The Music of a People: The Songs of Les Miserables - Part One

Do you hear the people sing?

 It’s been said that Les Miserables should be called an operetta, because unlike most musicals it is sung-through.  Yep, with the exception of Enjolras’ two or three spoken lines at the barricades, the entire musical consists of singing.  It’s phenomenal really, when you think about it.  To take Victor Hugo’s massive, prose-loaded Victorian (heh, heh, pun not intended) novel and turn it into music is a vast undertaking.  But with geniuses like Alan Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg writing the songs, nothing seems more natural than for Les Miserables to be sung in its entirety. 

Both concert versions contain amazing renditions of these beautiful songs.  It’s hard to pick favorites, but we are girls who do hard things, so without further ado we beg to put before you our comparisons…

…the songs of Les Miserables.

Prologue/On Parole –

Prologue/On Parole - Valjean and Javert

The Prologue, while it is a mind-blowing beginning to the concert, is a tough song to hear. The prisoners of Toulon are in despair at their situation ("The sun is strong, it's hot as hell below!"), wishing for their deaths ("How long, oh Lord, before you let me die?"), and giving up all hope ("I've done no wrong, sweet Jesus, hear my prayer."). Then Javert comes on the scene, in all his intimidating glory. "Now bring me Prisoner 24601! Your time is up and your parole's begun!" We get our first peek at Jean Valjean, a hardened criminal who's appalled at his unjust treatment. He's released on parole and harshly judged wherever he goes. But then he meets the Bishop, who is the first to show him any kindness.

Both concerts execute this song very well. Of course, we are biased to the 10th, considering it stars Colm Wilkinson and Philip Quast as Valjean and Javert. The passion and conviction in Colm's voice as he declares "My name is Jean Valjean!" gives us shivers. Likewise, Philip totally nails the line, "And I'm Javert! Do not forget my name. Do not forget me, 24601." You can tell Javert is completely rubbing in the fact that he still considers Valjean a criminal with a number. And the way Valjean (er, we mean Colm) sings, "Took. My. Fliiiiiiiiiiiight!!" makes us realize we have taken a trip to Epic City.

Valjean’s Soliloquy/What Have I Done?-

What Have I Done? - Valjean

This song is where we really begin to feel empathy for Jean Valjean.  Forgiveness--the most radical and unexpected thing he’s ever encountered--has just been bestowed on him, and he doesn’t know what to do.  “How could I allow that man to touch my soul and teach me love? … He told me that I have a soul--can such things be? I had resolved to hate the world... the world that always hated me.”  Thus far, Valjean has known nothing but cruelty and pain.  “Take an eye for an eye, turn your heart into stone! This is all I have lived for, this is all I have known!” But he resolves to give his life over to God, to change his ways and become a better man. He tears up his parole ticket and starts on a new journey.  “Jean Valjean is nothing now--another story must begin!”

Undoubtedly, it is Colm Wilkinson in the 10th who completely owns this song.  Alfie Boe’s rendition is stirring, but Colm’s sends major goosebumps up and down our arms.  We can feel every bit of Valjean’s inner turmoil and anger, and when he sings the last line, we’re in tears often as not.  (Heehee.  We’re in tears often as not throughout the entire musical... but that’s not the point.)

At the End of the Day-

At the End of the Day - Fantine

France was a hard place to live during the time of Les Miserables. "At the End of the Day" explores the harsh reality of the people and their desperate lives. "At the end of the day you're another day older. And that's all you can say for the life of the poor. It's a struggle, it's a war, and there's nothing that anyone's giving. One more day standing about, what is it for?" This song also introduces us to Fantine, a struggling single mother who is mistreated and fired from her workplace because of her out-of-wedlock child. We prefer the 25th version, because Lea Salonga is the one playing Fantine (no prejudice there).


I Dreamed a Dream-

I Dreamed a Dream - Fantine

Lea Salonga.  The End.

All right, all right, we’ll elaborate a little more...
Fantine’s main song is so achingly beautiful, we can’t help loving it no matter who sings it.  But as we said in the characters post, it’s Lea Salonga in 25th who best conveys Fantine’s pain and despair with her gorgeous voice.  “But there are dreams that cannot beeeeeee...” Ruthie Henshall’s version is kind of mediocre, and her facial expressions can’t begin to compare with the emotion on Lea Salonga’s face.  And the emotion in Lea’s voice? Forget it.  This is no contest at all.  Do you peoples have any idea how hard it is to cry and sing clearly at the same time?  It’s incredibly difficult, believe us.  But Lea Salonga sings and sobs at the same exact time, and we firmly believe that the entire audience (whether they be at the actual concert or watching the DVD at home) are doing the latter with her.  “Now life has killed the dream I dreamed…”

The Runaway Cart-

The Runaway Cart - Javert

Hoo boy, it's on now. Javert is starting to have suspicions about Valjean's true identity. You can see the skepticism in the his eyes, and the fear and hint of shame in Valjean's. Javert doesn't quite accuse Valjean yet (after all, Valjean is an esteemed mayor!) because he's under the impression that the true Jean Valjean has been captured. But Javert's not convinced. Finally, he leaves Valjean to privately ponder his dilemma.

