‘Les Miserables’ gets a new take after 25 years

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"Les Miserables" returns to Chicago in a newly re-vamped, 25th anniversary production featuring a re-imagining of the original staging.

‘LES MISERABLES’

♦ Through Feb. 27

♦ Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph

♦ Tickets: $18-$90

♦ (800) 775-2000; broadwayinchicago.com

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Updated: February 3, 2011 7:31PM

Here is the crucial question when it comes to “Les Miserables”: Why even think of tinkering with the classic original production of the musical? After all, the show has endured in its original form for just over a quarter of a century now. And it has amassed an altogether staggering list of statistics, including the following:

♦ Having recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, “Les Mis” — which opened in London in London in 1985 — now holds the record as the longest continually playing musical in history, surpassing even “Cats.”

♦ It is the third-longest-running Broadway musical to date.

♦ It has been seen by close to 60 million people worldwide, in 42 countries and 21 languages, with multiple productions opening around the globe on a regular basis, and seven more currently scheduled.

♦ There have been 36 cast recordings of “Les Mis,” in many different languages, including the platinum London cast and Grammy-winning Broadway cast albums and several symphonic albums. The new 25th anniversary production recording is to be released Feb. 22. And let’s not forget Susan Boyle’s remarkable success last year with just one song from the show — “I Dreamed a Dream.”

So, once again, why tinker with a proven work of art? Why do away with the show’s iconic turntable stage (even if it was so unforgettably satirized in several editions of “Forbidden Broadway”)? And why re-imagine the set design, as well as some of the staging and orchestrations for this story about Jean Valjean, a man who spends his whole life seeking redemption for the youthful “crime” of stealing bread to feed his starving sister and her family?

“In a sense, this show has been changing from the moment it was born,” said Alain Boublil, who, in 1980, teamed with composer Claude-Michel Schonberg on a concept album and wrote the French libretto based on the Victor Hugo epic. (The English language adaptation, with a libretto by Herbert Kretzmer, was crafted for the London production.)

“While the original album contained pretty much everything you hear now, not every song was in the same place,” said Boublil, who noted that he began his career writing pop songs, but that a French production of “West Side Story” turned his life around and made him think about musicals. “And the truth is, you never just write a musical. You always rewrite it.”

And, of course, there is this: The show’s producer, Cameron Mackintosh, is a restless man. Sure, he wanted to retain all the essentials of the original epic adapted and directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, and designed by John Napier. And he wanted to rekindle memories for all those who have seen “Les Mis” multiple times over the years. But in honor of its 25th anniversary, he also wanted a visually enhanced, 21st century, “bigger and younger” take on the show.

The “updates” and changes were seen first during a celebratory tour of Britain last year (including a stop at London’s Barbican Centre, the site of its initial production). Now, the U.S. national tour is under way, opening here Feb. 4 for a run through Feb. 27 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. And Chicago audiences will get their first look at all that is new, particularly the staging by actors-turned-directors Laurence Connor and James Powell, and the set design by Matt Kinley that takes its inspiration from the artwork of Victor Hugo, who created thousands of pen-and-ink drawings tinted with color washes. Also noteworthy in this production is the presence of Lawrence Clayton, the first black actor to play Jean Valjean.

“The whole idea with these changes was not to destroy the original, but to show that there is another way of doing things,” said Boublil, who cited earlier Israeli and Japanese productions as among his global favorites. “And in a way, the current design is even more respectful to the original story, with a late 18th and early 19th century style enhanced by some new technological tricks. This new production might even be a little less modern, but it’s more emotional for reasons the audience will discover.”

Kinley, who worked with Napier on the original “Les Mis,” and spent many years with London’s National Theatre, admitted that the biggest challenge he faced was dealing with a flat stage floor with no turntable.

“So there were two ways to go, and we’ve used both,” Napier explained. “The production is very physical, so everyone moves scenery and furniture — including a series of staircases that become different things — and all this is choreographed into the show. We also use tracks to create a seamless effect, because the fluidity of the show is crucial.”

As for how he used Hugo’s paintings, Kinley said: “I was vaguely aware of his work but started looking online and then visited his house in Paris to search for more work. He kept his visual art more or less hidden because he didn’t want it to distract from his writing. It is mostly very dark and brooding, and we use the images as giant projections on an old brick wall.” (For a better sense of the writer’s wildly romantic oils, visit wikigallery.org/wiki/artist48187/Victor-Hugo/page-1 .)

“We also use projections in the sewer scene now,” Kinley said. “But the trick is always to do just enough so the audience’s eyes go to the actors and they are not overpowered by the screen. For the iconic march down the streets of Paris at the end of Act I, we also use some 3-D video animation that draws on both Hugo’s paintings and 19th century French photographs. And we’ve got clouds softly floating by at certain places.”

He added, “We didn’t want to alienate the audience. We just wanted to give them a slightly different version of the show they love.”

As for a movie version of “Les Miserables,” Boublil said, “It is still being discussed, but it is very difficult to take something so successful and put it on a flat screen.”

NOTE: WTTW-Channel 11 will air “Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2,” the star-studded concert performance filmed last October in London, at 7 p.m on Feb. 12.