been thrilling City Hall audiences with his powerful portrayal of Jean Valjean in the Gilbert & Sullivan Society's smash hit production of `Les Miserables'.

For the star of what is being dubbed as Bermuda's greatest theatrical hit to date, the most important moment occurred as he walked onstage for the first Saturday evening performance: "My seven-year old son was in the audience. I retired from the theatre when he was born because you can't be a father if you have to spend most of your time away from home. So, for him to be able to see me onstage was a real special moment for our family. The cast was very supportive -- every night has been special, but a group of ladies came and told me `We're doing the show for you tonight'. I must tell you,'' he added with a laugh, "that you don't get that in professional theatre!'' Describing the production as "a real turning point for theatre in Bermuda'', Mr. Campbell told The Royal Gazette that he would love to see a national company formed here. "I believe a lot of professionals could be drawn to Bermuda and I think `Les Mis' could be the start of an ongoing exchange. I'd like to see a `triangular' thing going between the US and the UK, with Bermuda in the middle, with a real mingling of cultures. As a mid-Atlantic island, Bermuda is ideally poised for this kind of theatrical interchange. As an American,'' he laughs, it was a new experience to work with so many Brits.

I've been learning a lot of words I'd never heard before, such as `panto' -- as in `That looks very panto!'. And Emily (the UK director) asking me if I was doing a `push and pull' -- that's the money they have to pay actors in England if they want them to move the scenery.'' Mr. Campbell, who trained at the famed Cincinnati College Conservatory and then obtained a masters in drama, has sung leading roles in opera and musical theatre across the US. He was well aware that the pivotal role of the saintly Valjean is a technically demanding role requiring a baritone who can reach high tenor notes, and dramatically, a character of unusual muscular strength who ages quite dramatically as the show progresses. In addition, the fact that the entire musical is sung-through, as in an opera, meant that all of the singers, from principals to chorus would have to be unusually strong.

He was confident, however, that the Bermuda production of `Les Mis' would do the show justice: "With Mark (Dorrell), Emily (Gray) and Colin Pink coming here from the National Theatre in London to do the musical direction, direction and sound respectively, I knew it would reach a certain professional standard as they would never allow it to go below a certain level. In fact, people have referred to the show as `amateur', but I would say `so-called' amateur because there has been absolutely nothing amateur about it.'' It has been a singular experience for Mr. Campbell to work with Emily Gray whom he describes as an `organic' director who encouraged the entire ensemble to acquire and feel comfortable in their individual characters with certain problems, afflictions, wants and needs: "She made us all read the 1,500 page novel, watch a six-hour film and then a two-hour film. You could say that in the original novel, we had a bible to work from. We didn't have to make up our characters -- it was all there in the book.'' Noting that actors need theatrical objectives in their work, he maintains that the entire ensemble knew who they were. "Even the children remained totally in character. The `Barricades' scene was especially effective, I think, because each group played out their relationships with each other -- bringing in a bandage, offering bread and drink. Standing there, onstage, I didn't feel as if we were acting -- more as if we were in real relationships. I think that projected itself to the audience and why it was so moving. I had a little game with Rowan (Hallett) in the barricades'`Drink to me'. Well, I didn't think that Jean Valjean would react by toasting this uprising but I wanted to have a real drink of water before I had to launch into `Bring Him Home' and she and I worked out that she would keep offering me a drink of water. The entire show,'' he added, "was filled with moments like that.'' He was also impressed with the total sense of trust that has existed between the various performers. "When Philip (Marius) hurtles off the barricade he's dripping with blood, he's six feet two and I have to pick him up, carry him around and then sing! Every night, after we finish that scene, he gives me a little pat! And Wayne (Javert) and I have a little fight after Fantine's death and I have to do this big backhanded blow within about two inches of his face.

So far, we have succeeded in missing -- but we do trust each other!'' Noting that the `Barricades' scene has been very carefully and precisely choreographed, Mr. Campbell said this sense of reliance became vital. "Some die upside down and all the guys have to watch Terry (Faulkenberry, and Ron's brother-in-law) so that he doesn't hurt himself when he falls. Then Mark Hamilton crashes about seven feet -- that's a real big drop. I have to admit we're all a bit bruised and battered at this point, so we all rush home, try to get some sleep and wake up in the morning, wondering `is the voice going to work today?' And yes,'' he confirms, "a couple of times I have had tears in my eyes when I come off after the final scene. It's a very, very moving piece to perform.'' Praising his fellow performers, Mr. Campbell said it had been a fascinating experience to watch the fine-tuning that had gone on all around him each night. "There's a little saying in the business which is that `you are only as good as your last performance', and all of this cast found newer and fresher ways of reaching out to the audience, and experimenting technically -- how to place your face in the light, knowing where the `mike' is pointed and improving projection.'' He had been overwhelmed, he said, by the performances of Philip Barnett (Marius) and Wayne Holt as Javert. "They could both sing those roles in any major company in the world. And Richard Fell could hold his own, not only as Thenardier, but on any stage anywhere. And Paul Woolgar (Enjolras) is only 24 -- I have shoes that age in my wardrobe! He is so young and so very intelligent. There's an old joke in the theatre that tenors put their brains on the shelf -- but certainly not in his case!'' By far the best experience for Ron Campbell has been the camaraderie between the whole cast. "What has been unquestionably Bermudian about this entire show is that the cast has all socialised with one another. I've been in opera companies in the US where there have been knock-down, drag-out catfights, but this has been an incredibly happy atmosphere, with everyone getting together for lunches, or going off to the beach. It's been wonderful, sharing this time with them.'' Although cast and crew members have been quick to tell `LES MIS' MAGIC -- Ron Campbell, who plays the leading role of Jean Valjean in the sold-out production of Les Miserables, thinks it's time Bermuda had its own professional theatre.