Milly Rothwell-Wood
Tuesday 27th of May marked the opening night of ‘Let the People Sing!’, the UK amateur première of Les Misérables and the performance at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal was far from amateur. The musical has been a sensation worldwide year in and year out, and as reviewer Milly Rothwell-Wood assures us, this amateur production continued this flawless reputation.
The project involves 11 amateur groups across the country who are performing the full-length Les Misérables to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the legendary musical. Cameron Mackintosh describes it as a ‘landmark in the long and celebrated history of Amateur musical theatre in this county, involving thousands of performers, musicians and backstage staff across the UK. There could not be a finer celebration of the people’s musical than everyone coming together to ‘hear the people sing!’ And this is certainly what was achieved as the theatre was abuzz with energy and excitement.
The performance celebrated not only the 40th anniversary of the musical but also the 100 year anniversary of Nottingham’s Operatic Society performing at the Theatre Royal. This meant expectations were high and yet still exceeded beyond words. From the moment the show began the theatre was filled with immersive spirit, emotion and song. In fact, it was one of the best performances I have seen as of late.
THE ATMOSPHERE ON STAGE SURROUNDED THE AUDIENCE AS THEY WERE IMMERSED BY THE BUZZ OF THESE HUGELY HISTORICAL EVENTS.
David Covey, the director of the production, explained: “I want to create the world of the piece through suggestion, a theatrical sense of expressionism… our production will be centered on ensemble and collaboration. A vast company of a hundred or more representing social identity and inclusivity will become the “people” of this production.” This collaboration is what made the production so powerful as the combination of voices on stage sent goosebumps through the audience. The piece came together through the collaboration of Carlton Operatic Society, TheCast and the Theatre Royal and together they created something immense.
The set design, led by Morgan Brind, played a big part in this as it added to the deeply immersive feel of the show and drew the audience into the setting on stage. Specifically, the barricade during the revolution scenes was positioned towards the back of the stage as the actors stood behind it with their backs to the audience. This physically positioned the audience, especially those sitting in the stalls, as if they too were behind the barricade and part of the fight. The atmosphere on stage surrounded the audience as they were immersed by the buzz of these hugely historical events.
Furthermore, the set contained a balcony which was frequently used for the Bishop of Digne to walk around on, reflecting a sense of higher goodness and morality. This drives Jean Valjean to live a honest life throughout the plot and clearly signals to the audience, whether in regards to religion or not, the power of good deeds, forgiveness and virtue.
THROUGH PLAYING THEIR CHARACTERS IN A PANTOMIME LIKE MANNER THEY SEEMINGLY MERGED COMEDY INTO THE OFTEN DARK PLOT OF THE SHOW
Simon Theobold the chair of Nottingham Operatic Society not only played a core part in the bringing together of the production but also plays Thénardier. Together he and Hilary Leam, who played Madame Thénardier opening night, beautifully dispersed the emotive heaviness of Les Misérables with moments of mass hilarity and joy. Through playing their characters in a pantomime like manner they seemingly merged comedy into the often dark plot of the show.
Overall, Let the People Sing! at the Theatre Royal is a must see production as it deeply immerses audience members and for the 3 hours of its running time pulls them away from reality. The project’s intentions of bringing together individuals within the theatre industry across the whole country beautifully mirrors the moral message of Les Misérables and thus acts as the perfect way to celebrate its 40th anniversary. I would encourage any and all to buy a ticket and the standing ovation at the end of opening night was very well deserved!
Milly Rothwell-Wood
Featured image courtesy of Paolo Chiabrando on Unsplash. Photo edited for Impact on Canva. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
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