Sito ufficiale:
http://www.lesmis.com/La storia è quella del celebre romanzo di Victor Hugo.
Valjean, un carcerato condannato per aver rubato un po' di pane, viene dopo 19 anni messo in libertà vigilata. Amareggiato e deluso per il trattamento ricevuto dal mondo, per un po' va allo sbando, derubando un Vescovo che gli aveva offerto ospitalità per la notte. Catturato e riportato dal Vescovo, questo ha pietà di lui e mente alla polizia, affermando che in realtà i candelabri d'argento che aveva rubato glieli aveva dati lui come dono.
Stupito da questo atto di misericordia, Valjean decide di redimersi e cambiare vita.
Sparisce dalla circolazione, rompendo la libertà vigilata, e cambia nome, diventando il ricco e rispettato proprietario di una fabbrica e addirittura sindaco.
Un giorno, alla sua fabbrica scoppia uno scandalo: si scopre che una delle lavoratrici, Fantine, ha una figlia illegittima, che tiene nascosta da qualche parte, e il caporeparto la licenzia. Finita sulle strade, Fantine finisce per prostituisi, e, a causa di una lite con un cliente, sta per venire arrestata dal poliziotto Javert. Ma Valjean arriva e interviene, facendo in modo che venga portata in ospedale.
Mentre parlano, un carro con i cavalli impazziti travolge un uomo, e Valjean corre in suo soccorso sollevando il carro e liberandolo. Javert allora ricorda di un prigioniero che anni prima aveva rotto la sua libertà vigilata, dotato di una forza straordinaria...certo non potrebbe essere? Ma proprio in quei giorni, spiega Javert, quell'uomo è stato catturato, e sta per essere rimesso ai lavori forzati, nonostante protesti la sua innocenza. Incapace di sopportare l'idea che un innocente paghi al suo posto, Valjean rivela a Javert la sua identità, e fugge, dopo aver promesso alla moribonda Fantine di trovare e prendersi cura di sua figlia Cosette.
Cosette vive presso i spregiudicati albergatori Thenardier, che la trattano come una schiava e non hanno alcun affetto per lei, e quando Valjean viene a portarsela via sono ben lieti di cedergliela per un po' di denaro.
Nove anni dopo, Valjean e Cosette vivono a Parigi, che è in fermento per le lotte popolari. Cosette si innamora di Marius, un giovane studente rivoluzionario. Di Marius è segretamente innamorata anche Eponine, monella di strada, figlia dei Thenardier, che lui però vede solo come un'amica e non si rende conto dei suoi sentimenti.
Dopo la notizia della morte del generale Lamarque, gli studenti decidono di insorgere, e Parigi viene messa a ferro e fuoco dai combattimenti alle barricate....
gemini2116/2/2006, 14:09
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Who Am I?
[VALJEAN]
He thinks that man is me
He knew him at a glance!
That stranger he has found
This man could be my chance!
Why should I save his hide?
Why should I right this wrong
When I have come so far
And struggled for so long?
If I speak, I am condemned.
If I stay silent, I am damned!
I am the master of hundreds of workers.
They all look to me.
How can I abandon them?
How would they live
If I am not free?
If I speak, I am condemned.
If I stay silent, I am damned!
Who am I?
Can I condemn this man to slavery
Pretend I do not feel his agony
This innocent who bears my face
Who goes to judgement in my place
Who am I?
Can I conceal myself for evermore?
Pretend I'm not the man I was before?
And must my name until I die
Be no more than an alibi?
Must I lie?
How can I ever face my fellow men?
How can I ever face myself again?
My soul belongs to God, I know
I made that bargain long ago
He gave me hope when hope was gone
He gave me strength to journey on
[He appears in front of the court]
Who am I? Who am I?
I am Jean Valjean!
[He unbuttons his shirt to reveal the number tattooed to his chest]
And so Javert, you see it's true
That man bears no more guilt than you!
Who am I?
24601!
Master of the House
DRINKER THREE
Come on you old pest
DRINKER TWO
Fetch a bottle of your best
DRINKER ONE
What's the nectar of the day?
