Les Misérables Musical

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### Overview - **What it is:** A sung-through musical based on Victor Hugo's 1862 novel. - **Set in:** 19th-century France, spanning several decades from 1815 to 1832. - **Themes:** Justice vs. mercy, love, sacrifice, revolution, poverty, redemption. - **Key Message:** The human spirit's endurance against oppression and suffering. ### Main Characters - **Jean Valjean:** Protagonist, ex-convict, seeks redemption after 19 years in prison for stealing bread. Known for his strength and moral struggle. - **Javert:** Obsessive police inspector, relentless in his pursuit of Valjean, believing justice is absolute and unforgiving. - **Fantine:** A poor factory worker forced into prostitution to support her daughter, Cosette. Sings "I Dreamed a Dream." - **Cosette:** Fantine's daughter, raised by Valjean. Falls in love with Marius. - **Marius Pontmercy:** A young, idealistic revolutionary student. Falls in love with Cosette. - **Éponine:** Daughter of the Thénardiers, in love with Marius, despite his love for Cosette. Sings "On My Own." - **Enjolras:** Charismatic leader of the student revolutionaries. - **Thénardier & Madame Thénardier:** Corrupt, greedy innkeepers who exploit Fantine and later become petty criminals. Provide comic relief and villainy. - **Gavroche:** A brave, street-smart young boy, mascot of the revolutionaries. ### Plot Summary (Key Events) #### Act I 1. **Valjean's Release:** Jean Valjean is released from prison, breaks parole. 2. **Bishop's Mercy:** A kind Bishop saves Valjean from re-arrest, inspiring his transformation. 3. **Valjean's New Life:** Valjean becomes a wealthy factory owner and mayor under a new identity. 4. **Fantine's Downfall:** Fantine is fired from Valjean's factory, resorts to prostitution, and eventually dies in Valjean's care. 5. **Cosette's Rescue:** Valjean rescues young Cosette from the cruel Thénardiers, promising to be her guardian. 6. **Javert's Pursuit:** Javert, now a police inspector, recognizes Valjean and resumes his relentless chase. Valjean and Cosette flee. #### Act II 1. **Years Later:** Cosette is grown, Valjean is a wealthy benefactor in Paris. 2. **Student Revolutionaries:** A group of idealistic students, led by Enjolras and including Marius, plan a rebellion against the government. 3. **Love Triangle:** Marius falls for Cosette; Éponine, who loves Marius, helps them meet. 4. **The Barricade:** The students build a barricade. Gavroche, Éponine, and Valjean (seeking Marius for Cosette) join them. 5. **Tragedy at the Barricade:** Éponine dies protecting Marius. Gavroche is killed. Most students are killed in the final assault. 6. **Valjean Saves Marius:** Valjean rescues a wounded Marius through the sewers, encountering Javert again. 7. **Javert's Dilemma:** Valjean spares Javert's life. Javert, unable to reconcile Valjean's mercy with his own rigid view of justice, commits suicide. 8. **Resolution:** Marius recovers and marries Cosette. Valjean reveals his past to Marius, then dies peacefully, reunited with the spirits of Fantine and Éponine. ### Famous Songs - **"Look Down"**: Opening number, introduces the prisoners. - **"I Dreamed a Dream"**: Fantine's heartbreaking lament. - **"Master of the House"**: The Thénardiers' cynical anthem. - **"Castle on a Cloud"**: Young Cosette's hopeful song. - **"Stars"**: Javert's declaration of his unwavering mission. - **"Do You Hear the People Sing?"**: The revolutionaries' rallying cry. - **"One Day More"**: Act I finale, intertwining character storylines. - **"On My Own"**: Éponine's solo about unrequited love. - **"A Little Fall of Rain"**: Éponine's death scene with Marius. - **"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"**: Marius's sorrowful reflection on his lost friends. - **"Bring Him Home"**: Valjean's prayer for Marius. ### Historical Context - **June Rebellion (1832):** The real-life uprising by Parisian students and workers, against which the musical's climax is set. This was a relatively minor event compared to the French Revolution but serves as a powerful backdrop for the themes of struggle and idealism. - **Post-Napoleonic France:** The story begins after the fall of Napoleon, a period of political instability and social unrest, with stark divisions between the rich and the poor.