The Cast Photo by Ana Miyares

Joel Zishuk's lighting design stands out, even in a staging that is very strong overall. For the first several numbers, there is little but the black stage curtains, stark mobile lights, and projections that set the scene. The images are bleak, emphasizing not just Valjean's isolation and misery, but the desperation of a chaotic world. And just when the audience is lost in the power of the outstanding orchestra, and fairly certain that the there will be little or nothing in the way of a set, the upstage curtains part to reveal Michael Clack's scenic design.

Clack's city backdrop is just enough to provide another level to the stage and suggest the class-based tensions between the scrabbling workers on the ground and the bourgeoise literally looking down on them. Simple structures akin to lifeguard stations roll in from the wings to suggest the shady dock areas where the prostitutes find their marks, and the sophistication builds to Valjean's secluded, gated property, and eventually the barricade. But having established the bare, black mindscape at the top of the show, Shallenbarger is free to employ it at will without ever having to sacrifice pacing or leave the audience feeling as though they're seeing the constraints on the production, rather than active choices.

Cindy Moon's costumes function in a similarly effective way. The looks for Valjean, Javert, and the Thénardiers are distinctive, specific, and well-executed. This gives the production license to have the students and the ensemble members in outfits that are loosely suggestive of the time and place of the play's action without obsessing over the details. Moon's design works perfectly with Stacey Flaster's choreography, which is just as accomplished as Shallenbarger's strong direction, as well.

The real triumph here, though, is just how excellent the music and the performances are. Music director Aaron Kaplan conducts the 20-piece JAM orchestra, and the players are just fantastic. The sound is rich and full without overwhelming the singers (even in the case of a few technical glitches with the vocalists' body mics).

Wesly Anthony Clergé is a more demonstrative, overtly emotional Valjean compared with many portrayals. He has incredible range, both vocal and dramatic, and his duets with David Pfenninger (Javert) are astoundingly good. Clergé and Pfenninger set the tone for something really special about this production: their voices are not just strong, both individually and together, but the two are quite obviously listening to and reacting to one another as actors, not just as singers.

This success is replicated by Erin Kelley and Aaron Mann as the villainous Thénardiers. Both clearly have formidable comedy chops and voices that more than hold their own in such a strong cast. But they also feed off one another in a way that goes beyond even some of the most famous renditions of these delightfully vile characters.

Justine Cameron offers a Fantine that has some real fire in her and yet she also delivers on the abject tragedy of "I Dreamed a Dream." Amia Korman's Eponine resonates strongly with Cameron's performance, suggesting that for the show's women, almost all stories are minor variations on a vicious cycle, and yet they are brave enough to love.

Jake Ziman and Campbell Krausen embrace the melodrama of the young lovers, Marius and Cosette. Ziman has some real success in conveying a genuine conflict in the character, who is torn between two equally attractive passions: political resistance and love at first sight. Vocally, Krausen's "legit" vocal approach communicates Cosette's sheltered, privileged upbringing, and there's some real tenderness in her final scene with Valjean.

Evan Smith's Enjolras represents an interesting, more intellectual take on the role than some versions. This actually works very well as Shallenbarger leans into how ragtag and terrifying and obviously doomed the students' resistance is. Smith's performance lays the ground work for an especially affecting version of "Drink with Me," and later, "Turning."

The entire ensemble and supporting players are wonderful as well. There is great pleasure in the strong emotional investment everyone in the cast clearly has in the characters they play and the show's core themes.

Les Misérables, presented by Uptown Music Theater of Highland Park, runs through August 11, 2024, at the Deerfield Performing Arts Center, 959 Waukegan Road, Chicago IL. For tickets and information, please visit www.uptownhp.org.