Jaedynn Latter as Éponine in Les Misérables (Photo: Matthew Murphy)
Les Misérables
Paramount Theatre
Through April 19, 2026
Les Misérables is boasted as “the world’s favorite musical” and for good reason. This sweeping, epic of a musical has played to sell out houses across the world. The music is well-known in almost every platform. Now it’s time for you to storm the barricade and get a ticket because Les Misérables is playing at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre.
Les Misérables takes place before, during and after the French Revolution of the early 1800’s. (Not the revolution that took place earlier where the French King/Queen were beheaded). It starts off with an ex-con named Jean ValJean, who was originally arrested for stealing bread for his sister’s starving child, and is being released after 19 long years of being a ‘prisoner of the law’. Disgusted with the unfairness of the justice system, he forgoes parole, changes his name and disappears. Eventually, he becomes the very successful Mayor of the town and a factory in Paris where a young worker is being accused of solicitation. Her name is Fontaine and she is unjustly fired from her job. Fontaine has a child she needs to support, who is being taken care of by the unscrupulous innkeeper Thernadier, who extorts more and more money from the helpless woman. Fontaine is eventually forced to sell her hair and go into prostitution. Meanwhile, Valjean is on the run from a police officer, Javert – a relentless man determined to bring to justice the outlaw he has hunted for over 19 years. Valjean realizes he has fired Fontaine (who is dying of illness) by mistake and goes off to make it right by swearing to take care of her young daughter, Cosette. The Thernadiers try to extort Valjean in exchange for Cosette, and to benefit their own daughter, Eponine. Valjean and Cosette live in great prosperity for many years. One day, Cosette meets Marius, a young student whose ideology supports the revolution. They fall in love. Neither knows that Eponine (also an adult now) has also fallen in love with Marius. When the Thernadiers attempt to rob Valjean, Eponine sounds the alarm and the thieves abandon their goals. Valjean thinks it is Javert who has caught up with them, and decides to take Cosette with him across the sea. Marius, shattered by the thought that he will never see his love again, joins the revolution, and helps to set up a barricade to block the army from advancing. Since Cosette is in love with Marius, Valjean joins the gang of revolutionaries to keep an eye on Marius. It is here that Javert catches up to Valjean. Javert is recognized as a spy and the students sentence him to death. In an act of mercy, Valjean lets Javert escape. Javert realizes that he has been wrong about Valjean, and not being able to live with the guilt of his actions, commits suicide. Marius is badly wounded during the battle against the soldiers, and Valjean takes the young man home to nurse him back to health. He gives Cosette his blessing to wed. As Valjean watches the young lovers get married, he is visited by the ghosts of his past who welcome him for all the love he has given, into the afterlife.
This cast is fantastic. The voices are clear and strong and they all do wonderful jobs. The (much needed) comic relief in the show is provided by the Innkeeper Thérnadier (Matt Crowle) and his wife (Victoria Huston-Elem). This low-class comic duo delivers the comedy in the show and provides the crowd-pleasing song “Master of the House”. Both provide the humor, the balance and the frustrations of being ‘scoundrels’ and opportunists without being over-the-top camp as is often done in previous productions. Both characters know their fates and the roles they play when turbulent times are occurring, and how to take advantage to make the best of their situations. The set of young lovers are Cosette (Alexa Lopez) and Marius (Peter Neureuther). Ms. Lopez has a beautiful, soft voice that is well suited for the ‘virginal’ and ‘proper’ role that is Cosette. She delivers the song “In My Life” and the duet, “A Heart Full of Love” with a soft elegance. Mr. Neureuther does a good job as the optimistic young student who has fallen in love. His character expresses the heartbreaks of being helplessly in love while equally showing the frustration of a young school boy and the idealism of playing at soldier without realizing the consequences that might occur. He very well delivers the haunting song, “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” as he laments the deaths of his friends at the barricade, while wondering if the sacrifices were worth it. Fantine (Lindsay Heather Pearce) is the catastrophic woman who is caught in the grinds of society while only trying to take care of her daughter, Cosette. Ms. Pearce’s voice is strong as she belts out the heartbreaking song “I Dreamed a Dream” when she realizes the idealism that she’s held on to has failed her. Ms. Pearce has stage presence, there is no doubt of that, and her voice is absolutely beautiful. The Thérnadier’s daughter Eponine (Jaedynn Latter) is an amazing character to watch. She is the street rat who is in love with Marius, a boy above her station that only looks at her as a friend. Ms. Latter’s voice is powerful and strong, easily reaching the back of the theatre for her two, heartbreaking numbers. When Ms. Latter sings about her unrequited love for Marius in “On My Own”, she delivers the goods! The audience immediately empathizes with her situation and we feel her heartbreak as well as her strength to continue, no matter what. When Eponine becomes the first casualty of the barricade, she sings the sorrowful duet (with Marius) “A Little Fall of Rain”. There isn’t a dry eye in the house as she sings her devotion to the man she loves; while knowing it is the only time he will ever hold her. Brava to Ms. Jaedynn Latter! She is one to watch for in the future as her voice and stage presence is duly noted and there will be no stopping her rising star!
