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| re: misconceptions about Les Mis in 1980 | |
| Posted by: dlh 03:33 pm EST 11/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: The unsung hero of Les Miz: Herbert Kretzmer - HadriansMall 04:59 pm EST 11/17/22 | |
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| HadriansMall: I am not an expert on the history of LES MISERABLES but wasn't the original French production just a slightly padded presentation of the concept album? Not really a show at all but more of a tableau? Actually adding a fleshed out plot most likely accounts for the bulk of the additional time. I believe this is a commonly repeated misunderstanding. It's true the 1980 Paris production of Les Misérables has been described as a "series of tableau", but (caution: heresay) while tableaus akin to the barricade-spin in the Nunn-Caird production were a feature of that first staging, the structure and content of the show was very similar to the first English-language version in 1985. All the connective interstitial material was already there. The Trema "concept" recording predated and was not a very accurate document of the stage production. Apropos of the topic, here's a video excerpt from the 1980 production, broadcast by Télévision Française 1 about a week before the show opened. I find this fascinating, language barrier notwithstanding. Alain Boublil et Claude-Michel Schönberg à propos des "Misérables" de Robert Hossein |
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| re: misconceptions about Les Mis in 1980 | |
| Posted by: jo 08:24 pm EST 11/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: misconceptions about Les Mis in 1980 - dlh 03:33 pm EST 11/18/22 | |
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| Merci bien! Good to see how the original show was presented at Palais des Sports. The original Valjean seemed more like the embodiment of the hero in the literary gem by Victor Hugo. Strong and forceful personality. This was baritone Maurice Barrier. If there were gaps in the storytelling - maybe it was thought unnecessary because LES MISERABLES must have been required reading in school in France! I have read the book and it does have such a complete portrait of life in France in that period of time...as well as a more complete portrait of the major characters. Also, the film adaptation seemed to have incorporated many other passages which the 1985 English version decided to miss ( such as the flight to Paris and how they landed in the convent where Cosette spent her growing-up years, explaining why she grew up gently-raised and where Valjean hid in anonymity from Javert as a gardener ( he was once a tree -cutter in an earlier life). Jackman did portray the stronger & more forceful persona of Valjean! The Crowe seeming indecision of Javert was also likely derived from the characterization in the book. The novel and the show and the film endure - because it is the embodiment of human conditions in many places throughout time. The English version allowed many audiences to appreciate Hugo's eternal story of humanity. |
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| re: misconceptions about Les Mis in 1980 | |
| Posted by: HadriansMall 05:40 pm EST 11/18/22 | |
| In reply to: re: misconceptions about Les Mis in 1980 - dlh 03:33 pm EST 11/18/22 | |
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| Thank you for enlightening me! | |
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