#Alain Boublil

[protectionsquad24601]

I don't think people understand how intrinsically Jewish the Les Misérables musical is. The writers of the original French musical were Claude-Michel Schönberg (Hungarian Jew), Alain Boublil (Sephardic Jew), and directed by Robert Hossein (Moldovian Jew). Schöneberg also composed the music. It was adapted into English by Herbert Kretzmer (Lithuanian Jew).

The lyrics include many references to Jewish beliefs and values. Schöneberg said in an interview, "When I’m writing a show there is always a part that is typically Jewish."

However, the one that sticks out to me especially is a line from the Epilogue:

"They will live again in freedom,

In the garden of the Lord;

They will walk behind the ploughshare,

They will put away the sword."

The origin of the phrase - specifically, the bit about 'ploughshares' and 'swords' - can be traced back to a nevuah (prophecy) by Yeshayahu (Isaiah), a Jewish navi (prophet) from the sefer Yeshayahu (Book of Isaiah). (Sorry, yes, I insist on the Hebrew words first.)

"The Torah will go forth from Tzion (Zion) and the word of Hashem from Yerushalayim (Jerusalem)... They will then cut their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning knives. No nation will lift a sword against the other, and they will no longer learn warfare."

This is a quote about the 'end of days', and the idea of a peaceful paradise free from war was emulated in the song to convey a similar paradise for our barricade boys, the casualties of the June Rebellion. This is only one of the many examples of Jewish themes and references in the Les Misérables musical!

[doyouknowthismusical]

[ulrichgebert]

Hört Ihr, wie die Leute singen? Unsinnig hoch und irgendwie immer das gleiche (hören Sie sich ruhig mal die Forbidden-Broadway-Paradie an, die haben wir immer ein bisschen mit im Ohr. Beispielweise hier.). Immerhin drehen sie sich nicht mehr ständig im Kreis. War mal wieder nötig, ich nutze das ja auch noch ein bisschen als Suchspiel, eines Tages finde ich auch Hadley Frazer!

[comediesmusicales]

Teaser for the 2024 French revival production of La Révolution Française

It was a looooong time coming but it's FINALLY going to happen. A new French production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's first musical La Révolution Française will take place in Paris from January 31st to February 25th 2024 in an unusual but rather appropriate place : le réfectoire des Cordeliers, the place where the members of the Society of the friends of the rights of man and of the citizen, founded by Georges Danton in 1790 used to meet (before the municipality of Paris kicked them out in May 1791).

Also known as the Club des Cordeliers, the society also counted Camille Desmoulins, Jean-Paul Marat or Jacques-René Hébert among its members. This new production of La Révolution Française will be in concert format and will be directed by Marie Zamora.

[lovejaerim]

Les Miserable’s Opening Night in Seoul on December 6, 2023. Alain Boublil was there and made a brief speech.

Also Jaerim being funny as always.

[oh-great-authoress]

Nadia Sings no. 4

Link to last week’s song

Today we have a modern musical theater classic: “On My Own” from the musical Les Miserables (music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, based on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo)

Life is apparently tiring when you’re catching up on two week’s worth of housework from when your parents were in the hospital, but I managed to figure out this week’s Nadia Sings.

(My dad thanks you all for your thoughts and prayers, he’s now been home for a week after receiving his lifesaving laparoscopic gallbladder surgery. He’s feeling almost completely normal, and is doing light work around the house.)

This song is one of my favorites, especially having grown up idolizing my fellow Filipino, Lea Salonga.

#pinoy pride

🇵🇭

I dare say I like it even more than “I Dreamed a Dream”.

And for those who know, before you say, “Wait a minute, it sounds weird,” I am not singing it in original key, because (and not to sound like such a soprano, I’m just really being honest here) the original key is too low for me.

Like, you-cannot-hear-the-low-notes low.

I tell you, it was such a strange experience hearing the introduction that high.

