r/lesmiserables

I have wanted to read Les Miserables for a long time, but every time I go to Barnes & Nobles I'm really intimidated by the thick doorstop that is the paperback. Not the length of the text, I mean the actual physical size of the book. It's so heavy and I just can't picture holding it while trying to read.

Has anyone ever found a modern edition that breaks it up into 4-5 smaller volumes. I've seen used hardcover copies online but they go for hundreds of dollars. Since it's in the public domain, I'd really love Penguin or some other publisher to put out a box set that would be easier to hold while reading.

since the tour heads to it’s end I am curious if there will be a pro shot on Blu ray or even 4K Blu Ray. I considered this due to the old recordings from 2019/20 and 2010 (e.g.) and the just released streaming and CD version.

what are your thoughts?

Hi guys! I bought les miserables tickets as a christmas gift however the tickets (I got printable) don't look amazing.

Does anyone know if the Sondheim theatre box office could print off some more traditional tickets?

(Apologies if this isn’t how this group was intended to be used 🫶)

Thank you x

I am a HUGE fan of Les Miserables and go at least twice a year, in the recent years I feel the musical’s changes get better and better until recently. The last time I saw Les Mis was in May, I just saw it again yesterday and the changes….i both love and hate.

The inclusion of little Eponine? - LOVE IT! This is the first time I’ve seen a baby Eponine on west end!

The little moment when Gavroche and Thenardier are introduced again in the Paris Streets? - ADORE IT! Back in the day you didn’t know they were even related unless you read the book, then we got a moment with Eponine, now with Thenardier!

The little emotional cries - LOVE ITTT!! Marius’s sob when Eponine goes and the woman who sobs in Turning! Adore those moments, however, I feel they should do the same with Grantaire when Gavroche dies. Bonus mention: LOVE the little moments after Enjolras dies.

Grantaire’s Body Language - LOVE IT! It’s such a cool thing to have him so scared and desperate not only during Drink with Me but when the gunshots and fighting is going off and his little moment before his death too!!

Enjolras and Grantaire’s Extra Moments - They keep getting more and more little interactions during the barricades, the newest being in Drink with Me, I LOVE that!!

Only down side is the change to funny moments with Thenardier and his wife. I personally liked the little mocking interaction with Madame Thenardier and little Cosette, and the laughing during the wedding scene when Thenardier gets punched. Hopefully they’ll change that back soon, but otherwise such an AMAZING experience as always!

Saw the concert at Radio City a few weeks ago and couldn’t stop thinking about the legendary, amazing Alfie Boe who more than lived up to the hype. Finally look up a picture of him and realize the JVJ I saw was actually Geronimo Rauch, whom I’ve heard nothing about. Does anyone else agree this is the best JVJ they’ve ever seen???!!

If I were to describe the singing in the movie in one word, it would be: DRY. And I think part of that reason is because the directors wanted the actors to be only half singing. I know they had them film for 8 hours straight but the fact that the takes in the film are the officially decided ones it goes to show that they want it to be like that, where the actors are holding back and not going all out with their vocal skills. This I believe is likely because it’s sung the whole way through. For the stage musical it works well. However, while i disagree, I can understand how one may find it annoying if they sing the ENTIRE TIME for a theatrical movie. So as a result the directors just had every line be half sung half spoken.

My solution: Do the same thing Wicked did. Split the movie into 2 parts, and add more dialogue scenes to stretch a single act into 2-3 hours. This way, you can appeal to casual viewers and diehard fans of the show. A first time viewer will see it as a normal musical that alternates between dialogue scenes and music numbers and won’t be annoyed with every line being sung. And a lifelong les mis fan won’t be disappointed about one of their favorite clips is changed to a spoken line. (that was me when the final attack was RUINED!) No need to cut down half of The Bargain and Attack on Rue Plumet or completely remove Dog Eats Dog. And they also get to see the characters they know and love be expanded upon further!

With the extra runtime, they could also add more songs. The movie did that with the inclusion of Suddenly. They could bring back I Saw Him Once or give Enjolros his own solo!

What do you guys think of this?

I’m on page 622 and enjoying the book very much, but … some of these side discussions/descriptions are kind of bogging down the story for me. Can I just disregard all this about The Convent as an Abstract Idea, and The Convent as a Historical Fact? Would it affect my understanding of what happens with Jean and Cosette? Enough already. Sheesh the Battle of Waterloo was a tangent I wasn’t excited about either. Please don’t hate me.

I've been looking for the javert tour bear literally since it came out and I cant find it online but I can see the enjolras and valjean ones does anyone know why im so desperate for him

Hi everyone, I wanted to listen to Lea Salonga’s version of "I Dreamed a Dream" today, but it looks like the 25th Anniversary live album has gone missing from Apple Music.

Does anyone know why it was taken down?

I do own the 10th anniversary recording of the show. However, as a person that's into good quality home audio and car audio, I feel like the actual recording doesn't have the same studio level recording quality that one might hear with other music. For example, have you ever bought a single of a song that you like that was on an album that was produced in a studio, and then you hear that same song on a different recording from a live concert? Usually the studio recording has the fuller dynamic range of music and vocals and everything is very nicely balanced, whereas the live recording doesn't feel as full or powerful as far as the audio output itself. Does a studio quality recording like this exist for Les Misérables?

I would imagine that the movie soundtrack might approach this as far as the criteria I mentioned, but I'm not sure how offset that would be by the different performances within the movie itself.

Now that the 40th anniversary CD has been released and the entire tour has ended, will there still be an official filmed video release of the 40th Arena Concert?

First post ever!!

So I just finished rereading Les Mis. Last time I read it was 8 years ago, so it's been a while. Below are some of my favorite chapters. Feel free to share yours!

• 1.1.10. The bishop in the presence of an unknown light -- Conversation between the bishop and the dying member of the Convention. Honestly this was a challenging chapter to me.
• 1.2.7. Inside despair -- What an unjust penal system (and an unjust society) is capable of
• 1.7.3. A storm in the mind -- Exactly as the chapter title suggests
• 2.1.2. Hougomont -- I'm surprised that I enjoyed it this much. If nothing else, after all the descriptions of the brutality of war, that last paragraph hits like a freight train.
• 2.4.3. Happiness in shared misfortune -- Such a sweet chapter
• 3.4.1. A group that came close to becoming historic -- Portrait of the friends of the abaissé
• 3.8.20. The trap -- What a 20-page thriller!
• 4.6.2. In which little Gavroche takes advantage of the great Napoleon -- The elephant (and quite an endearing chapter)
• 4.14.6. After the agony of life, the agony of death -- "And then, you see, Monsieur Marius, I think I was a little in love with you."
• 5.1.15. Gavroche outside -- That great little soul
• 5.1.23. Sober Orestes and drunken Pylades -- "With your permission?"
• 5.4. Javert derailed -- After following the law blindly for an entire life, Javert finally acquired the ability to think
• 5.7.1. The seventh circle and the eighth heaven -- Being honest to yourself is admirable, but I still wonder whether Bishop Myriel would have approved Valjean's self-exile.
• 5.9.5. From darkness into light -- I wept...

I know - It's not Colorado Springs, but bear with me.
IF anyone was lucky enough to see Jagged Little Pill at the Fine Arts Center that ran from April 30 - May 24, 2026, you saw Monet Sabel play Mary Jane (MJ) Healy.
She is NOW playing Fantine in Les Miserables. It's running until October 18, 2026!! And I'm going this weekend ❣️