This semester, I had the incredible opportunity to take Marva Barnett’s class “Les Misérables: From Page to Stage to Screen.” Without a doubt, this has been one of the most rewarding classes I have taken at UVa. I came into the class as a fan of the musical and the 2012 film thinking I already knew a lot about Les Misérables, but boy, was I wrong!

When asked about this class, third year fellow student Hannah Bornhofen said, “Best class. Engaging. Intellectual. Exciting. Thought-provoking.” I could not agree more.

We spent the semester asking many questions. Perhaps the biggest one for me was: 

Why is this novel considered so “great”?

In the preface of the novel, Hugo explains:  “So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates a hell on earth, and complicates with human fatality a destiny that is divine… so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, there should be a need for books such as this.

I loved getting to see the power of literature so evident in this book that has endured and affected people across the world for so many years.

Reading the book gave me a whole new perspective on the story. I could talk about interesting differences between the book and the musical all day.

Discussions in class brought to light some really fascinating questions. There were many strong opinions about whether students would consider themselves “Team Marius” or absolutely hated Marius. Why does Javert kill himself? What are Hugo’s views about progress? What is the role of religion in the story? How is the portrayal of Cosette different in the musical/films versions of Les Misérables than in the novel? (My group decided to do our final project addressing this topic.)

At the end of September, the original French composer of the musical Claude-Michel Schönberg and lyricist Alain Boublil visited our class for a question and answer session. It was an out-of-this-world experience to be sitting in the same room as these two unbelievably talented men. What stuck with me the most from our conversation was the extraordinary sense of passion we could see in how they talked about their work. Schönberg said beautifully, “We did it because we loved it, had a passion for it, and it was the only thing we could do.”

On Friday, December 5, I went to the Charlottesville Live Arts production of Les Misérables downtown, which was a fabulous way to top off a great semester. 

This production has the best Javert I have ever seen. Usually, I do not pay as much attention to Javert, but after reading the novel and examining the character more, I really appreciate how well this actor captures the nature of his character. He also has an incredible voice and sings his songs with beauty and precision.

Some of the other characters who really stand out to me are Eponine and Cosette, who both convey the nature of their characters impeccably well and have lovely voices.

I was hesitant about the small theater feel of the space, but I love the way they utilize the black box theater.

Overall, this is a really wonderful show. Some show times are sold out, but the play will be running until January 10.