Jean Valjean is the central figure of Les Mis and arguably the most iconic musical theater role for men
. And while the character is generally played by actors in their 30s, 40s, or even 50s, 13-year-old Joshua Colley slipped into Valjean’s cravat and turned in a masterful performance for Broadway’s annual Easter Bonnet fundraising competition—a chance for performers to parody their own shows.
Colley is currently one of the actors playing Gavroche in Les Mis on Broadway, but this time around he faced off with Javert understudy John Rapson to perform “The Confrontation” (aka that song Jason Segel and Neil Patrick Harris love to sing).
Though it works as a parody, Colley’s performance is also really compelling in its own right, and he sounds absolutely incredible. In other words, Hugh Jackman (who played Valjean in the film adaptation) better watch out.
