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Les Miserables -- A Review
By James Emery Vigh of profbruno.com
Playhouse Square Center in Cleveland Ohio has hosted many a great production. One of the greatest (if not THE greatest) is certainly "Les Miserables", affectionately known as "Les Mis". This musical, by Cameron Mackintosh, literally grabs you by the throat from the very beginning and never lets go until the end. It begins as the primary character Jean Valjean is about to be paroled from a hard labor prison where he has been a prisoner for 19 years -- 5 years of it for stealing a loaf of bread from a house, and the rest for continually trying to escape. He receives his "yellow ticket of leave" which he must present to every place he eats, sleeps or works as a condition of his parole. We also meet Inspector Javert who reminds Valjean that he will be watching him. Valjean soon finds out that this yellow ticket deprives him of the ability to make any kind of a decent living. He is despised and shunned wherever he goes. A kindly bishop takes pity on him and offers food and shelter for the night. The desperate Valjean that night robs the bishop of valuable silver and makes a run for it, but is shortly apprehended by the local police. To Valjean's surprise, the bishop tells the authorities that he gave the silver to him as a gift. But the bishop has a price. He tells Valjean that he must use the silver to do good. The bishop has bought his soul for God. Valjean experiences an epiphany, changes his attitude, breaks his parole, and eventually ends up as a prosperous factory owner and even mayor of a small town. He is a benefactor to all of his employees. At the factory, one of his female employees, Fantine, has a major problem. She has a small child, Cosette, that she has had to leave under the protection of an innkeeper and his wife in another town. These folks extort Fantine for every bit of money that she makes. The other female employees accuse Fantine of making extra money as a prostitute. The foreman, who also likes to extort the female employees for sex, then fires Fantine, putting her out in the street with no income. Cruelly and ironically, Fantine turns to prostitution so that she can support her daughter. Valjean learns of Fantine and her problem and puts her under his protection, but Fantine dies shortly thereafter. But before she dies, Valjean promises her that he will look after her daughter Cosette. In the meantime, the relentless Inspector Javert is hot on his trail. Valjean rescues Cosette. Years pass and they move to Paris, where they get involved in a student revolt with Javert always one step behind them. The music and lyrics for this production are nothing short of amazing. The audience is riveted from start to finish. The foundation of the set is a revolving circular kind of "merry-go-round" where props and backdrops are placed and removed as needed. The production is very earthy and does contain some occasional salty language, but throughout there is a spiritual thread that comes to a climax at the end. If you want to feast your eyes and ears on an incredible experience, Les Miserables will not disappoint. |
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I'd heard of Les Miserables (who hasn't?) but never actually seen it nor bothered to read up on it. Thanks for the review! It sounds very much like a story that might happen in modern-day Philippines. By the way... How does it end?
 | | nick Jan 24, 2010 06:48 | |
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Ah... How does it end? It ends in closure and spiritual redemption. I know that sounds vague (it IS vague), but I don't want to give it away. Thanks for your comment. I would hope that this could NOT happen in any modern-day country, but I think I understand where you're coming from on this. The story-line has a lot to do with man's inhumanity to man.
Regards, Jim
Great review, Jim.
I've not seen the play, but i'll be looking for it in our area.
Thanks for sharing.
Frederick
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Well, there is an international tour in progress as we speak. Will it be anywhere near you? Possibly. You should google it. You may have to travel a little. But seats to a show like this sell out quickly once they go on sale. If you're serious about seeing it, act now. If you love theatre, this is a musical that you don't want to miss. Trust me on this.
Regards, Jim
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