By: Julia Aidan
Submitted: 2009-08-03 20:12:04 | Word Count: 586
The Les Miserables musical is based on the same novel of the famous Victor Hugo and is set in 19th century France. The show celebrated its 10th anniversary with a consert at the Royal Albert Hall in 8th October 1995 and its 20th anniversary on London's West End on 8th October 2006 and created history as the longest run show. Numerous films have been bsed on the story and has been produced but none as the stage musical. The musical is played in two Acts.
The play opens with a prison In Tulon, France in 1815 where prisoners are forced to work. After nineteen years of imprisonment, for stealing bread for his starving sister and family, policeman Javert releases Valijean on parole. He is offered shelter and food by a bishop of Dinge and he repays him by stealing and getting caught. The bishop rescues him and gives him two costly candlesticks and asks him to lead a honest life. Valijean decides to accept the preachings of the bishop and breaks his parole by tearing his yellow ticket.
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The time passes by and after eight years Valijean has become rich, a factory owner and assumed a new name as Mosnsieur Madeleine, the Mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. The play then procced with small incidents like, problems in his factory , worker, Fantaine getting dismissed and arrested by Javert and the mayor rescuing her and putting her in the hospital . Once thw Mayor himself catches a man running away which reminds Javert of Valijean, who had enormous strength and to whom he has been tracking for years. Javert confides in the Mayor that valijean has been arrested but real Valijean the Mayor feels guilty and confesses to the court by identifying his convict mark in the chest. Before going to jail he meets Fantine and promises to look after her daughter Cosette. Javert refuses to let him go but was knocked by him and he escapes to fetch Cosette.
The next episode of the play shifts to Cosette living in an Inn run by Thenaediers who was abusing her by indulging her own daughter. Valijean finds her and takes her away for 1500 francs. Nine years have passed.
General Lamarque on the verge of dying, who was the only government leader, who felt for the poor. With the unrest in the city quite visible, a street gang leader along with his wife and the group sets upon Valijean and Cossette who are rescued by Javert, unknown to them. Meantime the General dies and a bunch of politically motivated students take to the streets in support of the revolution. The students settle in a barricade and valijean comes in search for Marius. Next day the rebels are killed and Valijean escapes with unconscious Marius. During this Javert comes across Valijean who pleads with him to save Marius and Javert lets him go. But Javert bound by principles of justice and confronted with Valijeans mercy undecidedly kills himself. Marius recovers by Cosette's care and plan to marry. In the meantime Valijean confesses hia past to them and asks them to leave him. Thenardier comes with a claim and a ring as an evdence that Cosette's father is a murderer but it happens to be the ring is of Marius. Then Marius realizes that Valijean had rescued her that night. Bothe Marius and Cosette go to Valijean where Cosette learns of her past before Valijean dies.
