‘Les Miserables’ a stellar show at Aladdin

Joe Delaney

Friday, Sept. 21, 2001 | 8:46 a.m.

"Les Miserables," based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo, is the full-length London and Broadway production this week at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts.

This is the production's 16th year in London and 15th on Broadway. In addition to 8 p.m. performances through Sunday, there will be 2 p.m. matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday.

This is the third time and the very best time we have had at this three-hour journey through three turbulent decades of 19th-century French history. This is the story of one man's attempt to create a life for himself after 19 years of penal servitude -- Jean Valjean, and his pursuer, the self-righteous, unforgiving Inspector Javert.

What made this production the best by far was three-fold: A superb cast, high-quality production values and the new acoustics in the Aladdin Theatre, resulting in ideal sound, perfect clarity and a near-perfect relationship between the voices and the just-right live orchestral backing.

My seat was at the far left of the theater, just across from the orchestra. I moved to a seat in the center of the orchestra section, two rows from the very back of the room. I not only could understand but also fully appreciate every word, spoken or sung -- not true prior to the remodeling of the theater. (Just avoid sitting behind those support columns in the aisles.)

Randal Keith as Jean Valjean and Stephen Bishop as Javert gave superlative performances, believable throughout. Joan Almedilla conveyed the anguish of the ill-fated Fantine, mother of Cosette. Valjean, after his parole, befriends Fantine and vows to care for Cosette after her mother's death. Emma Hunton portrays the young Cosette, and Madeline Martin, young Eponine.

Stephanie Waters is a lovely grown-up Cosette, but it was Diana Kaarina as the grown-up Eponine who scored heaviest with her solo, "On My Own," at the start of Act II. Eponine is in love with Marius (Stephen Brian Patterson), who is in love with Cosette.

Special bows to J.P. Dougherty and Aymee Garcia as the evil Thenardiers, parents of Eponine. They also provided comedy relief with rousing renditions of "Master of the House" in Act I and "Beggars at the Feast" in Act II. The crowd-count was exceptional and, despite the three-hour length, no one left early -- not even this three-time survivor.