Category: Review

@showsiveseen "Les Misérables" #musical 🎭 national tour from Broadway Across America, Seattle Theatre Group, and Cameron Mackintosh. Starring @Nick Cartell. Golden voices. Glorious ensemble. Seamless scene transitions. Judicious use of projections & spotlights. Even the guy behind me was barely containing his excitement. "To love another person is to see the face of God!" Closes 4/19/26. Review: showsiveseen.com/15056 Resident Director: Kyle Timson Stage Mgr: Kenneth J Davis and Tara Tolar-Payne Music Director: Glenn Alexander II #LesMiserables #theatre #musicaltheatre #lesmis @lesmisofficial ♬ original sound – lesmisofficial

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Les Misérables 🎭 national tour from Broadway Across America, Seattle Theatre Group, and Cameron Mackintosh. Starring Nick Cartell. Golden voices. Glorious ensemble. Seamless scene transitions. Judicious use of projections & spotlights. Even the guy behind me was barely containing his excitement. “To love another person is to see the face of God!” Closes 4/19/26.

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? No, this is probably the 5th time I’ve seen this musical. I last saw the national tour at The 5th Avenue Theatre.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Probably not … 5 times is enough for me.

Mainstream Appeal: Medium

If A Random Stranger Asked What Show They Should See This Weekend, Would I Mention This Production? Yes

My Synopsis (No Spoilers): Les Misérables follows Jean Valjean, a convict on the run whose only crime was stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. Set against the turbulent backdrop of nineteenth-century France, the story weaves together the struggles of the “miserable” downtrodden working class with the idealism and tragedy of the June Rebellion of 1832.

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: Still the world’s most popular musical. Cameron Mackintosh presents the acclaimed production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award®-winning musical phenomenon, LES MISÉRABLES. This brilliant staging has taken the world by storm and has been hailed as “LES MIS for the 21st Century” (Huffington Post), “a reborn dream of a production” (Daily Telegraph) and “one of the greatest musicals ever created” (Chicago Tribune). Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, LES MISÉRABLES tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption–a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. This epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. The magnificent score of LES MISÉRABLES includes the songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” “Master of the House” and many more. Seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries and 22 languages, LES MISÉRABLES is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals.”

Type: Musical

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) or Dynamic Set: Dynamic

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: None, but you’ll probably appreciate this more if you read the book.

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Union Actor(s): All

Total Actor(s): Too many to count

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium to fast speed

Was there an intermission? Yes

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.75 hours

Other Rave(s)

• Ensemble: The full ensemble numbers were consistently the show’s most thrilling moments. From the grim urgency of “Look Down” to the glorious “At the End of the Day,” Each full-cast sequence carried the sweeping weight you’d expect from an epic musical.
• Magical Transitions: Scene transitions were seamless, never pulling focus from the real action. The blocking itself felt almost magical at times when actors materialized out of nowhere like when the wedding scene opened, or when characters eerily emerged from the sewer. Where many national tours lean too heavily on projections as a crutch, projection designer Finn Ross and 59 Productions created them with restraint and imagination. It was particularly clever when they zoomed the projection in and out to simulate movement through the sewer or village while actors marched in place creating a simple illusion that worked beautifully. The standout moment was during a fall into the water with an actor suspended mid-air against a crashing-wave projection backdrop.
• Female Leads: Lindsay Heather Pearce brought radiant clarity to the iconic “I Dreamed a Dream.” Her voice was as golden as her signature locks. Jaedynn Latter matched her in pure emotional power with a stunning “On My Own,” building to a climactic moment that sent the audience wild. The only thing stopping her extended ovation was the cast and orchestra pressing forward into the next scene. The brief, sweet harmony shared by Fantine and Eponine near the show’s close felt like the perfect finishing touch. The electricity in the house was palpable throughout the show. And the man seated behind me was practically vibrating with restrained enthusiasm, clearly fighting every instinct to cheer at full voice out of respect for theatre etiquette.