Once again, using my trusty recording studio (*cough*mydiningroom*cough*), and my favorite recording app, BandLab (not an advertisement, you guys know the drill 🤣), I put this together, and, as usual, while I put a little reverb effect on the backing track I used, as well as on my vocal track, this is otherwise as unadulterated a track as the one I posted last week, just my voice, with no pitch correction, recorded into my iPhone.

I hope you enjoy!!

(Headphones recommended to hear the reverb)

Tagging the same people I tagged last week, as well as those who enjoyed last week’s offering:

@welsharcher

@valmare

@batmantaking-hobbits2gallifrey

@justhereforfandomandfriends

@musewrangler

@oh-nostalgiia

@sakar-rad

@radical-sky

@randomfoggytiger

@agentfaust

@two-microscopes

@canmking

If you would like to be taken off the taglist, just send me a message, no hard feelings, and if you’d like to be added to the taglist, just interact with/reblog this post or send me an ask!

[misspeculiar-principe]

On My Own

I don't know why I sang this out of nowhere.

(Source)

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

At The End Of The Day • I Dreamed A Dream • Lovely Ladies • Who Am I? • Come To Me • Confrontation • Castle On A Cloud • Master Of The House • Stars • Look Down • Little People • Red And Black • Do You Hear The People Sing? • I Saw Him Once • In My Life • A Heart Full Of Love • One Day More • On My Own • The Attack • A Little Fall Of Rain • Drink With Me • Bring Him Home • Dog Eats Dog • Javert's Suicide: Soliloquy • Empty Chairs At Empty Tables • Wedding Chorale • Beggars At The Feast • Finale

Spotify ♪ YouTube

[mthguy]

Les Miserables

"One Day More"

One day more Another day, another destiny This never-ending road to Calvary These men who seem to know my crime Will surely come a second time One day more

I did not live until today

How can I live when we are parted?

One day more

Tomorrow you'll be worlds away And yet with you my world has started

One more day all on my own

Will we ever meet again?

One more day with him not caring I was born to be with you

What a life I might have known

And I swear I will be true

But he never saw me there

One more day before the storm Do I follow where she goes? At the barricades of freedom Shall I join my brothers there? When our ranks begin to form Do I stay or do I dare? Will you take your place with me?

The time is now The day is here

One day more

One day more to revolution We will nip it in the bud We'll be ready for these schoolboys They will wet themselves with blood

One day more

Watch 'em run amuck Catch 'em as they fall Never know your luck When there's a free for all Here a little dip There a little touch Most of them are goners So they won't miss much

One day to a new beginning Raise the flag of freedom high Every man will be a king Every man will be a king There's a new world for the winning There's a new world to be won Do you hear the people sing?

My place is here I fight with you

One day more

We will join these people's heroes We will follow where they go We will learn their little secrets We will know the things they know

One day more

Watch 'em run amuck Catch 'em as they fall Never know you luck When there's a free for all

We'll be ready for the schoolboys Tomorrow we'll be far away Tomorrow is the judgement day

Tomorrow we'll discover What our God in Heaven has in store One more dawn One more day One day more

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

ABBA - Waterloo 1974

"Waterloo" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, with music composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and lyrics written by Stikkan Anderson. It is first single of the group's second studio album of the same name, and their first under the Atlantic label in the US. This was also the first single to be credited to the group performing under the name ABBA. The title and lyrics reference the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, and use it as a metaphor for a romantic relationship.

In 1974, "Waterloo" represented Sweden in the 19th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest held in Brighton, winning the contest and beginning ABBA's path to worldwide fame. The song differed from the standard "dramatic ballad" tradition at the contest by its flavour and rhythm, as well as by its performance. ABBA gave the audience something that had rarely been seen before in Eurovision: flashy costumes (including silver platform boots), a catchy uptempo song and simple choreography. It was the first winning entry in a language other than that of their home country; prior to 1973, all Eurovision singers had been required to sing in their country's native tongue, a restriction that was lifted briefly for the contests between 1973 and 1976 (thus allowing "Waterloo" to be sung in English), then reinstated before ultimately being removed again in 1999. Watch the performance in Swedish here. Sveriges Radio released a promo video for "Waterloo" that was directed by film director Lasse Hallström, whose first notable English-language film success was What's Eating Gilbert Grape in 1993. ABBA recorded the German and French versions of "Waterloo" in March and April 1974; the French version was adapted by Alain Boublil, who would later go on to co-write the 1980 musical Les Misérables.

