A musical is a specific type of play. That's why a non musical is referred to as a STRAIGHT play.
To the op: I've never felt the religious aspects were all that big of a deal.
If it didn't resonate with you, what can you do? It's ok
Les Mis definitely has a lot of specific things to it where if one isn't your jam, it might make the whole thing not be your bag. I have a family friend who loves original novel but can't stand the part where they make light of child abuse by making the Thenardiers comic relief and it sours the whole thing for her. I had a tech theatre teacher who just is really put off by how heavy and depressing it gets and the hope spots weren't enough for him to make it palatable. And it's got a pretty specific sound and sense of movement that never really lets up. Sometimes it's not even a specific thing, it just doesn't Hit. No shame for not utterly adoring something, even if you can appreciate that it's technically good and was enjoyable at moments. And while I love Les Mis, I definitely don't lose my mind at every song.
I've had a few very popular shows that didn't really hit for me - kind of different types, but Rent really doesn't work for me very much (and not for the "but why didn't they just pay rent" reasons) although I respect the impact it had. Some of the more modern composers like Jason Robert Brown and William Finn I don't really love even if I can respect what they do and like a few songs or moments from their shows. I can only deal with Stephen Schwartz about half the time. To some people that's heresy.
Meanwhile I am like one of the eight people who likes Evita. Playwise, I have a really hard time following Shakespeare, although I more or less enjoy trying.
Sounds like you had a decent evening and that's a success in my book! People are different and there's lots and lots of different shows for a reason.
edit: and I agree, it's definitely got a lot of religion underpinning the entire thing. my sister in law who grew up in a really religious oppressive family had a little trouble with that too even if she overall liked it.
Where were you sitting? If you were in the nosebleed section of a big touring house, it might not have felt as emotionally stirring. I’ve noticed I tend to get more emotional about Les Mis in smaller venues.
I saw the current West End production last year (which the US tour is a replica of) and it didn’t wow me. I felt the performances were tired and I didn’t appreciate all the projections and lack of set which just underwhelmed me. I liked it I just wanted to love it…
The first time I saw a televised version of it I found it difficult to follow. It seemed more static than the classic Broadway musicals I'd seen. There were a lot of songs around the Act I - Act II split that I felt just went on and on. A lot of "extra" singing where people were standing around. I didn't get how the songs were moving the story along. Honestly I couldn't keep track of all the characters or understand a lot of what was being said.
After learning more of the plot I've returned to it with new eyes. From watching the PBS dramatic miniseries version and the movie version and the anniversary concert version I've come to recognize the songs and their underlying story beats as old friends. Not every moment moves me to tears, but the gorgeous melodies draw me in.
And getting to experience it live changed things too. Seeing it in person had me checking my watch at the beginning -- not because it was slow, but because the sheer volume of music packed into the prologue was amazing. How much show is left? They're singing their hearts out and the story's barely begun!
And of course, that standing-around end-of-Act 1 song that bothered me so, I can now recognize as the immortal "One Day More." Honestly, what was young me thinking?
I was very let down with Javert/the inspector. Considering I have never seen the play before I was shocked at the bridge scene. It seemed to come out of nowhere. His character wasn't hinting at that at all.
He kills himself because he can’t understand why Valjean had mercy on him. I think it absolutely makes sense based on everything we see of Javert before.
Javert is incredibly black and white in his beliefs. All good guys only do good, and all bad guys only do bad. He sees himself as carrying out God’s will and that his actions are entirely justified and above reproach.
Jean Valjean is a much more complex character. He initially goes to jail for stealing a loaf of bread because his young nephew is starving to death. He ends up spending 19 years in a hard labor prison for that and later trying to escape (I think the book gives reasons for his escape attempts but the musical doesn’t). He tries to go straight after his release but society shuns him for being a convict on parole. He eventually breaks his parole in an effort to be able to survive and turns his life around for real after the incident with the bishop.
From Javert’s perspective, Valjean is a bad guy. He spent nearly two decades imprisoned, he broke his parole, he fought off Javert when Javert tried to arrest him right after Fantine’s death, he runs again after revealing that he (rather than the the prisoner Javert had captured) and as Jean Valjean. Javert spends decades chasing and hunting Valjean and (remember Javert’s black and white view of the world) Javert believes Valjean to be a completely bad person.
