Les Miserables
adapted from Victor Hugo's novel
by Jonathan HollowayContrasting with other adaptations, Jonathan's version is on an intense, human scale. It was premiered in 1997 by Red Shift T.C. at the Edinburgh Fringe Club.
From the press notices for the original production:
"An excellent and meaty production of Victor Hugo's classic... the facility of the cast in interacting and swapping from role to role is a highly successful replacement for Hugo's page-turning prose... A satisfying and skilled performance of a great classic by an experienced and enterprising company."
Sara O'Sullivan, The Scotsman"Forget the musical - this was the production that brought Hugo's weighty tome to life in an engaging display of creativity which was as good an advert for the unique qualities of live theatre as you could wish for... A performance that illuminated a great text in all its depth, stimulated its audience and also entertained it richly."
Julian Guyer, Highbury and Islington Express"Jonathan Holloway's latest full-scale adaptation of an epic novel is a stripped-down, back-to-Brechtian basics affair that recalls some of his company's purest moments. He distils Hugo's famous book into a simple but powerful tale centred entirely on the exploits of Cosette and Valjean. With a versatile cast of six accompanying the action with live music... it is a classic Red Shift show from beginning to end... Holloway's adaptation is intimate and vital."
Phil Gibby, The Stage
© The Tennyson Agency 2003