If you know me, you might very well know that I am a fan of musical theater. I was raised on daily repeats of The Sound of Music and classic Disney movies. But I think it all really started when my cousins and I found a double cassette of the Miss Saigon original London cast recording one summer during elementary. We played that thing like nobody's business, I tell you. We used to reenact the scenes as how we understood the story based on the lyrics. Since then, I've always had a special spot in my heart for that musical and musical theater in general.
Ironically, despite my love for musical theater, I've never really seen a real live musical theater performance. Not until I was in high school, when Miss Saigon came to Manila. I believe it was part of the tour to close the musical's run. My dad's company was one of the sponsors so we were able to get orchestra center seats. I still remember that day so vividly. I still keep the candy wrapper of the From the moment the very first notes were played, I was in complete awe. After the show, the gentleman beside me said that he noticed me mouthing along to every song. He was amazed at how I could know the musical so much despite being very young. If only he knew how my cousins and I used to perform (Yes, perform. Not just sing. Perform!) "The Heat Is On In Saigon" in the bathroom, using the shower curtain as our stage curtain.
That experience practically fueled the fire. From Miss Saigon, I moved on to other shows. Right now, my current musical obsession is Les Miserables. It has been for about a year now since I found out that the famed musical is having a movie adaptation. I first learned about Les Miserables through Miss Saigon since they share the same creators. (music and lyrics duo Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Shonberg and Producer Cameron Mackintosh). And then in high school, we watched the 1998 film with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. I think we were required to read the book too but for some reason, I have no recollection of actually reading it.
Now, musicals being turned into film is a tricky thing. I'd rather not get into movie musical adaptation failures *cough* Phantom of the Opera *cough* but suffice to say, it's not easy. I am very hopeful for this one though as the same dream team behind the musical is behind this plus, Tom Hooper, the Oscar-winning director of The King's Speech (If you haven't seen it, go see it! It's a great movie.) directed it. If that is not enough, it features an ensemble cast of both Hollywood and theater fame.
A few months ago, an initial screenplay of the film was leaked on the internet and like a kid on Christmas day, I was too excited not to read it. A lot of changes have been made from the stage version. Some little, some major. That's understandable since the screen is a different medium from the stage. Some of the songs placements were rearranged and surprisingly they do make sense. I've started rereading the book a few months ago and it seems that, based on that script, this film version has taken into consideration the integrity of Victor Hugo's story while still maintaining the essence of the musical. I think that's a valiant effort on the creators' part.
One thing I'm a little iffy about though is the addition of a new song. It's supposed to focus on the moment when Jean Valjean takes young Cosette and realizes how that changes everything in his life. I've heard a snippet of the song and it does not seem to sound as a part of the entire score. You know how it is in musicals when a lot of the songs sound similar? This is especially true for Les Mis (and even Miss Saigon) when songs use the same melody/rhythm/chords to show a correlation between scenes. (Take Lovely Ladies and Turning for instance. Same melody, different tempo). Suddenly doesn't have that feel. I have a feeling it was created with a best original song award nomination in mind. I mean, the movie is obviously gunning for the Oscars and all the other awards this season and it would be slightly odd for a musical not to win any music related awards.
So anyway, before I blabber on and turn this into a novel, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I currently have an insufferable obsession towards Les Miserables and I don't see that dying down anytime soon. The film has already been out in the US since Christmas and it has garnered really good reviews. That and a shitload of award wins and nominations. It just makes me all the more excited to see it. It comes out here in the Philippines next week and trust that I will be in line first thing in the morning. Ok, maybe not first thing but I'd definitely be there on opening day like a kid on Christmas morning with a fresh pack of tissue in hand.
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