The French Revolution classic Les Miserables has stolen the hearts of many over the years since its adaptation into a musical. The ongoing Ukrainian performance of the moving piece, however, can only be described as “amateur.” The actors, while competent, struggled to stand out against the life-like scenery of fiery disorder. Their choreography needed some fine-tuning to say the least, and although it was evident that the perhaps first-time performers were pouring their hearts and souls out to the world, the performance as a whole still lacked a certain something. But one cannot look past the disgrace of actress who fumbled her way through young Cosette’s “Castle on a Cloud” solo–her Ukrainian accent did nothing for the dreamy spirit of the lyrics. The excessive crying really got in the way of her singing. She pushed the emotional intrigue way too far
Not to mention the questionable timing of the show. With the current protests in Venezuela, the Ukrainian theatre troupe should have been more sensitive to the plight of revolutionaries. While they were a bit short on tact and international awareness, they did not skimp on gore. As character after character fell to their demise, the blood flowed freely to demonstrate the real tragedy of far away places. The pain of true suffering was fairly believable. It was a window into the struggles of passionate rebellion, but the actors lacked the Broadway flair and enunciation to really hit it home. (Three stars)
