On Jan. 7, students from the National French Honor Society and the French Club went to the matinee performance of Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil’s, Les Miserables the musical, at the Majestic Theater downtown.
The students and sponsor, Madame King, enjoyed a musically adapted version of Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables, originally written in French,whose characters and setting take place in early nineteenth century France and even include parts of France’s historical background – for instance, the June rebellion, which is more commonly known as the Paris Uprising of 1832.
Madame King has been educating students on “the history behind the play,” junior Arturo Ortega said. She gives her students a broad range of information on French culture and makes it a point to teach about modern French culture as well as the culture of its past. Les Miserables has been the longest running musical in the world, “[it is] a vivid image of Paris in the 19th century,” senior Salma Mendez said.
“The play was [a] mixture of love, forgiveness and compassion. [It] definitely brought tears to my eyes,” Mendez said, feeling like the play’s theme of love went beyond the typical love story. “It was so mind blowing it was almost overwhelming.”
The main character, Valjean, proved to be an audience favorite, due to his vast change from ex-convict to caring guardian; demonstrating that “even the darkest of souls can change,” junior Arturo Ortega said. “Jean Valjean was truly inspiring,” senior Salma Mendez said.
Overall, “the play was spectacular,” said Mendez. Aside from appealing to the audiences emotions, Mendez found herself laughing outloud multiple times. Junior, Arturo Ortega would recommend this play to anyone and everyone, characterizing it as “interesting, exciting, and musical.”
