I Dreamed A Dream...

If you've been following my blog (big shout out to you if you do!) you will know that two weeks ago I was in London for the annual Book Fair at Earl's Court. As well as being a chance to attend this great industry event, it was also an opportunity to visit the nation's capital. We had plenty of free time at night and what better way to spend it than going to the West End?

I'm a huge fan of musicals. If I had my way, life would be one big extended musical. I have wanted to see Les Misérables on stage for ages now and after seeing the recent Hollywood film, I was determined to use my trip to London to see it. Luckily a couple of my friends wanted to go too, so on the Tuesday night we found ourselves at Queen's Theatre.


I was curious to see how the different settings would be staged. The answer was a revolving stage, which was cleverly done, especially during the barricade scenes. I was pleasantly surprised at how intimate Queen's Theatre felt. We were in the second last row, but I could still see quite clearly. The only disappointment was that we couldn't see the top of the barricade.

That small snag was more than made up for by the excellent cast. Gerónimo Rauch was an amazing Jean Valjean. His voice was sublime and he made the part his own. His rendition of 'Bring Him Home' was beautiful and one of my favourite moments of the night. Shaun Dalton took the role of Javert for the night and, again, he owned it. I was blown away by his performance and I liked the clever way Javert's suicide was represented. Special mention must also go to Christopher Jacobsen who was a brilliant Enjoloras and Jamie Ward, who made me like Marius for the first time. When he sung 'Empty Chairs At Empty Tables' I was blown away by the strength of his performance. 

The women were also fantastic. Celinde Schoenmaker as Fantine showcased every inch of the character's suffering and she gave a wonderful rendition of 'I Dreamed A Dream'. I was most excited about seeing Danielle Hope in the role of Eponine. I remember watching Danielle on Over The Rainbow and hoping she would win, so I was thrilled when I learned she was in Les Misérables. She didn't disappoint. Her voice is even better than when she was on the show and she made me teary when she sang 'On My Own' (which, incidentally, is my favourite song). 

Me with Danielle Hope

I can also testify that as well as being brilliant actors and singers, the cast are extremely nice. We went to the stage door after the performance and they graciously signed our programmes for us and agreed to pose for pictures. It was a brilliant end to a magical night and one I certainly won't forget. I would definitely go back and see this production again. It was stellar in every sense of the word. If you're lucky enough to be in London and haven't yet seen it, then take yourself along to Queen's Theatre. You won't be disappointed.