(Thenardier enters with a flask of wine)
THENARDIER
Here, try this lot
Guaranteed to hit the spot
Or I'm not Thenardier
DRINKERS
Gissa glass a rum
Landlord, over here!
THENARDIER
Right away, you scum (to himself)
Right away, m'sieur (to customer)
DINER ONE
God this place has gone to hell
DINER TWO
So you tell me every year
DRINKER SIX
Mine host Thenardier
He was there so they say,
At the field of Waterloo
DRINKER SEVEN
Got there, it's true
When the fight was all through
DRINKER ONE
But he knew just what to do
Crawling through the mud
So I've heard it said
Picking through the pockets
Of the English dead
DRINKER EIGHT
He made a tidy score
From the spoils of war
THENARDIER
My band of soaks
My den of dissolutes
My dirty jokes, my always pissed as newts.
My sons of whores
Spent their lives in my inn
Homing pigeons homing in
They fly through my doors
And their money's as good as yours
DINER ONE
Ain't got a clue
What he put in this stew
Must have scraped it off the street
DINER TWO
God what a wine!
Chateau Neuf de Turpentine
Must have pressed it with his feet
DRINKERS
Landlord over here!
Where's the bloody man?
One more for the road!
Thenardier, one more slug o' gin.
GIRL
Just one more, or my old man is gonna do me in.
(Thenardier greets a new customer)
THENARDIER
Welcome, M'sieur
Sit yourself down
And meet the best
Innkeeper in town
As for the rest,
All of 'em crooks
Rooking their guests
And cooking the books.
Seldom do you see
Honest men like me
A gent of good intent
Who's content to be
Master of the house
Doling out the charm
Ready with a handshake
And an open palm
Tells a saucy tale
Makes a little stir
Customers appreciate a bon-viveur
Glad to do a friend a favor
Doesn't cost me to be nice
But nothing gets you nothing
Everything has got a little price!
Master of the house
Keeper of the zoo
Ready to relieve 'em
Of a sou or two
Watering the wine
Making up the weight
Pickin' up their knick-knacks
When they can't see straight
Everybody loves a landlord
Everybody's bosom friend
I do whatever pleases
Jesus! Won't I bleed 'em in the end!
THENARDIER & CHORUS
Master of the house
Quick to catch yer eye
Never wants a passerby
To pass him by
Servant to the poor
Butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher,
And lifelong mate!
Everybody's boon companion
Everybody's chaperone
THENARDIER
But lock up your valises
Jesus! Won't I skin you to the bone!
(To another new customer)
THENARDIER
Enter M'sieur
Lay down your load
Unlace your boots
And rest from the road
(Taking his bag)
This weighs a ton
Travel's a curse
But here we strive
To lighten your purse
Here the goose is cooked
Here the fat is fried
And nothing's overlooked
Till I'm satisfied...
Food beyond compare
Food beyond belief
Mix it in a mincer
And pretend it's beef
Kidney of a horse
Liver of a cat
Filling up the sausages
With this and that
Residents are more than welcome
Bridal suite is occupied
Reasonable charges
Plus some little extras on the side!
Charge 'em for the lice
Extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice
Here a little slice
There a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks he knows
How it all increases
All those bits and pieces
Jesus! It's amazing how it grows!
THENARDIER AND CHORUS
Master of the house
Quick to catch yer eye
Never wants a passerby
To pass him by
Servant to the poor
Butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher,
And lifelong mate!
Everybody's boon companion
Gives 'em everything he's got
THENARDIER
Dirty bunch of geezers
Jesus! What a sorry little lot!
MME. THENARDIER
I used to dream
That I would meet a prince
But God Almighty,
Have you seen what's happened since?
`Master of the house?'
Isn't worth me spit!
`Comforter, philosopher'
- and lifelong shit!
Cunning little brain
Regular Voltaire
Thinks he's quite a lover
But there's not much there
What a cruel trick of nature
Landed me with such a louse
God knows how I've lasted
Living with this bastard in the house!
THENARDIER & CHORUS
Master of the house.
MME. THENARDIER
Master and a half!
