Les Misérables

     I first read Les Misérables when I was fourteen.  I couldn't yet appreciate the novel for what it was at that age, and I found it much better when I read it again when I was seventeen and a senior in high school.  I first saw the musical when I was fifteen and while it was not a professional production, I suddenly understood why it was a classic Broadway show that everyone knew.  I'm so thrilled that the movie is recorded live.  There is a much more realistic quality to live recordings than prerecorded.  Something about live music brings everything to the present for me; maybe that's why I love theater so much.  You are captured in a singular moment, with real emotions.

     I am a huge Anne Hathaway fan; I fell in love with her the moment The Princess Diaries (2001) opened in theaters.  She thoroughly impressed me this summer as Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises, even though I did not expect her to.  The trailer, expertly cut and pieced together, never ceases to amaze me.  I can't listen to it without crying.  What really gets me is Anne Hathaway's heartfelt performance of "I Dreamed A Dream".  One of the most overdone songs in musical theater, she has an almost raw quality that makes it so real to the viewer (or listener).  Most people don't know she can sing, but she truly sounds incredible in the trailer.  If the movie trailer can make me cry every time, I'm going to be a train wreck in the theater.

     My favorite character by far, whom I also think is highly under appreciated, is Éponine.  Éponine is a beautiful character, often overtly criticized for her role in the novel.  The musical portrays her in a more positive manner, highlighting her attempt at redemption.  She's a character with layers; she's conflicted between what she has always known and the man she is in love with, trying to find her way.  I have high hopes for Samantha Banks.  She's done the role before in both the London production and the 25th Anniversary Concert.  I expect a lot from her, but I have no doubt she will deliver.

     Les Misérables opens in theaters December fourteenth.  I guarantee I will be one of the first in line to see it.  I can hardly stand the anticipation!