Victor Hugo’s venerable classic tale is once again re-imagined on the stage as the equally classic melodramatic musical by Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg. Les Misérables is currently busy packing the auditorium at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in the Windy City.

Chicago at this time of year bears a surreal resemblance to Hugo’s 19th-century Paris–it’s the perfect setting for the turbulent story of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his quest for redemption in the midst of a civil war and a nation on the brink of revolution. The Cadillac Palace Theatre presents producer Cameron Mackintosh’s grittier, more realistic take on the material.

This 25th-anniversary production was adapted and directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, and given its three-hour running time, the production moves along nicely with its fluid re-envisioning of the original. Everything from the music to the production design to the talent on stage was on full display for a packed house Saturday night. Hugo’s great characters come to life, waxing philosophically on the morality of living under the shadow of a monarch, before unleashing the always-catchy “Master of the House”.

It is filled with emotional gravitas and there are some emotionally brutal moments throughout, and while the production manages to transcend both the original page as well as the stage, audiences have been astounded by this rendition. There are even some seasoned Les Miz fans [and critics] that have been hailing it as Les Miz: The Second Coming.

Les Misérables will be running through December 2. Tickets can be bought for all the shows at TicketSupply.com.