THENARDIER & CHORUS
Comforter, philosopher
MME. THENARDIER
Ah, don't make me laugh!
THENARDIER & CHORUS
Servant to the poor. Butler to the great.
MME. THENARDIER
Hypocrite and toady and inebriate!
THENARDIER & CHORUS
Everybody bless the landlord!
Everybody bless his spouse!
THENARDIER
Everybody raise a glass
MME. THENARDIER
Raise it up the master's arse.
ALL
Everybody raise a glass to the master of the house!
Stars
JAVERT
There, out in the darkness
A fugitive running
Fallen from grace
Fallen from grace
God be my witness
I never shall yield
Till we come face to face
Till we come face to face
He knows his way in the dark
Mine is the way of the Lord
And those who follow the path of the righteous
Shall have their reward
And if they fall
As Lucifer fell
The flame
The sword!
Stars
In your multitudes
Scarce to be counted
Filling the darkness
With order and light
You are the sentinels
Silent and sure
Keeping watch in the night
Keeping watch in the night
You know your place in the sky
You hold your course and your aim
And each in your season
Returns and returns
And is always the same
And if you fall as Lucifer fell
You fall in flame!
And so it has been and so it is written
On the doorway to paradise
That those who falter and those who fall
Must pay the price!
Lord let me find him
That I may see him
Safe behind bars
I will never rest
Till then
This I swear
This I swear by the stars!
GAVROCHE
That inspector thinks he's something
But it's me who runs this town!
And my theater never closes
And the curtain's never down
Trust Gavroche, have no fear
Don't you worry, auntie dear,
You can always find me here!
Red and Black - The ABC Cafe
(The ABC Cafe, where the students, led by Enjolras, meet to discuss their revolutionary plans)
COMBEFERRE
At Notre Dame the sections are prepared!
FEUILLY
At rue de Bac they're straining at the leash!
COURFEYRAC
Students, workers, everyone
There's a river on the run
Like the flowing of the tide
Paris coming to our side!
ENJORAS
The time is near
So near it's stirring the blood in their veins!
And yet beware
Don't let the wine go to your brains!
For the army we fight is a dangerous foe
With the men and the arms that we never can match
It is easy to sit here and swat 'em like flies
But the national guard will be harder to catch.
We need a sign
To rally the people
To call them to arms
To bring them in line!
(Marius enters)
Marius, you're late.
JOLY
What's wrong today?
You look as if you've seen a ghost.
GRANTAIRE
Some wine and say what's going on!
MARIUS
A ghost you say... a ghost maybe
She was just like a ghost to me
One minute there, and she was gone!
GRANTAIRE
I am agog!
I am aghast!
Is Marius in love at last?
I've never heard him `ooh' and `aah'
You talk of battles to be won
And here he comes like Don Ju-an
It's better than an o-per-a!
ENJOLRAS
It is time for us all
To decide who we are
Do we fight for the right
To a night at the opera now?
Have you asked of yourselves
What's the price you might pay?
Is it simply a game
For rich young boys to play?
The color of the world
Is changing day by day...
Red - the blood of angry men!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to dawn!
Black - the night that ends at last!
MARIUS
Had you been there tonight
You might know how it feels
To be struck to the bone
In a moment of breathless delight!
Had you been there tonight
You might also have known
How the world may be changed
In just one burst of light!
And what was right seems wrong
And what was wrong seems right!
GRANTAIRE
Red...
MARIUS
I feel my soul on fire!
GRANTAIRE
Black...
MARIUS
My world if she's not there!
ALL
Red...
MARIUS
The color of desire!
ALL
Black...
MARIUS
The color of despair!
ENJOLRAS
Marius, you're no longer a child
I do not doubt you mean it well
But now there is a higher call.
Who cares about your lonely soul?
We strive toward a larger goal
Our little lives don't count at all!
ALL
Red - the blood of angry men!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to dawn!
Black - the night that ends at last!
ENJOLRAS
Well, Courfeyrac, do we have all the guns?
Feuilly, Combeferre, our time is running short.
Grantaire, put the bottle down!
