An uneven Les Miserables still triumphs

One of the inherent challenges of mounting a 25th anniversary production of any theatrical spectacle runs constantly through Cameron Mackintosh's stirring restaging of “Les Miserables,” the long-running musical masterpiece showing through Feb. 27 at Chicago's Cadillac Palace.

How do you provide something fresh for fans who have grown intimately familiar with the work over the course of two decades while still evoking the original spirit, imagery and musical power that brought audiences to the show in the first place?

For good or ill — and mostly very good — the performance Friday tended toward the latter.

The production is built on the engrossing blend of visual artistry, lush orchestration, masterful vocals and emotional storytelling that identify any credible professional staging of “Les Miserables.” But longtime fans may have to be forgiven if they yearn for a little something more to give the show a new urgency.

Indeed, for all its many remarkable successes, the first half of Friday's show seemed to fairly rush through its familiar catalog of what by now can justly be referred to as hits.

In the role of Fantine, Betsy Morgan belted out a fine version of “I Dreamed A Dream.” Michael Kostroff and Shawna M. Hamic hammed through a delightful “Master of the House” as the slimy innkeepers Thenardier and Madame Thenardier. Lawrence Clayton in the lead role of Jean Valjean seethes with passion on “Who Am I?” And the company's rousing “One Day More” ends the segment with the usual blend of power and awe.

But the only truly breathtaking performance in this first half was Andrew Varela's heart-pounding rendition of Javert's paean to justice, “Stars.”

In fact, it was a particular irony of the presentation that the most memorable numbers were not the songs that might be thought of as the show's “greatest hits.” Chasten Harmon gave Eponine's woeful “On My Own” a soul-stirring douleur that set the tone for the second half of the show and indeed returned the entire production to a pace that allowed the nuance of characters and emotion at last to overtake the rush from song to song. As a result, favorites like Marius' “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” with Justin Scott Brown in the role, and Valjean's unforgettable prayer “Bring Him Home” had room and an environment in which to be appreciated in the context of the story and thus exude their compelling emotion.

The set design for this Broadway in Chicago production was most remarkable for its versatility and inconspicuous transitions. The Palace stage at times seemed a bit small for a show this grand, but Matt Kinley's thoughtful structures manage to keep that from being a distraction. And, his use of projected images to re-create the Paris sewer system and simulate Javert's leap into the Seine lent an important visual realism that helped return the audience's focus to the heartbreaking story that is what gives the music of “Les Miserables” its enduring power.

If you have never seen the show or haven't seen it in years, you should not let pass this opportunity for an exquisitely emotional theatrical and musical experience. It may not move you in quite the same way if you have been following “Les Miserables” and its music for all of its 25 years, but the first-rate performances throughout combined with the wonderful tenderness that defines the last half of the show will surely have you leaving satisfied.

“Les Miserables”

★ ★ ★ ½

<b>Location</b>: Cadillac Palace, 151 W. Randolph, Chicago

<b>Showtimes</b>: Runs through Feb. 27. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays

<b>Running time</b>: About 3 hours with one intermission

<b>Tickets</b>: $18 to $90

<b>Parking</b>: Area pay-to-park lots

<b>Rating</b>: Adults and teens

<b>Info</b>: BroadwayInChicago.com