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I recently had the chance of listening to the 6-hour-long BBC Radio 4 adaptation of 'Les Miserables' in which Roger Allam plays Jean Valjean. It was amazing! So much that I want to listen to it again very soon, only this time savouring the episodes more instead of having a full-immersion like I did the first time (I was alone on long train journey and listened to all the eps back to back - tough, but worth it!).
The fact that Mr Allam was cast as Valjean may be a bit disconcerting to those 'Les Mis' purists who were accustomed to him playing Javert in the original musical, but I must agree this change of role is a great asset to the radio play. Allam is a vibrant Valjean throughout the story, and I particularly like how he manages to give his voice more and more depth and strenght as the narrative years go by. We first hear him as prisoner 24601 in the galleys, when his voice is rough for lack of use and subdued as someone who's accustomed to obeying orders; then his character becomes a mayor and a factory owner, so his voice becomes steadier and gets a more commanding undertone, but with a genteel undercurrent that shows how he's good at heart, even in the toughest moments. [Added bonus: Valjean playing with young Cosette and impersonating her doll by giving it a funny little voice. I simply melted in a pile of goo.]
If you enjoy radio adaptations of famous books, I strongly recommend this one, not only for Mr Allam (who is magnificent in it), but for the whole dramatization, which is almost perfect and really worth listening. Well done, BBC Radio 4!
P.S.- Should you want to know more about it, here's an extensive review of this radio adaptation (not mine):
http://www.pontauchange.com/Media/2001bbc4radio.html
The fact that Mr Allam was cast as Valjean may be a bit disconcerting to those 'Les Mis' purists who were accustomed to him playing Javert in the original musical, but I must agree this change of role is a great asset to the radio play. Allam is a vibrant Valjean throughout the story, and I particularly like how he manages to give his voice more and more depth and strenght as the narrative years go by. We first hear him as prisoner 24601 in the galleys, when his voice is rough for lack of use and subdued as someone who's accustomed to obeying orders; then his character becomes a mayor and a factory owner, so his voice becomes steadier and gets a more commanding undertone, but with a genteel undercurrent that shows how he's good at heart, even in the toughest moments. [Added bonus: Valjean playing with young Cosette and impersonating her doll by giving it a funny little voice. I simply melted in a pile of goo.]
If you enjoy radio adaptations of famous books, I strongly recommend this one, not only for Mr Allam (who is magnificent in it), but for the whole dramatization, which is almost perfect and really worth listening. Well done, BBC Radio 4!
P.S.- Should you want to know more about it, here's an extensive review of this radio adaptation (not mine):
http://www.pontauchange.com/Media/2001bbc4radio.html
