the famous musical based on the novel by Victor Hugo
One of the most famous musical titles written in the twentieth century premiered at the Music Theatre at Brno City Theatre on 13 February 2009. The story of the escaped galley slave Jean Valjean, based on Les Misérables (1862), Hugo’s famous novel of the same name, won the hearts of audiences in Brno and beyond during more than 130 performances at that time, and Petr Gazdík won the prestigious Thalia Award for his portrayal of the lead role. The production in Brno thereby merely provided further confirmation of the quality of this work which flew around literally the entire world following its premiere in 1985 in London and two years later on Broadway, and became one of the longest-running musicals in the West End. It should be added that the world premiere took place in Paris in 1980 and the musical’s worldwide success was ensured by the enormous care devoted to the production by musical magician Cameron Mackintosh.
Brno’s Music Theatre resounded with unforgettable and unmistakable melodies for five years, and audiences remember to this day the story of the hero Valjean who spends his whole life fleeing from the stubborn inspector Javert in order to grant happiness to his ward Cosette and her chosen one Marius. The romantic story set against the backdrop of revolutionary Paris in 1832 is still relevant today and frequently inspires new stagings and film adaptations. We might recall the star-studded film by Tom Hooper from 2012 featuring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and many others.
It is only logical that Brno City Theatre has decided to return to this title. It is sure to be a magnificent gift for both the audience and the acting company which is, thanks to two decades of experience with the very best (and often the most difficult) titles in musical theatre, ready once again to sing “Do You Hear the People Sing?”. Les Misérables is to return to the Music Theatre once again in all its vigour directed by Stanislav Moša, and we can expect that this time it will again be received with great enthusiasm. The trade critics wrote “Les Misérables made itself at home in Lidická Street with aristocratic generosity” and “An unambiguously unforgettable and almost unsurpassable experience in the field of theatre” of the first performance in Brno. There is certainly no reason to doubt that this theatrical return is not to inspire similar reactions.
