Les Miserables: An All Time Classic

Les Miserables is a popular French-language musical show based on Victor Hugo’s highly acclaimed work of fiction which is considered as one of the greatest novels of the 19^th century. Originally the play ran for several months in 1980 in a sports arena in Paris. It was inspired by a concept album which also enthused musical producer Cameron Mckintosh to come up with an English-language version of the play. In 1985, it opened at the Barbican Arts Center in London and received diverse criticism from the literary scholars. Though there are a lot of negative reviews and critical reactions during that time, the public loved the play and since then, people are having a hard time scoring Les Misables tickets whenever or wherever it is being played.

image courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

image courtesy of theguardian.com

The story tells about strong familial love, family values such as faith in God, compassion and kindness. The tale starts with the release of a man named Jean Valjean from prison after serving nineteen years. He is bitter and angry, yet the kindness of a man called Bishop brought Valjean closer to God and eventually becomes a good man. Valjean honored his promise to a dying factory worker by purchasing his daughter Cosette, a slave of the Thenardies. The show forwards to a grown-up Cosette who is in love with a student revolutionary named Marius. It climaxes to the French revolution where Valjean saves Marius so that he can marry Cosette.

The acting in Les Miserables has always been top notch. Over the years, it has won awards and it has a haunting musical that ranks with the likes of Mary Poppins, Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King. Even those who know little about Period pieces will find this play very entertaining. Les Miz is known to have whisked away audiences into a period of French political upheaval and had been moved by the songs “One More Day” and “I Dreamed a Dream.” Watching this musical play with the whole family is an experience you should never pass up!