Les Misérables School Edition

What a treat - I thoroughly enjoyed this production of Les Misérables at The Edinburgh Academy. All of the cast were fantastic and memorable, a stand-out being Luke Patrick's mature performance as Jean Vanjean. Will be back next year!

This show from such a young cast was just fantastic, the acting and singing were both incredible - wish I could watch it all over again! Well done everyone, such talent!

This show brought me to tears, laughter and gave me goosebumps at every moment. The singers were absolutely incredible with a special mention to Luke Davidson who played Marius and shone bright during the show. His impeccable voice and acting was riveting. Would 100% recommend to anyone to see this show and any future productions by this company.

Incredible performance. Les Miserables is my favourite musical of all time and the inclusion of “school edition” put me off buying a ticket however after seeing Captivate Theatre’s other production of Sunshine on Leith I decided to give Les Mis a go. What can I say, it was fantastic. Amazing performances from all the young people involved - almost as good as the real thing! Well done everyone. I’ll be looking out for more of Captivates productions in future.

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing this show on Tuesday. A small and sparse stage with all performers under 19 for a huge musical? You’d better believe it! Captivate’s production was filled with strong and assured performances not only from the leading roles but also the ensemble soloists: from the factory worker who belittles Fantine (I would have liked to have seen more of her - beautiful voice) to the fighters at the barricade. Particular kudos to the performers who played Jean Valjean, Javere, the two Cosettes and the Thernardiers. Their clarity and diction made the plot easier to follow which is sometimes tricky with this almost fully sung musical. These young people sang with voices the likes of which some professional performers would be envious. Comedic timing from the Thernardiers provided welcome light relief and Master of the House (my favourite!) was a barnstormer.

Sparse staging was used to great effect to give us a factory, the docks, the barricade and beyond.

It was a tour de force and had me hooked from start to finish with eyes filled with tears in between. Bravo!

As a former member of Captivate Theatre, I am a loyal audience member at their Fringe shows, and Les Mis is always my favourite. However, it is a delight to be able to say that this was an absolutely stellar production, without being remotely biased!
What an incredible cast. My mum and I were lucky to sit front and centre, but embarrassed ourselves by absolutely sobbing throughout! It is always a tear jerker of a show anyway, but the individual performances were so moving.
It is worth noting that all of the cast are 19 and under, which is easy to forget with their level of talent.
Luke Patrick is a phenomenal Valjean. His facial expressions throughout were so touching, and so emotionally mature. His voice is really beautiful, and the control he maintains between chest voice and falsetto is so impressive, especially given his age. Bring Him Home is always a standout moment, but to perform it with such (apparent) ease is really special.
Jack Kitchen is a perfect Javert. Despite knowing that all of the cast are young, we could not believe it when we heard that he is only 16! His vocals are fantastic, delivering the beautiful Stars to perfection, and his focused, still, and poised acting is spot on for the dedicated Inspector.
Freya McGregor sang Fantine with a beautiful maturity, and Freya Hoy hit Cosette’s top notes with incredible ease and control. Luke Davidson’s Marius was totally believable, and shone particularly as he (spoiler alert) mourned Éponine and his friends from the barricade. Éponine was played perfectly by Emma Rudd, who had a youthful fragility to her performance and a lovely unique tone to her voice. Alex Fraser led the students with aplomb as the confident Enjolras, with impressive vocals to match; and his comrades were played well by the male ensemble, notably Charlie Corliss as a Grantaire that the audience sympathised with immediately. Calum Caulfield instantly captured the audience as Gavroche, with the right balance of "cheeky chappy" and adorable! The Thénardiers delivered the much needed comic relief of Les Mis well, with Seumas Cross playing a funny and lovable Thénardier alongside Persephone Bates d’Arbela as a wicked Madame Thénardier with a huge voice and excellent expression. The ensemble all sang beautifully, and were all spot on with their acting and business in everything from happy crowd scenes like Master of the House; to the dramatic action on, and then emotional clearing of, the barricades.
It is great to see Captivate perform Les Mis again. The pared-back staging works well, as always, and lets the performances shine.
Congratulations to Sally Lyall, Maddy Baron, and Aidan Cross, in producing this great production, and in finding and nurturing these talented kids. The future of Captivate is bright!

