Les Miserables

So last night I was lying in bed listening to Les Miserables and it almost brought me to tears. The music and the words are so touching and meaningful. It just hit me. I was listening to Fantine sing I Dreamed a Dream. Some of the lyrics are “He slept a summer by my side. He filled my days with endless wonder. He took my childhood in his stride but he was gone when autumn came. And still I dream he’ll come to m, that we will live the years together. But there are dreams that cannot be and there are storms we cannot weather.” The performers do such a wonderful job of emoting. The story itself is one full of love, loss, triumph and tragedy. It plays on so many levels. From the rise of Jean Valjean to the demise of Javier, the finding love between Cosette and Marius to the hopeless desires and unrequited love Eponine has for Marius. It is a moving story and I was struck again with this realization.

It takes me back to high school when I did a book report on Les Mis. I never read the book…shoot it is like 1200 pages, but I knew the story. I’d sing the words of the songs to myself and write down the plot from that process. I got an A+. J I remember when my sister Kara did a dance to On My Own, I’m pretty sure it is my dad’s favorite dance of hers…ever. Kara may wonder why but it really isn’t a big mystery. It was a moving song and beautiful dance strung together seamlessly. Duh. The first time I went to see Les Mis I was maybe 13 and I went with Justin Wilde and his family. Paul, Justin’s dad gave me a brief summary of the plot line and off we went. I may have drifted off a bit during the 2^nd half but we had just come from a camping trip.