Do we have the guns we need?
GRANTAIRE
Give me brandy on my breath
And I'll breathe them all to death!
COURFEYRAC
In St. Antoine they're with us to a man!
COMBEFERRE
In Notre Dame they're tearing up the stones!
FEUILLY
Twenty rifles good as new!
(Gavroche rushes in shouting)
GAVROCHE
Listen!
JOLY
Twenty rounds for every man!
GAVROCHE
Listen to me!
JEAN PROUVAIRE
Double that in Port St. Cloud!
GAVROCHE
Listen everybody!
LESGLES
Seven guns in St. Martin!
GAVROCHE
General Lamarque is dead!
ENJOLRAS
Lamarque is dead.
Lamarque! His death is the hour of fate.
The people's man.
His death is the sign we await!
On his funeral day they will honor his name.
It's a rallying cry that will reach every ear!
In the death of Lamarque we will kindle the flame
They will see that the day of salvation is near!
The time is near!
Let us welcome it gladly with courage and cheer
Let us take to the streets with no doubt in our hearts
But a jubilant shout
They will come one and all
They will come when we call!
Do You Hear the People Sing?
ENJOLRAS
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
COMBEFERRE
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Courfeyrac:
Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!
ALL
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
FEUILLY
Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!
ALL
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
One Day More!
VALJEAN
One day more!
Another day, another destiny.
This never-ending road to Calvary;
These men who seem to know my crime
Will surely come a second time.
One day more!
MARIUS
I did not live until today.
How can I live when we are parted?
VALJEAN
One day more.
MARIUS & COSETTE
Tomorrow you'll be worlds away
And yet with you, my world has started!
EPONINE
One more day all on my own.
MARIUS & COSETTE
Will we ever meet again?
EPONINE
One more day with him not caring.
MARIUS & COSETTE
I was born to be with you.
EPONINE
What a life I might have known.
MARIUS & COSETTE
And I swear I will be true!
EPONINE
But he never saw me there!
ENJOLRAS
One more day before the storm!
MARIUS
Do I follow where she goes?
ENJOLRAS
At the barricades of freedom.
MARIUS
Shall I join my brothers there?
ENJOLRAS
When our ranks begin to form
MARIUS
Do I stay; and do I dare?
ENJOLRAS
Will you take your place with me?
ALL
The time is now, the day is here
VALJEAN
One day more!
JAVERT
One more day to revolution,
We will nip it in the bud!
I will join these little schoolboys,
They will wet themselves with blood!
VALJEAN
One day more!
M. & MME. THENARDIER
Watch 'em run amuck,
Catch 'em as they fall,
Never know your luck
When there's a free for all,
Here a little `dip'
There a little `touch'
Most of them are goners
So they won't miss much!
Students (2 Groups)
1: One day to a new beginning
2: Raise the flag of freedom high!
1: Every man will be a king
2: Every man will be a king
1: There's a new world for the winning
2: There's a new world to be won
ALL
Do you hear the people sing?
MARIUS
My place is here, I fight with you!
VALJEAN
One day more!
MARIUS & COSETTE
I did not live until today.
EPONINE
One more day all on my own!
MARIUS & COSETTE
How can I live when we are parted?
JAVERT(overlapping)
I will join these people's heros
I will follow where they go
I will learn their little Secrets,
I will know the things they know.
VALJEAN
One day more!
MARIUS & COSETTE
Tomorrow you'll be worlds away
EPONINE
What a life I might have known!
MARIUS & COSETTE
And yet with you my world has started
JAVERT(overlapping)
One more day to revolution
We will nip it in the bud
We'll be ready for these
Schoolboys
THENARDIERS(overlapping)
Watch 'em run amok
Catch 'em as they fall
Never know your luck
When there's a free-for-all!
VALJEAN
Tomorrow we'll be far away,
Tomorrow is the judgement day
ALL
Tomorrow we'll discover
What our God in Heaven has in store!
One more dawn
One more day
One day more!
On My Own
EPONINE
And now I'm all alone again
Nowhere to go no one to turn to,
Did not want your money sir
I came out here coz i was told to
And now the night is near
Now I can make believe he's here.
