Musical Review

Les Miserables

Title: Les Misrables

Author: Victor Hugo

Director: Jennifer Guarino

Date I viewed: 2. 23, 2018 

Location: The Black Box Theater of Cheshire Academy

Main Actors: Lexi Williamson---Jean Valjean, Jenna Denomme---Javert, Julia rafferty---Fantine, Ruth Berganross---Gavroche, Aaron Luo---Marius, Maggie Guarino-Trier---Cosette.

The Les Miserables is about a criminal named Jean Valjean his criminal number is 24601.He becomes a criminal because he steals a bread for his starving nephew, so he be punished, he has to stay in Jail for five years. While in the prison he is trying to escape, so the prison add fourteen years for Jean Valjean. Jean Valjean has to stay nineteen year in the prison. In 1815 Jean Valjean should be released, but the head of the prison thinks Jean Valjean is very danger so Javert gives Jean Valjean a conditional release. After Jean Valjean leave the Jail he went to a church, at that night Jean Valjean steals the silver from the church. But Jean Valjean is catched by the police, but the pope says the silver is he giveing to Jean Valjean. After that Jean Valjean thinks he won't stealing anymore, then he destroys the conditional release and change the name to Madland. He becomes a mayor of the town and he has a industry in the town. Javert also become the police in that town. One day when Jean Valjean begins to save a person who was pinned down by the carriage. Javert seem the Madland as Jean Valjean. One day night when Jean Valjean sees a women be punished by the police, he save that women and recognized the women is Fantine. After fantine died Jean Valjean promise that he will protect Cosetter. Jean Valjean goes to the bar of Thenardier and owned Cosette. When Cosette grow up the war begin in France. Marius and his wealthy friends wants to stop the war they against the army. During the process Marius met Cosette and he falls in love with Cosette. During the wart Jean Valjean saved Marius and ran from Javert. Javert can't understand why he let Jean Valjean leave, then he jump in the river and died. After the war Marius and Cosette wants to have the marriage. Mr and Ms Thenardier tell them Jean Valjean saved Marius. Then Marius takes Cosette to the church and find Jean Valjean, in the end Jean Valjean died.

I think the theme is about the people during the wartime finding the hope. Everyone has their own way to find the hope. People in the wartime didn't give up they trying to believe their belief. Jean Valjean was a thief before, after the pope pardoned Jean Valjean, he felt the power from his belief. Then Jean Valjean used his entire life to become kind. He did many kind thing to others. He is not perfect but I think he is the person Hugo wants to depict. This play described Jean Valjean, it involved people' s feeling in the wartime and how people trying to survive. I think the director wants to let the audience to pay attention to the war scene, The worriers fall down one by one. Everyone was trying to fight with the army from the French.

For the staging, director use many triangle pillar to be the background. It's very efficiently. The Director can use this for three different scenes. The background of the bar and the marriage. On the stage there is a bridge it's is very useful for many scenes such when Gavroche go through the shelte, he can standing on the stage. When Javert jump into the river he can standing on the bridge. When Enjolras is giving a speech he can standing on the bridge. When the war begin the light was shining and produce the sound of sound. In the beginning of the play, it played the music, it's like a song to courage the workers to work. It also showed that the workers have to stay in the prison. At night when little cosette met Jean Valjean the color of the sce is black and the blue light was pint on Jean Valjean and Cosette. The music in the background showed the silence of the night. The costume for Jean Valjean in the prison is very ragged, after he become the mayor he gets better suit. The costume for others is classic style. Jean Valjean and Javert was the Main character, these two people standing on the stage that is close to the audience. In order to let the audience heard their voice. Like the character acted by Ray, Nate and Olivia they standing much further than Jean Valjean and Javert. Because these character is not very important.

The actor I like is Ruth Berganross. I like this actor because the character she created is very successful. The chararcter she created is Gavroche. This character gives me a good first impression. I can remember what did he do in the play. When Gavroche enter the stage he is the only person who has smile on the face. Everyone on the stage looks sad and helpless. But Gavroche looks optimistic. During the war the student army finds out that they don't have enough bullets and food, they looks hopeless. No one wants to help them. Gavroche said he will get these thing from the army from the country. But he killed by the French army. This character in the play always has smile on his face. This character brings hope to others, he courage others that just people will win the war. The actor Ruth Berganross put emotion inside the character. I can feel optimistic from this character. In the play Ruth Berganross also add the body language to express the emotion of the character. She also changed the volume and tone to show the different emotion in different condition.

I like this play. It's different from the play I watched in Hartford, the director of this play delete some details from the play. It's different feeling when I watched second time. When I watch this play in Hartford, sometime I don't know the meaning of some words or the meaning of the scene. For the second time I have different perspective I know why did Jean Valjean go to save Marius and why did he become a kind person. I understand more about the deep meaning of the play. I know what kind of character does Hugo wants to depict.