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Director Renée Hewitt lets Camelot's 'Les Misérables' shine

Veteran actor and first-time director is skillful in staging this epic of epics

REVIEW — In the pantheon of big, juicy, epic Broadway musicals, "Les Misérables" undoubtedly is among the top.

By Roberta Kent Posted Jun. 29, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Jul 1, 2014 at 10:42 AM

In the pantheon of big, juicy, epic Broadway musicals, "Les Misérables" undoubtedly is among the top.

Camelot Theatre in Talent has demonstrated that it can produce large-scale Broadway musicals and do them well. The company has done "," "," "1776," "Amadeus" and "The Producers" — all of them challenging.

But still, when Camelot announced it would stage "Les Misérables" this summer, more than one local fan of both the play and Camelot Theatre did a sharp intake of breath.

"Les Misérables" has all the attributes of a mega-hit — a gorgeous and demanding score; a heart-rending story of love, loss and redemption; a hero to love and a villain to hate; and a cast of seemingly thousands. The plot of "Les Misérables" makes the most of a sweeping backdrop of early 19th century France's throngs of prisoners, starving masses and fervent revolutionaries who are all — yes, we can say it — miserable. COUPON OF THE WEEK The success of a production of "Les Misérables" depends on casting and crowd control. The cat- Save 50% or more on and-mouse game of Valjean and Javert may be the driving force of the show, but the supporting LimelightDeals.com roles of the wretched Fantine, the love-struck Marius, the heart-sick Eponine, the delicate Visit limelightdeals.com/deal/southern- oregon to view deals that will... Cosette, the impish urchin Gavroche and those passionate revolutionaries all have their own LimelightDeals.com terrific musical numbers that display their vocal power and range. SEE ALL ONLINE TODAY MORE >>

It takes a director with a firm hand with staging and a deft touch with musical performance to $300 OFF First Implant Surgery Dental Excellence pull all this off, and Camelot Theatre discovered a hidden treasure in first-time director Renée Hewitt. $10 Off Any Service TC Chevy

Hewitt has been a Camelot veteran as an actor and a teacher in the company's Summer Romantic Getaway Plus Complimentary Conservatory program, and her 30-plus years of experience in the theater shows. Hewitt knows Wine The White House Bed & Breakfast how to focus attention on a particular performer without losing the audience's attention to what is actually going on around him or her. $5 OFF Brew Fest Admission Gold Beach Brew and Art Festival

"Les Misérables" recounts the saga of Jean Valjean, who stole a loaf of bread for his sister's $690 Crown or $890 Implant! starving child and spent 19 years in a hard-labor prison for the crime. He is paroled, steals silver from a church and is saved by the alibi of the bishop. Overcome, Valjean dedicates his life to God and to serving mankind. His former jailer, Javert, now a police inspector, vows to hunt TOP JOBS Valjean down, dismissing any possibility of repentance and transformation. Inside Sales The Southern Oregon MEDFORD, or Classifieds Valjean prospers, raises the orphaned daughter of a woman brutally forced into prostitution and keeps one step ahead of the pursuing Javert. All the various plotlines and characters — of which AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIANS AIRPORT MEDFORD, or Classifieds there are many — intersect at the moment of the short-lived and bloody Paris uprising of 1832. FARM MANAGER: UCAN- JOSEPHINE David King-Gabriel plays Valjean, taking the journey from smoldering rage to generous Classifieds renunciation. King-Gabriel is a fine actor with a powerful trained voice and he does this Care Giver~Group Home All shifts production proud. He is well matched by Derek Rosenlund's glowering, implacable Javert. MEDFORD, or Classifieds

The standout in the supporting roles is Lauren Green as the unhappy Eponine. Green has an More Top Jobs extraordinary voice and acting talent. Camelot veteran Kendra Taylor also shines as the tragic Fantine. Ricardo Cervantes, Jr. and Amanda Gerig are charming as the young lovers, Marius and Cosette. TOP HOMES Presila Quinby and Nathan Monks as the Thenardiers provide comic relief from all the pious suffering, relishing their life of happily opportunistic crime with a wink and a nod and a well- Ashland, - $135,000 - Opportunity to own your own piece of paradise at Hyatt Lake Resort. timed pinch of a bottom. Come enjoy all this cabin has to offer. Views of Hyatt Lake, Boating, fishing,... Production values are fine, with a minimalist set by Dan Zastoupil, lighting design by Annette Roggenbuck and sound and video design by Brian O'Connor and costumes by Michael Leon. An Ashland, Oregon - 420,000 - The Welcome mat 11-piece orchestra led by Musical Director Mark Reppert does a remarkable job with the show's is out at this Greenmeadows home. There's a lot to offer here on a nice corner with pleasant outrageously intricate score. landscaping. Fireplace in the living...

"Les Misérables" was adapted from Victor Hugo's sweeping novel by French writers More Top Homes and Claude-Michel Schönberg, with music by Schönberg. British producer Cameron Mackintosh and the Royal Shakespeare Company were persuaded to develop an English-language version of the show, with English lyrics by . The London production opened in 1985 and moved to Broadway in 1987. The show won eight , including Best Musical and Best Musical Score.

"Les Misérables" makes its point being bigger than life. It is musical theater on heroic scale. It is » STAY INFORMED sweeping, soaring and emotionally overwhelming. Email Sign Up Today "Can you hear the people sing?" Oh, yeah. NewsLetter Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right Roberta Kent is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach her at [email protected]. to your inbox.

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