Sometimes I walk alone at night
When everybody else is sleeping
I think of him and then I'm happy
With the company I'm keeping
The city goes to bed
And I can live inside my head.
On my own
Pretending he's beside me
All alone, I walk with him till morning
Without him
I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way I close my eyes
And he has found me
In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me for ever and forever
And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say, there's a way for us
I love him
But when the night is over
He is gone, the river's just a river
Without him the world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere
The streets are full of strangers
I love him
But every day I'm learning
All my life I've only been pretending
Without me his world will go on turning
A world that's full of happiness
That I have never known!
I love him
I love him
I love him
But only on my own.
Bring Him Home
(Valjean is standing over Marius at the barricade)
VALJEAN
God on high
Hear my prayer
In my need
You have always been there
He is young
He's afraid
Let him rest
Heaven blessed.
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home.
He's like the son I might have known
If God had granted me a son.
The summers die
One by one
How soon they fly
On and on
And I am old
And will be gone.
Bring him peace
Bring him joy
He is young
He is only a boy
You can take
You can give
Let him be
Let him live
If I die, let me die
Let him live
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home.
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
(Marius, recovering from his wounds, imagines he is back at the ABC cafe)
MARIUS
There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone.
Here they talked of revolution.
Here it was they lit the flame.
Here they sang about `tomorrow'
And tomorrow never came.
From the table in the corner
They could see a world reborn
And they rose with voices ringing
I can hear them now!
The very words that they had sung
Became their last communion
On the lonely barricade at dawn.
Oh my friends, my friends forgive me
(The ghosts of those who died on the barricade appear)
That I live and you are gone.
There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on.
Phantom faces at the window.
Phantom shadows on the floor.
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will meet no more.
(The ghosts fade away)
Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me
What your sacrifice was for
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will sing no more.
gemini2120/2/2006, 21:18
Ho trovato questa recensione fatta per il ventennale del musical
http://www.amicidelmusical.it/web/20anni.html
VENT'ANNI DI EMOZIONI8 Ottobre 2005. Il giorno dello storico ventennale dei Miserabili è stato il piu' bel giorno della mia vita di performer-appassionato di musical. Erano mesi che la serata di sabato era sold out, ma una gentile mascherina del Queen's Theatre (in realtà era Mary Poppins...) non mi ha tolto la speranza, consigliandomi comunque di presentarmi un'oretta prima dell'inizio dello spettacolo... e così ho fatto. Beh...insomma...come dire.....sono riuscito a farmi vendere da una americana oversize un biglietto (il marito aveva comprato per la stessa sera dei biglietti per mamma mia) alla cifra miracolosa di 12.70 pound (meno di una pizza a Roma). Ero al settimo cielo: alle 18.30 mi accingo ad attraversare il foyer del Queen's Theatre emozionato ed eccitato come un bambino di 8 anni e comincio ad intravedere volti che mi erano abbastanza familiari, ma lo spettacolo stava per iniziare e sono dovuto scappare in piccionaia dove avevo il mio posto e dove, ad attendere me e gli altri spettatori, c'era una busta con dentro un calice (di plastica ma a me sembrava il più bel regalo del mondo) con la faccina di Cosette per brindare alla fine dello show. Fin dalle prime note era chiaro che la serata sarebbe stata pervasa da una particolare magia ma sopratutto da una forte energia da parte di tutto il cast della serata: note di merito vanno alla straordinario (gli aggettivi non bastano) John Owen Jones che ha regalato al suo pubblico un Jean Valjean palpitante (il soliloquy iniziale era da brividi) , sottolineando ogni sfumatura melodica e dando nuova vita a tutta la partitura (che conosco a memoria avendo già visto lo show diverse volte e che nonostante tutto è stata arrichita dalla sua mitica performance)
