It was love at first sight (or, more accurately, first hearing). At the age of fifteen, Les Miserables was the show that made me fall blindly, head over heels in love with the musical. My secondary school staged a production of the show and for a whole term I immersed myself in the world of Jean Valjean, Marius and Eponine. At one point I knew the words to the entire soundtrack and given the chance today I could probably still sing along to most of the songs – unfortunately for anyone within earshot. In the midst of the show’s 25th anniversary celebrations, I feel that I should dedicate a blog post to the musical that first ignited my love of the genre.
It is a strange thought that Les Mis is older than I am, starting four years before I was even born. Twenty five successful years in the West End is no mean feat, and the extraordinary longevity of Les Mis is even more impressive when contrasted with the recent spate of musicals posting closing notices. I for one am ecstatic that this musical is still very much alive and kicking, but how long is too long?
Biased as I may be, I can see that Les Mis is not without its faults. Victor Hugo’s dauntingly long novel, one of many weighty tomes on my ever-growing ‘to read’ list, must have been a challenge to condense down into two and a half hours. When the show opened this was one of the main complaints of several less than favourable reviews; how advisable is it to reduce a 1,200 page book into a two act musical? Relationships take priority over politics and it is perfectly possible to leave the theatre deeply moved by Jean Valjean’s struggle but unenlightened about the 1832 uprisings.
Michael Billington, asked if he repents his initially cool review of Les Mis in 1985, maintains that he views the show as little more than ‘spectacular Victorian melodrama’; a simple, crowd-pleasing tale of good and evil that should not masquerade as anything more serious. I admire him for at least sticking to his guns. Looking at the clutch of four star reviews for the Barbican anniversary production, one does wonder if the critical turnaround has been influenced by the intervening 25 years of phenomenal success the show has enjoyed.
However, I must disagree with Billington about what he terms the ‘melodrama’ of Les Mis. I am sure that the show inevitably lacks much of the political and social punch of Hugo’s book, but a novel and a musical are two very different beasts. When Hugo wrote the novel it confronted issues of its time that when staged today appear as distant history to audiences. This was never intended to be a deeply political show and would not work as one. The aim of theatre, in the words of Hamlet, is ‘to hold as ’twere the mirror up to nature’ – an aim in which I believe Les Mis, by reflecting the ever-changing image of human nature, succeeds.
The element of the show that has theatregoers rising in a standing ovation at the end of every performance and leaves them choked with emotion and eager to return is the emotional resonance of the characters’ plight. By reducing the musical to a showdown between the ‘good’ Valjean and ‘evil’ Javert, Billington is unjustly simplifying a drama that is essentially about the human condition. I challenge any audience member to not sympathise with Javert as his existence is thrown into turmoil after the light is shone on the misguided principles by which he has lived his life. This is no melodrama of black and white.
Unfortunately I was not at the 25th anniversary concerts at the O2 (I have my limited student budget to blame) but from what I hear they were pretty spectacular. One does wonder how Cameron Mackintosh will top this year’s birthday celebrations if Les Mis reaches another significant milestone. I also wonder if a time will come when Les Mis outlives its welcome in the West End.
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