The Tasmanian Theatre Unit Trust has done the state proud with their production of Les Miserables at Hobart's Theatre Royal.

The mega-musical finished its brilliant 16-performance run on Saturday after winning much praise from theatregoers and critics. Unprecedented public support and a huge demand for tickets led to the season being extended by four performances. Les Mis featured the finest vocal ensemble Tasmania had seen, a full Broadway-size orchestra and a spectacular revolving stage. Feedback from audience members who had seen big overseas productions of the popular musical was that ours was every bit as good. The success of the show clearly shows Tasmania has a depth of talent that belies the size of the state.

The success of the Tasmanian Theatre Unit Trust in mounting the production also shows the state has the ability to harness community support to make big things happen. Tasmania, the trust points out, has a long tradition of large-scale community musical theatre and its stated aim is to meet the community's demand for high-quality productions. Its success or failure turned on the staging of its inaugural production of Les Miserables. It definitely was a success.

The brilliant run by Les Mis and the success of the trust is a superb example of the community getting together to make things happen. It is all too easy to sit on the sidelines and carp and complain that Tasmania is forgotten when it comes to the big productions - be they musical, theatrical or sporting. Instead of whingeing "what about us" the trust secured funding, secured talent, secured community support and went out and did it. And did it very well.

This is the sort of thing Tasmania has to do. It is in keeping with the State Government's push to harness positive energy and build on the strengths the island state enjoys. Whether it is theatre, music, sport or business, Tasmanians have to look to their own mettle to make things happen. No one else is going to do it for them.

Les Mis will be a tough act to follow, but the trust says it has secured the rights to premiere what they promise will be a fantastic (and recent) musical production never seen in Tasmania. All theatregoers, and there is sure to be growing number of them, will be keenly anticipating the trust's next blockbuster production as another fine example of a "we can do it" attitude.’

Mercury,(Editorial)
Monday March 31, 2008.