Les Miserables is finally a smash hit in Paris after the musical’s writers reworked the script to appease locals by switching out the songs from English to French.
The legendary musical was initially written in French and performed in Paris in 1980, but broke musical records in London‘s West End after Sir Cameron Mackintosh bought the rights to the show in 1985 and produced a version in English.
Now, a new production in the French capital that opened last week at the Théâtre du Châtelet, has garnered up rave reviews after lyricist Alain Boubil and composer Claude-Michel Schonberg – who were responsible for the initial show nearly four decades ago – reworked the script so that the songs are sung in French.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Boubil said: ‘I’m delighted it’s being sung in French. After all, it was originally in French and comes from a great French work that we can say founded [France‘s] collective imagination.’
Parisians had previously given Sir Cameron’s musical adaptation of the epic 19th century novel by Victor Hugo the cold shoulder, finding the production too British.
Even the 2012 film adaptation, starring Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, performed poorly at the French box office.
Boubil explained that he had to convince Sir Cameron that his version of Les Mis was too British for the French, and knew it had to be reworked in order for Parisians to appreciate the musical more.
As a result, writers had to go ‘back to the roots’ of the original story by Hugo.
Other changes included new costumes, a more diverse cast and the reworking of the existing French lyrics.
Speaking to the New York Times, Boubil said also said that there was ‘something contradictory about bringing a classic French story back in an imported production, made famous worldwide by Britain.’
Les Miserables is finally a smash hit in Paris after the musical’s writers reworked the script to appease locals by switching out the songs from English to French
Actors perform the musical Les Miserables based on the work of Victor Hugo during a dress rehearsal at the Theatre du Chatelet on November 17, 2024
44 years after its creation, the musical ‘Les Miserables’, a monument that has triumphed in more than 50 countries, is reborn in Paris, in a version in French and ‘improved’
But after writers made changes to what is estimated to be around a quarter of the script, the musical’s latest Paris production appears to have captivated French audiences and has given them a newfound appreciation for the theatrical masterpiece.
French outlet Le Parisien praised the production’s ‘perfect casting’ and ‘grandiose decor and staging’ and called it a ‘true delight’ that was worth waiting thirty years for.
Meanwhile Le Monde hailed the show’s ‘majestic comeback’ to the French capital.
Les Miserables is considered to be one of the world’s most successful musicals, with over 130 million spectators since its 1980 premier.
Set in 19th century France, the novel-turned musical follows the stories of several characters as they seek redemption for their sins and an escape from poverty.
