Les Misérables: a souvenir

This one is for you, Alicia! Someday we’ll go to England, drink lots of tea and cry when we watch this again together. ? After that we can go to Paris, eat croissants and polish up our French. (what on earth do I mean? Don’t worry, I explain myself here)

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When my family go on long car trips, we tend to put an audio book on. But a year or so ago, my dad went for something a little different, and put on the soundtrack for the musical Les Misérables.

I was hooked. I loved the songs, and while at the time I didn’t quite understand it, I grew to love the story also.

Since then, I’ve listened to the soundtrack countless times (a 2010 cast from what I think is a West End theatre- I particularly like the voice of Eponine in it), watched a 1935 film, and have gotten nearly half way through the book.

So going to see Les Misérables in a theatre where it had been performed for 34 years was definitely at the top of the London list for us.

It was amazing. I love theatre- the magic involved when one transforms into a different character fascinates me. I enjoy acting, although I’m not sure if I’m any good at it, so it is really enjoyable to see professionals.

Musical theatre is next level: to be able to carry across strong emotion while singing takes a lot of skill.

For this reason, the musical Les Misérables was special for me. True, I thought the sets, structure and script of the performance was amazing, but it was the acting that moved me. Hearing the hopelessness in Javert’s Soliloquy. Feeling a pain, that cannot be spoken, when Marius sang Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. Crying with Eponine when she sings On My Own, but feeling her security in A Little Fall of Rain. Rejoicing with Cosette and her Heart Full of Love.
I could go on and on. I am with the characters in every song they sing.

I would definitely recommend seeing the musical. Also, as I found, simply listening to the soundtrack can reveal a good deal of the magic and stories of the characters.

The night after watching the musical, we watched the 2012 Les Misérables movie. Of course, after the theatre, the movie just didn’t seem the same. But it is worth watching; with good acting, and a glimpse into the wonder of the tale.

The book is fantastic. I know I am struggling to read it consistently, I’ve been reading it (with long breaks in between) for around a year now. But someday we’ll both get through it, hey Alicia? It is wonderfully well written, and gives a lot more meaning to what you see in the musical. It is an interesting story for its look at history, as well as for its tragic love triangles.

There you have it. Les Misérables was definitely a highlight of my week in London, Alicia. ?