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Les Miserables’ enduring power

While it’s not quite Batman V Superman, the musical — with its tale of love, heartbreak and sacrifice — has moved millions of audiences worldwide since the first show at London’s Barbican theatre in 1985.

At first glance, Les Miserables doesn’t seem like the sort of musical that would appeal to younger audiences who have grown up on a diet of superhero movies. Based on the 1862 Victor Hugo novel of the same name, it tells the story of the prisoner Jean Valjean in early 19th century France, who tries to start his life anew.

But while it’s not quite Batman V Superman, the musical — with its tale of love, heartbreak and sacrifice — has moved millions of audiences worldwide since the first show at London’s Barbican theatre in 1985. And it certainly intends to continue doing so, for years to come.

If there’s any power the show has, it’s that of endurance and longevity. “We are seeing parents take their children to see it for the first time, who were once the child taken by their parents to see the show for the first time,” said the show’s director James Powell during an interview at Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane. “It’s generation after generation, and it’s just fantastic. I love seeing younger audiences coming in and appreciating it, and enjoying it. It seems to me now that there is a very healthy interest in musical theatre.”

Of course, it helps that the current batch of producers, directors, cast and crew have largely grown up watching the musical. Powell, for instance, first saw the show at the Palace Theatre in London when he was a student and “very poor”. His colleague, executive producer Michael Cassel, saw the musical on his first trip to Europe as a young man, and cited Les Miserables as one of the shows that has inspired him to produce musicals for a living.

And so the responsibility of whether Les Miserables — currently the longest-running musical in the world — continues to reign supreme rests on the next generation of creatives.

“I think what makes Les Miserables special is the story, the survival of the human spirit. And I think that is something that we all relate to,” Cassel said. “The journeys of these different characters are intertwined, and they each have their own journey that they go on, and each of us relate to a different character. That is what we all hope to achieve when we see a theatre show, and when somebody is transformed by what they are experiencing.”

Come May 31, the musical will be staged in Singapore for the first time in 20 years, featuring a predominantly Australian cast, including award-winning actor Simon Gleeson, who plays Valjean.

The musical, which is presented by Mediacorp VizPro International, will also be different from the one audiences here saw two decades ago.

In 2010, producer Cameron Mackintosh had engaged a new creative team to reimagine and re-design the musical to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It is this show, with its new designs and projections, that will be shown at the Esplanade Theatre.

“It’s one of these things you dream of, and there’s certainly other roles that I have done that have been great, and I never thought that this would be part of my journey,” said Gleeson, who first watched the musical when he was just 12 years old.

“For those of us who have loved the show for a long time, you want to feel like it’s the show that you have loved, and they have done an amazing job with this new production.”

“Many people grew up with the music, with I Dreamed A Dream, and some of the big numbers in this show,” Cassel said. “And to see it on stage with a whole new design that feels contemporary is really important, and I think what Cameron has done that is wonderful is making sure these titles stay relevant and accessible to new audiences.”

 

 

 

 

 

Les Miserables runs from May 31 to July 17 at the Esplanade Theatre. Tickets from S$58 at SISTIC.

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