Les Miserables @ The Esplanade, Singapore

I saw one of my favourite theatre productions yet in June at the Esplanade in Singapore - Les Miserables. It was incredible. Amazing cast, fabulous music, incredible staging - it had it all.




















I've only ever seen the movie and I absolutely loved that. I love the storyline and I love the music. It's so evocative. 
I get goosebumps everytime I watch the movie so I knew watching the production live would be 10x more amazing. And I was right.  

 

 It's so hard to pick a favourite song because they are all so good. Everytime I think about writing my favourite down I think of another and I have to reconsider! 
I Dreamed a Dream is obviously one of the most famous songs and for good reason. I loved that song but I actually thought [unpopular opinion coming] that Anne Hathaway sang it better in the movie than the actress did in the show... Not that she wasn't amazing, because she was! I just prefered the movie version. 
I love One Day More because so many different characters are singing their own songs and it's just so dramatic and amazing to watch and listen to. They all blend together so well but at the same time you can pick out each song and it's just so incredible. 
Similarly, I love Do You Hear the People Sing/The People's Song because it gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it. Seeing all the people on stage coming together getting ready to fight for something they believe in whilst singing this song is amazing. It is also played at the finale so it's the last song you hear in the musical so again, it's a really big moment.
 On My Own is close to being my favourite song from the show. It's a beautiful song and it's so emotional. The actress in the production sang it so well, as did Samantha Barks in the movie. 
My overall favourite song though, oddly enough, is probably Master of the House. It's the only song in the entire musical that provides some comic relief and not only is it really catchy and happy, but it is also really funny. I think the Thenardiers are actually my favourite characters of the whole show because they are so amusing to watch/listen to. 

 

I went with my dad, one of my parents friends, and one of her friends because my mum refused to go. She thought it would be too sad for her to watch and whilst it does have its sad moments, they handle it well. 
[SPOILERS]
When Gavroche is killed, the spotlight falls on him and its silent for a moment but then his brother carries him off center stage and the scene carries on. Because it doesn't dwell on the moment, it doesn't get too sad/emotional for the audience. Well, it didn't for me anyway. The only time my eyes welled up, was when Eponine was dying/singing with Marius. And it was mostly because of the music and the fact that it carries on for a while. It's a sad song but it's also a sad moment. Not only is she dying but it's the first time Marius has ever shown any affection to her in the way that she wanted. 
My mum definitely would have handled it but I'm also glad she decided not to go because it meant I could!


 If anyone gets the opportunity to go see Les Miserables, you should definitely go and see it. I guarantee you'll love it. 
For anyone in Singapore, it's still showing at the Esplanade so go get your tickets!
Also, look out for the staging. It is done so flawlessly and cleverly. The way the scenes transition and the way the spotlights are used when a character dies. Especially when {SPOILERS] Javert dies. They use a moving screen as the backdrop of the stage to make it look like he's falling off the bridge and into the water. It is pretty spectacular.

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