Les Mis Review-2023

One of the most famous musicals is Les Mis and currently on tour in the US. As many know, I have a strong love for the show. It is tragic and inspiring; full of epic, passionate, powerful, and emotional songs; and characters to love. I am emotionally connected to most of the characters. There is a reason this musical is the sensation it is. This was my 7th time seeing the stage show- it was my 5th theater I saw it in.

My Cast:

• Valjean- Nick Cartell
• Javert- Preston Truman Boyd
• Fantine- Haley Dortch
• Cosette- Addie Morales
• Eponine- Christine Heesun Hwang
• Marius- Gregory Lee Rodriguez
• Enjolras- Devin Archer
• Thenardier- Matt Crowle
• Madame Thenardier- Christina Rose Hall

Review:

This was my 2nd time with Nick Cartell as Valjean. Like Greenville in 2017, he was fantastic. He had an incredible dynamic with Preston Boyd as Javert. He was able to connect to Hazel Vogel’s Young Cosette. Nick was just as strong as he was during “Bring Him Home”, one of Valjean’s strongest spiritual moments. It truly stood out. I could clearly see Valjean’s transformation trough Nick.

Preston Truman Boyd had a strong voice as Javert. His dynamic with Nick Cartell was strong, but he still struggled for me to find common ground or sympathy. Javert is one of the hardest characters to get that connection with. For me, his strongest moment was during “Stars”. Yes, I saw his struggle during “Javert’s Suicide”, but didn’t feel it- this is one of those moments you are supposed to feel sympathy for him.

Like with any Fantine, I was emotional during “I Dreamed a Dream”. That is the song where I usually start becoming an emotional wreck. She was able to show the heartbreak of her struggle- Fantine has the hardest story to watch unfold. Haley Dortch was wonderful in the role- even during “Come to Me”, she was able to get quieter as the song continued.

Matt Crowle and Christina Rose Hall were hilarious as the Thenardiers. “Master of the House” is always a fun scene to watch. It always has been a funny scene to watch, which provides much-needed comic relief. Matt Crowle was able to show both the comic and villainous side of Thenardier.

On to the love triangle- Addie Morales (Cosette), Gregory Lee Rodriguez (Marius), and Christine Hessun Hwang (Eponine). They were strong when the love triangle started. Even during “A Heart Full of Love”, it was incredible- Gregory Lee Rodriguez did show some awkwardness there and acted like he fell in love for the first time (shown through acting nervous). Once again, towards the end of that song, it was confusing to who to feel for- that is a sign of a strong love triangle.

I felt the unrequited love during “On My Own”, and Christine was amazing at “A Little of Fall of Rain”. “A Little Fall of Rain” is always interesting to see how Marius and Eponine interact- there are so many ways to portray that scene- it usually is my favorite Marius and Eponine moment. What was interesting about the scene this time was noticing some connection between Gavroche and Eponine. I noticed Gavroche’s hurt, and I was surprised he was the one to comfort Marius at the end.

Devin Archer as Enjolras was incredible- literally all Enjolras actors I have seen have been fantastic. I always am able to feel his passion and connection to the students. I also was able to feel the hope and brotherly love the students have. Harrison Fox as Gavroche was incredible.

I saw the 25th anniversary staging. I love the use of the backdrops- it adds more color and more Victor Hugo. With the use of some flaps, you were able to see the vastness of Paris more. I even love the candles used for “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”- it adds a lot more emotion to the song. Like expected, I was an emotional wreck and at times laughing. Les Mis is still epic, passionate, and powerful.

Favorite Love Triangles in the Musical Theatre World

Romance does show up in two forms in musicals. Either they show up through an individual couple or happen by a love triangle. A love triangle forms when three people are involved—-so someone gets unrequited love, a heartbreaking situation to end up in. Some of those love triangles are weak whiles others are strong. So, what are some of my favorite love triangles?

MAJOR SPOILERS

Phantom-Christine-Raoul

This love triangle in found in the musical, Phantom of the Opera. It actually is the prime focus of the musical. Christine and Raoul are the couple while The Phantom has the unrequited love. The Phantom responds poorly to unrequited love- acts in revenge and doesn’t accept it. At least Raoul treats Christine better- they deserve to be together.

