Say, Do You Hear the Distant Drums?

“Dawn of Anguish,” “Second Attack/Death of Gavroche” and “The Final Battle,” London, 2014. Anton Zetterholm as Enjolras, Rob Houchen as Marius, Daniel Koek as Jean Valjean, Max Robson as Gavroche, Adam Linstead as Grantaire, Tam Mutu as Javert.

189 years ago today, the barricades fell, so it seems only fitting to relive the tragedy through its most famous fictionalized portrayal.

Last year I shared a video of this same cast from 2013, albeit with a different Gavroche and without the battle’s aftermath. This performance, which allegedly was Anton Zetterholm’s last before he left the show, is just as strong as the earlier one, although unfortunately the camera goes in and out of focus.

Anton’s Enjolras might not be the most physically imposing Enjolras, but his shining blond hair, his chiseled face, the cream and steel combined within his voice, and his demeanor that blends stern, quiet dignity with revolutionary ardor, he’s faithful to Hugo’s vision of his angelic “marble lover of liberty.” His opening lines are moving, as his hushed “The people have not stirred...” comes as close to expressing despair as Enjolras can allow himself, but then his fierce “The people have not heard...” reinforces his unshakable courage. His “Let others rise...” is excellent too, with a magnificent final note on “...is FREE!”

Max is a vivid, vulnerable yet fierce Gavroche, although his drawn-out stiffening and collapse as he dies is slightly unconvincing.

“The Final Battle” is powerful from beginning to end. First there’s the mute, dumbstruck grief of the revolutionaries after Gavroche’s death – I especially like that the only significant movement is the overwhelmed Grantaire sinking into his chair – which erupts into wild cries of anguish and rage when the offstage officer delivers his final message. Then comes Enjolras’s thrilling last words and brief yet moving last moments with Marius and Grantaire. I notice that after “Let others rise...” he never fires another bullet at the enemy, but is already reaching for the flag to wave it when Marius is shot. He was ready to accept death then and there, but then his love for his friends makes him delay it for just a moment to run to the seemingly-dying Marius’s side and to share a handshake with Grantaire before his last stand. As in the 2013 video, he and Adam’s Grantaire recreate “Orestes Fasting and Pylades Drunk” as closely as Nunn and Caird’s staging allows, with Adam reaching the top of the barricade as Anton is still standing and making himself visible to the enemy just behind him, raising his wine jug in defiance.

As always, the tableau of Enjolras’s body on the barricade is heartbreakingly beautiful, with only a small trickle of blood from his mouth. The fact that this performance includes Javert in the tableu by having him stand at the top of the barricade (a choice which, from what I’ve read, has been used on and off in London over the years) adds a biting layer of social commentary, emphasizing that it was “the Law” that killed Enjolras and Gavroche.

Tam’s Javert always seems to have been an especially driven, wolfish one, and this scene is no exception. We can see his desperation as he spots the sewer grate, struggles in vain to lift it, listens for the sound of human movement below it, and then exits with an ominous growl of “Valjean!”

“Dawn of Anguish,” “Second Attack/Death of Gavroche” and “The Final Battle,” North Shore Music Theatre, 2014. Steve Czarnecki as Enjolras, Blake Stadnik as Marius, Will Ray as Jean Valjean, unknown Gavroche, Joseph Spieldenner as Grantaire.

This heartbreaking audio shows how effective it can be when a regional production takes a fresh approach to a scene, rather than going though the motions of other productions. As I’ve written before, this production seems to have let its cast members ad-lib much more than usual and here they do it to moving effect.

When the very young-sounding yet strong voiced Gavroche meets his fate, there isn’t a long silence, nor does only Grantaire shout “NO!” Instead we have a collective “NO!” from all the revolutionaries, bringing Hugo’s statement “The whole barricade gave a cry” to life. But Joseph Spieldenner doesn’t let his Grantaire’s special bond with Gavroche be overlooked: a few moments later, he lets out an agonized “WHYYYY???!!!” and then sobs uncontrollably.

