"Les Miserables - School Edition"

Nottingham Arts Theatre.

Not even a little fall of rain this evening could keep me away from seeing one of my favourite musicals on Wednesday night.

"Les Misérables - School Edition" tells the story of Jean Valjean, a former convict who spends a lifetime seeking redemption. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France and the aftermath of the French Revolution, this story of intertwined destinies reveals the power of compassion and the quiet evil of indifference to human suffering.

As Valjean’s quest for a new life carries him into Paris and to the barricades of the Student Revolution, he is hunted by Inspector Javert and the ghosts of his past. Amidst the battles, he discovers the true meaning of love and salvation.

What, may you ask, is the difference between the "School Edition" and the original full length musical? the answer is, not a lot. There's just a few minor changes in the lyrics.

I was chatting to my friend and fellow reviewer, David Allen, in the interval and he said that you could sum up this production in just two or three words; all of them being extremely complimentary. I completely agree with David, but I'm sure we'll both use a lot more than that.

This show is an emotional one. Not just the storyline, nor the lyrics, but for me, another reason. I have had the pleasure of seeing many of these young actors in shows over the last few years, and I've seen their progression. To watch them deliver this musical in such a passionate and professional way fills me with emotion, so goodness knows how proud the parents and family members of this cast must be feeling after this first night show.

I first saw "Les Miserables - School Edition" at the Nottingham Arts Theatre back in 2015, and it's been in my top five favourite musicals since that day.

Jean Valjean is played by George Young. George has always had a very strong voice and taking on the mighty "Bring Him Home" is no easy feat. To me, it sounded like a new arrangement of the song; an arrangement that allowed George to dampen his range, but to amplify the emotional side of the song, and that worked really well, in my opinion. You see the age progression from his prison days to his final scenes by the greying of his hair, but also in the physicality of the character and in Valjean's face you could see the weariness. I've seen George in a lot of stuff from "Seussical" and "Matilda Jr" to Ren in "Footloose", and seeing him play such an iconic and more mature character really suits George, showing him as a powerful character actor with a strong and emotive voice.

Fantine is played by Chloe Chapman-Deas. Fantine is a strong and determined female character in "Les Miserables" and Chloe brings these attributes to the fore in this role. She also brings emotion, especially on the deathbed scene, and her version of "I Dreamed A Dream" started off a run of "tingles" for me. You felt Fantine's pain and determination every step of the way.

Javert, the complex police inspector obsessed with upholding and enforcing the law, is played by Jonathan Jaycock, a young man I first saw on stage as Daddy Warbucks back in 2015 at the Arts Theatre. Since then I have seen Jonathan grow into a fine performer who can perform a character role as well as perform a song and bring out the meaning and power of the song lyrics. There are so many classic songs in "Les Mis", shared among many of the main characters; Javert's song is "Stars" which grows and grows in intensity. This is one of my favourite songs in the soundtrack and Jonathan's version was spine tinglingly good.

Little Eponine is played by Chloe Samuels.

Éponine is the eldest daughter of the Thénardiers and is played by Francesca Lewis. I already knew what a gorgeous voice Francesca has, after singing "Almost Paradise" in her last role as Ariel at the Arts Theatre in "Footloose". This role gives you the opportunity to hear what a gorgeous voice she has. Another classic song from the soundtrack belongs to Eponine in "On My Own" and you get all that passion wrapped up in an incredible young star. The scene with Marius and Eponine at the barricades is possibly one of the most emotive performances of the two characters. Both Francesca and Joshua put every ounce of emotion into that one scene.

Marius, who is close friends with Eponine but falls heavily for Cosette, is played by Josh Preston. Since seeing Josh in "Grease", and that was my first time that I'd seen Josh as well, I have become a fan of this teenager, and especially his voice. It is so rich and mature and that richness and maturity is on show every time that Josh steps onto the stage. This role is a long way from playing "Teen Angel" in "Grease" but that shows what a flexible and talented actor this young man is. Josh's version of "Empty Chairs At Empty Tables", which I also think I heard a new arrangement there, was superb.

Little Cosette is played by Elizabeth Kenny and Skye Grimsey. On Wednesday night I saw Lizzie. Lizzie is one of those young actors who you just gravitate towards; not only because of her lovely voice but that lovely face as well. Being cast as the sickly young Cosette was a brilliant piece of casting as she is so tiny, and while she looks just right for the part, just look at her face in the ensemble pieces as she takes on a look of a tough cookie, and I love her obvious confidence.

