“Fantine’s Arrest,” US 2nd National Tour, San Francisco, 1990. Kelly Ground as Fantine, Richard Kinsey as Javert, Rich Hebert (?) as Jean Valjean, unknown Bamatabois.
Kelly’s rich-voiced Fantine is truly heartbreaking here. Her encounter with Bamatabois sounds very raw and violent, with his lines punctuated by her screams of pain until she finally sums up the strength to fight back. Equally raw is the desperation in her voice as she pleads with Javert and on “I never did no wrong...” and her anger as she confronts Monsieur Madeleine. Her uncontrollable sobbing as the police start to take her away before Valjean intervenes is powerful too. Say what you will about “dignity,” but I don’t like Fantines who resignedly accept arrest at that point – her daughter’s life is on the line!
Bamatabois sounds appropriately vicious, while Richard’s Javert is appropriately imposing with his dark baritone voice.
The video credits Rob Evan as Valjean, but I think this must be a mistake. Rich Hebert was the regular Valjean in this cast and the Internet Broadway Database doesn’t list Rob Evan as having ever been in the 2nd National Tour, only in the 3rd National Tour and in the Broadway production. This Valjean doesn’t sound like the other clips I’ve heard of Rob either. At any rate, whoever he is, he does a fine job: slightly light-voiced, but striking the right balance between stern and gentlemanly.
Still, this scene belongs first and foremost to Kelly and she shines in it.
