Will Barrett as Jean Valjean [1st cover UK tour cast] has completely changed my view of les mis as a live show: he was incredible. His belts were so clear and powerful which made songs like Valjeans soliloquy insane to watch.

His interpretation of Valjean was also more aggressive then you normally see which I really loved because I sometimes feel like Valjean can be played overly good which can translate into bucketfuls of passiveness, whereas Valjeans’ goodness is communicated so much better when it comes from the fact he’s human and doesn’t always behave like a saint. His bring him home wasn’t my favourite as he stripped a lot of the powerful belts for very soft round sounds, but it was still amazing. Alongside this his acting was amazing as well as his vocals, which always brings together a conclusive performance.

He worked so well with other members of the cast. His interactions with Marius were just perfect and the way he was opposed to the fact Marius was in love with Cosette when he read the letter from the barricade was extremely accurate to the book. He was also amazing when interacting with the students at the barricade and also looked so mournful at Enjolras’ pure commitment to liberty and the barricade.

Overall, I preferred his performance to that of Dean Chrisnall [the actual Valjean for the UK tour]. While Dean added an amazing sensitivity to Valjean, to me he lacked the intense passion and power that was so artfully used by Will to craft a thoughtfully imperfect Valjean.

[Will Barrett - Valjean 1st cover UK tour cast]

Les Miserables Cast Change

The London production of Les Miserables has announced it’s new cast which will take over at the Queens Theatre from Monday 11th June. 

Dean Chisnall will lead the production in the role of Jean Valjean with Toby Miles joining as Marius, Elena Skye as Eponine, Vivien Parry as Madame Thenardier and Amara Okereke as Cosette. 

David Thaxton will continue to star as Javert till the 21st July and from 23rd July Bradley Jaden will take over.  Carly Stenson will continue to star as Fantine and Steven Meo will continue to star as Thenardier. 

The ensemble will be made up by: Tegan Bannister, Emma Barr, Adam Bayjou, Ciaran Bowling, Oliver Brenin, Grace Farrell, Sophie-May Feek, Adam Filipe, Antony Hanson, Sam Harrison, Barnaby Hughes, James Hume, Ciaran Joyce, Katie Kerr, Rebecca Lafferty, Sarah Lark, Hannah Grace Lawson, Jessica Lee, Jo Loxton, Anna McGarahan, James Nicholson, Ben Tyler, Joe Betch, Raymond Walsh and Andrew York. 

 Further casting is to be announced at a later date.

For more information or to book tickets to see either the current or the new cast head to the official Les Miserables website. 

Image courtesy of Google Images.

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