I saw Steve’s Enjolras in another regional production a year after this one and I can definitely hear here what I remember from there: that his Enjolras is more humanized and anguished than others. We can hear the despair in his voice on “The people have not stirred...” and during the battle... well, more on that below. He’s not Hugo’s marble lover of liberty, but within the musical, I think it works. In no way does his anguish at watching the insurrection fail and his friends die around him signify a lack of courage or heroism, which his “Let others rise...” and other defiant lines show that he still has in spades.

As for “The Final Battle,” the production’s “ad-libs welcome” policy makes it especially raw, with so much shouting and so much audible desperation and defiance as the barricade falls. The rawest moment of all comes just before the final orchestral “Red and Black” reprise. Apparently, instead of having Enjolras die before Grantaire as in replica productions, this staging had Grantaire die in Enjolras’s arms. We hear Enjolras shout “Grantaire!” and then lapse into inarticulate, nearly hysterical pleas to his dying devotee (“No, no no!” and “I’m sorry!” are the only words I think I can make out) before shouting “LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC!!!” in a wild, grief-stricken, rage-filled tone as his final burst of defiance before his own death. I only wish this were a video recording, because those final moments must have been especially powerful to see.

“Dawn of Anguish” and “Second Attack/Death of Gavroche,” US 3rd National Tour, 2006. Victor Wallace as Enjolras, Dan Bogart as Marius, Randal Keith as Jean Valjean, unknown Gavroche.

Another video of a cast I saw in person: in this case the final cast of the 3rd National Tour. It’s unfortunate that the bottom of the stage is blocked from view, but we still get a good showcase of the classic staging on John Napier’s iconic barricade set.

Victor’s Enjolras is a strong one, with good looks, a handsome voice, and vivid acting. If a Hugophile didn’t care for him, I’d appreciate it, though, because while dignified, he’s definitely more of a human firebrand than Hugo’s marble lover of liberty. First of all, he’s more aggressive than most other actors when ordering the women and fathers of children to leave (which is justified by the ensemble members being especially true to the novel and audibly protesting and refusing to go at first), finally shouting “GO!! NOW!!” after the sung line. Later, at Gavroche’s death, his silent anguish is clear and raw, as he hangs his head in abject despair after the boy falls, then staggers down the barricade like a wounded animal and stands panting, overwhelmed. But while this is different from other, more calm and composed portrayals of the character, I think it works. After all, Enjolras is a human being, he doesn’t want his friends to die, and he especially didn’t want Gavroche to die; he has every right to be angry and distraught. Particularly because it won’t stop him from facing his own death with courage and dignity moments later.

Gavroche is excellent, with a strong voice and a beautifully fiery, defiant spirit. He also perfectly executes the throw of the bullet-bag to Enjolras, ensuring that his death won’t be entirely in vain.

One minor annoyance comes from the audience: the audible nervous laughter when the first bullet is fired at Gavroche. I know it’s common to hear in this scene; it’s just an involuntary response that some people have to being startled by the gunshot. But it sounds as if they think a child’s impending doom is funny.

US 3rd National Tour, Los Angeles, February 7, 2000: Part 11 (“Bring Him Home,” “Dawn of Anguish,” “Second Attack (Death of Gavroche),” “The Final Battle” and “Dog Eats Dog”)

Ivan Rutherford as Jean Valjean, Kevin Earley as Enjolas, Tim Howar as Marius, Christopher Carlson as Gavroche, Trent Blanton as Grantaire, Stephen Bishop as Javert, J.P. Dougherty as Thénardier

Ivan’s “Bring Him Home” is beautiful.

