Ramin Karimloo in Les Miserables
(©Matthew Murphy)

Les Miserables could well refer to more than a few theater critics, this one included, faced with the prospect of yet again seeing the mega-successful musical based on Victor Hugo’s novel. Arriving less than a decade after its previous Broadway revival is producer Cameron Mackintosh’s new incarnation, presumably intended to entice a new generation of theatergoers primed to see it onstage after the hugely successful film version.

So it’s with no small surprise that I report that this new, reconceived production is indeed thrilling. Featuring a fast-paced, dynamic staging by directors Laurence Connor and James Powell and superb lead performances by Ramin Karimloo and Will Swenson as Jean Valjean and Javert, the show thankfully erases memories of the ill-conceived movie and serves to remind theatergoers what all the fuss was about in the first place.

Yes, the scenic designs are less elaborate than the original, minus the turntable that inspired a classic Forbidden Broadway parody. But set and image designer Matt Kinley more than makes up for it with his elaborate projections inspired by Victor Hugo’s paintings which beautifully evoke everything from the storming of the barricades to the chase through the sewers of Paris.

The glory of Les Miz has always been Claude-Michel Schonberg’s endlessly melodic score featuring such now-classic numbers as “I Dreamed a Dream,” “One Day More,” “On My Own” and Bring Him Home,” and this rendition does them ample justice. Despite the pared-down orchestrations, it sounds more beautiful than ever, and unlike the frequently mangled versions in the film they are delivered here with stirring vocal power.

Karimloo, here making his Broadway debut after many celebrated turns on British stages, is the finest Jean Valjean since the original production’s Colm Wilkinson. The actor, whose buff physicality is on display when he removes his shirt, is both physically commanding and emotionally complex in the role, and his soaring voice is more than up to the considerable demands placed on it by such songs as “Bring Him Home,” his rendition of which stops the show. He’s well matched by Swenson (Hair, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), who brings a galvanizing intensity to his Javert and scores knockouts with his solo numbers “Stars” and “Soliloquy.”

Equally terrific is Nikki M. James’ (The Book of Mormon) heartbreaking Eponine, whose tragic number “On My Own” provides yet another highlight.

Not everyone in the cast is up to their level. Caissie Levy (Ghost the Musical) is an underwhelming Fantine, although she does well by the character’s signature number “I Dreamed a Dream,” and Andy Mientus (TV’s Smash) is a less than galvanizing Marius. On the other hand, Cliff Saunders and Keala Settle provide consistent laughs as the Thenardiers, with the latter exploiting her ample proportions to frequent hilarious effect.

This is a darker, grittier version of Les Miz—Paule Constable’s piercing lighting design adds greatly to the visual impact—and the show is all the better for it. Shorn of the bombast that admittedly wowed audiences of the original 1987 Broadway production, it has a renewed vitality that should guarantee it yet another marathon run.

Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 45th St. 212-239-6200. www.Telecharge.com.