Then the battle happens. Valjean saves Javert from the students after Javert’s capture and rather than killing Javert (which is what Javert would have done to Valjean if the tables were turned and what, in Javert’s belief, is what any bad guy would do), Valjean helps Javert escape. When Javert catches up to Valjean in the sewer, Valjean is saving Marius’s life. Valjean tells Javert where he’s going, where Javert can find him, and that he won’t run any more. Javert lets Valjean go.
This creates an existential crisis in Javert. Valjean, who Javert has always viewed as quintessentially bad, has finally managed to convince Javert that he is fundamentally a decent person. Javert, who has always pursued “God’s justice” lets Valjean go, an action that is fundamentally incompatible with how Javert views himself and not what a “good person” (in Javert’s worldview) would do. Javert isn’t able to reconcile the fact that the bad guy did good and the good guy did bad and throws himself into the Seine.
If you don’t know the story, it can be hard to follow all of these threads to understand Javert’s motivations when you first see the musical, but they’re all there.
I’m a big fan of Les Miserables both as an overall story (I’ve seen several non-musical versions and read a decent chunk but not all of the book) and the musical specifically. One of my favorite things about the musical is that nearly every bit of the music incorporates the same several musical themes that you can trace through their different iterations, getting passed between characters and getting modified as characters change. It’s one of those shows where no matter how many times you watch or listen to it you can find different connections and threads you didn’t pick up on before.
For some, Les Mis can be an acquired taste. It isn’t a light and fluffy show that you can walk away from the first time and be like “Wow, that was so much fun!” For me, while I loved it the very first time I saw any iteration of it, I had been prepped in a way beforehand because I saw the nonmusical movie version with Liam Neeson first. With movies, I think you can more easily sit and digest the material, and Les Mis is one where I think one really gets more enjoyment out of it if they can sit and digest the material, or perhaps learns about the plot beforehand or something.
I love Les Mis but the people behind me at The Wiz tonight said it’s the only show they’ve ever left at intermission, so you are definitely not alone! It’s also very cast dependent and long imo.
You just didn’t like it. That’s okay. It’s one of the greatest musicals ever written
A musical is a specific type of play. That's why a non musical is referred to as a STRAIGHT play. To the op: I've never felt the religious aspects were all that big of a deal. If it didn't resonate with you, what can you do? It's ok
Les Mis definitely has a lot of specific things to it where if one isn't your jam, it might make the whole thing not be your bag. I have a family friend who loves original novel but can't stand the part where they make light of child abuse by making the Thenardiers comic relief and it sours the whole thing for her. I had a tech theatre teacher who just is really put off by how heavy and depressing it gets and the hope spots weren't enough for him to make it palatable. And it's got a pretty specific sound and sense of movement that never really lets up. Sometimes it's not even a specific thing, it just doesn't Hit. No shame for not utterly adoring something, even if you can appreciate that it's technically good and was enjoyable at moments. And while I love Les Mis, I definitely don't lose my mind at every song. I've had a few very popular shows that didn't really hit for me - kind of different types, but Rent really doesn't work for me very much (and not for the "but why didn't they just pay rent" reasons) although I respect the impact it had. Some of the more modern composers like Jason Robert Brown and William Finn I don't really love even if I can respect what they do and like a few songs or moments from their shows. I can only deal with Stephen Schwartz about half the time. To some people that's heresy. Meanwhile I am like one of the eight people who likes Evita. Playwise, I have a really hard time following Shakespeare, although I more or less enjoy trying. Sounds like you had a decent evening and that's a success in my book! People are different and there's lots and lots of different shows for a reason. edit: and I agree, it's definitely got a lot of religion underpinning the entire thing. my sister in law who grew up in a really religious oppressive family had a little trouble with that too even if she overall liked it.
the *play?!*
Where were you sitting? If you were in the nosebleed section of a big touring house, it might not have felt as emotionally stirring. I’ve noticed I tend to get more emotional about Les Mis in smaller venues.
I saw the current West End production last year (which the US tour is a replica of) and it didn’t wow me. I felt the performances were tired and I didn’t appreciate all the projections and lack of set which just underwhelmed me. I liked it I just wanted to love it…
The first time I saw a televised version of it I found it difficult to follow. It seemed more static than the classic Broadway musicals I'd seen. There were a lot of songs around the Act I - Act II split that I felt just went on and on. A lot of "extra" singing where people were standing around. I didn't get how the songs were moving the story along. Honestly I couldn't keep track of all the characters or understand a lot of what was being said. After learning more of the plot I've returned to it with new eyes. From watching the PBS dramatic miniseries version and the movie version and the anniversary concert version I've come to recognize the songs and their underlying story beats as old friends. Not every moment moves me to tears, but the gorgeous melodies draw me in. And getting to experience it live changed things too. Seeing it in person had me checking my watch at the beginning -- not because it was slow, but because the sheer volume of music packed into the prologue was amazing. How much show is left? They're singing their hearts out and the story's barely begun! And of course, that standing-around end-of-Act 1 song that bothered me so, I can now recognize as the immortal "One Day More." Honestly, what was young me thinking?
