Les Miserables Review

                                                                Les Miserables Review
Title: Les Miserables
Author: Victor Hugo
Date(reviewed date): 10. 7th. 2017
Location:  The Bushnell Theater in Hartford
Director: Laurence Connor and James Powell
Major Actors: Jean Valjean- Nick Captell, Javert-Josh Davis, Fantine-Melissa Mitchell, Little Cosette- Zoe Glick/ Sophie Knapp, Marius- Joshua Grosso, Bishop of Digne-Andrew Love.

   The play starts on a slave ship. The protagonist, Jean Valjean, was on the trip as a slave for 19 years.  Right now it is the time to release him but warden Javert thinks that Jean Valjean is still dangerous so he gives Jean Valjean a parole. When he was starving and lied beside the Church's door, the bishop then saw him and gave him a supper and made him a bed to sleep. Although Bishop was being nice to Jean Valjean, his values and beliefs were already distorted. He stole the silver in the church and fled away. However, the next morning he got caught by the police and took back to the church. But the bishop said that silver were gift for Jean Valjean, and told him that he even forgot one more silver. When police left, bishop told Jean Valjean that he just wanted him to be a man who always says the truth. After Jean Valjean heard that, he repented in front of Jesus and decided to become a honest person in the future. When he was back, he became a mayor of the city and a successful business man, no one knew he was a criminal before. Then, the scene switched to his factory. Two woman was brawling and one of it was Fantine. Every women in the factory was jealous of the beauty of Fantine so they excluded her; the foreman of the factory liked her and wanted to slept her. Because Fantine rejected the foreman, she was fired. Because she was penniless and she had to raise her daughter, which is Cosette, she became a whore. She refused all of men who came here. One day when she refused a noble, Javert showed up; now Javert was a police in the town. The noble complained that Fantine insulted him and attacked him. Javert then accused her and tried to arrest her. Fortunately, Jean Valjean was just walked by and saw this. He recommended that Fantine used to be his personnel so he saved her. But Fantine suffered a lot of pains mentally and physically, she died quickly. Before she died, she begged Jean Valjean to raise the poor Cosette, and Jean Valjean agreed. When Cosette became a teenager, she fell in love with a boy who named with Marius. And Marius is a young man who wanted to overthrow the government and set people free. During the war, all Marius's friends died but he was saved by Jean Valjean. When he recovered, he married with Cosette. When he heard that he was saved by Jean Valjean and ran to visit him, he was dying. When he died, Fantine was beside him and they went to heaven. 

   The main themes in this play will be love, unfairness between different social class, and ethics. There are many different kinds of love in the play. The love between mother and daughter will be one. And the love between Cosette and Marius will be one. Jean Valjean seen Cosette as a child is another one. Unfairness also appears many times. On the slave ship, just because Javert think he was dangerous, he could not be totally free. Also, because Fantine was a whore, Javert did not listen to her words. Ethics is also one of the important one. When Jean Valjean was forgiven by the bishop, his moral principles changed. When he heard that others would replace him to be a slave, he told others he was the escapee.

   This is a musical. Every actors' lines were song out. And they have an orchestra to play the music. Sometimes the music is sad, but sometimes is cheerful. Stage lighting is also an important part. The light will concentrate on the main character or the person who is talking. When someone died, the light would then fade from him or her. Costume also plays an important role. When Jean Valjean was on the slave ship, he wore a dirty clothing, which represents he was a slave. The costumes help audience to understand the play.

   My favorite character is the male innkeeper. The main reason is that he makes audience laugh. When he came to the stage, the music changed. Before it was a sad music, but after he stood on the stage, it changed to a funny style. Also, when he said he was a honest man but he was actually not, the extreme change makes audience laugh.

   I really loved this play. The orchestra was fantastic and stage lighting makes the play even more better. The story was sad, but I can feel the love among the characters. Jean Valjean used to steal things or being dishonest, but after he was forgiven by the bishop, he decided to be a honest person and wanted to make a contribution to the society. This play tells me that even the bad guys will change their behavior and beliefs, so we should trust people around us.