I hope that someday, somehow I see a production of Les Mis that includes the “Drink With Me” reprise. It add so much more emotional weight than there is when the women simply hurry off and the battle commences. By the way, here’s a question for people who were fans before the cuts were made. Did the “Drink With Me” reprise always end with Enjolras and Marius clasping arms at the top of the barricade? Was this a universal part of Nunn and Caird’s staging? It’s a beautiful reinforcement of Enjolras and Marius’s friendship and Marius’s now-unwavering loyalty to his friends, but still, if I were to direct a new production, I'd be tempted to have Grantaire share that moment with Enjolras instead. I think it might be a better moment for their reconciliation than “Drink With Me.”

Christopher’s Gavroche is still less vivid than others I’ve seen, and the moment of his death looks slightly unconvincing (he breaks the fall with his hands a bit too obviously), but he still gives a solid performance overall.

To the very end, Kevin’s Enjolras is fully believable as the staunch, dignified, heroic leader, yet still a human being. His slow descent from the barricade after Gavroche’s death – the only movement onstage while everyone else is frozen in shock and grief – and seeming obliviousness to the offstage officer’s voice as he stands and ponders what’s happened and what’s to come is both poignant and true to the spirit of Hugo’s Enjolras. We can sense his pain, yet he faces it with stoic dignity and undying courage. His “Let others rise...” is powerful, even though he neither shouts nor goes for the high note on “...is free!”

And then there’s the heartbreaking moment after Marius falls, when Enjolras hurries to him, throws poor Grantaire aside, and tries vainly and irrationally to revive his seemingly dead friend before rushing off to his own death. Some might argue that this is out of character for Hugo’s Enjolras, and it’s definitely not realistic for the middle of a battle when, as Hugo repeatedly writes, you can’t stop for anything. But it’s moving, although I would have liked a more meaningful last interaction with Grantaire than just a quick glance.

The fall of the barricade and the tableau of Enjolras’s body on the barricade are epic and heartbreaking, as always. No other staging can surpass the original.

J.P.’s Thénardier definitely feels more alive in his sinister scenes than in the comedy scenes. I’m not quite sure why I always remembered him as being mainly a comic Thénardier. It was probably his looks, I’m sorry to say – it was too easy to mentally pigeonhole him as “the funny fat guy.” At any rate, his “Dog Eats Dog” is deliciously dark and mocking.

“Second Attack/Death of Gavroche” and “The Final Battle,” US 3rd National Tour, Toronto, 1998. Matthew Shepard as Enjolras, Tim Howar as Marius, Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, unknown Gavroche.

An effective, intense performance.

Matthew’s Enjolras is powerful and commanding in his final sung passages, even if he doesn’t shout or sing the high note on “...is free!” The uncredited Gavroche is excellent.

In the final battle, it sounds like there are two big “No!”s at different points. Based on their placements, the first one is Enjolras when Marius gets shot, while the second I assume is Grantaire when Enjolras gets shot.

“Dawn of Anguish,” “Second Attack/Death of Gavroche” and “The Final Battle,” Broadway, 2014. Kyle Scatliffe as Enjolras, Gaten Matarazzo as Gavroche, Andy Mientus as Marius, Ramin Karimloo as Jean Valjean, John Rapson as Grantaire.

This is one of the few videos on the “Miserables Moments” channel to credit Gavroche: obviously because Gaten Matarazzo is one of the few Gavroches to become famous for other projects after doing this show.

The 12-year-old future Stranger Things actor performs with excellent spirit and vocal power. His last shuddering breath in the silent moment after the bullet hits him, just before he falls dead into Enjolras’s arms, is very poignant.

The adult cast is excellent too. I’ve written my thoughts about them before, in another video from the same year with a different Gavroche.

As much as I complain about the Connor/Powell production not equaling the original Nunn/Caird production, I do think their staging of this scene is powerful. At least it has been since 2013, when they changed their original 2009 staging to have Gavroche die at the top of the barricade instead of offstage. So many details are so effective. Grantaire talking to Gavroche and evidently bidding him a heartfelt goodbye before trying to send him away. Grantaire trying to charge up the barricade to save Gavroche, only for Enjolras to restrain him. Gavroche nearly making it to safety, only to be shot down into Enjolras’s arms. Enjolras giving the boy’s body to the distraught Grantaire, who mourns over him even as the battle rages on. Enjolras and Valjean both running to Marius’s side when he’s shot. Grantaire trying to stop Enjolras from charging up the barricade and Enjolras bidding him a brief yet warm farewell before doing it anyway. Enjolras as the first to die in the final battle, Grantaire as the last.