; a Kerry Ellis che ha magistralmente interpretato Fantine (I dreamed a dream ha fatto venire giù il teatro e anche la sua morte è stata molto credibile), ai Thenardier infidi e grotteschi come non mai, interpretati da due colonne del musical inglese Barry James e Claire Moore, all'Enjolras di Shaun Escoffery (bravissimo e sexy... l'ultima volta ne avevo visto uno uscito da Pop Idol) e anche a una Cosette di Julia Möller finalmente libera da interpretazioni di bambolina statica dell'ottocento (come solitamente la interpretano). Per quello che riguarda Javert (non l'avevo mai visto fatto da un attore di colore) di Cornell John vocalmente non mi ha stregato anche se come attore era strepitoso (nel suo soliloquio finale è stato molto intenso sopratutto nel momento in cui comincia a cedere "How can I now allow this man/To hold dominion over me?/This desperate man whom I have hunted/He gave me my life/He gave me freedom); Marius e Eponime, vocalmente molto bravi, non mi hanno invece convinto come attori sopratutto in uno dei miei pezzi preferiti "A little fall of rain": la scelta di fare il blocking fronte pubblico (solitamente l'ho visto sempre fare di tre quarti) me li ha improvvisamente trasportati in una dimensione da Beautiful. Immaginate Les Miserables fatto con un energia unica e vi sembrerà uno spettacolo fresco e vitale (nel passaggio dal Palace al Queen ho avuto l'impressione che alcuni momenti dello spettacolo siano stati rivisti e rinfrescati nella regia e nei costumi con particolare rilevanza per "The Wedding Chorale" e "Beggars at the Feast) e per nulla lungo (le 3 ore mi sono volate). E adesso andiamo al gossip: dopo un primo tempo in piccionaia (con coppia di americani che mi ha rimpinzato di dolcetti) ho deciso di compiere la mia conquista delle barricate spostandomi in platea; appena imbocco il foyer adiacente alla platea mi sembrava di essere gia' nel mio sogno preferito:due o tre Jean Valjean, due o tre Enjolras dei cast passati mi sono passati accanto insieme ad alcuni miei miti e sto parlando di gente del calibro di CAMERON MACKINTOSH, JOHN CAMERON, JOHN NAPIER, CLAUDE-MICHEL SCHÖNBERG, ALAIN BOUBLIL, DAVID HERSEY... mi sentivo un po' cenerentola al ballo. Il secondo atto me lo sono cosi' goduto dal posto che gentilmente mi ha offerto la solita santa mascherina del teatro. Finisce lo spettacolo,Cameron Mackintosh sale sul palco dopo una standing ovation e comincia a parlare di come è iniziata l'avventura dei miserabili e dopo questo breve racconto ci comunica che una quarantina di ragazzini presi dalle migliori scuole di musical dell'Inghilterra che avevano già partecipato alle school edition dei Miserabili si sarebbero,di li a poco,in una performance straordinaria del musical (un medley che è durato una mezz'ora). Ci siamo cosi seduti di nuovo per assistere a questi meravigliosi ragazzini che ci hanno deliziato con le più belle canzoni dei miserabili (che voci,che timbri,che invidia!) per concludere il tutto con una "One Day More" fatta dai ragazzi e dal cast dei professionisti che li ha raggiunti sul palco (momento in cui le lacrime mi scendevano senza controllo). Cameron Mackintosh ha chiamato sul palco tutti gli artefici di tale capolavoro: il primo a parlare è stato Claude-Michel Schönberg che ha lanciato (come solo i francesi sanno fare) qualche frecciatina sia al suo partner Boublil (dicendo che 20 anni fa era più magro, più bello, sapeva giocare a tennis e non aveva l'artrosi) che allo Zar Mackintosh ;quest'ultimo ha poi preso la parola dando inizio alla festa e cosi palloncini colorati (coi colori della bandiera francese) stelle filanti e coriandoli e chi più ne ha più ne metta sono scesi dall'alto, mentre lo champagne scorreva a fiumi e sul palco si tagliava una torta con la faccia di Cosette con il cappellino da festeggiata. Ma la mia notte magica non era finita: mentre infatti si brindava ed io (tipo collezionista-accattone) rubavo palloncini e calici dei Miserabili, ho incrociato Claude-Michel Schönberg, al quale con mano tremante ho fatto firmare la mia brochure...
