Les Miserables The Arena Spectacular Reviews Round-up

"The famous adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel marches on" (Glasgow)

"This superb production enables Les Mis to play to vast crowds, but the natural habitat of the show remains the theatre"

"The first thing to observe about this latest rendering of the story of revolutionary upheaval in 19th-century Paris is that it sits – sometimes uncomfortably – between a concert and a theatre performance. In remaking the show for gargantuan arenas the producers have to reckon with the problem of much of the audience being seated a considerable distance from the stage. They address this issue by the use of three huge screens above the stage. These screens display both live images of the action and (with, it has to be said, variable success) still and animated images which stand in for theatre sets."

"This format – in which, for the most part, the singers stand facing the audience – works excellently well when soloists are singing big, set piece numbers...However, the concert-style aspect of the show is less successful when Jean-Michel Jarre-style light shows replace the battle scenes."

"If the lavish staging is occasionally awkward, the opulently costumed performances are universally fantastic. Alfie Boe (who alternates with Killian Donnelly on this tour) delivers magnificently as the dignified ex-con Jean Valjean. Michael Ball (who is role-sharing with Bradley Jaden) is equally impressive as the obsessive, but ultimately conflicted, police chief Javert."

"Alfie Boe and Michael Ball in an arena spectacular" (Glasgow)

"Ball and Boe spark off each other as this upscaled staging of the globetrotting blockbuster musical reaches the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow"

"There aren’t many sung-through musicals that could fill a venue the size of the Glasgow Hydro for one night only, let alone confidently embark on a 16-month arena tour, taking in some 15 countries."

"The most obvious challenge faced by a production on this scale is how to reach every part of the stadium... The presence of large screens above the stage restores intimacy, the framing and painterly light capturing the principals in portrait form and showing off Andreane Neofitou’s iconic costume designs."

"... for all the fluency and seamless choreography of the set-pieces — such as the manning of the barricades — the production, directed by James Powell and Jean-Pierre van der Spuy, is at its most hypnotic in its virtuoso moments. It’s fun to see Ball, and his long-time partner in crime, Alfie Boe, playing the virtuous Jean Valjean, spark off each other, and Boe gives a truly showstopping rendition of Bring Him Home."

"There are moving performances, too, from the younger cast members, Emily Bautista as Éponine, James D Gish as Enjolras, Jac Yarrow as Marius, doing a haunting rendition of Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, and a pitch-perfect Dexter Pulling as Gavroche"

"Stars bring the spectacle (Glasgow)"

"I’ve never witnessed Les Mis in anything like a setting such as this, though. The cavernous space of Glasgow’s OVO Hydro arena would swallow up anything except the most extravagant entertainment, and you’re a long way from a cosy West End theatre. This version of the show is unavoidably vast, and that means that for all but the lucky ones you’ll be a long way from the stage and it’ll feel like you’re miles away from the singers, so there’s a risk that newcomers to the show might find it either incomprehensible or silly, a danger enhanced by the paucity of sets."

"So there are problems; perhaps insurmountable ones in a production like this. But, my goodness, the old magic is all still there! It’s impossible not to feel moved afresh by Victor Hugo’s story"

"So, yes: I’d still rather see Les Mis in the theatre if I had the choice; but if you already love the show then you’ll love the arena spectacular too. While it’s huge, it’s also deeply moving, and the adrenaline rush is as strong as ever – meaning that I cried, multiple times. And I don’t care which other Scottish critics know it."