The camera is static and only offers a distant view of the stage, but the power of the scene still shines forth.

“Dawn of Anguish,” “Second Attack/Death of Gavroche” and “The Final Battle,” US 3rd National Tour, 1995. Brian Noonan as Enjolras, Andrew Redeker as Marius, Ivan Rutherford as Jean Valjean, unknown Gavroche.

No matter what the production or who the performers are, the power of this tragic sequence shines through.

Someday I must see a production onstage that includes the “Drink With Me” reprise. It adds so much emotional weight to the scene.

Brian is a light-voiced Enjolras, but he still does a fine job, especially on “Let others rise...” and with his final shouted “....is free!” Andrew’s Marius and Ivan’s Valjean also sound good.

Gavroche is awfully young sounding, and I don’t think I’d direct his final verses to be quite so screamy, but he definitely has plenty of spunk and spirit.

The ensemble provides some effective sounds too. It’s heartbreaking to hear a woman sobbing uncontollably as she leaves at the end of the “Drink With Me” reprise. (For added poignancy, just imagine that it’s Musichetta, about to lose the two men she loves.) We also hear someone shout “Noooo!” during the Final Battle (Enjolras when Marius gets shot? Grantaire when Enjolras charges up the barricade? Whoever it was, I’m sure it was heartrending in the theatre), and then the one woman who stayed at the barricade lets out a strangled scream when she gets shot. All these touches add to the raw intensity of the scene.

“Dawn of Anguish,” “Second Attack/Death of Gavroche” and “The Final Battle,” London, 2013. Anton Zetterholm as Enjolras, Rob Houchen as Marius, Daniel Koek as Jean Valjean, Adam Linstead as Grantaire, Ilan Galkoff as Gavroche.

Last but not least for Barricade Day, I’d like to share “The Final Battle” as performed in the classic Trevor Nunn/John Caird staging, on John Napier’s iconic set, in the time-honored London production. Other productions may have plenty of their own great things to offer, but no staging will ever quite surpass this one.

Anton Zetterholm’s Enjolras seems about as close to Hugo’s Enjolras as the character in the musical can be. Angelic blond hair, delicately chiseled marble-like features, a voice that’s smooth and light yet still capable of great power, and a soft-spoken dignity that in no way detracts from his ability to lead or from his fierce revolutionary fervor. His “...until the earth is free!” is gripping, both in its musical power and in its sheer passion. Bravo!

Ilan’s Gavroche is first-rate.

And then we have Enjolras and Grantaire’s deaths, played with more-or-less the standard blocking, but in a unique way! Normally what we see (at least in my experience) is Enjolras bidding Grantaire a silent farewell, then racing up the barricade by his own decision, with Grantaire desperately climbing after him and only choosing to die himself when he sees that Enjolras is dead. But here, Grantaire grabs Enjolras’s arm and gestures toward the barricade! Their final blaze of defiant glory on the barricade is Grantaire’s idea! Their last moments on the ground read less as a goodbye than as a pact to die together. And they do just that: Grantaire reaches the summit while Enjolras is still standing, and for just a moment before Enjolras falls, they’re there together, Enjolras wielding his flag and Grantaire raising his wine jug in the same revolutionary spirit.

It’s as close to “Orestes Fasting and Pylades Drunk” and to “Long live the republic! I’m one of them!” as the classic staging allows.

I would have so loved to see this performance onstage!

“Dawn of Anguish,” “Second Attack/Death of Gavroche” and “The Final Battle.” Broadway, 2014. Kyle Scatliffe as Enjolras, Andy Mientus as Marius, Nathaniel Hackmann as Jean Valjean, John Rapson (?) as Grantaire, unknown Gavroche.