Brilliant show. The performers showed such professionalism and dedication. Highly recommend seeing this. They are an exceptionally talented bunch. Well done all involved.

Amazing ability to put emotion into songs. In Tears several tiimes. A strong cast with some amazing voices. Highly recommend

Excellent show as good as any West End show that I’ve seen! Congratulations to all how took part in this performance well done

I was lucky enough to see the show a couple of days ago and was totally blown away by the whole thing. From the very opening lines right to the end the cast were amazing! What makes this even more remarkable is the fact they are all so young. An amazingly talented bunch and stars of the future for sure. I had no issue with the basic set, in fact I kind of liked the minimalistic way it was done. To be honest, this did not distract from the show in any way in my view.

The power and beauty in the singing was quite magical, and the standing ovation at the end was truly deserved!! A great show, a great cast and well worth the entry fee!

What a brilliant production. This is one of the best Les Mis productions I have ever seen and performed by a group of very talented young performers. Both their singing and acting was first class and presented with talent and emotion. I was blown away by the quality of this group and am going to check out other productions in the fringe by Captivate Theatre group. 5 stars from me.

A talented cast of young people, with some outstanding singing voices. Jean Valjon had both an amazing vocal range, and gave a mature , expressive performance, this young man is someone to look out for in the future. Young Gavroche charmed the audience with his cheeky performance and impressive English accent singing voice. The leader of the revolution and his right hand man both put in impressive performances; unlike many performances of youth theatre, rarely was an off note hit. An excellent all round cast, great support cast, and overall an enjoyable afternoon.

Every year we book our tickets for this show. It’s usually the schools edition.
The young people’s talent is mind blowing.
Though the show is shorter it is not diminished in its impact.
The whole cast were excellent , those taking the lead did so with great enthusiasm & talent.
We laughed & cried & were inspired .
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Go see it .

I’ve been fortunate enough to see 2 performances of this run of Les Mis, (knowing the quality and popularity of Captivate shows I booked well in advance!) My expectations were high but I was still blown away by the talent on show. The director, Sally Lyall, doesn’t bother with sets or elaborate props - a few wooden crates aside, she lets the talent of the actors completely carry the show. All the young people gave passionate and emotional performances, displaying fantastic acting and singing skills way beyond their years. A special mention must go to Luke Patrick and Seumas Cross who were both exceptional with very bright futures ahead of them in Musical Theatre. I laughed, I cried (a lot) and now wish I’d bought tickets to see it a third time!

I watched this show today and thought it was absolutely brilliant. The show immediately grabs your attention, and the singing and music were perfect. I wouldn’t fault the acting either, very emotional performances from all, and one of the best shows I’ve ever seen at the Fringe ( and I have been going for decades).

It is only after the show, once you see the cast leave the building, you realise how young they are! There are some true stars who will emerge from this cast, and their families should be rightly proud.

If you can get a ticket then go and see this show.

This performance is fantastic - I could still shed a tear thinking about it and I saw it two days ago! What a talented bunch, superb vocals and acting by every single member of the cast. The little ones in the cast were equally as good as their older counterparts and Gavroche's cheeky wink and character ensured that a hanky was required when he met his demise. I am only sad that I can't go and see it again as it has sold out although I'm not sure my tear ducts would take it!

I have watched various Les Mis ‘big budget’ professional productions so was going into this with high expectations… I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED! The entire cast portrayed their characters with amazing commitment and passion. The vocals were outstanding and, in many parts, comparable to the professional shows. The stage, lighting etc is what you would expect from an amateur budget but did not detract from the talent I was witnessing in front of me. Wardrobe also done a superb job helping to bring the characters to life, in particular Madame Thenardier.

I also need to take issue with the negative comments. Gavroche was exactly the little cheeky character I was expecting, played very well by a charming young man. I do agree with one point however – Luke Patrick (Jean Valjean) had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up when singing ‘Bring Him Home’, suspending the final note to perfection! Javert was also a standout for me with his excellent diction and clarity.

Kudos to the entire cast and crew (often the unsung heroes) for giving me an amazing and unforgettable afternoon. A truly must-see standing ovation show!

I recently had the privilege of attending this show, it was an absolute spectacle of talent and artistry. The entire production was a rollercoaster of emotions, skilfully directed and flawlessly executed. The fact that this rendition was performed by a youth cast made it all the more impressive, as the actors delivered performances that rival those of seasoned professionals.

