The Role of the Chorus in the Original 1980 Production

Before we begin, let me make it clear: this piece is all opinion. It's taken from the actual 1980 cast, of course, but I have no quoatations from B&S or Robert Hossein (the original director of the Paris production) to back it up.

But HERE IT GOESSSS.

One thing you may notice when listening to the original 1980 version of Les Misérables is the show's heightened emphasis on the chorus. In the modern productions, we get a sense that the chorus is a collection of individual characters. This is highlighted by the fact that there are many bit parts throughout the show. We have individual Factory Workers, individual Inn Patrons, individual Poor Folk...the 1980 version has this where needed, but when possible, they instead relied on HUGE CHORUSES OF SINGING FRENCHPEOPLE to get their point across. Why? I believe this was to highlight the facelessness that the underprivileged of the time experienced. Fantine, Eponine, the Students, Valjean, those are the faces of the revolution. But this incarnation reminds us that there were many more, unnamed, unknown, who suffered just as deeply. 

In this version, the chorus shows the faceless workers (all angry that they work an honest day's work, only to "find out" how one of their own is earning a bit more money); the chorus shows the faceless women, thrown to the bottom of life and forced to sell themselves to simply keep living (at the end of "J'avais rêvé," the prostitutes themselves join in Fantine's song, showing that Fantine is just one of many women pushed to the extreme--and actually giving more humanity to the Lovely Ladies in the process); the faceless petit bourgeoisie of Montreuil-sur-Mer (when Monsiuer Fauchlevent gets hit by the cart, we have the chorus--representing the whole town, and, by extension, the views of society--saying things like, "Back up, M le Maire, his sad life isn't worth giving up yours, no one on earth would miss him if he died!").

Hugo, in the novel, often referred to the poor as a "group" and as "masses", denominations that fit with the chorus as presented in the original production.

In the coming days (for real), I plan to add to this post a little video where you can hear what I'm talking about it. In the meantime, what are your thoughts? Do you think the modern version downplays the "faceless mass" aspect, or does it make it more human? Do you think the modern version would have been different with fewer individual bit parts? Lemme know!