An excellent performance by everyone. Kyle’s Enjolras is fierce, caring and majestic all at once, John Rapson’s Grantaire (I don’t know for sure if it’s him, but I’m fairly positive) is heartbreaking, and the uncredited Gavroche is excellent too.

I’d also like to take some time to appreciate the effective details of the 2014 Broadway staging. I know I tend to talk like an old fogey when it comes to Les Mis productions, waxing on and on about how magnificent the classic Nunn/Caird staging was and how the Connor/Powell staging never quite equals it, but the Connor/Powell staging is effective and moving in its own right, and I’d like to give it some praise for a change.

Grantaire’s close friendship with Gavroche is one of my favorite aspects of this production. I’ve seen Nunn/Caird Grantaires try to send Gavroche away with the women and fathers too, but never take a moment to talk to him and hug him goodbye first! <3 <3 And then we have Grantaire frantically trying to climb over the barricade after Gavroche when he goes to collect the bullets, but protective Enjolras stopping him! Oh my heart!

I’m so grateful that the Broadway revival (and subsequent tours) altered the 2009 staging so that instead of dying offstage, Gavroche makes it back to the top of the barricade only to be shot down into Enjolras’s arms. I’ll admit I like it just as well as Nunn and Caird’s classic staging. Arguably it gives his death even more heartbreaking emphasis. While the Nunn/Caird staging does depict the killing itself more intimately and brutally, the turntable instantly sweeps his body out of sight afterward. But here we can’t look away from the dead boy as Enjolras hands him down to Grantaire, and as Grantaire carries him toward us, screams over him, and keeps on mourning over him even as the battle rages around him.

The staging of the moment when Marius is shot is like a cross between the traditional version (Enjolras and Grantaire run to his side, then share a moment) and the 2006 Broadway version (Grantaire and Valjean run to his side, Valjean gently dismisses Grantaire – e.g. “I’ll take care of him, you’ve got a battle to fight” – then gets down to the business of rescuing him). Here we have Enjolras and Valjean at his side, with Valjean directing his “I’ll handle this, son” gestures to Enjolras, who then meets Grantaire as he charges toward the barricade and shares a moment with him. This is a good combination, I think. It suits Valjean’s dedication to protecting Marius, but also has the Marius/Enjolras friendship reinforcement and the E/R moment of the original staging.

It’s always good to see an E/R hug. <3 <3

I’ve noticed a very small difference between Nunn and Caird’s handling of the two big symbolic gunshots and Connor and Powell’s. In the original production, the first one kills Enjolras, while the second kills all the others and leaves them to collapse in slow motion. In the Connor/Powell version, the first shot wounds Enjolras and makes him drop the flag, but he still stands tall in defiance, while the second shot kills him, with all the others quickly dying afterwards in a volley of more realistic gunfire. Both variations I think are effective; I can’t say which one I prefer.

Either way, I think it’s interesting that in both stagings, Enjolras is the first of the barricade boys to die. It’s just the opposite of Hugo’s version, where he and Grantaire are the last to go. But I suppose it’s effective symbolism onstage. The death of Enjolras equals the death of the rebellion; the doom of all the revolutionaries is sealed when their leader falls.

The wounded Marius briefly regaining consciousness as his friends fall and trying to climb back up the barricade while Valjean tries to wrangle him to safety is another touch I’ve never seen before. I think I like it. First of all, it makes it obvious that Marius isn’t dead; secondly, it highlights his sheer courage and loyalty to his friends; and third, it might allude to the novel, where Marius is aware of Valjean taking hold of him from behind (although he doesn’t know it’s Valjean) just before he loses consciousness.

“Dawn of Anguish,” “Second Attack/Death of Gavroche” and “The Final Battle,” Broadway, 2006. Aaron Lazar as Enjolras, Brian D’Addario as Gavroche, Adam Jacobs as Marius, Drew Sarich as Grantaire, Alexander Gemignani as Jean Valjean.