It is a mysterious and angelic love triangle. “All I Ask of You” is one of the most beautiful love songs in musical theatre.

Eponine-Marius-Cosette

This trio is found in Les Misérables, and one of my favorite subplots. Marius and Cosette are such an adorable couple and bring hope to the story—-by the way, Marius is actually my favorite survivor in Les Mis. Cosette is supposed to represent hope and light, and Marius is kind, compassionate, and loving. By the way, he is a good friend to Eponine and is worried about (I think that was why he sent her away from the barricade and why he asked why she came back).

Eponine is meant to have the unrequited love, and Marius is the light of her life. She has one of the BEST stories of unrequited love in musical theatre. The way she responds to it is incredible- she accepts it, and risks her life several times for Marius. That explains why she even goes to the barricades- to make sure he is safe- she doesn’t mind sacrificing her life her him. True, her death is heartbreaking in more ways than one- first she is dying and he is devastated, but at least she is happy due to being in the arms of Marius (“A Little Fall of Rain” is such a touching and moving scene).

Elphaba-Fiyero-Glinda

These three make up my favorite love triangle, which is found in Wicked. First, it is the first one I emotionally bonded to—meaning I first became aware of the concept due to it. Second- my favorite musical theatre character is a part of it. Third- the level of complexity it is. Of ALL love triangles in musical theatre I have come across, Wicked has the most complex one.

Explain the unrequited love situation——-not easy to do. Elphaba originally has unrequited love for Fiyero (“I’m Not That Girl”). But there were clues prior to the scene that maybe Fiyero has a crush on her- look carefully at the Lion Cub Scene and the scenes that follow “I’m Not That Girl”. This love triangle seems to develop in the same way the characters do- the love triangle truly matures when the characters do. In act II, there is an unrequited love switch- now Glinda is dealing with it (“I’m Not That Girl (Reprise)”).

In my opinion, the love triangle strengthens the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. How far will they go to keep friendship alive. Look how they BOTH responded to unrequited love—–they didn’t try to steal Fiyero away. So they wouldn’t let a boy get in between them. So, it really tests their loyalty if you think about it.

Catalyst Characters in Stories

There are several types of characters in books. They range from protagonists, antagonists, major characters, secondary characters, and minor characters. However, I believe some characters serve as catalyst characters, who are the reasons why a plot truly begins or maybe why the antagonists start to oppose the protagonist. Let me bring some examples.

Les Mis- Spoilers (I believe there are two)

The Bishop

Look, Valjean left prison as a hardened and angry man. Many people weren’t going to give him a chance just because he was a prisoner. No one would give him a job or giving him shelter or food, etc……They even were beating him up, which made Valjean even more angry at society.

Look what the bishop did- he gave him a place to stay and food to eat despite the fact that he was a convict. Despite all the compassion, Valjean still stole the bishop’s silver. However, when the police came back with Valjean and the bishop’s silver, the bishop lied to the police and said the silver was a gift, which left Valjean stunned. The bishop actually taught Valjean the ways of the Lord- mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. That explains the rest of Valjean’s actions- showing compassion to Fantine, turning himself in to protect an innocent man, mercy towards Javert, etc………..

Cosette

Why do you think I said there are two catalyst characters in Les Mis? Cosette is another catalyst character for Valjean. Cosette made a huge impact on Valjean’s life- Valjean literally promised her mother that he would raise Cosette as his own not knowing the huge impact Cosette would have on his life. Cosette would become the best thing in his life- explaining why he became such an overprotective father and why he rescued Marius from the barricades. He got to die with both Cosette and Marius by his side.

Tale of The Cattail Forest- my main WIP

Marge

It can be hard to say this at times, but Marge is my antagonist’s younger cousin. Unlike Sarge, she was born with a loving family. That resulted in Marge being Sarge’s easiest target and for her to be easily misunderstood by her own kind- all of that led to her having an incredible amount of wisdom and knowing how lonely Graysloup became. Once Sparkle, my main character, heard about the bleak situation going on in Graysloup, she decided to take action. Her first decision was to befriend Marge, and the rest of the story goes from there. Not only did she decide to befriend Marge, but she also made the decision for all the The Fairy Frogs to try to befriend all the Toads despite knowing how hard that would be.