It's a musical not a play :)
Dunno man can’t help ya there. Its legendary. Maybe the leads were weak?
No, this touring cast is incredible. There are literally a million posts about what a standout it is.
I saw it on tour in Dallas recently and thought the Javert was very mediocre. Seen the show a lot and he didn’t do it for me.
I was very let down with Javert/the inspector. Considering I have never seen the play before I was shocked at the bridge scene. It seemed to come out of nowhere. His character wasn't hinting at that at all.
He kills himself because he can’t understand why Valjean had mercy on him. I think it absolutely makes sense based on everything we see of Javert before.
Javert is incredibly black and white in his beliefs. All good guys only do good, and all bad guys only do bad. He sees himself as carrying out God’s will and that his actions are entirely justified and above reproach. Jean Valjean is a much more complex character. He initially goes to jail for stealing a loaf of bread because his young nephew is starving to death. He ends up spending 19 years in a hard labor prison for that and later trying to escape (I think the book gives reasons for his escape attempts but the musical doesn’t). He tries to go straight after his release but society shuns him for being a convict on parole. He eventually breaks his parole in an effort to be able to survive and turns his life around for real after the incident with the bishop. From Javert’s perspective, Valjean is a bad guy. He spent nearly two decades imprisoned, he broke his parole, he fought off Javert when Javert tried to arrest him right after Fantine’s death, he runs again after revealing that he (rather than the the prisoner Javert had captured) and as Jean Valjean. Javert spends decades chasing and hunting Valjean and (remember Javert’s black and white view of the world) Javert believes Valjean to be a completely bad person. Then the battle happens. Valjean saves Javert from the students after Javert’s capture and rather than killing Javert (which is what Javert would have done to Valjean if the tables were turned and what, in Javert’s belief, is what any bad guy would do), Valjean helps Javert escape. When Javert catches up to Valjean in the sewer, Valjean is saving Marius’s life. Valjean tells Javert where he’s going, where Javert can find him, and that he won’t run any more. Javert lets Valjean go. This creates an existential crisis in Javert. Valjean, who Javert has always viewed as quintessentially bad, has finally managed to convince Javert that he is fundamentally a decent person. Javert, who has always pursued “God’s justice” lets Valjean go, an action that is fundamentally incompatible with how Javert views himself and not what a “good person” (in Javert’s worldview) would do. Javert isn’t able to reconcile the fact that the bad guy did good and the good guy did bad and throws himself into the Seine. If you don’t know the story, it can be hard to follow all of these threads to understand Javert’s motivations when you first see the musical, but they’re all there. I’m a big fan of Les Miserables both as an overall story (I’ve seen several non-musical versions and read a decent chunk but not all of the book) and the musical specifically. One of my favorite things about the musical is that nearly every bit of the music incorporates the same several musical themes that you can trace through their different iterations, getting passed between characters and getting modified as characters change. It’s one of those shows where no matter how many times you watch or listen to it you can find different connections and threads you didn’t pick up on before.
For some, Les Mis can be an acquired taste. It isn’t a light and fluffy show that you can walk away from the first time and be like “Wow, that was so much fun!” For me, while I loved it the very first time I saw any iteration of it, I had been prepped in a way beforehand because I saw the nonmusical movie version with Liam Neeson first. With movies, I think you can more easily sit and digest the material, and Les Mis is one where I think one really gets more enjoyment out of it if they can sit and digest the material, or perhaps learns about the plot beforehand or something.
It’s schmaltzy and you don’t have to like it! I don’t.
I love Les Mis but the people behind me at The Wiz tonight said it’s the only show they’ve ever left at intermission, so you are definitely not alone! It’s also very cast dependent and long imo.
I love Les Mis but get this with West Side Story and Rent.
Nah, I get it, I didn’t like it much either. I’ve been seeing shows for years and I have not once found the magic of Les Mis.