People and the People

People and the People

Review of  the BUSHNELL's Les Misérables
By Aaron Luo

Les Misérables

By Victor Hugo, Directed by Laurence Connor and James PowellOctober 7, 3 p.m.Mortensen Hall, Hartford

Major Characters:

Jean Valjean:--------------------------------------------------------------Nick Cartell

Javert:--------------------------------------------------------------------Josh Davis

The Bishop of Digne:-------------------------------------------------------Andrew Love

Fantine: --------------------------------------------------------------Melissa Mitchell

Cosette: -----------------------------------------------------------------Jillian Butler

Éponine: ----------------------------------------------------------------Phoenix Best

Thénardier:------------------------------------------------------------J Anthony Crane

Madame Thénardier: -------------------------------------------------------Allison Guinn

Marius: ----------------------------------------------------------------Joshua Grosso

       The name of the play is Les Misérables. In English, it means those miserable people. The story is big and contains many smaller pieces. However, all the smaller pieces reflect the miserable life people lived in. In loves, in hates, in the unspoken past, in the contradict self... all the elements build up an enormous, real-like world.

       The play begins with the scene that sailors are being slaved to show how hard the life was in France at the time. The story actually begins when Jean Valjean steals bread and gets into the prison. After he escapes into a church and be helped by the bishop, he tries to steal the silver, too. However, although Jean Valjean is caught again, the bishop forgives him. The forgiveness makes Jean Valjean promise to be a good person. He changes his name and becomes the mayor of another city. Meanwhile, Fantine, a worker in a factory, is fired because of her child. The child's name is Cosette. Fantine gives her child to the Thénardiers, who are mean to Cosette. Because Fantine has no money, she later sells her body to maintain life. In a conflict that Fantine involves, Javert, the police chief of the city tries to arrest Fantine. Fantine is saved by Jean Valjean. Fantine is sick and before she dies, she asks Jean Valjean for taking care of Cosette. However, Javert realizes Jean Valjean's real name and decides to hunt him down. After a fight, Jean Valjean escapes. Later, Jean Valjean comes to the Thénardier and picks up Cosette. Years later, Marius, a teenager from a noble family, falls in love with Cosette. With the Thénardiers' daughter Éponine's help, Marius gets to know Cosette and gets into a relationship. However, Éponine loves Marius. During a youth revolution, Éponine follows Marius and dies for him. Inside the rebellion, Jarvet is found as a spy. Jean Valjean, who is also a rebellion, lets Jarvet go secretly. Jarvet is ashamed and jumps into a river and dies. Many die in the revolution, Jean Valjean saves Marius. Before Marius marries Cosette, Jean Valjean tells Marius his real name and who the Jean Valjean really was. Marius is shocked and take Cosette with him and leaves Jean Valjean. However, in Marius and Cosette's marriage, Marius finds out Jean Valjean saves him in the war. Marius then goes back with Cosette to see Jean Valjean, who is in his last breathe and is about to go to heaven.

       Two themes are focused on the play. Love and Conflict. Conflict, the most straightforward way to show the misery. Jean Valjean and Javert's conflict almost plays through the entire play. Both are consistent in their faith. However, one tries to forget the past while one worship "people never change." Thus the physical conflicts between Jean Valjean and Javert are frequently played in the show. The misery here is, Javert is later be confused by his faith: Jean Valjean never changes. Javert himself's "justice" is moved, even destroyed by Jean Valjean. It is also a self-conflict and misery. Thus he kills himself, as self-punishment. 

       On the other hand, Love is harder to show the misery. Once it shows, more sadness is stimulated. The contrast between Éponine and Cosette is also one of the main lines of the story. When they are young and both be raised by the Thénardiers, Éponine is no doubt the more favorable one. She is praised by her parents while Cosette has to do house works. However, after they grow up, Éponine reluctantly helps Marius, who she likes, to reach out Cosette, while Marius cannot sense love from Éponine. In many songs or parts of a song, Éponine is separated by walls or the moonlight from Marius and Cosette. When Marius and Cosette are dating, Éponine has to see Marius from a distance, and singing in relative minor while the couples are singing in major. The loneliness that comes from love reveals Éponine's misery. She also imagines Marius' embrace as a lover that she could never touch. When she blocks a bullet for Marius, all she expects is a kiss from Marius. Her last memory of the fantasy love of Marius is a comforting pill for her but was a heartbroken moment for the audience.

       There were some really impressive elements. Overall, the production used screen often, which produce strong visual impact. I think the usage of the screen is because of the limitation of the stage: not available to change shape dramatically. However, the image on the screen incorporated with the actors well and made the disadvantage into an advantage. Especially the scene that Javert jumps into the river, it made the flat stage have a depth. In the scene that Jean Valjean carries Marius back, too: build a sense of long journey on a relatively small stage.

       Another thing that needs to be mentioned is the throng. Either in the prologue or in other major scenes, the image of People is constantly shown during the play. It is important because it keeps mentioning the audience what we see is only a few people under the society. There were many others lived in a similar life. This is what "Les Misérables" stands for. From a few representatives, we can have a glimpse of the "whole people", or, all "Les Misérables."

       Throughout the play, I like Jean Valjean the most. For my comprehension, Jean Valjean is a thoughtful person. He thought before he acts. In the play, the actor had many deliberated pauses either before moves or lines, which naturally delivers Jean Valjean's thoughtful character. He also lowered his head sometimes. Additionally, this makes the misery of him more rational: even after all the thoughts, he cannot have a perfect life. In fact, it is his thoughts that decide to shoulder every burden. When he tells Marius his life, he only speaks the bad parts. He only talks about the Jean Valjean who steals and escapes. However, the parts that how he becomes the Mayor, how he becomes rich, are all omitted. However, Jean Valjean is also a determined person. He decides to change, the changes. He decides to forgive his enemy, he forgives. He decides to be alone without Cosette, he does so. Once he makes a decision, he shoulders the consequences. His thoughtful but determined mind makes the character alive and touchable. 

       I think the play is huge. It is rich and real. After I watched the show, I sit there for moments to get back to the real life. I cannot believe a real world can fade away that quickly on the stage. Originally I feel it is too long and redundant. However, I can see most of the parts are necessary to be shown to create a real massive world. In Chinese, the name is actually "The Miserable World." Now I can see the reason: the world is people, people make up the world, and the world is an overall huge misery.