The song shot to number 1 in the UK and stayed there for two weeks, becoming the first of the band's nine UK number 1's, and the 16th biggest selling single of the year in the UK. It also topped the charts in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Norway, and Switzerland, while reaching the Top 3 in Austria, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. Unlike other Eurovision-winning tunes, the song's appeal transcended Europe: "Waterloo" also topped the charts in South Africa, and reached the Top 10 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Rhodesia, and the US (peaking at number 6, their third-highest-charting US hit after number 1 "Dancing Queen" and number 3 "Take a Chance on Me"). In 2005, at Eurovision fiftieth anniversary competition Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest, "Waterloo" was chosen as the best song in the contest's history.

"Waterloo" is featured in the encore of the musical Mamma Mia!. The song does not have a context or a meaning. It is just performed as a musical number in which members of the audience are encouraged to get up off their seats and sing, dance and clap along. The song is performed by the cast over the closing credits of the film Mamma Mia!, but is not featured on the official soundtrack. It is also performed as part of the story in the sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, by Hugh Skinner and Lily James.

The Australian film Muriel's Wedding (1994), features "Waterloo" in a pivotal scene in which lead Toni Collette bonds with the character played by Rachel Griffiths. The film's soundtrack, featuring five ABBA tracks, is widely regarded as having helped to fuel the revival of popular interest in ABBA's music in the mid-1990s. "Waterloo" features prominently in the 2015 science-fiction film The Martian. The song plays as the film's lead, played by Matt Damon, works to ready his launch vehicle for a last-chance escape from Mars. In "Mother Simpson", the eighth episode of the seventh season of The Simpsons, Mr. Burns plays "Ride of the Valkyries" from a tank about to storm the Simpson home, but the song is cut-off and "Waterloo" is played, to which Smithers apologizes, advising he "must have accidentally taped over that".

"Waterloo" received a total of 89% yes votes!

(the video is posted by ABBA's own account, not Eurovision's = safe to watch)

[ringmaster-midori]

Giggling more still, Midori replied, "Oh, thank you! I wanted to make a good impression, so I had some people come by an' show me the proper way to do it. Make the bed, that is! Yeah, for years after I lost my family, I didn't even have a proper bed. Now I'm here an', since Myron passed, I've inherited his bed an' it's the biggest one I've ever had for my own! It's comfy. I remember, from when I had actual body heat, that the bedclothes are nice an' warm, too! I'm really lookin' forward to sharin' your body heat an' feelin' warm again—an' OH MY GODS, I hope that doesn't sound creepy! You're the first person to share this bed with me.

"Yeah, I guess I am a bit nervous, sleepovers aside. Gotta get up at dawn an' leave to fight the entire xulgath army. (Ha ha, let me get this out of my system an' I'll shut up about it.) Seems daunting, but we gotta do it. It's the only way to break the siege! But one day more an' we should have this all finished. One more day an' the town can be free."

Midori burst into song.

🎶🎶🎶 One day more!

Another day, another destiny This never-ending road to break the siege These foes we struck down in our prime Will surely fall a second time

One day more!

One more day before the storm At the barricades of freedom When our ranks begin to form Will the Circus stand with me?

One day more!

One day to a new beginning We'll see what the dawn will bring There's a free world for the winning Do you hear the people sing?

One day more!

We have learned the xulgaths' patterns We will follow where they go We have learned their little secrets We will use the things they know

One day more until the siege breaks We will nip it in the bud We'll be ready for those xulgaths They will wet themselves with blood!

