PHILADELPHIA- The Academy of Music is home to many travelling shows and musicals. Whether it be Kinky Boots or Something Rotten, one thing is definite: when the lights go down, the seats are always packed. From January 9th-21st, the Academy of Music has been the home for the performance of Les Miserables.

Les Miserables is a musical based off of the world renown novel by Victor Hugo. The story follows prisoner Jean Valjean after his 19 years of imprisonment for stealing a loaf of bread. When he makes his parole, he is marked with a paper that states that he is a former prisoner, making it impossible to live a normal life. He tears up the paper and builds a new life for himself and continues to run from the law. New characters are introduced following his newly established life. After one of his employees, Fantine, dies, he takes on the task of raising her daughter as one of his own. Ten years later, the pair manage to stay hidden until a love stricken boy named Marius sees Fantine’s daughter, Cosette. Both are in awe over each other and immediately establish a romantic connection amidst the battles of the French Revolution. The people of France battle the government to ensure that they “will not be slaves again,” and while fighting for a cause is crucial, Valjean is determined to protect himself and Cosette from hated Inspector Javere. Themes of power, strength, belief, forgiveness, and love are so proudly expressed in every line that is sung and every step taken on stage.

Plot: 5/5

After seeing the 2012 film version of this musical, I thought I knew the plot completely, but there were lines it missed and parts of songs that were cut out. The live musical kept everything originally written, and it was simply beautiful. Victor Hugo wrote a breathtaking story that tugs at heartstrings so much, it feels like one of your closest friends is dying on stage. The plot is so detailed that it allows the audience to understand all of the feelings of each one of the characters. The most magnificent part of the plot is that it does not just center around main character, Jean Valjean. It traces the lives of the other characters and shows how they all tie into each other’s lives.

Acting: 4/5

The acting is very difficult to critique, and although this may differ from other’s views, I expected certain characters to be portrayed a certain way. The way certain people spoke was unlike the other characters, specifically the actresses who played Fantine and Cosette. All of the characters spoke like they were from the same place, but the accents by these actresses had a very prominent and strong American accent both when they spoke and sang. Although it doesn’t reflect on the quality of their entire performance, it was a little distracting.

Singing: 5/5

Any actor who auditions for Les Miserables must be able to belt each song with perfect accuracy, and this group did so perfectly! It is very easy to tell when someone messes up a song on stage, especially with a show like Les Mis where the songs are so well known. Every note was sung to perfect tune and every harmony matched up with every melody. Since this show is almost all songs (there are very few spoken lines,) it is crucial that the audience listens to every lyric. Although I was able to follow the story, it might be difficult for others to pay attention. (This has nothing to do with the performance at the Academy of Music, it is a general disclaimer for those who want to see the show.)

Costumes: 4.5/5

The costumes are one of the most important parts of a show. They give life to the way a character walks and how they dominate the stage. For the most part, the costumes were great. The one thing that didn’t seem right was the costume where Cosette sings her duet with Marius. Although she is considered as the beacon of hope, her costume was a dress that almost looked like a ballgown. It was too Cinderella-like and gave the impression that the story is like a fairy tail which is not the case.

Props and Settings: 5/5

Out of all of these things, I was most blown away by the props and sets. I was worried they wouldn’t be that good, but everything from the prison to the barricade was incredibly well adapted to the stage. It’s easy to build a set for a film, but a live performance requires the sets to move fast as each scene changes. The barricade was huge, and the audience got a sense of how fortified it was as an elderly woman behind me muttered under her breath “Wow it’s huge!”

Overall: 23.5/25

Although the production of the show has ended at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Les Miserables is so famous that it performed almost all the time at different theatres all over the country.