Must See: Les Misérables

As most of you might already know... I love Broadway musicals! And, on May 31st I was fortunate enough to see Les Misérables on stage in NYC. As you can imagine, I was so excited that I would be watching this (oh so) classic musical live.

In March, Les Mis was finally brought back to Broadway. This revival was produced by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who also produced the musical back in the 80s. Actually, in 1987 it won the Tony for Best Musical (to much of his credit). This year it has been nominated for three Tony Awards: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Ramin Karimloo), and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Mick Potter).

Summary:
Les Mis is a sung-through musical, has little to no spoken dialogue, based on Victor Hugo's novel (of the same name). The story takes place in 19th century France during the course of about 17 years (1815 - 1832). It centers around Jean Valjean and his quest for redemption. The main antagonist is Javert, a relentless inspector who vows to find prisoner 24601 and "not rest until he is safe behind bars". Throughout the years Valjean meets many other characters; including: Fantine, Cosett, the Thénardiers, Marius, and Éponine; who change and shape his life in different ways. The musical brings to light the themes of mercy, forgiveness, love, loss, God, morale, corruption, rebellion, and many more.

My experience:
I have to say that no other musical has affected me the way that Les Mis does... constant goosebumps!!! The musical numbers are out of this world amazing & very moving! And hearing & seeing it live really does make all the difference. The scenery, props, and projections are just outstanding. I wouldn't have expected less from such a "big name" production. However, as much as I hate to say it, there was one thing that was off... The musical numbers during Act II seemed to be a bit rushed. It was as if the orchestra was playing too fast and the actors where trying to catch up with them. This was incredibly evident during the number, "Stars" and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" (which are two of my favorites). Nonetheless, this incident did not in any way ruin my experience. Like I said before, this musical affects me in a special way. And if you are like me... you will cry! So make sure to take a few tissues! I absolutely love this musical & I love the fact that I got to see it on Broadway. I sincerely could not recommend it enough!!!

Have you seen Les Misérables on Broadway yet?

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Until next time!