (Sunday matinee); it also runs the weekend of Oct 16-18, 2026.
Credits
Les Misérables. A mulsical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. Based on a novel by Victor Hugo. Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg. Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Original French Text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel. Additional material by James Fenton. Direction and Musical Staging by Doug Kreeger.
Cast [æ indicates members of Actors Equity]: Richard Bermudezæ Jean Valjean; Peyton Crimæ Javert; Emma Huntonæ Fantine; Joey Richter Thénardier; Francesca Barletta Madame Thénardier; Jenna Allen Cosette; Jefflorenz Garrido Marius; Maile Masako Brady Eponine; Julian Comeauæ Enjolras; Santiago Rodriguez Gavroche; Brodie Mae Clevenger Young Eponine; Danica Coscino Young Cosette; Richard R. Rosales Bishop of Digne; Aaron Gibbs Grantaire, Ensemble; Amanda Lopez Ensemble; Alex Mohajer Innkeeper, Sailor, Montparnasse, Army Officer, Ensemble; Andrew Diego Claquesous, Major Domo, Ensemble; Andrew Diffenderfer Jean Prouvaire, Ensemble; Angelica Roqué Ensemble; Chloe Stavis Ensemble; Coby Rogers Combeferre, Ensemble; Elayne Cowden Child, Youth Ensemble; Emma Lord Ensemble; Ethan Drew Constable, Feuilly, Ensemble; James Beardsley Farmer, Sailor, Joly, Ensemble; Jóhann Schram Reed Factory Foreman, Brujon, Ensemble; Jonas Ford Petit Gervais, Youth Ensemble; Kahlil Leneus Laborer, Sailor, Fauchelevent, Lesgles, Ensemble; Katie Lee Factory Girl, Ensemble Lauren Han Ensemble; Mady McGrew Old Woman, Ensemble; Mikki Pagdonsolan Ensemble; Natalie Vatcher Ensemble; Nikki Elena Spies Innkeeper’s Wife, Wigmaker, Ensemble; Tessa Hemphill Ensemble; Tervor Elzey Constable, Courfeyrac, Ensemble; Troy Dailey Bamatabois, Babet, Ensemble;
Music Department: Claude-Michel Schönberg Music; Herbert Kretzmer Lyrics; Stephen Metcalfe, Christopher Jahnke, and Stephen Booker Orchestrations; John Cameron Original Orchestrations; Anthony Lucca Music Director, Conductor; Darryl Tanikawa Orchestra Contractor, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, E♭ (Flat) Clarinet, Tenor Recorder; Rhondda Dayton Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo, Alto Recorder; Ian Dahlberg Oboe, English Horn; Chris Maurer Trumpet, Flugelhorn; June Satton Trombone, Bass Trombone; Melissa Hendrickson Horn; Jennifer Bliman Horn II; Sharon Cooper Violin (Concertmaster); Laurel Diskin Viola; Stephen Green Cello; Chris Kimbler Keyboard 1; Antonius Nazareth Keyboard 2; Shane Harry Bass; Tyler Smith Percussion.
Production and Creative: Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg Book; Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel Original French Text; James Fenton Additional Material; Victor Hugo Original Novel; Doug Kreeger Director, Musical Staging; Trevor Nunn and John Caird Adaptation and Original Direction; Jonathan A. Burke Sound Design; Julia Pinhey Asst Sound Designer, Sound Mixer; Brandon Baruch Lighting Design; Luis Martinez Hair/Wig/Makeup Design; Alex Choate Prop Design; Maine State Music Theatre and Studio 17 Costumes; Gateway Set Rentals Scenery; Gail Garon and Heidi Aden Wardrobe Coordinators; Jack Allaway Technical Director; EK Dagenfield Production Manager; Megan Crockettæ Production Stage Manager; Olivia Riddleæ Asst Stage Manager; Allison Bibicoff Intimacy Director; Aaron Michael Camitses Fight Director; David Elzer/Demand PR Press Representative; Fresh Interactive Marketing Agency; Michael Donovan CSA and Richie Ferris CSA Casting; Jacob Holcombe Deck Captain.
Administrivia
I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.
Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania. If you are looking for discount tickets, TodayTix (unlike their predecessor Goldstar Events) doesn’t handle the small theatres in LA. Luckily, Theatre Source LA has a new initiative: StageRushLA for discount tickets.
Upcoming
Key: 🎭 Theatre / 🎼 Music / 
Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (🎫 indicates ticketing is pending).
- October: 🎼 Gershwin and the Golden Age (feat. Michael Feinstein) at The Soraya; 🎭 The Who’s Tommy at BIH/Pantages.
- November: 🎭 Things are Looking Up at the Binge Festival of Free Theatre/Santa Monica Playhouse (Livestream); 🎭 Passing Strange at Pasadena Playhouse; 🎭 Oh Mary at CTG/Ahmanson; Dance Theatre of Harlem at The Soraya; 🎭🎫 Every Brilliant Thing at Olive Branch Theatricals; 🎭 Road Show at Chromolume Theatre; 🎭 Destiny of Desire at CTG/Taper.
- December: 🎭 Candide at LA Opera; 🎭🎫 Big Fish at Conundrum; 🎼 Spanish Harlem Orchestra at The Soraya; 🎭 Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at CTG/Ahmanson.
- January: Right now, January is open. I’m interested in Brian Stokes Mitchell at Broad Stage, but the tickets available currently are too expensive.
Here in California (and in Los Angeles in particular), we have an election coming up. You know what that means: Every election, I do a detailed ballot analysis of my sample ballot. This is where I examine each candidate and share my conclusions, and invite you to convince me to vote for the other jerk. Because this is a long ballot, I’m splitting this analysis into a few chunks (note: links may not be available until all segments are posted):
Words Hurt, and Words Destroy
It is strange to think of one of the worst times in America’s history as one of the best times. But, in many ways, it was. We saw the nation come together in ways we haven’t seen before, and in ways we really need again: for the nation, not for party. And we saw our neighbors and allies be there for America in our time of need, expressing friendship and helping people, without questions. In these times, where current American leadership is attacking our neighbors to the North and South (but, thankfully, not the real people), it is something we need again.
Theatre / 
Music / 
indicates ticketing is pending).
There are some shows you instantly love; the recent