In 1987, Cameron Macintosh introduced “Les Mis,” as it has been affectionately nicknamed, a musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel, “Les Miserables.”
The musical was a hit in London and played in more than 34 countries, also becoming the longest running musical on Broadway. It was the first Broadway musical to run in China, playing in Shanghai this summer. But despite the musical’s phenomenal success, the Broadway run of Les Miserables ended March 15, 2002, just three days after its 16th anniversary.
Although closed in New York, Les Miserables, the musical, is coming to Baton Rouge. The musical will live on in eight other locations, including the West End in London, Budapest, Tokyo, Bonn, Gyor, Detmold and the U.S. National Tour. Several other tours are planned, including Mexico City. Macintosh describes the U.S. tour as “a replica of the Broadway production, not a scaled down version.”
The musical begins with the release of a prisoner, Jean Valjean, after serving a prison and hard labor sentence for more than 10 years because he stole a piece of bread. Valjean re-enters society and tries his best to make a new life for himself.
But Valjean finds himself an outcast of society, being forced to carry a yellow ticket labeling him an ex-convict. After being mistreated and cast aside by society, a priest takes in Valjean and treats him with kindness and compassion. Filled with bitterness, Valjean steals some silver from the priest. When police capture him, the priest tells police the silver was a gift, giving Valjean his freedom.
Valjean decides to make another go at life. After breaking parole and changing his name, he becomes a pillar of society by owning a factory and being elected town mayor. In the meantime, another man is mistaken for Valjean and taken to jail. Valjean faces the difficult decision of continuing to do good for his community or saving this man’s life by revealing his identity.
The play is approximately three hours of exquisite music and a heart-wrenching story full of triumph, inspiration and heartache. It is a beloved favorite, with audiences running back to see it multiple times, despite relatively steep ticket prices.
More than a century after Victor Hugo wrote “Les Miserables,” it remains one of the most widely translated novels in the world. The theme is universal. Poverty, injustice, suffering and being outcast from society are emotions present in every country, language and culture.
Hugo is quoted on the Web site as saying, “Social problems do not have frontiers. Humankind’s wounds, those huge sores that litter the world, do not stop at the red and blue lines drawn on maps. Wherever men go in ignorance or despair, wherever women sell themselves for bread, wherever children lack a book to learn from or a warm hearth, Les Misérables knocks at the door and says, ‘… open up. I am here for you.'”
“Les Mis” will play at the Riverside Centroplex from Feb. 4 to Feb. 9.