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I probably need
to get one thing straight right now. I love
the theatre. I especially love musicals.
I love the big spectacle shows, and I love
the music. Rarely at the same time, however.
Many of the big splashy musicals like “Phantom
of the Opera” and “Miss Saigon”
generally offer more eye candy than incredible
music. Very few shows masterfully blend
sight and sound in such a way as to stir
the soul. One such musical is “Les
Miserables.”
Based on the massive novel by Victor Hugo,
“Les Miserables” tell the story
of Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing
a loaf of bread. Upon his escape, he is
shown the ways of kindness and generosity
and sets out to create a new life, forever
burying name Valjean. As he becomes a successful
businessman, he is charged by a dying woman
to care for her child. He accepts, even
at the risk of exposing his identity to
Javert, the officer who is obsessed with
his capture. As the story unfolds, Valjean
cares for the girl even through the time
of the Student Insurrections of 1832.
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When creators Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel
Schonberg originally produced the show in France,
it produced more of a ripple in the waters than
a splash. When a cast recording made its way across
the desk of uber-producer Cameron Macintosh, he
immediately loved the music and was determined
to turn it into a smash hit. He teamed Boubil
and Schonberg with lyricist Herbert Kretzmer,
and together they translated the show into English,
re-wrote much of the music, and introduced new
songs into the mix.
In short, “Les Miserables” went on
to become one of the most popular Musicals of
all time. There have probably been more international
productions of this show than any other, and to
this day I still consider to be one of the best
ever created. I’ve seen the show several
times, once on Broadway. Given the opportunity
I would see it again. Why? Aside from the spectacular
set pieces, the building of the barricade, and
the revolving stage, “Les Miserables”
boasts some of the greatest music ever written
for musical theatre. Heck, I even bought copies
of the cast recordings from other countries just
to hear what they would sound like.
There is an immense fan base out there for “Les
Miserables”, and most of them have various
‘dream casts’ they would like to see.
For the tenth anniversary of the show’s
opening, a concert was put on at the Royal Albert
Hall, which featured over 250 performers. Cast
members from many of the shows different incarnations
came together to prove that the music was good
enough to be performed with no sets. What I would
have given to be there.
I first saw the concert when it aired a few years
back on PBS and I was blown away. The cast was
indeed a ‘dream cast’ for anyone who
is a fan of musical theatre. When the original
Jean Valjean, Colm Wilkinson, stepped up to the
microphone late in the show to sing “Bring
Him Home”, it was if the gates of Heaven
had opened up. The man is that good.
Philip Quast, from the original Australian production
took the reigns as Javert, while the always-excellent
Lea Salonga stood in as Eponine. I was thrilled
to see Judy Kuhn perform as Cosette. I have loved
her voice for years, and if any of you have ever
seen “Pocahontas”, you’ve heard
her as the title character’s singing voice.
The concert itself was absolutely amazing, and
culminated in the introduction of 17 different
Jean Valjeans from 17 different countries taking
the stage to perform in their native languages.
It was an incredibly moving ending to a powerful
show.
A few years back, the concert was released on
Laser Disc (yup, I have it), but now it’s
coming our way in the form of a Superbit DVD from
Sony / Columbia Tristar. I had to wonder if I
really needed another copy of the concert, but
when I put the disc in, there was no question.
The sound and picture quality were beyond description.
Each of the performers voices came through my
system with crystal clarity, my only problem being
that I had to turn it down to keep from waking
the kiddies.
If you’ve never heard the music of this
remarkable show, I think you owe it to yourself
to grab this DVD and give it a watch, or at least
pick up a CD of one of the Cast Recordings. If
you’re too tough a guy to admit you like
it to your friends, you can always keep it a secret
and listen at home. If you listen to the music
and are unmoved, please take some time to look
around for your soul. You’ve obviously misplaced
it.
Directed by: David Charles Abell
Starring: Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, Ruthie
Henshall, Jenny Galloway, Alun Armstrong, Lea
Salonga, Michael Ball, Michael Maguire, Judy Kuhn,
Anthony Crivello, Adam Searles, Hannah Chick
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Sound, DTS 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 10/7/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Les Miserables an A+.
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