Les Misérables is an iconic tragedy originally released as a novel on March 31, 1862 by author Victor Hugo. While the story is strictly fictional, the story and the setting is based off the politics of France at the time. France was going through major shifts at the time, moving between being ruled by a monarchy, republic, and then an empire. The Society of France at this time was facing poverty, famine, and a class divide between the well off and the poor. This is clearly reflected in Hugo’s story, as it follows a man by the name of Jean Valjean, an ex-prisoner who breaks parole and is now on the run from a ruthless officer, Javert. The story follows Valjean’s mission to rise from poverty, as he’s determined to find a better living for himself and others. Once he becomes mayor, he takes an orphan girl by the name of Cosette, raises her, and then enters a revolution which is meant to mirror the French Revolution (1789-1799).
Les Misérables is regarded as one of 19th centuries best stories, so it’s no surprise that many adaptions over the past two decades have been made. The story has been made into multiple movies, TV shows, additional books, fanfiction, musicals, and plays. Hernando High school’s theater have adapted the musical themselves, making it high school appropriate. This is their first show of the year, and it of course, does not disappoint. I went to a dress rehearsal, which is a fully performed practice run of the play, and was mesmerized by the vocals and acting. The story was portrayed beautifully, and you could really see how much effort the cast put into making the atmosphere gloomy, which was just what the tragic tale needed.
“I thought it was amazing!” said Amanda Luther, an audience member. “The acting and voices were solid all the way through… the overall message of the musical was clear.” Amanda went on to explain that her favorite scene was between Cosette, her love interest, Marius, and Eponine, who has a crush on Marius, forming a love triangle. The scene shows Cosette and Marius embracing behind Cosette’s gate, as they sing together, while Eponine stands in front of the gate, silently watching. This would be the perfect scene to explain all of Les Misérables, as it showcases the clear class divide, and how many of the characters in the story will never get what they desire, despite working hard.
“I think they did have to modify it to an extent…” said Emersyn Bergeron, another audience member, about how the production adapted the musical. “While I do think some of the message was lost overall, it was very good and done with taste.” Despite some of the story’s charm being lost due to restrictions of keeping it PG-13, Emersyn still had a great time watching the play, and she recommends anyone who’s interested in theater to interact with any forms of the story’s media.
Sadly, Hernando is done performing Les Misérables for the season. But don’t worry, it’s been said that the spring production will be announced within the next couple of days, so keep an eye out for that!
