Overture

We all know that "Les Mis" is the greatest musical of all time, based on one of the greatest books of all time. Agreed? Of course. BUT, if you've only ever heard an English version of the show, you must know that there is an even better version of it that you haven't heard.

Cover of the 1980
Concept Album

The English version is amazing...but the French version is perfect.

The French translation of the musical is the masterwork of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, who wrote the original version of the show in 1980; it opened at the Palais des Sports and ran for 16 weeks, nearly double it's originally advertised run. This version of the show was similar to the version we know now, but had its difference. First, it was in French. Second, it began not with "Look Down" but with "La journee est finie", which eventually became "At the End of the Day." Thirdly, as it was assumed the French audience knew the story inside and out (which, of course, they did), there was not much character background. Audience were expected to know everything leading up to the story, and all the information that the story left out of the book often was included in the show, but not expounded upon. You just had to know it. (I could write a whole other blog on the differences between the 1980 version and this current version, but I won't...for now.)

When Cameron Mackintosh brought the show to England in 1985, the show was re-worked from top to bottom; as English audiences were not as familiar with the story, there would be more explaining to do. Herbert Kretzmer was brought in to write English lyrics. Boublil and Schonberg worked on new songs. Many of the melodies and lyrics from the original French version were left behind in the process.

Now, English is a great language; it gave us Shakespeare and Harry Potter and the Hunger Games. Which is great. But there's nothing like hearing a work in the language it was meant to be heard in. In this case, it's French.

Cover of
1991 Paris Cast Album

When "Les Mis" was brought to Paris in 1991, Monsieur Boublil got the chance to adapt the English show back into French. In doing so, he brought back a great many of the lyrics from his original 1980 version, and mixed them in with a translation of the beautiful new Kretzmer English lyrics. Thus, the 1991 version of the show is truly "Les Mis" as it was meant to be.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to be selecting sections of this version of the show and translating them back into English, to give you an idea of what the French 1991 version sounds like to a French-speaking ear. I will also provide YouTube links so you can listen along.

Expect the first post soon!

As a side note, I have access to the lyrics from the complete stage version, as well as the recorded version. Lyrics not on the recording but in the stage version will be written [in brackets]. [Like this.] [Get it?]