Questo è il resoconto di una splendida serata, magica come possono essere le serate londinesi e piena delle emozioni che il capolavoro "Les Miserables" continua ad offrire grazie alla magia del teatro musicale.
Jacopo Pelliccia
jiujiu19/3/2006, 19:36
non l'avevo letta...che bello!!anche io vooglio vedere questo musical! lo voglioooooooo! Voglio joj!
e voglio sentire dal vivo queste canzoni meraviglioseee!
boleroazul19/3/2006, 22:59
jiuuuuuuu...ti quoto!!!!!!!!!!!
gemini213/10/2006, 17:59
http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=12553
London Les Miserables Breaks Record on Oct. 9Les Miserables--whose romantic rebels will soon be returning to Broadway--will become the longest-running musical to play the West End.
The London production of the musical, based on the classic epic novel by Victor Hugo, will celebrate its 21st birthday on October 8th and surpass Cats for the record of longest-running musical on Broadway or the West End the next day (with 3,872 performances). The show plays the Queen's Theatre. Cats, which played in London through May 11th, 2002, closed exactly 21 years after opening.
On October 7th, both the record-breaking milestone and Les Miserables's birthday will be celebrated with a special finale, featuring original cast members Colm Wilkinson, Patti LuPone, Frances Ruffelle and Michael Ball. On October 8th, BBC Radio will also air an (edited) version of Les Miserables, performed by the current London cast and backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra.
The Phantom of the Opera--which has run approximately three years less than London's Les Miserables--is Broadway's longest-running musical. The Fantasticks--which ran for decades at Off-Broadway's Sullivan Street Playhouse--remains the longest-running musical in the world.
Les Miserables features music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, with original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel and additional material by James Fenton. The musical will soon return to Broadway; it will begin previews at the Broadhurst Theatre on October 24th and open on November 9th. Alexander Gemignani, Norm Lewis, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Aaron Lazar are among the stars of Les Miserables, which is directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird.
Les Miserables originally opened on Broadway on March 12, 1987, and ran for 6,680 performances.
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Il finale con il cast originale
gemini219/10/2006, 11:34
Alcune foto della serata che si è tenuta in onore dell'anniversario dello show
JoJ è proprio irriconoscibile!!
jiujiu25/10/2006, 21:03
e con una settimana di ritardo..
da " Il corriere della sera" del 16/10/06
Ventun anni alla grande da " Miserabili "Londra, record di durata in cartellone per il musical ispirato a Victor Hugo
Londra - Era stato bocciato dai critici. Troppo lungo, troppo serio, avevano scritto gli esperti. A 21 anni di distanza è ancora lì, in uno dei principali teatri del West End. I suoi cartelloni sono un punto fisso della capitale britannica, le sue canzoni parte del bagaglio curturale di una generazione intera. Il suo pubblico è ancora foltissimo- 11 milioni di persone nella capitale britannica, 54 nel mondo - che non accenna a stancarsi. Le prenotazioni al Queen's Theatre sono aperte sino al dicembre 2007. Nel 2008, a Shangai e Pechino, si alzerà il sipario sulla prima versione in lingua cinese. Complessivamente è andato in scena in 38 paesi.
Più che un musical è un fenomeno: Les Misèrables, tratto dal romanzo di Victor Hugo, L' 8 ottobre erediterà da Cats la corona di spettacolo più longevo al mondo.
Il 26 ottobre, dopo 6.681 rappresentazioni, tornerà a Brodway per dominare contemporaneamente le due più importanti piazze teatrali internazionali. Perchè se la Gran Bretagna è rimasta incantata dalle avventure di Jean Valjean nella Francia rivoluzionaria del diciannovesimo secolo e un mondo in cui una seconda chance è un privilegio che spetta a pochi, gli Stati Uniti non sono da meno. Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush padre, Clinton, Bush figlio : sono sette i presidenti che hanno visto lo spettacolo. Per la campagna elettorale del 1992, Clinton scelse uno dei suoi brani ( One day more).
