Les Misérables

Les Miserables (The Wretches) is one of the most popular musicals in the world, though grand opera would have done more justice to the excessive romanticism of the 1862 original about the benevolent ex-con, his relentless pursuer and the street people of the July Revolution. Employing a judicious pruning and excellent translation, Nigel Anthony plays the melodrama and sentimentality without chewing the scenery--a neat trick. His characterizations are broad, but that's only appropriate here. He has a strangely jerky delivery, either a personal quirk or the product of numerous inelegant edits. Either way, he gives a listenable rendering of this improbable classic. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Focus on the Family has again pulled out the stops in this dramatization of the Victor Hugo classic. The production is replete with excellent acting, crisp editing, and seamless sound production, making the entire program a veritable movie for the mind. Brian Blessed plays Jean Valjean, a criminal of circumstance transformed by love and kindness at the time of the French Revolution. Blessed reads the part with tremendous strength and emotion. Other cast members include Geoffrey Palmer as Inspector Javert, Leo McKern as Monsieur Gillenormand, and Gina Beck as Cosette, the girl who awakens love and hope for Valjean. Performers, production, and beautiful source material make this an extraordinary program. S.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine