Originally conceived and produced in early-80s France, before its English-language version’s inauspicious beginnings at London’s Barbican Centre in 1985, the modern interpretation of Les Miserables has gone on to make its mark as one of the most successful stage musicals of all-time – both in the West End and on Broadway, as well as in theatres around the world - and as a bona fide Hollywood blockbuster featuring a stellar cast.
Based on Victor Hugo’s classic 19th-century novel, Les Miserables tells the story of Jean Valjean, a peasant of brawny stature and unpredictable, fiery character. Having spent 17 years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family, Jean seeks redemption and is inspired by a compassionate bishop to break parole to start a new life, but is vigorously pursued by police inspector Javert. As they make progress, Jean and a cast of characters find themselves becoming involved in a momentous period in revolutionary France, when a gang of young radicals makes its final stand.
Les Miserables music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Original French lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel , English adaptation by Herbert Kretzmer
Miss Saigon
Based on Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon tells a similarly tragic story of love lost between an Asian woman and her American lover, transferred from early 20th-centruy Japan to Vietnam War-era Saigon.
Apparently inspired by a photograph of a Vietnamese mother leaving her daughter at the departure gate of a Vietnamese airbase to board a flight to the US, where her ex-army father could give the child a much better future, co-composer Claude-Michel Schönberg thought this the ‘ultimate sacrifice’ and the show is constructed around this central premise.
Opening at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in September 1989, Miss Saigon ran there for over 10 years and more than 4,000 performances. The show had its debut on Broadway in 1991, later playing in many other cities and embarking upon globe-spanning tours.
Les Miserables and Miss Saigon have become legends of the stage, each permeating popular culture far beyond their original imaginings.
Miss Saigon music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr.
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