What about you, do you understand the idea of catalyst characters?

Finale (Les Mis) Analysis

The Finale of Les Mis is one of the strongest finales in musical theatre. In my opinion, it is actually one of my favorite finales found in musical theatre. If you want to PROCEED, SPOILERS. It is the final death scene in Les Mis- it is actually when Valjean dies. The Finale is full of both heartbreak and hope. This song is a reprise of “Do You Hear the People Sing”, and this time, I believe it represents heaven. Through lyrics like “Even the Darkest Night will End and the Sun will Rise” and Tomorrow Comes”, there is a lot of hope found in this song.

And remember
The truth that once was spoken
To love another person
Is to see the face of God.

Do you hear the people sing
Lost in the valley of the night?
It is the music of a people
Who are climbing to the light.

For the wretched of the earth
There is a flame that never dies.
Even the darkest night will end
And the sun will rise.

They will live again in freedom
In the garden of the Lord.
We will walk behind the ploughshare;
We will put away the sword.
The chain will be broken
And all men will have their reward.

Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing?
Say, do you hear the distant drums?
It is the future that they bring
When tomorrow comes!

Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing?
Say, do you hear the distant drums?
It is the future that they bring
When tomorrow comes!

Tomorrow comes!

The picture below is something I painted, but it does show the finale from Les Mis.

Even though Valjean does die, he is still happy at the moment. That is because he got to see Cosette one last time. It is actually on the night of Cosette’s wedding, and the same night Marius discovered that Valjean saved him from the barricade. So, Marius was able to thank Valjean for saving his life. Valjean’s redemption is so strong at this moment- Fantine’s spirit escorts Valjean to heaven and is welcomed by the Bishop, who played a huge part in Valjean’s journey.

To Love Another Person is to see the Face of God

The lyrics above are the most famous lyrics from Les Mis. Look how many people showed love in Les Mis who did die. Valjean’s love for God and Cosette; Fantine’s love for Cosette, Eponine’s love for Marius despite it being unrequited; and The Friends of the ABC’s love for each other and the country. Even though Marius and Cosette lived, they have love for each other despite losing everyone that meant something to them.

A Heart Full of Love Analysis

When it comes to love triangles in musicals, the ones that automatically come to mind are the ones in Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Mis. A Heart Full of Love serves as the romantic duo in Les Mis- it is between Marius and Cosette, who are the two lovers.

(Marius)
A heart full of love
A heart full of song
I’m doing everything all wrong
Oh God, for shame
I do not even know your name
Dead Madmoiselle
Won’t you say?
Will you tell?

(Cosette)
A heart full of love
No fear, no regret

(Marius)
My name is Marius Pontmercy

(Cosette)
And mine’s Cosette

(Marius)
Cosette, I don’t know what to say

(Cosette)
Then make no sound

(Marius)
I am lost

(Cosette)
I am found!

(Marius)
A heart full of light

(Cosette)
A night bright as day

(Marius)
And you must never go away
Cosette, Cosette

(Cosette)
This is a chain we’ll never break

(Marius)
Do I dream?

(Cosette)
I’m awake!

(Marius)
A heart full of love

(Eponine) He was never mine to lose

(Cosette)
A heart full of you

(Eponine) Why regret what could not be?

(Marius)
A single look and then I knew.

(Eponine) These are words he’ll never say

(Cosette)
I knew it too.

(Eponine) Not to me…

(Marius)
From today…

(Eponine) Not to me…

(Cosette)
Every day

(Eponine) Not for me…

(Cosette & Marius)
For it isn’t a dream

(Eponine) His heart full of love

(Cosette and Marius)
Not a dream

{Eponine) He will never

(Cosette and Marius)
After all!

(Eponine) Feel this way…

A Heart Full of Love, Les Mis

Yes, my love for Marius and Cosette is an unpopular opinion. Their relationship is so adorable and they help bring hope into Les Mis. That is why Marius had to survive the barricades. A Heart Full of Love may be the romantic duo, but it is clever towards the end when it becomes a trio. You already are feeling joy for Marius and Cosette, but at the same time you start to feel heartbroken for Eponine- that is what happens when the duet turns into a trio. In the love triangle, my favorite character is Eponine, but I still love Marius and Cosette.