Les Miserables

Les Misérables (pronunciation /le mize'ʁaːbl/), colloquially known as Les Mis, is a musical composed in 1980 by French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg on a libretto by Alain Boublil. Through-sung, it is perhaps the most famous of all French musicals and one of the most performed musicals worldwide. On October 8, 2006, the show celebrated its 21st anniversary and became the longest-running West End musical in history and is still running (though it has changed venues). [1] The musical is based on the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Its Tony award-winning score includes the songs "I Dreamed a Dream," "Do You Hear the People Sing?", "One Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "A Little Fall of Rain," "Master of the House", and "On My Own."

Les Mis tells the stories of multiple characters, including: a paroled convict named Jean Valjean who, failing attempts to find work as an honest man with his yellow ticket of leave, breaks his parole and conceals his identity in order to live his life again; the police inspector Javert, who becomes obsessed with finding Valjean; Fantine, the single mother of Cosette, who is forced to become a prostitute to support her daughter; Marius, a French student who falls in love with Valjean's adopted daughter Cosette; Eponine, the young daughter of the Thénardiers who is hopelessly in love with Marius; the Thénardiers, who own an inn and exploit their customers; and Enjolras and the other students, who are working toward freeing the oppressed lower class of France.

Act I

The curtain rises with Scene 1, showing a French prison in 1815 with its prisoners singing the opening chorus ("Overture/Work Song"). Jean Valjean, the lead protagonist, is released on parole after 19 years for stealing bread to feed his sister's child as well as running from the police. The antagonist policeman Javert gives Valjean a yellow ticket-of-leave that he must display, which condemns him as an outcast. After failed numerous attempts to start anew ("On Parole"), he is finally taken in by the saintly Bishop of Digne, who kindly offers him food and shelter. Valjean, embittered by years of hardship, repays him by stealing some silver. Valjean is quickly caught and brought back by the police; however, the bishop misleads the police (without quite lying to them) to save Valjean. He also gives Valjean two silver candlesticks, asking him to start anew and begin an honest life ("Valjean Arrested, Valjean Forgiven"). Valjean, humbled by the bishop's mercy and kindness, decides to follow the bishop's advice ("What Have I Done? (Valjean's Soliloquy)").

The show then advances eight years—Valjean, having broken his parole and changed his name to Monsieur Madeleine, has risen to become both a factory owner and mayor. It comes to his attention that one of his factory workers, Fantine, has a secret illegitimate child ("At the End of the Day"). When the other women discover this, they demand her dismissal. Valjean brushes off the incident, handing Fantine's fate to the factory foreman, whose advances she had previously rejected, and he throws her out of the factory. Fantine tells her story about the father of her daughter who left them alone ("I Dreamed a Dream").

Desperate for money to pay for medicines for her sick and dying daughter Cosette, Fantine sells her locket, her hair, and then becomes a prostitute ("Lovely Ladies"). Ashamed by her new degrading profession, she refuses and fights with a prospective customer ("Fantine's Arrest"). Fantine is about to be taken to prison by Javert when "the mayor," Valjean, discovers that it was his fault that Fantine is suffering. He demands that she be taken to a hospital instead. Soon after this incident, a runaway cart pins down a local man (Fauchelevant), and Valjean comes to his rescue ("The Runaway Cart"). Javert is reminded of the abnormal strength of convict 24601, Jean Valjean, a parole-breaker he has been tracking for years and whom apparently has just been recaptured. The real Valjean, unable to see an innocent man go to prison in his place, confesses to the court that he is prisoner 24601, showing the convict's brand on his chest as a proof ("Who Am I? (The Trial)").

However, before returning to prison, Valjean returns to Fantine's side and promises the dying Fantine to find and look after her daughter Cosette. ("Come to Me (Fantine's Death)") When Javert arrives to arrest him, Valjean asks for three more days to fetch Cosette, but Javert refuses to believe his honest intentions. While Valjean tries to convince Javert, Javert makes it clear that he does not believe in rehabilitation and reveals he was born inside a jail ("The Confrontation"). The two have a physical confrontation, and Valjean knocks Javert out and escapes.

The scene then shifts to focus on a young Cosette, who has been lodging for the past five years with the Thénardiers. The couple run an inn and horribly abuse the little girl whom they use as a skivvy while indulging their own daughter, Eponine. Cosette dreams of a better life ("Castle on a Cloud"). Madame Thénardier finds her dreaming and sends her to fetch water from a well in the woods, ignoring the little girl's pleas ("Now look who's here"). The inn fills up for the evening, and the Thénardiers sing about how they cheat their customers ("Master of the House"). Valjean finds Cosette fetching water in the dark ("The Well"). He pays the Thénardiers to let him take Cosette away and brings her to Paris ("The Bargain - The Thenardier Waltz of Treachery").

Nine years later, the city breaks out into pandemonium because of the likely demise of a popular leader General Lamarque, the last remaining man in the government who fights for the poor. The urchin Gavroche mingles with the whores and the beggars of the capital ("Look Down"). One of the street gangs is led by Thénardier and his wife, which sets upon Jean Valjean and Cosette ("The Robbery"). Thénardier recognizes Valjean as the man who took Cosette. Valjean and Cosette are rescued by Javert, who does not recognize Valjean until after he makes his escape ("Javert's Intervention"). Javert gazes at the night sky, comparing his relentless hunt of Valjean and justice to the constancy and order of the stars ("The Stars"). Gavroche overhears Javert and reasserts that he is the one who "runs this town." The Thénardiers' daughter Eponine, who is secretly in love with the student Marius, reluctantly agrees to help Marius find Cosette. Marius immediately fell in love with Cosette after bumping into her on the street ("Eponine's Errand").

