"A powerful feat of a show, traditional, ahead of it's time, never fails to leave me in tears." This musical that is so well known that everyone should go and see it. It's unique and recognisable music is known by so many and means something different to everyone and after that fantastic performance featuring one of my favourite actors Lucie Jones has even more gravity than when I ever heard it previously. A summary in three words would be power, comradery and humanity.
I would describe my relationship to les mis as a love story, what started as an awareness of the show turned into me casually watching the film (that cannot begin to be compared to the stage production, but that's a story for another day.) That quickly escalated to four straight weeks of nothing but les mis. Just when I didn't think I could adore this show any more I was blessed with one of the greatest performances I think I will ever see. I saw les Misérables for the first time on the 16th of August 2023 in the Sondheim Theatre. This was the updated version of the production that only has minor differences from how it was initially performed, such as a lack of synths and rotating stage. From the moment it started it had me questioning my choices of favourite musicals which I previously presumed to be set in stone.
I learned to adore the lyrics and every song in this show, where not one song could be removed or improved. The depth of characters within les mis shocked me as well, due to the conflicting interests that characters struggle against. Such as Javert's desperate desire to follow the rules as he sees them as God's wishes and what is right, despite him ultimately being the villain in the eyes of many, but all he did was what he thought was right. Raising many questions such as whether good and evil exist separately and if what is right is purely based upon perception. Another of many characters who face this internal conflict is Jean Valjean and his desperation where he commits a crime in order to do good, making the audience question whether all crimes are punishable and what Javerts part in that culminates to. To mention few of the beautifully crafted characters by novelist Victor Hugo. Every time I come into contact with this show I discover something new about these characters. From their deep and complex motives to being shocked by the level of detail within these lyrics that in many places are comparable to poetry.
On the day of the show upon arrival I was pleasantly surprised at how small the Theatre's auditorium was and the wonderful central seats I sat in. This closeness to the stage allowed you to feel a part of the show as the horrors that people faced during the June rebellion of 1832 are made apparent, so that every note sung and emotion felt had just that much more impact . The melancholy emotion you are left with is fascinating, because of the hope the show gives you and the rise against the monarchical oppression of the time, then the beautiful sadness of the pain that had been felt and the immanent tragedy and death this hope and peace faced, coming back to the theme of good and evil and the loop holes that come with that idea. Shows with such a strong relationship between actors and audience like that are very few in number.
By the end of Act 1 I had cried four times, and spoiler alert all through Act 2 I didn't stop crying once. Showing in my opinion, the sheer quality of the shows writing and acting, for this reason alone I will do nothing but recommend this show to anyone. For me I quickly found Marius to be my favourite character with his misplaced trust and love that comes with his naivety. For me I was just shocked at the level I now adore this show, like so many who have seen this show countless times. I was blessed with a cast that were fantastic, particularly our Thénardiers, Marius and Valjean who were notably fantastic. I was in utter awe of the scale of this musical in every right from set to singing to everything else. Needless to say my favourite songs of Empty chairs at empty tables, Red and black and Stars I couldn't have wished to be performed any better. I proceeded to spend the next week listening to the soundtrack and to this day it is a regular listen.
In summary this show is made so fantastic by it's detail just as in the original book, that may be the longest novel in European history, but I was so inspired by this show that I am now reading this journey of a book. As well as the constant call backs to symbolism of the characters and their connections. Even if they never meet. Such as the mention of a chain by Cosette as Fantine earlier mentions and Javert mentioning dark stars that used to by light in Soliloquy. Accompanied by the beautiful visual aid of him trying to find the light are just a few of the small things that create such quality and a show that I would see a thousand times. A intricate show that somehow went even further than I could ever describe. In conclusion, I would endlessly recommend this show to anyone as everyone will feel included and gain something different from it.
