Only one word can describe the musical Les Misérables — spectacular. This has to be the best show that I have ever seen come across the stage of Eisenhower Auditorium.

The show started slightly late to accommodate the close-to-sold-out crowd, but the show was definitely worth the wait. The performance began with a chain gang working hard. Many of its members had been unjustly imprisoned for most of their lives.

Jean Valjean is one of the men who was imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread. Within a few songs he jumped parole and Javert, the police inspector, vowed to pursue him until his death. With that vow a night of pursuit and revolution was set ablaze in University Park.

Les Misérables is set in 19th century France where the country is in a time of turmoil before the beginning of the French Revolution. The characters struggle to overcome the oppression of the local authorities, while still trying to maintain their familial ties to each other.

The star of the show, Valjean, played by Randal Keith, was one of the first actors that the audience was introduced to and he was simply amazing.

Keith had an incredible vocal range that gave me chills and goose bumps throughout the entire show. If he had not been a part of the show it would not have been nearly as magnificent. In my mind, he carried the show.

Javert, played by Stephen Bishop, was a wonderful adversary for Valjean and had a great voice to match. Throughout the performance, he made it difficult for me to solely route for Valjean, since his performance was so compelling.

A wonderful ensemble cast made up Les Misérables. There were so many terrific performances that it is difficult to recognize all of their contributions. However, there were a few that must receive recognition.

Madame Thénardier, played by Aymee Garcia, and her husband, Thénardier, played by, J.P. Dougherty, were hilarious throughout the entire program. "Master of the House," the first song in their inn, was one of the first attempts at humor in the musical and they seemed to get it right on the first try. They made several more appearances throughout the show, and every time they stepped onto the stage the audience knew their funny bones were about to be tickled.

One of the cutest members of the cast was Gavroche, played by James Kuklinski, an eight-year-old native of New Jersey. The little boy was wonderful and brought a perfect, light-hearted tone to the cause of the French Revolution.

The cast was an amazing aspect of the show, but it was not the only noteworthy feature. The show would not have been fantastic if it were not for great costumes and an innovative set design.

A giant turntable is what the entire show took place on. It helped to move along the more than three-hour musical a little faster, and it also helped to provide the illusion that the actors were actually walking somewhere, instead of just off into the wings of the theater.

There was a large barricade that was built for a battle of revolutionaries and earlier in the show it was converted into the slums of Paris, for the poor urchins who make up most of the rebellion. Lighting also added to the mood of the show and helped to depict ghostly shadows and varied emotions.

The costumes of the show were exact to the period of the piece and added to the realness of the French Revolution. Without the impeccable costumes, I do not know if the audience would have been able to be transported to 19th century France.

If there is any show that you go to see at Eisenhower Auditorium this year, then Les Misérables is the one to see. The set will leave you amazed, the costumes will leave you entranced and the cast will leave you breathless.