In honor of Barricade Day, I’m sharing three different videos of the Final Battle.

This brings back so many memories! I just love finding all these videos of casts I actually saw!

Unfortunately, the screen goes black both at the beginning and the end, so we only hear Enjolras sing “The people have not stirred...” and don’t get to see his death or any of the Amis’ deaths either. But what we do see is good.

Aaron Lazar’s delivery of “The people have not stirred...” is different from most others. With its soft tone and the abrupt way he ends each phrase, we can hear Enjolras’s despair more than in other performances. Now I’m sure there were some people who hated that acting choice. But not me. I don’t agree with those fans who think “Enjolras must never show any emotion on the barricades, or the audience will think he’s a pathetic schoolboy” any more than I agree with “Marius must never show any fondness for Éponine, or the audience will ship them and hate Cosette” or with “The Thénardiers must never be funny, or no one will realize they’re bad people.” Aaron’s Enjolras is still dignified, still brave and resolved to fight to the end; at the same time he just conveys a subtle, fully appropriate sense of pain that the revolution has failed and that he and his beloved friends will all die.

I like that Aaron is calm when forbidding Marius to go collect bullets, while Adam’s Marius is the one who angrily snaps his reply. For all of Enjolras’s revolutionary fervor, contrary to fanon, Marius arguably is the more hot-blooded of the two in the novel.

The rewrite of Gavroche’s death was the biggest change this revival made from past productions. “Little People” is gone. In its place we have the politically biting “Ten Little Bullets,” which was written by James Fenton during the show’s development back in the early ‘80s, but cut when Fenton was fired and replaced by Herbert Kretzmer as lyricist. While I have nothing against “Little People” (and I do think “Trust Gavroche! Count to ten!” has less emotional power as Gavroche’s last words than “So you’d better run for cover when the pup grows...”), I definitely appreciate the weightier theme of “Ten Little Bullets.” This Gavroche is emphatically no “cute little kid” character, but a boy whose hard life has matured him beyond his years and made him a fiery, intelligent, very angry revolutionary in his own right.

Then we have another sight we don’t usually see: Enjolras collapsed on the barricade in abject despair after Gavroche’s death. I assume this was a personal choice of Aaron’s, because Drew Sarich didn’t do it when he went on as his understudy, nor did Max von Essen when he took over the role. Again, some Hugophiles probably hated this and I understand why. It’s easy to be concerned that the audience will lose respect for Enjolras if he ever breaks. But at the same time, Enjolras is human, and he’s just witnessed the horrific death of a child whom they all cared about, knowing that in a few minutes he and all his friends will follow. I think he’s entitled to a brief collapse! Especially because it is brief, and silent, and motionless. He’s not sobbing, he’s not wailing “It’s all my fault!” (Steve Czarnecki, I like you, but Hugo’s Enjolras you weren’t), and it’s only a moment before he picks himself up and rallies his men for the final battle with fiery, unshakable courage.

Then there’s yet another small change: instead of Grantaire and Enjolras, it’s Grantaire and Valjean who run to Marius’s side when he’s shot. Now as much as I like the standard blocking with Enjolras, as it touchingly highlights his friendship with Marius and lets him have a meaningful bonding moment with Grantaire, I’ll admit that this staging is both truer to Hugo and more realistic. Hugo explicitly says that Enjolras couldn’t stop to think about Marius’s “death" – in the heat of battle, when you’re fully engaged in the fight, you can’t stop for anything. Since neither Grantaire nor Valjean is really committed to fighting, and since Valjean in particular is only there to protect Marius, it makes sense that they, not Enjolras, should be the ones at Marius’s side. Besides, it gives us a moment of Grantaire and Valjean interacting, which they almost never do in other productions (I wonder what it would have been like if they had gotten to know each other better?), and then lets us see Valjean checking Marius’s vital signs, realizing he’s still alive, and then spotting the sewer grate and realizing what he needs to do next.