The best performance of this song goes to the 10th. We love how it shows clips from the stage production, portraying the actual wreck of the cart. Oh, and the look on Philip Quast's face as he sings... *spine tingles* In contrast, Alfie Boe and Norm Lewis just stand there in the 25th. Sigh. It could have been so amazing, but they didn't do much with it.

Who Am I-

Who Am I? - Valjean

One of the most beautiful songs in the entire musical... how can we even begin to rave and gush about how much we love it?  We can’t, so you’ll just have to take our word for the fact that it’s heart-rending--and uplifting. “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!” Jean Valjean is faced with a terrible choice.  Forget the rock and the hard place idiom—Valjean is trapped between an avalanche and a raging forest fire.  

We’re beginning to sound like broken records here, but it is so, so hard to pick a favorite version of this song.  Colm is our favorite Valjean, as we’ve said, and he sings this with so much emotion and angst-- but Alfie’s voice is utterly beautiful and he doesn’t squeak at the end. :D (Amy thinks the squeak is a vital part of the song.  Petie thinks it kills the effect.  We’ve agreed to disagree.)  So as far as this song goes, we choose Alfie Boe from 25th.

Fantine's Death/Come to Me-

Fantine's Death/ Come to Me - Valjean and Fantine *sob*

OH, OUR SOULS. Lea Salonga from the 25th. Forever and ever, amen.
'Nuff said.

Oh, fine. We'll be more specific. But really, we like the 25th version of this song better for the same reasons we love the 25th version of "I Dreamed a Dream."  Lea has so much raw emotion in her face and voice as she sings of her precious child. We must also commend Alfie Boe. He plays opposite her so heartbreakingly well.

Confrontation-

Confrontation - Valjean

“Valjean, at last... we see each other plain.  Monsieur le Mayor, you’ll wear a different chaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiin.”  The Confrontation might not be one of the most popular songs in the musical, but it’s completely mind-blowing and we usually have to pick our jaws up from the floor when it ends.  Philip Quast’s menacing tones in the first line are shiver-inducing, but we also have to give a shout-out to Norm Lewis for the way he sang that low note.  Wow.  (For just two seconds, it makes us wish we could sing bass-baritone.)

We like both versions, but 10th definitely gives us more goosebumps.  Philip Quast’s performance is just spine-tingling.  The power in Colm’s voice makes Valjean’s dangerous side come back into play, and it’s almost scary! “I am the stronger man BY FAR! There is power in me yet... my race is not yet run!” Alfie’s rendition of that line is bit weak, spoiling the effect, so ultimately we prefer 10th.  (And did we mention Philip Quast’s Javert yet?  What, we did?  Well, it bears repeating.)

Pardon us while we gulp down sobs at the very end.  Valjean could have just knocked out Javert and gone racing out into the night, but instead he chose to tell Fantine one more time that he would protect her little girl.  Yes, yes, Fantine was dead already… hush.  It’s the principle of the thing.  And the way they both sang the exact same line with very different intent at the end?  “I swear to you… I will be there.” CHILLS.

Castle on a Cloud-

Castle on a Cloud - Little Cosette

Ah, here is where we meet Little Cosette, whom we've already stated is played to perfection by the 25th's Mia Jenkins. She lives in such a horrid place, but that doesn't stop her from dreaming: dreaming of her mother, dreaming of a better life, dreaming of love. We always tear up at the beginning when Fantine pauses on her way offstage and looks at Cosette. *melting*

"Castle on a Cloud" is such a hopeful song. We love how it's just so simple and sweet, just like Little Cosette. And then that slimy Mrs. Thenardier has to barge in and ruin it. Speaking of which...


Thenardier Waltz of Treachery-

“Don’t come any closer!” Petie and Amy shriek at the Thenardiers.  “We don’t want to get any slime on our clothes.”  Monsieur and Madame Thenardier (hereafter abbreviated as M. and Mme. T. because we are lazy typists) are suddenly faced with the prospect of giving up their little slave—er, adopted daughter.  The idea is not a happy one, but eventually the T.’s manage to get over their grief and bereavement enough to let Valjean take away their useful—um, beloved little girl.  And of course the fifteen hundred francs he gives them don’t exactly hurt.

We’re being sarcastic here, in case you didn’t notice. 

Waltz of Treachery - Little Cosette and Valjean

 Alun Armstrong does an excellent job in the 10^th version (and of course Jenny Galloway is great in both) but really we have to go with Matt Lucas’s hilarity in the 25^th. 

“Let’s not haggle for darling Colette—”

“COSETTE.”