Daughter of Fantine and the adopted daughter of Valjean, Cosette is played by Mia Rathbone, making her debut appearance at the Nottingham Arts Theatre. This is the first time that I've seen the award wining Mia Rathbone on stage, and everything that everybody told me about Mia's voice didn't come near to the beauty of those vocal chords. "Les Mis" soundtrack is quite operatic, for both male and female actors, and Mia just smashed it, especially in the Wedding Scene in the second act. The relationship that she has with Marius looks and feels completely natural, and when they sing together, you believe the attachment.

Thénardier is played by one of my favourite young actors Jamie Adlam. as soon as I knew that Jamie was in this show, I straight away guessed the role. Jamie is an excellent comedy character actor and this role was made for him. This young man has funny bones and is a natural comic. I also know that he is looked up to by several of the cast for his own personality, as well as being one of the first actors to be "off book". A really nice bloke and a professional young man. He creates a lovely sparring style relationship with his on stage partner Madame Thenardier.

Madame Thénardier is played by Elizabeth Fitzgerald. You would not argue with this Madame, which creates that sparring style with Thenardier, she is definitely the one in charge, despite Thenardier feeling that he wears the trousers in their relationship. Both Jamie and Elizabeth provide the comic relief in "Les Mis" and are a great comedy character pairing.

Enjolras is one of the most important and charismatic characters in the revolution, and is played by Tony Foad. I cannot remember seeing Tony before in anything, but I am so pleased that he decided to audition for this show. Tall and good looking, Tony creates an imposing figure on stage and his vocals build anthemically, especially with the songs "Red and Black" and "Do You Hear the People Sing".

Gavroche is played by Seth Burgess. I feel that I have seen Seth somewhere before but can't remember if it's from one of the "Show In A Week" projects run by the Arts Theatre; his face seems so familiar. Nevertheless, playing the cheeky but valiant Gavroche is yet another highlight for me in this musical.

The supporting cast, who play several roles throughout, are a tour de force and include many actors who I've seen previously and have highlighted.

Reuben Thrower, Sophie Benner, Preston Nash - who gets better every time I see him, takes on several roles including the Bishop who helps Jean Valjean by taking him in and stopping the police from arresting him again.

Emily Holder, Arlo Perrons - another young actor that I have picked out in previous productions for his confidence and stage presence.

Grace Eccles-Jones, Giles Briggs, Connie Tegerdine, Alexander Nickson, Chloe Samuels, Jack Kent, Kate Russell, Charlotte Fisher, Lucy Wilson, Caitlin Young, Eliza Szeida, Eloise Rees, Harriet Campion, Morgan Spencer, Summer McNorton, Liberty Whitehouse, Megan Holder, Esmie Smith-Cockayne and Florence Everitt.

Charles Beckett, Oliver Sheard, Sonny Noble and Liam Brown, four young actors who I've seen several times at the Arts Theatre and never fail to deliver solid performances.

Director/Choreographer Abby Wells has pulled out all the stops, especially when you look at how big the cast is. The ensemble pieces like "Master Of The House" and the barricade scenes are quite spectacular both from a directorial and choreographic view.

Production Manager is Jessica H Royce, assisted by Emily-Hope Wilkins.

Musical Director is Gareth Wynne, assisted by Jonah Williams. If you weren't able to see this band actually on stage, you'd think that the backing music was from a recorded track it was so good. The band were the size of an orchestra, numbering fourteen.

Lighting Design and operator is Oliver Read. Apart from a couple of spotlights not finding the performer quite quick enough - it's first night so I know that Oliver will sort that out for the rest of the run - the lighting was exciting and really added to the whole atmosphere of this musical.

Sound Design and operator is Rob Kettridge and, even though some local productions seem to suffer from missed mic cues, there was not one late cue and when you look at the size of the main cast and the ensemble, that is no mean feat. Excellent sound. the sound effects were spot one and the volume of the battle scenes really gave you the impression that you were in the middle of an actual battle. You could feel the volume of the guns and explosions resound in your chest. Frighteningly realistic.

Stage Manager/Tech Support is Evie Webster with Deputy Stage Manager, Nigel Newton, ensured that the stage was never a barren space and everyone was exactly where they should be. No easy task with this cast size.

The multi levelled set design is by Abby Wells and Mark Russell and incorporates the musicians as well.

The costumes are fantastic, just take a look at the accompanying photos.

Every single young student on that stage are stars, so don't leave it one day more before getting a ticket because you may miss out on an incredible show. This production puts the dramatic into "amateur dramatics" and I also saw something in the Arts Theatre that I had not seen for a long while, a complete standing ovation, and deservedly so as well.

"Les Miserables - School Edition" will be performed until Sunday 17 March at the Nottingham Arts Theatre.