THEATER REVIEW : ‘Les Miserables’ Stirs With Sweeping Majesty

Squalid tenements tower over the stage, mist-enshrouded sewers stretch into infinity, barricades of rubble divide a city, and mountains of meticulously soiled rags adorn a starving population.

Misery on this big a budget can mean only one thing--the national tour of “Les Miserables” is on its arc de triumph through the Southland, with 32 performances slated for Thousand Oaks and Long Beach. The effects of scrupulous quality control are everywhere apparent in this staging by John Caird and Trevor Nunn--at a reported cost of $4.2 million.

It’s clearly money well spent. John Napier’s imposing design work, including the legendary turntable, lends majesty and sweep to Victor Hugo’s tale of fugitive Jean Valjean (Ivan Rutherford), caught up in the sociopolitical tides of early 19th century France.

The immensely sympathetic Rutherford handles the role with dignified assurance, making even the taxing vocal range from baritone to falsetto demanded by Claude-Michel Schonberg’s score seem nearly effortless--through many opportunities for grandstanding, the humility of the character extends to the performer.

As Valjean’s nemesis Javert, the relentless policeman obsessed with his capture, Ron Baker cuts a suitably dour figure, but he has difficulty negotiating the faster tempos and never completely sells the character’s ultimate realizations about his own misguided moral tenets. The other villain, the greedy renegade Thenardier (J.P. Dougherty), exudes campy buffoonery at the expense of menace but provides welcome comic relief.

In a work that packs martyrs like sardines, the standout victims are Susie McMonagle, who brings an ethereal voice and presence to fallen angel Fantine, and Christeena Michelle Briggs as Eponine, the love-struck wench who finds heroic stature in self-sacrifice. The object of her devotion, idealistic Marius (Andrew Redeker), and his own heartthrob, Valjean’s adopted daughter Cosette (Gina Feliccia), have a harder time transcending the script’s generic stereotypes, though Redeker gets to dabble in aggrieved social conscience.

The broad strokes in the adaptation by Schonberg and Alain Boublil sacrifice much of the character ambiguity in Hugo’s novel. Yet as we round the third hour, it’s easier to be grateful for the compromised complexity--just fitting this sprawling story into a single evening is remarkable enough.

* “Les Miserables,” Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Charles E. Probst Center, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.; tonight-Dec. 23: Mondays-Fridays, 8 p.m., Thursdays, Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m., Sundays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. At Long Beach Convention Center, Terrace Theatre, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.; Dec. 27-Jan. 7: Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Thursdays, Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m., Sundays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. $19.50-$52.50. (213) 480-3232, (805) 583-8700, (714) 740-2000. Running time: 3 hours, 25 minutes.