“Cosette…”

Honestly, the two Valjeans do an equally good job in this song.  Colm Wilkinson nails the sarcasm (see, Valjean DOES have a sense of humor) with his, “Your feelings do you credit, sir…” but Alfie Boe’s protectiveness of Little Cosette (carrying her offstage! Everybody say “awwww!”) is just adorable.  Nope, we can’t decide.


Look Down- 

Look Down - Bahahahaha! It looks like they just
had an argument.  "Fine!" "FINE!"

The 25th owns this song. All the way. Robert Madge as Gavroche is perfection. He's confident and cocky, and we love how he describes his life on the streets: "'How do you do, my name's Gavroche! These are my people, here's my patch. Not much to look at, nothing posh, nothing that you'd call up to scratch. This is my school, my high society..." The other element that determines the 25th's ownership of "Look Down" is Ramin Karimloo as Enjolras. He's just so passionately charismatic; he blows us away. And we could listen to his voice all day long...

One of our favorite parts of this song is Eponine's entrance, which is only shown in the 25th. This is where we first see her, and the way she saunters onstage, confident and tough, while Gavroche narrates, is so thrilling.
Actually, if it wasn't for Sir Twerp-a-lot (read: Nick Jonas as Marius), the 25th would've nailed this song to a T. (But Twerp's presence does serve a purpose; he serves to remind us why we love Michael Ball so much.)

Robbery/Javert’s Intervention-

Sadly enough, this song only appears on the 25^th.  We would have paid good money to see the drama unfold on 10^th, but it was not to be.  Sigh.   In this song we get our first glimpse of Elderly Cosette (as opposed to Young Cosette, you know)—and so does Marius.  This song gives us another moment of comic relief (and believe us, with a tragedy like Les Miz we need all the comic relief we can get), because Marius and Cosette’s first meeting is nothing short of hilarious.  “I did not see you there, forgive me.”  *Amy and Petie sarcastically swoon from the pure romance of the moment*  Really, this is far, far better than anything Jane Austen could ever have come up with.  Of course.

Unfortunately, the 25^th still cuts some of this song, leaving out Eponine and Marius’ first dialogue together (“Don’t judge a girl on how she looks.  I know a lot of things, I do!”) and failing to verbally establish the fact that Eponine is in love with Marius (“Little he knows… little he sees.”).  However, with Samantha Barks’ emotive face, the dialogue isn’t necessary.  We KNOW she loves Marius… and we’re heartbroken for her. 

Stars-

Stars - Javert

Norm Lewis, you know we love you, but... this song completely and utterly belongs to Philip Quast from the 10th. If you think we've been gushing over Philip Quast already, you ain't seen nothing yet.

This, this is what determines our fanship of Javert. Yes, yes, we know this song is all about Javert's relentless pursuit of Valjean, and how he will never rest until Valjean is behind bars. But Javert is such a determined man, and there's no doubt he believes in justice! But what really crushes our hearts is how he believes God expects him to deliver full and complete justice in order to gain his entrance into eternity. Poor, confused, misled man. We can't help but love him.

And we will forever love Philip Quast. We shall always be two of his biggest fans. And we shall never turn to another Javert.

This we swear by... the STAAARRRRRRS!!

Red and Black-

HOORAY FOR ENJOLRAS!

(Excuse us, but that had to be said first of all.)

This song is when it really starts getting good.  (Not that it wasn’t before.)  Our apologies to any and all Michael Maguire fans, but we absolutely, without a doubt, favor the 25^th version over the tenth.  Why?  Two words, peeps: Ramin Karimloo.

Red and Black - Enjolras FOREVER!

He completely owns this song, putting so much passion, fire and charisma into it that we’re ready to shoulder rifles and join him at the barricades.  And we do—in our minds, anyway.  “Red, a world about to dawn! Black, the night that ends at last!” The only complaint we have about the 25^th’s version of Red and Black is the presence of Nick Jonas, a.k.a. Sir Twerp-a-lot.  His rendition of Marius’ lovestruck lines (“I feel my soul on fire…”) cannot possibly be called pretty, pretty angel music.  Instead, he sounds strained and ridiculous.  Michael Ball does a fantabulous job in 10^th, however, and if only he and Ramin Karimloo could have been paired for this song… *Petie and Amy sadly shake their heads over what might have been*

Michael Maguire’s rapid blinking during some of the most inspiring lines in 10^th kind of ruins the intensity of the moment, but we have to admit he has an amazing voice.  And of course we can’t forget to squeal a little over Gavroche’s second appearance in both versions—“Listen! Listen to ME! LISTEN, EVERYBODY!” Adam Searles (10^th) does a better job of hamming up his Big Moment of Important Announcement (“General Lamarque… IS DEAD!”) but Robert Madge is our favorite Gavroche overall, so we’re pleased with his version as well. 

Really, the only thing that we wish could have been different in 25^th (other than the banishment of Nick Jonas) is the absence of Enjolras’ Red Vest of Power and Awesomeness.  But never fear, it will appear in the second act… so stay tuned.

*To Be Continued*

~Amy and Petie