Tomorrow we'll discover What the gods in heaven have in store! One more dawn! One more day! One day more! 🎶🎶🎶

Midori took a deep breath and exhaled. "Sorry 'bout that. Okay, then, time for bed!" She climbed under the covers and put an arm around Nisha, snuggling closely.

"Well, then," Midori took Nisha's hand in her left hand and caressed the back of it with her other, "would you like to snuggle in bed with me for the night?" She looked into Nisha's eyes, her own pupils dilating once more, then smiled sweetly.

[doyouknowthismusical]

[ulrichgebert]

Dann haben wir uns doch mal an Miss Saigon gewagt, das ich auch immer etwas misstrauisch beäugt habe, obwohl es für die eigentlich total begrüßenswerte Erfindung von Jonathan Pryce als Musicalstar verantwortlich war. In der Aufzeichnung der 25-Jahre-Jubiläumsaufführung, die nun auch schon wieder 9 Jahre her ist.  Misstrauisch beäugt habe ich es, weil es von den Leuten ist, die auch Les misérables geschrieben habe, und weil ich Madama Butterfly auch immer misstrauisch beäuge. Es ist dann auch wieder ein ziemliches Spektakel mit gelegentlich etwas brachialer Musik (trotz Solosaxophon), aber man kann ihnen zumindest nicht vorwerfen, daß sie sich auf ihrem Erfolgsrezept ausgeruht hätten, und eigentlich ist es tatsächlich nicht so schrecklich, wie ich immer angenommen habe. Aber kommen Sie, ein Hubschrauber?

(x)

[unknown171204]

Les Misérables 1980

I have already talked about Les Misérables , but I wanted to expand on the subject a little more, by detailing the three French versions as best I can !!

This strange idea of ​​adapting Victor Hugo's novel into a musical came from Alain Boublil after he attended a performance of the musical Oliver! play in London ( he reports having perceived in his mind a resemblance between Oliver Twist and Gavroche )

Carried away by what he considers (rightly) as a flash of genius, he will work in collaboration with Claude-Michel Schönberg and Jean-Marc Natel to compose the music and lyrics for the future album

Fortunately the album will experience its small success with the public, this victory will make the creators grow wings who will launch head first into the torrent of stage creation !

This heavy task will be entrusted to Robert Hossein , an French director, actor, screenwriter, dialogue writer , who will use his fame to the best of his ability to promote the show (which he would be criticized for and mocked , trample his enthusiasm)

The very first production of Les Misérables was created and then performed in Paris at the Palais des Sports in September 1980

Scheduled for a minimum of eight weeks, it will be played for sixteen weeks, with the Palais des sports no longer available beyond that With 107 performances, it attracted around 500,000 spectators

( I don't know how it works in the United Kingdom and the United States at the same time but in France it will be necessary to reach the end of the 90s for the musicals to travel throughout the country + outside of France )

DISTRIBUTION :

Maurice Barrier : Jean Valjean

Jean Vallée : Javert

Rose Laurens : Fantine

Yvan Dautin : Mr Thénardier

Marie-France Roussel : Mrs Thénardier

Maryse Cédolin / Sylvie Camacho / Priscilla Patron : little Cosette

( alternately the little girls also played little Eponine and Azelma )

Fabienne Guyon : Cosette

Marianne Mille : Éponine

Cyrille Dupont / Fabrice Ploquin / Florence Davis : Gavroche

Gilles Buhlmann : Marius

Christian Ratellin : Enjolras

René-Louis Baron : Combeferre

Dominique Tirmont : Mr Gillenormand

Anne Forrez : Mrs Gillenormand

Claude Reva : Storyteller

There remain too few archives of the original shows, unfortunately at the time filming in theaters and performance halls was not a common reflex ...

I did my best to find as much as possible :

Unreleased Javert song, not kept in the album and show ⤵️

The Full Live Recording of the Show :

ANECDOTES :

If I'm not mistaken, this is the only version that uses the character of Azelma , the sister of Eponine and Gavroche

...

Cyrille Dupont, one of the three kids who played Gavroche, was known vocally for singing the theme song for Nobody's Boy : Remi

...