Rant(s)

• Ground Action: The production made frequent use of low, ground-level movement as actors crouched, crawled, or collapsed in anguish. At many venues, this would have been read as striking movement design. But, at the Paramount Theatre, it became a persistent frustration. All the seats in the Paramount Theatre are infamous for its shallow slope. Anyone seated in the orchestra level will spend much of the show staring at the backs of heads when so much action unfolds at the stage foot level.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

• The Look and Sound: This musical is notorious for its deliberately dark, austere aesthetic by Matt Kinley. While it’s not my taste, I can appreciate its intent. The gloom did create a practical frustration though. At stage distance, distinguishing actors’ faces is already a challenge, and the shadowy palette compounded this further.
  
  Yet the darkness earned its merits. The lighting design by Paule Constable found real power against such a somber backdrop. For example, the single quiet shaft of light through the church window carried unexpected weight. Plus, the brightness of the wedding scene felt genuinely celebratory by contrast to the rest of the show. And the spotlights during the rebellion sequence were deployed with stark clinical precision as each beam isolated a fighter at the moment they were shot, so the audience felt every death individually.
  
  Meanwhile, the audio was nothing short of spectacular. The voices, music, and sound design were an almost ironic counterpoint to the visual restraint. The audio was rich and expansive while the staging was dull and dreary. It was bold artistic tension.
  
  
• Fire: Speaking of the rebel fight sequence, the production made the bold choice of using real gunpowder and open flame onstage. The acrid smell drifted through the audience to add a visceral and immersive edge to the chaos. I didn’t know whether to count it as plus for atmosphere or a negative for second-hand smoke health hazard!
  
  
• Speed and Punctuality: This production was unusually preoccupied with a sense of punctuality that I’ve rarely encountered, including on Broadway. The show started just two minutes after the scheduled time, which is virtually unheard of these days. Most shows don’t get going until at least 5 minutes past. The consequence was real as a significant number of latecomers scrambled to find their seats. The resulting commotion of flashlights, glowing phone screens, and “excuse me” chatter was jarringly distracting during one of my favorite moments (“At the End of the Day” song).
  
  The clock-watching didn’t stop there. Intermission ended with the same brisk efficiency, which again is unusual for any production, let alone on opening night. A few numbers like “A Little Fall of Rain” felt slightly rushed, as though the cast were racing the clock rather than letting the music breathe. Additionally, the production seemed almost allergic to extended ovations, cutting off the applause before the audience had a chance to fully express itself.
  
  There’s something to be said for respecting people’s time, but a live theatrical experience has its own rhythm. Being too rigid or lax with the clock has its own costs. It’s a tight balancing act.
  
  
• Child Actors: Cute children on-stage have always struck me as a crutch. It’s a cheap way to pander sympathy from the audience who mistakes sentimentality for genuine theatrical merit. Regardless of the child actor, year after year, the national tour always seems to introduce young Cosette with a cutesy baby voice that is as gratuitous as Gretl von Trapp from The Sound of Music film. I won’t be fooled!
  
  
  • Reader Comment from Social Media (4/11/26): “…I just want to say I was so hurt by your review. If you do not like shows that feature children, why bother reviewing them? Your comments were absolutely cruel and unnecessary. Next time remember these are real people you are speaking about and not just people you saw once on a stage. My daughter is amazing and incredibly talented. She’s brave enough to get up on a stage in front of thousands of people. She’s a rockstar and is going to do amazing things someday.”
    
    
  • My Response (4/11/26): “Thank you for the engagement. To answer your question, I continue reviewing productions that include children because my rants/raves on artistic merits extend well beyond any single character, as you can see from the rest of my review.
    
    My comments on child actors were a critique at directors and creative teams who, production after production, present young Cosette as calculatedly adorable rather than as the traumatized abused child the character actually is. It’s a storytelling choice that I find dramatically dishonest, and it’s a rant I’d raise regardless of who was cast in the role. It was never a personal attack of your daughter.
    
    That said, I do recognize [your daughter] is a real person, and I’d genuinely be curious to see her in a role that allows her to showcase her dramatic range where charm isn’t the point. That’s when a young actor’s real abilities tend to reveal themselves.
    
    Performing on a national tour is a remarkable achievement and I applaud anybody brave enough to perform on-stage. But public performance at the national/global level naturally invites public critique. That’s true for every performer on that stage, child or adult. [Your daughter] is already doing amazing things today that most people couldn’t even dream of ever doing. I hope she continues performing, grows a thick skin, and one day lands a role that showcases the full range of her talent.”
    
