Les Misérables (English Review)

Émile Bayard's illustration

How have I discovered Les Misérables?

When I read Les Misérables for the first time, I already known that I was gonna to love this story. It was when I was 8 years old and my teacher had gave us an extract to read. In those moments I did not knew what it was about but it interested me, and after getting into the musical theater world I have rediscovered this story. I also could work it in class the last year, blowing the teachers away with my knowledge about the theme. Then, I could go to London and watch the musical live at the Queen's Theatre.

What is it about?

Les Misérables is a novel written by Victor Hugo, published in 1862 and tells the story of Jean Valjean, an ex-convict et his intern fight for restarting his life and escaping the inspector Javert. He meets Fantine, a single mother who falls in a decadent spiral, getting to prostitute. He promises her to take care of his daughter Cosette, who lives with the masters of a pension that mistreat her, the Thénardiers, before she dies. Years after, Cosette falls in love with Marius Pontmercy. This young man is part of the group Les Amis de l'ABC ("The ABC friends"), a group of young republican boys directed by Enjorlas. The story continues with the republicans battle against the July's monarchy and her following defeat. 

Characters representing a post-revolutionary France

Jean Valjean (tenor): An ex-convict who wants to restart his life, living behind his past and adopting a new identity to escape the inspector Javert. The promise that he makes to Fantine to adopt her daughter, Cosette, makes him a new and caring man, disposed to risk his own life for his new daughter. During the revolution, he engages himself  for saving Cosette's lover, Marius. He is, with Marius, the barricade's only survivor. The musical ends with his death and his ascent to heaven, surrounded by all the other characters that died during the story.

Promotional posters of the 2012 film
(Note: Éponine's et Enjorlas ones (au centre en-bas)
are not official)

Inspector Javert (baritone): A police inspector with an only and single obsession: capturing Jean Valjean and give him back to justice. During all the story, he gets chances to arrest the fugitive, but he always finds the way to escape. For spying the revolutionaries, he disguises himself as one of them. However, he is discovered but Valjean decides to save his life, which causes Javert does not accept this good will act by a "criminal" and ends by killing himself.

The Bishop of Digne (baritone): A wise man who sees a good person inside Jean Valjean. He saves him from the police when the ex-convict steals some silver objects, offering him them as a gift.

Fantine (mezzo-soprano): A single mother who worked in a factory, until others workers discover a letter where the Thénardiers were asking for more money for maintaining Cosette. Having any money ressources, she ends by selling her necklace, her blond long hair and her teeth, for after prostituting herself and dying days after because of the tuberculosis in front of Jean Valjean. She reapers at the end of the story to guide the protagonist to heaven.

Cosette (treble (child) and soprano (adult)): A little girl who lives poorly at the service of the Thénardiers and her daughter Éponine, who maltreated her and considered her as their servant. Thanks to Jean Valjean, she succeeds in having a more happy childhood and adolescence. Being already a young lady, she falls in love with Marius and they get married, after he is saved by Jean Valjean at the barricade

M. Thénardier (baritone) et Mme. Thénardier (contralto): A couple of pension owners in Montfermeil where they steal and deceive their customers. They always try to follow who can gave them the most. Years after, they become thieves in Paris and look for profiting the maximum from the revolutionaries

Éponine Thénardier (silent (child) et mezzo-soprano (adult)): The Thénardier's daughter. In her childhood she was a spoiled child but in the adulthood, because of the poorness, she has to accept her family's conditions. She is in love with Marius but she is not corresponded. In order to win Marius, at least as a friend, she plays the role of a messenger between Marius and Cosette. When she was going to give a Cosette's letter to Marius, a soldier shots her, causing her death in Marius arms.

Poster of the 2012 film 

Marius Pontmercy (baritone or tenor): Son of a rich family who refuses any money that he has not won with his own efforts. He falls in love with Cosette, but his duty for serving the republicans is stronger. He does not know that Éponine is in love with him, he prefers her as a friend. However, he stays with her until her last breathe. Being injured at the barricade, Jean Valjean takes him almost unconscious and carries him through the Paris sewers. In some point, Thénardier steals him a ring. Ignoring who saved him, Valjean tells Marius his plan to escape and he makes him to promise that he will not tell anything Cosette about this. Although this promise, after their wedding they visit him at the convent where he lives et he gaves them a letter with all of his story before dying.

