#oh old white men in charge of les mis why must u do things like thos

[boopliette]

Hi! I keep seeing posts about the new West End les mis staging, but all the articles I can find just go off about how "refreshing" it is without actually saying what the changes they made are? Do you know what they've changed? I'm kinda worried about what they might've screwed up lol

So the short answer is that everything is different, it’s an entirely separate interpretation of the show from the original.

It’s not “new” really, it first premiered for the 25th Anniversary Tour, it was the production that went to Broadway and is the current US Tour, its the current UK Tour, it was the one in Madrid a few years back and i Think its the one in Mexico right now but don’t quote me on that - so if you’ve seen any of those, that’s what’s coming to London to replace the original staging.

The major difference is that the new production relies heavily on big sets, and in my opinion that often detracts from the characters. The original production is very minimalist, there’s only like one or two backdrops or large props, and everything else is done in the same box set with bricks and windows on the back wall, and they arrange the two halves of the barricade in different ways to create big set pieces like Paris and the ABC cafe. There’s more focus on the character and it feels more personal, to me at least.

The other main difference is there’s no revolving stage.

I have nothing against the new production though, it’s well suited for touring, because without the revolve you do need something to make up for it. However, it is like, budget Les Mis and it doesn’t hold the same resonance or impact because there’s too much going on and the focus is a bit all over the place. Less is more! The original production is perfect - it’s been running for 33 years for a reason and is down to a fine art by now. It still sells 95% of the seats and people keep coming, and I think changing it now is going to have terrible repercussions in the future.

NOW under the cut imma go into way more detail about some staging differences can, but oh boy that’s gonna go on for a while so don’t suffer through it if you don’t want to (warning: i have a very clear bias)

First of all, the difference between the original and the new production is obvious from the very first second:

On the right is the 2010 tour, where the prisoners are on a huge boat set and they’re rowing or something I don’t really know, but they have big props and set pieces, and on the left is the original (from a 2011 bootleg), where they have imaginary pickaxes, but you feel closer to them, there’s nothing to distract you from them, and sue me I love a good smoke machine

the same thing happens in the factory, in the original (left) Fantine and the workers are clearly the focus (also in the background you have one of the few set pieces, the iron gate later seen in a Heart Full of Love)

this ones just a me problem, but look at the new stagings (right) pitiful little runaway cart, cmon fauchelevent you can get up from that it’s Nothing, the original (left) is huge and imposing and looks more dangerous and i love The Runaway Cart fight me

The original ABC Cafe set (left) is made of rearranged barricade parts and you see them move together and spin around. The new ABC Cafe (right) is made of newspaper and balconies and needs more tables.

I weep for how empty and sad the new One Day More (right) looks.

So a lot of these have been superficial differences but this one is huge. For Gavroche’s death, in the original staging (left, from a 2014 video) Gavroche climbs over the barriacde as it spins around, hiding the students and making Gavroche the sole focus. This is a very powerful scene, and Gavroche feels so alone, its heartbreaking. When the barricade spins back round, we see the students reactions then, with Grantaire front and centre, slowly lwering himself into a chair as he comes to terms with what has happened. In the new staging, because there’s no revolve, Gavroche climbs over the barricade and we stay with the students and see their reactions to hearing Gavroche die. Grantaire is still front and centre, and then he screams. Its meant to be heartbreaking but 9/10 it reminds me of Darth Vader’s awkwards “NOOO” at the end of the prequels. I prefer the original’s understated approach to his grief. Gavroche’s death is important, and not being able to see it takes away a lot of its impact and a lot of the scenes tension.

my absolute favourite moment in the original production (top) is when, after the final battle, the barricade spins around as an orchestral version of Bring Him Home plays the “the summers die one by one” part, and Enjolras is revealed hanging upside down with his flag, Gavroche still on the ground below him. This scene is incredible, I genuinely don’t think there is anything like it. It’s so poignant and impactful and its a very powerful moment that I literally hold my breath for. The new production tho. Oh the new producion. The barricade doesn’t rotate, we’ve covered this. So what do they do? THEY SPLIT THE BARRICADE IN TWO TO SHOW ENJOLRAS AND GAVROCHE IN A WAGON. A WAGON. This wagon is my nightmare. I hate this wagon. This wagon is dead to me. They’re changed the original staging recently so that Enjolras is even more upside down than before, hanging onto the barricade with just one thigh, and its breathtaking. Google it or something, I’m running out of photos.

Okay so the new production (right) ghosts in Empty Chairs aren’t bad, they just have a different effect. In the original (left), the ghosts line up behind him and feel like they’re representations of Marius’s guilt as they walk up to him. They look at him and judge him as he sings “oh my friends, my friends don’t ask me” and then they walk backwards into the shadows again as he finishes the song. In the new staging, they walk in to extinguish candles left by the women in Turning and its just all together more mournful. He looks directly into Enjolras’s eyes as he sings that same line, and then they all blow out the candles and back away from him as he reaches for them. It heightens Marius’s sorrow instead of his anger and guilt, and its not a bad change, its just a different take on the scene. Also at the end of the original Marius raises a toast to his friends and drinks and its bitter and heartbreaking, whilst in the new production he just blows out the candle and its also sad, but not as painful.

MY FINAL ANGRY RANT IS THAT IN THE NEW PRODUCTION (right) THEY’RE NOT HOLDING HANDS. THE LINE IS “TAKE MY HAND” HOW DID THEY MISS THAT??? HOLD HANDS DAMN IT.

other things i ran out of photo space for: 

-the new production has a weird obsession with balconies??? Paris is just balconies, the musain gets a balcony despite being indoors, cosette has a balcony, the thenardiers get a balcony in One Day More, its just too many balconies.-there was a very good post by @cometomecosette explaining how Lovely Ladies loses a lot of its focus and impact in the new production, so I suggest checking that out here for how that scene will change-The new production doesn’t have enjolras and grantaire hugging in Drink With Me and thats a crime-Javert has a gigantic bridge in the new production, its too much bridge for one man-the entrance of the barricade is Iconic in the original production, it blew my mind when I first saw it and I don’t want to spoil that for any one who may see it before July-Marius wears a blue coat and I hate it (costuming is a whole nother issue, if we lose Combeferre wearing two waistcoats, we really just lose ourselves)-Also, just to go back to the WAGON I HATE THAT WAGON-a wagon I don’t hate is the Do You Hear The People Sing? wagon. I shall miss her the most.

I’m salty the end.

Also!! Thanks for getting to the bottom of this, I will be gifting out the 2011 and 2014 West End bootlegs I used for this post to anyone who messages me off-anon about them!  (for you movie fans - the 2011 bootleg has Killian Donnelly as Enjolras and Samantha Barks as Eponine)