Les Miserables at QPAC

Last week I headed to QPAC to see Les Miserables. I got tickets for my mum and I for Christmas, so I had been looking forward to this for months!

We went for a matinee session on Wednesday, which was much better than I had expected.  I had thought that it wouldn't have been as busy because it was during the day, but it was fully booked. There were great amounts of excitement rippling through the theatre prior to the shows commencement.

I am a huge fan of stage shows and musicals in general. As I was already a lover of Les Mis I couldn’t deny myself the opportunity to see the stage show. For those who are not familiar with this melodramatic musical, Les Mis is centred on the convict Jean Valjean and police inspector, Javert. In the first scene Valjean breaks parole after serving nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread. Set in post-revolutionary France, Les Mis follows Valijean as he is hunted by Javert after breaking his parole. 

The show was incredible (as you would expect)! It was really fast paced, so I definitely recommend having some kind of idea of what it is about before you go, just so it's easier to follow. But this pace definitely added a layer of excitement and anticipation to the musical, making it riveting to watch. 

The set design definitely exceeded my expectations. With each scene the stage was totally transformed, which I believed contributed to allowing the audience to be totally swept up in the story line.

Of course the vocals were outstanding. The sheer range that the actors could sing took my breath away. Although I love pretty much all of the songs, 'Red and Black' and 'At the end of the day' have to be my favourites and they were both done justice!

Besides the performers vocals, one of the most impressive aspects for me was the accents the characters put on. It really helped to set the scene and grasp the context of the story line. 

The comedic aspect of this musical should definitely not be overlooked. So often I was left laughing. Though in saying this, it was perfectly balanced with a range of emotions including, loss, love, joy and sadness. Undoubtedly, this musical will make you both laugh and cry. I thoroughly recommend checking it out next time its in your city!