Prisoner 24601 returns triumphant

WHEN Patrice Tipoki, a lovely singer-actress, starts to sing I Dreamed A Dream in the new staging of Les Miserables, it feels as if the whole world has stopped spinning. Tipoki's light, clear and powerful voice delivers the song with incandescent grace. And, for those few goosebumps-inducing minutes, you could swear on your mother's life you've never heard of someone called Anne Hathaway.

In a way, Tipoki's clean rendition of the signature ballad is characteristic of the new reboot of Cameron Mackintosh's 31-year-old smash hit musical. Directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, the new Les Miserables showing at the Esplan…