ABSTRACT
Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg’s musical Les Miserables has moved the hearts and souls of millions of people. Based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 epic novel, the story follows eighteen years of the life of Jean Valjean and all the people whose lives he touched. A sweeping plot with lofty themes against the background of history makes Les Miserables an Epic Musical, and one with key influence on subsequent works. French audiences responded with great personal connection to this version. That may have been the end of the story of the musical Les Miserables if a recording of the production hadn’t found its way into the hands of British theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh. Love, faith, and sacrifice are perhaps the three most significant recurring themes in Les Miserables; indeed, all these virtues support and influence one another, and are as essential as they are lofty.
