When the announcement was made in the press that Les Miserables was to close, I managed to read the final ‘for nine days’ part before passing out. The show was to receive an overhaul, the set repainted and the cast completely renewed, almost to a man. The next announcement was that cast - Javert was to be played by Ethan Freeman. To let you in on my little secret, my first thought was Ethan who? However, his name was said in hushed tones, so I gathered he was a performer who had earned some kind of respect in his years spent in many of the ‘Premier League’ musicals. The New Look Les Miz, opening for business again in September 1997, renewed and resplendent as ever, had yours truly in its audience in October. I like to give them a chance to settle first!

Having no pre-conceived ideas of what a performer is either capable of, or what you would expect from them can be advantageous sometimes. Ethan was an unknown quantity for me and so whatever he did, it would be at least new. And it certainly was. Right from his initial stride-out to make his presence felt, he seemed to be shouting, metaphorically speaking, ‘I’m in charge here’. He is after all the authoritative figure in the piece. What I was most interested to discover is whether I would like him or not. I’ve always found the character both fascinating and enigmatic, and whatever new depths an actor can bring to the role is a bonus. Ethan’s performance for me came firmly down on the more manic side of the Inspector’s character. He tended to take sharp intakes of breath before most of his lines, which seemed to indicate his attempts to control his sheer anger, which was always bubbling away just under the surface. So, composed, he wasn’t!

His appearance in the role was also totally different to anyone I’d seen before. He is not a particularly large man, and because he was mostly coupled with John Owen Jones, who IS a particularly large man, he appeared to be rather more slight in stature than he really is. This had the knock-on effect of making the Inspector, if you can imagine such a thing, seem insignificant. I know - awful! But, for some strange reason, it worked. It took a few performances, I must admit, but he got there in the end. I think that Ethan’s constant struggle for supremacy manifested itself in his obvious facial expressions. He threw very dark looks at anyone who dared to cross him. He almost withered poor Gavroche and gave off the air of one who just would not be swayed, as the song says. His hatred; sheer, unadulterated hatred of Valjean was never hinted at or implied, it was simply obvious. So that was another difference in his portrayal. Others I’ve seen have given the impression that Javert is grey, while Ethan’s lasting impression was that he was black.

Vocally, he was perfectly fine, his Stars interspersed with very slight moments of wavering as his ‘better’ half realises that maybe he might have misjudged Valjean. However, Ethan’s moment of sheer perfection came at the suicide. Like a bolt of lightning, the realisation dawns on him that yes, he WAS wrong. His emotions now no longer being reigned-in they fully explode, culminating in a marvellous rendition of his Soliloquy. Paradoxically, Ethan managed to appear slightly serene just before his death, which was a great feat to pull off. It showed that once his mind was made up, his personal acceptance of what he considers his only option is greeted with calmness and even a hint of gratitude. He already says that he can’t continue to live so what he must do is seen as not a failure. It seems odd to witness a person about to kill themself and feel that it was a kind release! But Ethan’s inner turmoil, one minute boiling into a frenzy of emotions and the next, soothed and untroubled as he takes his steps onto the edge of the bridge, are the mark of an actor of great understanding with the character.

What I most enjoyed in his performance was that it seemed to be studied; Ethan had looked at the Inspector and made his own mind up of how he wanted to play him and not just looked at someone else and thought ‘I'll do that too.’ So his individuality was indelibly stamped on the character. It is not a role that you assume when you wear the coat and hat of Javert, you must work at it, and I found that Ethan appeared to have looked very hard at the aspects of the person. What he decided on was not something I’d witnessed before which, to his credit, afforded him the task of walking on unfamiliar ground. This makes him, in my book, a truly individual performer who was prepared to take risks with a character who had been portrayed (at Ethan's time) for twelve years. Surely something new can't be found after all that time and after all those actors? Want a bet?!!!

© Julie Meader. 2000