    
• A Puzzling Triumph: This musical remains an enigma to me. It’s baffling how a story steeped in misery has become one of the most enduring hits in theatre history. Audiences surely attend theatre to escape their troubles, not to have their troubles reflected back at them in song. Somehow it works with Les Misérables.
  
  This production brought its own quirks to the table. The innkeeper’s wife was delivered with what can only be described as a faint American country twang. It was an unexpected curious choice, but not ruinous.
  
  However, my longest-standing frustration still persists after at least five viewings – I still cannot understand the final choices made by both protagonist and antagonist. The reasons for their ultimate actions seemed inadequate for the gravity of their choices.

Theatre Company: National Tour from Broadway Across America and Seattle Theatre Group

Venue: Paramount Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 911 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101

Price Range: $85.60 – 230

Ticket Affordability Options: Seattle Theatre Group might partner with an organization you’re affiliated with for discount tickets. For example, I believe UW employees/students are still eligible for an organization discount.

Seating: Assigned Seats

Parking: Paid street parking and paid garage parking. The best parking garage is under the convention center w/ the entrance on Pike around the Pike and Terry intersection. Last I checked, this is one of the cheapest, least busy, and closest garages. Alternatively, you can probably find street parking as you move closer to the West Precinct (810 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101). Do NOT park where the Paramount subscribers park. Last I checked, they usually park in the garage attached to the former Cheesecake Factory. It’ll take you at least 30 minutes to exit that garage after the show.

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:

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Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

• https://us-tour.lesmis.com/
• https://seattle.broadway.com/shows/les-miserables/
• https://www.stgpresents.org/events/les-miserables/
• Program

Photos: See production photos below by Matthew Murphy or Evan Zimmerman.

Cast and Production Team: See after photos below.

@showsiveseen "The Notebook" #musical national tour at Paramount #Theatre from Broadway Across America and @Seattle Theatre Group. The chemistry between all three versions of the leads (teenage, adult, and elderly) felt like one continuous soul. #Alzheimer's theme was woven into the non-plot portions of the production. Appreciated the intentional inclusive casting. Didn't expect real water on-stage for the iconic rain kiss scene! Closes 3/8/26. Review: showsiveseen.com/14880 Music: @Ingrid Michaelson Book: Bekah Brunstetter Novel: @Nicholas Sparks Director: Michael Freif and Schele Williams Choreo: @Katie Spelman Music Supervision: Carmel Dean Music Director: Tina Faye Stage Mgr: Justin Myhre #TheNotebook #notebook @The Notebook Tour ♬ I Wanna Go Back – Joy Woods & Jordan Tyson

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): The Notebook musical national tour at Paramount Theatre from Broadway Across America and Seattle Theatre Group. The chemistry between all three versions of the leads (teenage/adult/elderly) felt like one continuous soul. Alzheimer’s theme was woven into the non-plot portions of the production. Appreciated the intentional inclusive casting. Didn’t expect real water on-stage for the iconic rain kiss scene!

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? Yes

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? No

Mainstream Appeal: Medium to low

If A Random Stranger Asked What Show They Should See This Weekend, Would I Mention This Production? Maybe

My Synopsis (No Spoilers): Based on the beloved film and novel, this show portrays the timeless story of two young lovers separated by walls of class and parental expectation. Years later, they get one final chance at the life they were never supposed to have.

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: Based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film, The Notebook tells the story of Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, who share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart. “Full of butterfly-inducing highs and beautiful songs” (Entertainment Weekly), The Notebook is a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love. Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune says The Notebook is “absolutely gorgeous, not to be missed,” and The New York Daily News calls it “a love story for the ages.” The Notebook is directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, and features music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, book by Bekah Brunstetter, and choreography by Katie Spelman

Type: Musical

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) or Dynamic Set: Dynamic

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: You’ll likely appreciate this more if you read the book or saw the movie. Then again … you might spend the evening disappointed as you compare the musical to either.

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Union Actor(s): All

Total Actor(s): Too many to count

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium Speed

Was there an intermission? Yes

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.25 hours

Other Rave(s)

• Iconic Moments: The night’s most striking moment was recreating the iconic rain pick-up kiss scene with real water falling onto a live stage, which is always an impressive and nerve-wracking feat. As a spectator, it’s hard not to wince for the microphones, costumes, wigs, and carefully applied makeup taking the brunt of it. However, Noah’s beloved “it wasn’t over… it still isn’t over” speech was curiously absent from the script. It would have been an easier addition to include this line the audience was almost certainly waiting for (I know I was).
  
