Marianne Benyamin Pd.

Green 10/21/2013

Review of: Les Misrables at Tobys Dinner Theater of Columbia

Totaling 30 years, Tobys Dinner Theater of Columbia has been serving up an exceptional buffet along with an outstanding and professional performance . At Tobys you have the opportunity to see Les Misrables like youve never seen it before. This musical adaptation of Victor Hugos novel is set in early 19th century France. The hero of the story is Jean Valjean (played by Daniel Fenton), an escapee from jail for having stolen some bread to feed his sisters starving child. Valjean vows to raise Cosette (played by Ella Boodin and Katie Heidbreder); daughter of an ex-factory worker who became a prostitute. He has many encounters with Javert (played by Lawrence B. Munsey), a police inspector who incessantly tracks Valjean down , and is unwilling to let go of his criminal past. In the end Javert, conflicted by Valjeans actions commits suicide. A student named Marius (played by Lawrence B. Munsey) falls in love with Cosette and they get married; afterwards Jean Valjean dies. The theme of Les Misrables is that a man can change for the better and sometimes you have to take a risk to protect the ones you love. Before starting the show, attendees ate from the buffet area that doubled as the stage. Despite being a buffet the food was quite delicious and was even themed according to the play with dishes such as Chicken Cordon Bleu and Pommes de Terre au Gratin. The trays of food

were devoured quickly due to popularity, but were rapidly replaced with new ones. A larger desert selection would have been appreciated, but the cheesecake and customizable ice cream sundaes were enough to suffice. During intermission I was surprised to see actors from the play going from table to table in-costume to serve beverages. Lawrence B. Munsey took great command of his role as Javert. When on stage with costar Daniel Fenton in the role of Jean Valjean you could sense the history between the two characters from their different backgrounds as they each fought their own battles. Fentons vocals were quite extraordinary and he showed much passion in each song. David A. Hopkins designed epic sets throughout the play that rolled in and out of the stage door. One of the memorable pieces was the barricade which looked fierce while still being practical to assemble and easy for the audience to see from all angles. Costumes were well put together and fit each scene perfectly. Musical Director Christopher Youstra lead the live orchestra including: keyboards, violin, trumpet, reeds, and trombone. Although the orchestra lacked percussion, the rest of it was wonderful and could not have been replaced by a synthesizer. Credit goes to directors Toby Orenstein and Steven Fleming for never making the show feel long or boring. They had a huge challenge because when youre directing in an in-the-round theater, the Actors are always facing the fourth wall. The way the actors were positioned never left one side of the audience feeling like they could not see. Choreography was also well done considering the space limitations of the stage. Les Misrables was a performance that I would definitely recommend, and would even see again. I would love to come back to Tobys to see another performance. At the end of the show the actors received a well-deserved standing ovation.