Se oggi è una collaudatissima macchina produci-soldi - il botteghino londinese ha visto incassi pari a 300 milioni di euro mentre a livello mondiale le entrate hanno superato i due miliardi di euro- il merito è di un uomo che in fatto di musical è diventato una leggenda, Cameron Mackintosh, storico produttore di Andrew Lloyd Webber. Non era ancora nessuno quando, alla fine degli anni ' 70, si innamorò di un progetto: trasformare la prima versione musicale di Les Misèrables - un adattamento francese di cui era rimasto poco dell'originale di Hugo - in un' opera degna del West End.
Ci vollero diversi anni, ma Mackintosh ci aveva visto giusto. Grazie anche alla perspicacia di Trevor Nunn, diventato in seguito direttore del National Theatre e uno dei maggiori registi del Regno Unito: "Era essenziale che il pubblico capisse la situazione e si immedesimasse nel terrore di chi non ha vie d'uscita" ha raccontato.
Il libretto, dopo una prima lavorazione poetica poco riuscita realizzata dal giornalista-scrittore James Fenton, venne affidato a Herbert Kretzmer. L'8 ottobre 1985 il sipario si alzò per la prima volta al Barbican. La coproduzione di Cameron Mackintosh e la Royal Shakespeare Company fu presto soprannominata " Les Glums", ovvero i depressi, ma - come a volte accade- il pubblico non si fece influenzare dal giudizio dei critici.
Paola De Carolis
gemini2126/10/2006, 18:26
Grazie per l'articolo Jiu, è veramente interessante!!
CITAZIONE
Londra - Era stato bocciato dai critici. Troppo lungo, troppo serio, avevano scritto gli esperti. A 21 anni di distanza è ancora lì, in uno dei principali teatri del West End. I suoi cartelloni sono un punto fisso della capitale britannica, le sue canzoni parte del bagaglio curturale di una generazione intera.
Come sempre i critici non capiscono un tubo!!
jiujiu26/10/2006, 21:10
ma prego!
io citerei solo un pezzettino che mi ha fatto morire..
CITAZIONE
Per la campagna elettorale del 1992, Clinton scelse uno dei suoi brani ( One day more).
ho avuto la visione del presidente che la cantava alla nazione...
gemini2121/8/2007, 20:30
Les Mis ha raggiunto le 9.000 repliche! Se andate nella pagina dell'articolo c'è anche un video.
http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=2...=E8821187010930Les Mis Celebrates 9,000th PerformanceDate: 13th August 2007
Les Miserables became the world’s longest running musical when it reached its 21st birthday last October (See News, 7 Sep 2006). Last Friday, the revolutionary musical marked another major milestone: its 9,000th performance in London (See The Goss, 7 Aug 2007). And there were plenty of streamers, cake, confetti and champagne as part of the celebrations at the West End’s Queen’s Theatre.
Based on Victor Hugo's classic humanitarian novel about a persecuted man, Jean Valjean, in 19th-century revolutionary France, Les Miserables has a book by Alain Boublil, music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. It’s directed by Trevor Nunn with John Caird and designed by John Napier. The current cast is led by John Owen-Jones as Jean Valjean and Hans Peter Janssens as his police nemesis Javert.
The landmark Royal Shakespeare Company production had its first performance on 8 October 1985 at the Barbican Theatre before transferring, care of Cameron Mackintosh, to the West End’s Palace Theatre two months later. It ran at the Palace for 18 years and over 7,500 performances before moving down the road to the Queen’s on 3 April 2004 (See News, 21 Nov 2003).
In May 2003, the original New York production of Les Miserables closed following a 16-year run, but just three years later, in November 2006, Cameron Mackintosh revived the musical at Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre, where it’s still running. Globally, Les Miserables has been seen by over 55 million people in 38 countries and 21 languages, resulting in 33 cast recordings to date.
For Whatsonstage.com TV, we were on hand for the Les Miserables curtain call and post-show celebrations at the Queen’s Theatre on Friday. Amongst our TV interviewees are cast members John Owen-Jones, Hans Peter Janssens, Cassandra Compton, composer Claude-Michel Schönberg and attendees including television presenter Paul Ross.
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