THEATER REVIEW : An Uneven but Seductive ‘Les Miserables’ in Pasadena

H oo. Hah. Arrrrgh. The convicts grunt and toil in the opening scene of “Les Miserables.” But when prisoner 24601 breaks away from the gang, we know it’s going to be his show.

Well, sorta.

Because no matter how buff your Jean Valjean may be--and this touring production at the Pasadena Civic boasts the able-voiced Donn Cook, with his near-operatic timbre and impressive range--it’s never really the poor schmo’s show. The evening, and the spectacle, belong to the designer (John Napier) and the director-adaptors (John Caird and Trevor Nunn).

Which isn’t so bad--especially if you’ve never had an eyeful of such an epic extravaganza before and you can check your gray matter at the door. Few shows, after all, so encapsulate the seductive powers of the mega-musical, that phenomenon of the past decade, like Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg’s schnitzelization of the Victor Hugo novel about the French urban poor in the early 19th Century.

Although it’s a more lavish touring production than many, this “Miz” pales next to the original. Many of the secondary cast members, in particular, can neither act their roles nor put a dent in the Civic’s daunting acoustics. And the show itself, for all its pomp, has only about four basic tunes, not to mention lyrics that double park cliches.

Still, when Valjean and his nemesis Javert (David Masenheimer) set off on their epic chase--like Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner in frock coats--”Les Miz” knows its biz.

And at the center of the biz is the set’s huge rotating disc. Whatever problems “Les Miz” may have get lost in the waltz when the orchestra swells, the singers belt, and a cascade of wretched refuse whirls by on their Lazy Susan of the lumpen proletariat.

* “Les Miserables,” Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Wednesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 & 7:30 p.m. Ends Jan. 22. $15-47. (818) 449-7360. Running time: 3 hours, 25 minutes.