A Short History of Les Misérables: From Hugo to the All-Star Concert

The musical that got me into musicals turned 35 this week! Here's a quick one to celebrate a show that's so close to my heart. Due to the huge number of productions across the world, this will focus on a limited number of productions. Let's talk about Les Mis.

Victor Hugo's Les Misérables (1862), which roughly translates to The Wretched Ones in English, was first published in 1862. It was written in five volumes and clocks in at around 1652 pages. Hugo began to write the novel from 1845 until 1861, when he was exiled in Guernsey. He drew on the experiences of himself, as particularly evident in Marius' political development, and on figures of the time. For instance, both Valjean and Javert were modeled on criminal mastermind Eugène-François Vidocq. It was widely well received in its time of publishing and people would queue waiting for the next volume to be published. [1] In Les Misérables, we follow the life of Jean Valjean, who famously steals a loaf of bread to feed his family, along with various characters across France's social structure as they face trials of their own. It was one of these characters who led to the musical's inception.

Upon watching Cameron Mackintosh's revival of Oliver!, Alain Boublil was reminded of Les Misérables' Gavroche in seeing the Artful Dodger. He and Claude-Michel Schönberg adapted the Hugo's novel into the musical, which premiered at the Palais des Sports in Paris in 1980. Boublil wrote the lyrics with Jean-Marc Natel whilst Schönberg composed the music. This original production was directed by Robert Hossein, who went on to direct a film adaptation of the novel which was released in 1982. The cast featured Maurice Barrier as Valjean, Jean Vallée as Javert, Rose Laurens as Fantine, Yvan Dautin and Marie-France Roussel as the Thénardiers, Gilles Buhlmann as Marius, Marianne Mille as Éponine, Fabienne Guyon as Cosette and Christian Ratellin as Enjolras. An original concept album was released in 1980 featuring some of the original cast, which reveals the differences which were made between the 1980 Paris original and what was eventually presented to audiences in 1985. It was this album which the director Peter Farago sent to Cameron Mackintosh.

Source: YouTube

Mackintosh produced the English language version with the Royal Shakespeare Company and it went on to open at the Barbican Centre on 8th October 1985. Boublil's lyrics were translated and interpreted by Herbert Kretzmer, whilst Trevor Nunn and John Caird co-directed. By its opening at the Barbican, the score had evidently undergone various changes. The tune of second song on the Original Concept Album is recognisably 'On My Own', yet it was originally written for Fantine's number, 'L’Air de la Misère'. 'Bring Him Home' was also written for Colm Wilkinson, who originated the role of Valjean at the Barbican. Characters were also cut out completely, such as Éponine's younger sister Azelma who is referenced on the French recording. In previews, there were apparently performances which lasted for six hours according to Frances Ruffelle, who originated the role of Éponine in London and Broadway, [2] and this was cut down significantly. Alongside Wilkinson and Ruffelle, the Barbican cast featured Roger Allam as Javert, Patti LuPone as Fantine, Alun Armstrong and Susan Jane Tanner as the Thénardiers, Michael Ball as Marius, Rebecca Caine as Cosette and David Burt as Enjolras. The production transferred to the Palace Theatre in the West End the same year where it remained until 2004 when it moved to the Queens Theatre (renamed the Sondheim Theatre in 2019).

Source: The Guardian

The Original London Cast Recording of Les Misérables was recorded in 1985. Even here, there are aspects of the show which were altered later in the musical's life. Cosette's single solo as an adult, 'I Saw Him Once', was cut out of productions but can be heard on this album. The overture is also recognisably different and 'Little People', Gavroche's anthem, has been editted down in later versions of the show, including the London production and the 25th anniversary touring production. It was when Les Misérables played in America at the Kennedy Centre for a pre-Broadway tryout in 1986 before opening on Broadway in 1987 that we see the changes which have lasted. This is where 'Little People' and 'I Saw Him Once' were cut, along with the editing of various songs. Wilkinson and Ruffelle returns as Valjean and Éponine, with Terrence Mann as Javert, Randy Graff as Fantine, Leo Burmester and Jennifer Butt as the Thénardiers, David Bryant as Marius, Judy Kuhn as Cosette and Michael Maguire as Enjolras.

Over the years, there have been multiple concert productions of the musical. In 1995, the 10th Anniversary Concert was staged at the Royal Albert Hall, known as the Dream Cast in Concert. For the 25th Anniversary, another concert was staged at the O2 arena and in 2019, the All-Star Staged Concert was staged at the Gielgud Theatre. This production took place during the refurbishment of the Sondheim Theatre and, like the anniversary concerts before it, was filmed. The 25th Anniversary Concert and the All-Star Staged Concert were also both shown live in cinemas. The new production of Les Misérables, which was running in London when the coronavirus pandemic hit, features elements of the 25th anniversary tour. Namely, the orchestrations, costumes and the use of Hugo's paintings in the backdrops. Most significantly, however, is the exclusion of the original London production's iconic turntable set piece. This is the production which audiences will hopefully be able to see when the West End opens up again. It is clearly recognisably Les Misérables, yet it has clearly changed since its original incarnation.

Source: Official London Theatre

Since 1980, Les Misérables has been seen by thousands of people and after opening in London in 1985, it is the longest running West End musical to ever be staged. It has been the catalyst for many people getting into musical theatre and has a significant place in theatre history. It is a huge milestone to reach its 35th anniversary and hopefully it will last for many more years.

Bibliography

[1] Culturetheque IFRU, Les Misérables - From Page to Stage to Screen, online video recording, YouTube, 30 June 2015 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4H8Uace9m4>

[2] Arion Productions, Frances Ruffelle broke her Tony Award, podcast, Spotify, 12 August 2018 <https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZcsHPjUNViqNQKP77sxKy>

'Les Mis at 25: Matt Lucas Dreams the Dream', Les Misérables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary, dir. by Nick Morris (Universal Pictures, 2010)

Les Misérables the Dream Cast in Concert, dir. by John Caird (Slony Pictures, 1995)

Les Misérables: The Staged Concert, dir. by Nick Morris (Universal Pictures, 2019)

Stage by Stage: Les Misérables, dir. by Paul Henry (Telstar Productions Limited, 1988)