Enjorlas (baritone or tenor): Leader of the young republican group "Les Amis de l'ABC". His major objective is to build a new France, where the republic and the popular classes will reign. He thinks that Marius love problems are irrelevant. He fights for his cause until the last moment, when the barricade's defeat, when he dies with his friends.

Les amis de l'ABC (baritones or tenors): Republican group composed by: Enjorlas, Combeferre, Feuilly, Courfeyrac, Joly, Grantaire, Jean Prouvaire and Lesgles. Also Marius, Gavroche and Valjean are also affiliated in this group. They are young and revolutionary men that they are for establishing a new French republic and they are against the July's monarchy. They all die at the barricade. When Marius is at the graveyard, their ghosts pay him a last visit.

Gavroche (boy soprano): Orphan of the streets who is usually with Les Amis de l'ABC. Even if he is the youngest of the engaged revolutionaries, he is the most encouraged to join to the revolution. It is him that discovers inspectors Javert's fake identity, who got infiltrated between the revolutionaries.

Musical analysis: the One Day More harmonies and how to unite a nation
For the majority of the classic musicals the harmonies are reused for some songs but with different lyrics and tempo. These variations are used strategically for making parallelisms with other song of the same musical. As an practical example, I am going to pick one of the most known songs of this musical, One day more, which in addition closes the first act with all the characters singing about what will happen to them the next day.

All the characters singing together  "One Day More" (West End, 2015)

This song is composed by small solo, duo or trio parts, sung by the principal characters, and a big choral part where these solos are repeated together.  

One day more starts with Jean Valjean singing on the same harmony than Who I am? (aria he sings at his identity crise). Here, contrariwise, the protagonist is anxious this time about his destiny and the idea of Javert (or the law) persecuting him constantly.

After this part there is the trio Marius-Cosette-Éponine. These three characters sing at the melody of I Dreamed a Dream but with some tonality alterations. Marius struggles between joining his revolutionary friends or following Cosette. Is in this moment when she appears and they sing in duo about their love. Éponine laments herself about her solitude and Marius indifference to her, using some lyrics which will return at her solo at the second act, On my own.

Continuing on the melody I Dreamed a Dream but this time more triumphal and glorious, the leader of the revolutionaries, Enjorlas, invites us to join the revolution that arrives but also to Marius, who reacts with a counter-melody as a response. To emphasize Enjorlas speech, Les Amis de l’ABC appear behind him animating us to go with them.

The inspector Javert participes also with a version of his part at Fantine’s arrest, using this song to reaffirm his role as the representation of the Justice.

Fin de "One Day More" (San Francisco, 2012)

At their turn, the Thénardiers sing a reprise of Master of the House, as their role of thieves and liars, but here they are going to profite the defeated in the revolution

Returning another time to I Dreamed a Dream, the people of Paris are involved with the revolutionary spirit and prepares itself for being listened, asking us if we hear them sing repeating the classical Do You Hear The People Sing ? 

They stop singing when Marius appears behind them and confirms to the audience that he is going to join friends

At the end all the characters sing their parts at the same time, and they get together in the last three verses where they sing in harmony what is God's plan for the next day. I can say that is the climax moment of the song, ending with all the people singing in harmony, including the police and the thieves, the young people and the older, the lovers and the lonely souls. 



Personal experience

 Queen's Theater (West End, Londres

On the 5th august I could go watch the West End's production of this musical at the Queen's Theatre
It was the first time that I watch it live but I have already watched many times the 2012 time and some bootlegs (videos filmed by the audience) of different productions, like those of Spain in 2010 and 2012

At the first, the veteran Killian Donnelly as Jean Valjean was astonishing. His Bring Him Home has been so emotional and his interpretation perfect. The role of Marius Pontmercy was perfect for the young
Paul Wilkins and Charlotte Kennedy has done a sweet and charming Cosette. Hyoie O'Grady has been a great Enjorlas. Even if Les Misérables has been his professional début, I could say that he had many years of experience. Alice Ellen Wright replaced Karis Jack as Éponine, with a satisfying On my own. Finally, Jacqueline Tate et Steven Meo have played the Thénardiers flawlessly, creating a quite of complicity with the public.

in conclusion, West End's musical adaptation has pleased my expectatives. The actors, the'interpretation of the chansons and the stage have been incredible. For rating it with a number, jI will give it a 18/20.