It’s hard to overstate the ubiquity of Les Misérables, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s 1985 musical (with English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer) based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel. Its first act finale, “One Day More,” has inspired viral living room singalongs and Saturday Night Live sketches. Its 2012 film adaptation united several Academy Award winners and earned an estimated $440 million at the box office. Its populist anthem, “Do You Hear the People Sing?” has been co-opted by countless political campaigns across the globe. And The New York Times estimates that more than 150 million theatergoers have seen the show in 22 languages and 57 countries. As a moratorium on professional productions lifts after a long-running national tour ends, Olney Theatre Center has seized the moment to build a brand-new barricade and hoist the tricolore, coming out ahead with a stirring new production that runs through January 31. In southeastern France in 1815, Jean Valjean (Trent Saunders) is released from prison following a 19-year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread. After pocketing the silver of a local church, whose bishop forgives the theft and encourages him to use it to build a better future, Valjean assumes a new identity and builds a comfortable life as a businessman. Having broken parole, he is pursued relentlessly by an inspector, Javert (Kevin S. McAllister), who vows to rearrest him even as Valjean performs one good deed after another: taking care of battered sex worker Fantine (Stephanie Waters), adopting and raising her daughter, Cosette (Quynh-My Luu), and looking after Cosette’s beau Marius (Ben Clark), who joins the ranks of student revolutionaries. Deception, blackmail, and the specter of his checkered past constantly threaten Valjean’s pursuit of goodness, but he is determined to repay the debt of the priest, who “bought [his] soul for God.” The ensemble of ‘Les Misérables’ at Olney Theatre Center. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. Director Stephen Brackett, who made a name for himself on Broadway by directing coming-of-age musicals like Be More Chill, The Lightning Thief, and A Strange Loop, may seem an unconventional choice for this three-hour epic about the struggles of 19th-century French poverty. But Brackett shows his hand from the jump, projecting Hugo’s quote, “The paradise of the rich is made out of the hell of the poor,” onto the curtain before the show begins (the crafty urchin Gavroche [Grayson Lewis], reemphasizes this point, spitting, “This is the land that fought for liberty/Now when we fight, we fight for bread.”) Brackett’s modern sensibility proves a tonic against the calcified, dirt-smeared expectations set by the original production and its downstream iterations, but his production is not a total rebuke of that which generations of theatergoers have imprinted on. It is very much the musical we know and love, but with new flourishes that push it toward not-your-grandmother’s-Les–Miz territory: expect a hustler among the “Lovely Ladies,” a puffer jacket between the peacoats (costumes are by Sarah Cubbage), and bare chests from both Marius and Thenardier (Jordan Friend). Given the shallow depth of Olney’s Roberts Mainstage theater, and despite the momentous score, it all makes for a movingly intimate experience.  Brackett’s ensemble is obviously game to upend expectations, too (Olney Theatre Center Artistic Director Jason Loewith told the Times that more than 400 local actors auditioned for the 25-person cast). Of the score’s many now-standard songs, Waters has the first in “I Dreamed a Dream.” Long a go-to for belters, the song in Waters’ rendition is more restrained, and she imparts a folky sound that suits the narrative ballad’s steady march into despair. Clark and Luu imbue Marius and Cosette, the wide-eyed romantic leads, with a youthful giddiness and teenage naivete that heightens the impact of their close calls with very real disaster. Brackett relocates their confessional love song, “In My Life/A Heart Full of Love,” from the garden of Valjean’s home to Cosette’s bedroom, adding sensuousness and sexuality to the number. Outside the home, Eponine — played with enviable grit and palpable yearning by Alex De Bard — accepts the unrequited nature of her love for the spoiled Marius and tees up a staggering performance of “On My Own” worthy of its devastating lyric. As Madame Theandier, Tracy Lynn Olivera forgoes the usual rough-and-ragged characterization in favor of a big-haired glam (wigs are by LaShawn Melton) that sits somewhere between Tammy Wynette and Mrs. Wormwood. She is not suffering at the incompetence of her husband, Thenardier (a delightfully sleazy Friend), but rather obviously pulling the strings, and it’s a joy to watch during the raucous “Master of the House” (choreography is by William Carlos Angulo) and “The Thenardier Waltz of Treachery.” Amid all this experimentation, the show’s steady emotional drumbeat endures uninterrupted. The stark contrast between law versus justice, and grudge versus forgiveness, is strong as ever. As Valjean, Saunders navigates the fight-or-flight instinct of Valjean’s recurring run-ins with Javert as nimbly as he does his massive share of the score. And McAllister, who is well known locally for his extraordinarily rich vocal tone, sings Javert’s solo turn, “Stars,” with the care and control of someone who has spent decades waiting to step into the part.  TOP LEFT: Kevin S. McAllister as Inspector Javert; TOP CENTER: Trent Saunders as Jean Valjean and Stephanie Waters as Fantine; TOP RIGHT: Ben Clark as Marius and Alex De Bard as Éponine; ABOVE: The ensemble, in ‘Les Misérables’ at Olney Theatre Center. Photos by Teresa Castracane Photography. With such a talented cast, and a light-footed balance between experimentation and expectation, Brackett’s Les Misérables successfully foregrounds the people at the heart of Hugo’s timeless panorama without having to rely on striking visual effects, save for one coup de theatre from scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado. Lighting designer Abby Hoke-Brady’s work is mostly atmospheric, and capitalizes on stage haze to evoke the dreariness of dingy Parisian streets. And under musical director Christopher Youstra’s baton, the 14-piece orchestra shines, though sound issues at the performance this critic saw distorted some of the singers’ and musicians’ higher notes. Heading into the season of Nutcrackers and A Christmas Carols (the latter of which begins at Olney on December 2), Les Misérables is a surprisingly welcome balm for those who may not yet feel entirely in the holiday spirit, but who nevertheless crave a reminder that there is good to be found in our fellow humans, and that forgiveness is healing. The staying power of both the story and its musical treatment are testament to its unflappable capacity to touch our hearts, and Olney’s production makes that which is old new all over again. Go hear the people sing. Running time: Three hours, including one intermission Les Misérables plays through January 31, 2027, in the Roberts Mainstage Theatre at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD. Tickets ($57–$118) are available online, by calling the box office at 301-924-3400, or at TodayTix. Discounts for teachers, active military, and first responders are available at olneytheatre.org/discounts. The cast and creative team credits are here. Les MisérablesA musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel SchönbergBased on a novel by Victor HugoMusic by Claude-Michel SchönbergLyrics by Herbert KretzmerOriginal French Text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc NatelAdditional material by James FentonAdapted and originally directed by Trevor Nunn and John CairdOriginal orchestrations by John CameronNew orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Metcalfe, and Stephen BrookerDirected by Stephen BrackettChoreographed by William Carlos AnguloMusic Directed by Christopher Youstra SEE ALSO:Broadway and local talent to star in ‘Les Misérables’ at Olney Theatre Center(news story, September 30, 2026) ...read more read less