  
• Alzheimer’s Theme: Sharon Catherine Brown (as elderly Allie) meticulously portrayed a woman in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. Her performance was alive in the details, down to the restless hand-fidgeting that continued even when the spotlight moved elsewhere for extended period of time.
  
  The production itself also seemed to internalize the disease as a structural principle. Rather than unfolding chronologically, the narrative drifted between distant teenager past, adult past, and elderly present in the fractured, non-linear way memory behaves in an Alzheimer’s patient. The audience were fellow travelers inside the disorientation of someone else’s slipping timeline. It was a bold choice that sometimes slightly tipped from an evocative trance of memories to confusion. The time jumps could also be jarring, none more so than an early leap of a full decade that bypassed much of the source material’s original story and the rich, delicious angst that made the film so affecting.
  
  
• Race and Hair: Where Hollywood (including the original movie) typically defaults to white characters for this kind of love story, this production deliberately and refreshingly cast half the characters as Black mirroring the diversity of the black-ish TV show universe. There was disapproving interracial parents (a Black father, a white mother) to the central interracial couple and their biracial (grand)children. The production also quietly subverted convention by making the white male lead without means, while the biracial female lead carried both wealth and agency.
  
  Equally striking was how the production used hair (designed by Mia Neal) as a visual language for identity. Young Allie proudly wore her natural hair freely and unabashedly trusted her true self. As an adult bending to the weight of expectation, she straightened her hair into conformity. Then in the iconic rain scene, she was soaked, raw, and finally honest about what she wanted as her hair loosened back into its natural curl.
  
  
• Song Highlights: “I Wanna Go Back” was a standout number when teenager Allie (played by Chloe Cheers) and adult Allie (played by Alysha Deslorieux) with clear voices in sweet harmony gave life to lost elderly Allie’s longing for the past. The song’s most poignant line, “I didn’t know that the last time I’d leave the house was the last time I’d see my house,” was a gut-punch reminder that we rarely recognize life’s final moments as they happen. The other highlight was at the finale “Coda” where the full ensemble swelled in choir-like harmony. It was ethereal when the music stripped back to pure a cappella.
  
  

Rant(s)

• One Dimension: The score was the production’s most glaring weakness. It was a parade of flowery legato ballads with little melodic distinction. Needless to say, I won’t be adding the soundtrack to my Broadway playlist! But beyond the forgettable songs, the deeper problem was an absence of contrast. If you’re going for one-dimensional, make that dimension razzle-dazzle instead of languid. Or at least add a lively song as a release valve to remind the audience that musicals can breathe. The show offered neither range nor electricity.
  
  This flatness infected other layers of the production as well. The visual motif compounded the problem with an impressionistic, vaguely folk-inspired vibe drained of color except for a mournful monotone blue. The script leaned heavily on silence where momentum was needed. It’s toxic when a show’s score, visuals, and book all make the same mistake. The result was a tepid production.

Theatre Company: National Tour from Broadway Across America and Seattle Theatre Group

Venue: Paramount Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 911 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101

Price Range: $55 – 192

Ticket Affordability Options: Seattle Theatre Group might partner with an organization you’re affiliated with for discount tickets. For example, I believe UW employees/students are still eligible for an organization discount.

Seating: Assigned Seats

Parking: Paid street parking and paid garage parking. The best parking garage is under the convention center w/ the entrance on Pike around the Pike and Terry intersection. Last I checked, this is one of the cheapest, least busy, and closest garages. Alternatively, you can probably find street parking as you move closer to the West Precinct (810 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101). Do NOT park where the Paramount subscribers park. Last I checked, they usually park in the garage attached to the former Cheesecake Factory. It’ll take you at least 30 minutes to exit that garage after the show.

Like/Comment/Share my Social Media Posts About this Performance:

• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Bluesky

Buy a Ticket or Learn More:

• https://notebookmusical.com/
• https://seattle.broadway.com/shows/the-notebook/
• https://www.stgpresents.org/events/the-notebook/
• Program

Photos: See production photos below by Roger Mastroianni.

Cast and Production Team: See after photos below.