To be considered one of the greatest musicals performances of all time, a production must have style, authenticity, cultivation and a music soundtrack to die for. And by no means less, has Les Misérables acquired all these attributes to such an extent that it cannot be deemed anything short of a theatrical masterpiece.
The production itself is based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo; a story criticising against human suffering, poverty and ignorance. The world ‘Miserablés’ itself represents both poor wretches and villains or scoundrels, which pretty much sums up the characters within the play. The dominant themes throughout the piece are the moral redemption of the main protagonist and the moral redemption of a nation through rebellion.
Since the production’s original release in 1980s France, then its highly anticipated West End opening in 1985, Les Miserablés has been performed to more than 60 million people world wide, in 38 countries and in over 20 different languages. The musical also boasts a staggering 12 major theatre awards as well as 50 internationally recognised numbers including ‘Do You Hear The People Sing?’, ‘One Day More’ and ‘On My Own.’ With compositions and scores from the sensational Claude-Michel Schonberg and the novelistic skills of Alain Boubill, Les Miserablés can firmly hold its head high as one of the greatest musicals of all time.