“Bring Him Home” -Nick Cartell as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (Photo: Matthew Murphy)
The two main characters are the relentless police office, Javert (Hayden Tee) and Jean Valjean (Nick Cartell). These two men play polar opposites of the lives they are given. Mr. Tee does a good job as the devoted law trying to bring a man to justice, that has escaped him for over 19 years. His voice is strong as he sings his devotion to the law in “Stars”, or his self-realization of the wasteful pursuit of his life in “Soliloquy”. The two men are equally matched as the face off through the entire production. Jean Valjean (Nick Cartell) is the main character of the show. His redemption from simple thievery to Mayor and the eventual father-figure of Cosette is what drives the musical. Mr. Cartell’s voice as strong as his stage presence and that says much indeed. His voice is well suited to the songs “Who Am I?”, a realization of where he must choose between living a life as a criminal, or coming to terms with justice, and especially in the heartfelt song, “Bring Him Home” as he laments about Cosette’s love for Marius, and how to save the boy from the horrors of the war to come. It is his story of redemption that is the backbone of the musical, and as the main characters of his life appear as phantoms; to welcome him to the afterlife, the audience is eagerly supportive of their actions.
The music from Les Misérables was written by the team that would go on to write “Miss Saigon”, Claude-Michel Schönberg (music) and lyrics by Alain Boublil/Jean-Marc Natel. The book was written by Boublil and Schönberg. The music includes a wide range of sweeping music, and although not considered an opera (or even a pop-opera) the musical is mostly underscored by musical accompaniment.
When a musical has been playing for 30+ years, there comes a time to update the staging and scenery. The stage has been masterfully redone since the original production of 1987. Finn Ross o Fifty-Nine Productions has brilliantly mastered the use of projections as a backdrop for the musical. From the opening scene of a prisoner’s boat cutting through the waves, to the underground passages of Parisian sewers, the stage is as much a character in the is new production as anything else, and they are equally as impressive. The set and image designs are by Matt Kinley, who literally transforms the stage into a factory, the slums of Parisian suburbs, a battlefield barricade and a joyful wedding celebration.
There are reasons why Les Misérables has been a world-wide favorite for as long as it has. The music is hauntingly beautiful, and the songs will stay with you for a long time afterwards. From the ever-pleasing “Master of the House” to the breakaway hit, “I Dreamed A Dream”, the songs will be long remembered after leaving the theatre. The scenery is gorgeous, and the cast is absolutely wonderful. No matter if you’ve seen the show before (and if this is your first time, I am envious of the pure joy you’ll experience), this is not a show to be missed. I assure you, if you do miss this opportunity, there will be few people that are “less miserable” than you will be.
Les Misérables is based on the novel by Victor Hugo written in 1862. The musical first opened in London to rave reviews. It moved on to Broadway March 12, 1987 and ran until May 18, 2003 making it the 6th longest running Broadway show in the United States. The original cast included Colm Wilkinson (recreating his role as Jean Valjean), Frances Ruffelle (recreating her role as Eponine), Randy Graff (Fantine) and Terrence Mann (Javert). It was nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 1987 winning eight including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. The show has had two Broadway revivals (November 9, 2006 – January 06, 2008 and March 23, 2014 – September 04, 2016). It has enjoyed several successful concert anniversary productions and was made into a movie in 2012 with an all-star cast including: Hugh Jackman (Valjean), Russell Crowe (Javert), and Anne Hathaway (Fantine).