A shift in scene features a political meeting in a small café where a group of idealistic students gathered to prepare for the revolution they are sure will erupt after the death of General Lamarque ("The ABC Cafe - Red and Black"). Marius comes and is made fun of because of his love for a girl whose name he doesn't even know. When Gavroche brings the news of the General's death, the students, led by Enjolras, stream out into the streets to whip up popular support ("Do You Hear the People Sing?")

Cosette is also consumed by thoughts of Marius, with whom she has fallen in love. Valjean realizes that his daughter is growing up very quickly but refuses to tell her anything of her past or her mother ("Rue Plumet - In My Life"). In spite of her own feelings for Marius, Eponine sadly brings him to Cosette ("A Heart Full of Love") and then prevents an attempt by her father's gang to rob Valjean's house and blackmail Valjean with the knowledge of his past ("The Attack on Rue Plumet"). Valjean, convinced it was Javert who was lurking outside his house, tells Cosette they must prepare to flee the country ("My God, Cosette!"). On the eve of the revolution, the students prepare for the upcoming battle; Cosette and Marius part in despair of ever meeting again; Javert decides that he will stay and watch the students fight; Eponine mourns the loss of Marius; and Valjean looks forward to the security of exile. The Thénardiers, meanwhile, dream of rich pickings underground from the chaos to come ("One Day More").

Act II

The students prepare to build the barricade ("Upon These Stones - Building the Barricade"). Meanwhile, Javert is given the task of spying for the government troops. Marius, noticing that Eponine has joined the insurrection, sends her with a letter to Cosette, which is intercepted at the Rue Plumet by Valjean. Eponine decides, despite what he has said to her, to rejoin Marius at the barricade ("On My Own").

The barricade is built ("Upon These Stones - At the Barricade") and the revolutionaries defy an army warning that they must give up or die. Javert comes back ("Javert's Arrival At The Barricade"), telling the students lies about the government's plans. Gavroche exposes Javert as a police spy ("Little People"). When Eponine returns to the barricades, she is fatally shot and peacefully dies in Marius's arms ("A Little Fall of Rain"). Valjean arrives at the barricades in search of Marius. During the following battle ("The First Attack"), he saves Enjolras by shooting a sniper. As a reward, he asks to be the one who shoots Javert, but instead releases him and even gives him his address. The students settle down for a night ("Drink With Me (The Night)") on the barricade, and, in the quiet of the night, Valjean prays to God to save Marius from the onslaught that is to come ("Bring Him Home"). The next day, with ammunition running low ("Dawn of Anguish"), Gavroche runs out to collect more and is shot dead by the army ("The Second Attack (The Death of Gavroche)"). The students are attacked again ("The Final Battle"), and everyone is killed except Jean Valjean and Marius.

Valjean escapes through the sewers, carrying a wounded Marius on his back ("The Sewers"). Meanwhile, Thenardier is also in the sewers, stealing valuables off the dead bodies from the battle. He laughs that he's doing a "service to the town" ("Dog Eat Dog"). He also robs Marius as Valjean is resting; he escapes when he sees Valjean waking again. Valjean runs into Javert, who has been waiting for him at the sewer's issue by the Seine. He begs Javert to give him one more hour to bring Marius to a doctor, and Javert reluctantly agrees. After Valjean leaves, Javert realizes Valjean is not purely evil as he always thought. Unable to deal with losing his lifelong view of the world, he commits suicide by throwing himself in the Seine ("Javert's Suicide").

Back on the streets of Paris, several women mourn the deaths of the young students at the barricades ("Turning"). Marius returns to the ABC Cafe, mourning for his friends and lamenting that they will never meet there again ("Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"). Cosette comforts him by telling him that she will never go away ("Every Day") and they reaffirm their love ("A Heart Full of Love - Reprise"). Valjean tells Marius that he is an escaped convict and says he must go away because his presence puts Cosette in danger ("Valjean's Confession"). Valjean makes Marius promise never to tell Cosette. Marius makes only a half-hearted attempt to hold him back.

Marius and Cosette are married ("Wedding Chorale"). The Thenardiers crash the wedding ("Beggars at the Feast"). They tell Marius that Valjean is a murderer, saying they saw him carrying a corpse in the sewers after the barricades fell. When Thénardier shows him the ring he took from the corpse, Marius realizes that the "corpse" was him, and that Valjean saved his life that night.

Meanwhile, the night of the wedding, Valjean prepares for his death. With Cosette gone, he has nothing left to live for. He has written his confession for Cosette to read. Just as the ghosts of Fantine and Eponine arrive to take him to heaven, Cosette and Marius rush in, just in time to bid adieu to Valjean and for Marius to thank him for saving his life. Valjean dies and the ghosts of the dead guide him to paradise with a last reprise of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" ("Finale")

**wikipedia.org