Thirty Things, Number 17: Watch Les Miserables

This is not a review. I’m not stupid enough to contemplate writing a review of a show that I work on. This is just a quick little note to record the fact that I have done yet another of the things on my list. And if it’s a review of anything, it is of my watching experience, because I was apprehensive and feared that maybe I’d seen and heard Les Mis too many times, and concerned that rather than like or not like it, I just might not be interested.

So, on Tuesday 31^st January, I went to the Queens theatre and watched the longest running musical in London[1] and I felt like a tourist, even though I spend most evenings in the building, knew everyone on stage and was mentally aware of where I would be backstage at any given point in time depending on which plot I was doing. It’s a strange way to view theatre. To be thinking things like can I see the onstage wig change (no) and so that is what the make-up looks like under lights (much more subtle than I imagined) while at the same time being involved in a narrative and the (forgive me) journey of a character or two, and every now and then thinking something like oh, that’s who sings that bit! because previously you’ve only heard something from side stage and didn’t recognise the voice, is, well, a different experience to just watching a show.

All that in mind, I was actually positively surprised about how excited I was to be watching the show, and how much I did enjoy it – the music and the narrative. Because I confess I had doubts. Its been over ten years since I saw a professional production of Les Mis. That was in Sydney. I went with school. I more remember things like being shocked that lovely ladies drew their cleavage on (to think the painting of ‘gulls’ would become quite a regular part of my job!), and not having anyone to talk to at interval because I went with my drama class and I was that popular to somehow managed not to have a single friend with me. Since then I’ve seen a schools production and an Am-dram youth theatre version, both of which were good, but slow, and left me thinking that perhaps I’d seen Les Mis enough. So although I lived in London in 2009, was here on holiday over Christmas 2010, and have now been back since May, I was never in a hurry to watch the show.

Then, when I began to put together my list of things to do, I realised that here I was working on a show that claims a space in music theatre history, is a major tourist attraction, and that if I left London without seeing it except from the wings, I’d probably feel a bit silly. So I put it on the list. I have to thank Tim Southgate for including a line from Stars in his status update a few weeks ago which prompted me to ask him to come watch it with me and actually buy tickets. And I did get excited. The day before it hit me. I realised, not only was I looking forward to hanging out with Tim before he flew back to Sydney, I was also really quite looking forward to seeing the show, even though I hear it every night.

So I can happily tick number 17 off the list. Watch Les Miserables. Done. Added bonus: I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed it, and by the nerdy little bit of me that was filled with a rush of excitement as the curtain (screen) went up at the start, simply because I was there. Not be interested? What a silly fear. Ok, so I love opera, we all know that. But sometimes I think I forget how much I like going to the theatre.

Did I mention I like theatre? I like theatre.

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[1] I’m slightly unsure about this fact. I even checked the website, but that made me confused as it claims that is “now the world’s longest running musical”, but further down the page says, “In Broadway history it is the third longest running show after Cats and Phantom of the Opera”. So, yes. That is all.