Florence Davis one of three actors playing Gavroche was a girl ?!

Strange artistic choice ? Or last-rescue liner ??

...

Robert Hossein was so marked by this show that two years later, he made a film adaptation of the original novel !!

Starring the legend Lino Ventura as Jean Valjean and the very young Emmanuel Curtil as Gavroche (this little boy is today an ICONIC voice actor in France : Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Matthew Perry and many many others characters )

The Full Movie :

I'm working on the 2024 version

However you can find the 1991 version and other French musicals on my Masterlist :

[dis-astre]

THE JUNE REBELLION: NOT THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

i fear we need to talk about this since i've seen so many tiktok referring to the french revolution when talking about les miserables and it needs to be addressed (aka i'm going to get it out of my system once and for all so i can stop being bitter about it)

i mean, i see those kind of tiktok too much and i am annoyed so bare with me:

so, let's start with les miserables: when does it takes place ?

the chronology of les mis is very long, but the part everyone is referring to (and everyone's favourite part) is the barricades. the barricades takes place during the June Rebellion.

now what is the June Rebellion?

it's a two days rebellion that arise in Paris in an era of political and social instability.

in 1832. 43 years after the french revolution.

so it's safe to say, the plot of les miserables is not at all taking place during the french revolution. and this rebellion was a failure (a flop, as some might even say) and did not overthrow the government (sadly) at all for various reasons.

(see this post here about it, even thought pinpointing the reasons to why a revolution fails is, imo, a bit hard and i am in no way shape or form an historian)

now, for the French Revolution.

keeping it very simple, it starts in may 1789 and end on november 9th 1799 when napoleon did a coup and took the power (others (marxists mostly) might argue that it ended with the death of robespierre, soooo pick your poison). so right of the bat: the french revolution is not one big battle and boom, it's a long period of changes and instability.

i think what people refer to when saying "the french revolution" might be the 14th of July, with the Prise de la Bastille. i know it's a very important event as it is our national day (yay liberty) and it's historically the first big intervention by the parisians (as in the people as in the poor) in the revolution. personally i'm not crazy about this moment (i really really like the march of the women to Versailles in october 1789, insane) it wasn't actually that big of a battle but the repercussions were huge so good job. but here is the problem then, what would make you think this successful battle is the battle we see in les miserables?

[i'm gonna go on a personal mini-rant here but it seriously worries me that so many people, mostly Americans, have so little knowledge of this. i'm not saying you should know everything about french history (as a matter of fact you should not why would you do that to yourself) but it's like... basic knowledge. and what worries me the most is that they think a failed two days rebellion is the french revolution as if it was not an event that reshaped the entirety of the french political system and was a trigger to a lot of changes in europe???? i mean... look at that: ]

i know we have a lot of revolutions in french history but if you need to know one, know the French Revolution, at least just the fact that it was a years long event with successful battles and a successful outcome (not gonna go into the whole it's a revolution for the bourgeoisie thing even if... well it kinda is).

and if you have not read/seen les miserables with your eyes closed, you know that it is very not successful at all !

anyway, that's it !

to summarise:

French Revolution = 1789 / very long / successful outcome / successful battles / not in Les Miserables

June Rebellion = 1832 / 43 years after / two days long / failure / in Les Miserables

Recommendations of...

Movies during the French Revolution = Danton (Andrzej Wajda) / La Revolution Française I and II (Robert Enrico & Richard T. Heffron)

Musicals during the French Revolution = La Revolution Française (Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schoenberg, yes same dudes that made les mis the musical) / Les Amants de la Bastille (not good but definitely super fun to watch) / The Scarlet Pimpernel (Nan Knighton, haven't seen it but some of the songs SLAPS)

Now you can obsess on the french revolution correctly ! and it's all very good recommendations too ! yes !!!!!!

(some of my fav les miserables adaptations here too)

i'm done, thanks for sticking with me, i love you all and i will stop yapping now ! buh-bye!