Dark Monday - Les Miserables

There was so much brilliance in the decision to make this. The sweeping story of the Victor Hugo novel might seem daunting at first, but when thought out, is was meant to be on stage. There is wrongful imprisonment, lost love, unrequited love, prostitution, child labor, war, revolution, death, life, and fantastic music. Affectionately known as Les Miz, the music was written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. The music is beautiful and complex, with melodies and harmonies layered with strong effect.

The storyline is complicated, so I won't really get into that here. But there were some amazing performances, and they became a focus for the 10th Anniversary Celebration which was released on DVD and played on PBS. It contained the producers dream cast, and it was magnificent. The first spotlight will fall on Colm Wilkinson, star of both the West End and Broadway productions, singing the heartbreaking Bring Him Home. I would advise you to hit the full screen option and sit back and enjoy.



Another performer who managed to go from a replacement cast member for the Broadway show to being a star was Lea Salonga, here singing On My Own.



The last spotlight focuses on the entire cast performing Do You Hear The People Sing?



Part of the anniversary celebration was a veritable parade of performers who had sung the role of Valjean across the globe, each brought out to sing at least a line in their native tongue in what is a very impressive encore. You can find out more about the show by going to the official website here.