The casting choices were nothing short of genius. The lead characters were portrayed with such depth and authenticity that it was too easy to forget that they were students. Their vocal prowess, emotional intensity, and remarkable stage presence captivated the audience from the very first note. The commitment and dedication of the young actors were evident in every aspect of their performances. Luke Patrick’s Jean Valjean is extraordinary.

This show is a testament to the commitment and hard work of the entire production team. Their guidance and mentorship have undoubtedly played a significant role in nurturing the raw talent of these young performers.

Bravo! A well deserved standing ovation to all involved!

My only complaint is that the entire run has sold out and I can’t revisit during this run of 2023 performances.

I have seen 5 professional productions of this AMAZING show in the USA ..this is my 5th and I did not want to go..wife insisted..I was totally blown away..exceeded all the prior professional productions we have seen..every one of the major players had voices beyond professional, the facial expressions, movements etc etc were beyond captivating..amazing talent..A MUST SEE..DO NOT MISS...CLONE THE CAST!!

I must take issue with some aspects of the critical review.
I think the standard of acting and singing across the cast was exceptional. While anyone is entitled to a different opinion on this, it is unfair to target criticism at the youngest performers.
And while anyone is entitled to their opinion on the aesthetics of the scaffolding, to impugn the director’s motives is also unfair, as well as being patently inaccurate.
It is clear from the audience reactions and other reviews that the negative view is in a minority.
Well done to all on a captivating performance

My husband and I watched this performance yesterday and cannot recommend it highly enough. Luke Patrick displayed such depth of emotion as Jean Valjean, as did the young man playing Marius. The whole cast were excellent, the singing, the acting … transporting the audience with their talent rather than using props or backdrops. Well done to all involved, it was spectacular!

I thought this show was excellent. The cast members’ acting and singing, especially those in the lead roles, was absolutely brilliant. I hadn’t expected the show to be as good as it was, due to the ages of the cast but they really blew me away. I’ll definitely be signing up for any other shows this group put on.

Les Misérables is a worldwide theatrical phenomenon, with countless awards to its name, and so the Captivate Theatre cast deserve a lot of praise for taking on this challenge. That said, if you do Les Mis, you have to ensure high quality. In a lot of moments, the production definitely presented quality and talent, but in other places, it was lacking.

The whole cast of Les Misérables are highly talented singers, and the sound they create is extraordinary, especially at the ends of ‘One Day More’ and ‘The Finale (Do You Hear the People Sing: Reprise)’. Among the talented singers are Sophie Gee as Fantine, April Beattie as Éponine, and Olivia Eccles as Cosette, whose soprano voice is truly impressive. The Thenardiers’ (Seumas Cross and Georgia Sim) performance was also a tour de force, bringing the comedy relief to the show with confidence.

However, I did have a problem with the direction of the show. Firstly, the scaffolding set is ridiculously unnecessary, and I’m convinced its only purposes are to rattle and distract the audience. Also, I was underwhelmed by the ensemble; in scenes such as ‘At the End of the Day’, the ensemble was clearly directed to do nothing. Throughout most of the show (albeit not ‘Master of the House’, where the cast actually create a very convincing atmosphere), the cast simply stand in rows to sing to the audience. It is like watching a choir rather than a theatre company. I think the biggest issue with this show is the heavy miscasting. Straight off the bat, Gavroche, Little Cosette, and Little Éponine are too old to be convincing; Gavroche does not have the cheek for the audience to care enough about his death. Vocally, Luke Patrick struggled with some of the high belting notes, like the one at the end of ‘Who Am I?, an enormous moment in the story. However, his falsetto for ‘Bring Him Home’ was very good.

Overall, the cast are definitely singers rather than actors. Vocally, they did the superb score justice, but I was slightly let down by the quality of acting. I’d rather see this as a concert performance instead ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely amazing show. The whole cast were absolutely superb. Well done to all involved. It's unbelievable that this cast is made up of kids 18 and under. If you see one show at the Fringe it should be this one. A well deserved standing ovation.

I have been to see the show both times now and both casts are fantastic what a show what a performance 5 stars ⭐️

A sold out show and a standing ovation on the first day. I can highly recommend any of the shows that Captivate Theatre are performing at The Fringe. Always a first class production. Well done to everyone and enjoy the rest of the run.