Despite the black screen at the beginning and the end, this is a great video and a testament to the 2006-07 revival’s uniqueness.

“Dawn of Anguish”/“Second Attack”/“Death of Gavroche,” US 1st National Tour, 1989. Joe Locarro as Enjolras, Hugh Panaro as Marius, Craig Schulman as Jean Vajean, Geoffrey Soffer as Gavroche.

Joe Locarro sounds good as Enjolras, though this is hardly the best clip to judge his performance by. It’s interesting that his “Yet we will not abandon those who cannot hear!” is loud and fierce, but then he shifts to a softer tone when sending the women and fathers away. It’s just the opposite of that 2002 clip I shared the other day of Christopher Mark Peterson, who delivered the first line with quiet resolve and shifted to a louder, more commanding tone for the next.

Someday I just have to see a production that doesn’t cut the “Drink With Me” reprise!

Hugh Panaro – long before he first donned the Phantom mask – has just a few lines here, but sounds great. I notice he does the same thing as Peter Lockyer in the 2002 clip and sings “And the same is true for any man here!” as if to say “I’m a man, Enjolras, not a child you need to protect!” I wonder if Peter Lockyer heard this bootleg and took inspiration?

Geoffrey’s Gavroche is very good. The struggling breaths and little groans after he’s shot are heartbreaking, but he’s still a feisty powerhouse to the end.

“Dawn of Anguish,” “Second Attack/Death of Gavroche,” and “Final Battle,” London 2000. Jason McCann as Enjolras, Simon Bowman as Jean Valjean, Niklas Andersson as Marius, Paul Monaghan as Javert, unknown Gavroche.

Unfortunately the top of the barricade is blocked from view and in some parts the bottom is cut off too. But the power of the scene still comes across.

I hope someday I see a live performance with the “Drink With Me” reprise. It adds so much more emotional impact to the departure of the women and to the Amis’ resolve to die together than we have in most recent productions, where the women are simply rushed offstage and we go straight into the battle.

I don’t think the original staging of Gavroche’s death has ever been bettered.

Yes, the staging in the 25th Anniversary Tours, with his singing and the gunshots only heard from offstage and Grantaire screaming, was effective in its own right. Yes, the more recent staging (also seen in many other turntable-less productions), where he makes it back to the top of the barricade only to be shot down into the Amis’ arms, is moving too. But it’s uniquely agonizing when the turntable takes us to the other side of the barricade, we see him trapped there all alone, and we watch his slow, brutal, three-gunshot death in full, unflinching view, as well as the utter courage and defiance with which he faces it.

I also appreciate the minor detail of his throwing the bag containing the gathered bullets to the Amis. Even while being shot, even as he realizes he probably won’t make it, he still makes the effort to accomplish his mission. Of course it varies from performance to performance whether the bullet bag is caught or falls short, but both outcomes are effective – when the Amis gets the bullets, it adds to the heroism of Gavroche’s death, even if it only buys them a little more time, while if they don’t, it adds to the pathos.

Yes, there are potential pitfalls in this staging. Little boys aren’t always the best actors and sometimes ham it up. That was an advantage of moving the death offstage in the 25th Ann. tours. But even when the acting isn’t top-notch, the staging still has raw power. Having him die offstage is a more predictable choice, because people are squeamish about kids getting hurt – genre savvy audience members who predict his death probably tend to assume it’s going to take place offstage. But no, Nunn and Caird weren’t that merciful.

The pain only increases as the turntable revolves amid the orchestra’s thundering chords to reveal the Amis paralyzed in horror and grief, with Enjolras at the center of the barricade, staring numbly into space, crying, or whatever else the actor chooses to do. Bonus points for performances that have Grantaire kneeling on the ground in abject anguish too.

Other productions and the movie have made the scene heartbreaking too, but the original has never been bettered.