About me:Hi, my name is Sylvia and I am a 69 year old mother of 2 and grandmother to 5. Currently retired an...
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Review rated by 12 Ciao members on average: helpful
I must have been to see Les Miserable at least 9 times and cannot rate it highly enough. The first time we saw it we had front stall seats, which actually cost around £50.00 at that time, and Colm Wilkinson was playing the lead (Jean Valjean).
Jean Valjean was put into prison for stealing bread for his sister's starving child and the show opens with the prison scene. Javert is one of the prison officers who is determined that Valjean will return as his take on life is "once a thief, always a thief".
Jean Valjean is also determined that he will never return to prison and will make his way in life. However he is treated as an ex-con by everyone he comes into contact with, except for a local priest, who gives him a bed for the night. Jean Valjean decides to leave the priest's house in the early morning, taking with him silver candlesticks. Javert catches him and returns him to the priests house, the priest then also gives Jean Valjean a few other pieces of silver, stating that as he left so early he forgot that the priest had given them to him as well as the candlesticks. Javert is not convinced and plans to keep a watch on Jean Valjean.
This sets the basis of the story (which actually is about the French students uprising and also two men Jean Valjean and Javert), France at that time was going through a period where their people were starving and the students were planning to take on the government and force them to take action, hoping that the people would join them. One of the songs is entitled "Will you join in our crusade" and is sung by the students.
Jean Valjean does make his way in the world and becomes the owner of a factory and also the major of the town, this is where he meets Fantine who is the mother of the young girl Cosette who is currently being looked after by Innkeepers, who also have a young daughter Eponime. (Played by Lea Salonga).
Fantine is sacked from the factory and takesto prostitution to support her child, which eventually kills her, but not before entrusting her child to Valean (Ruthie Henshall played Fantine on our first visit).
The story continues with the students barricading the streets and fighting the army, unfortunatey they are on their own and many die. Javert tries to join the students but is recognised by Jean Valjean. Javert is given to Jean Valjean to be executed but Jean Valjean lets him go. Javert finds this very hard to live with and ends up killing himself.
Cosette is now a grown woman meets and falls in love with Marius (Michael Ball) who gets injured at the barricade and is carried by Valjean through the sewers. He survives and ends up marrying Cosette.
This is just an outline of the story - there are many, many great songs throughout the show, especially Master of the House performed by the Innkeeper and his wife.
There are two young children in the show, the young Cosette and Gavourche, a street urchin who gets killed at the barricade.
As I have said this is a very rough outline of the story, there is much more to it than this. I really would recommend it to everyone.
jean Arrested - Valjean Forgiven (Claude-Michel Schonberg) (Les Miserables - OCR) What Have I Done? (Claude-Michel Schonberg) (Les Miserables - OCR) At The End Of The Day (C...
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11.04.2008 17:21
Great review :o)
16.10.2007 21:31
A good review, keep at it.