Character guide
Enjolras
from Les Misérables
Enjolras is the passionate student revolutionary at the heart of the Paris uprising in Les Misérables, the 1987 stage musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg.
- Show
- Les Misérables
- Broadway premiere
- 1987
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Claude-Michel Schönberg
Enjolras on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 2012 film
On Broadway, Enjolras won an actor a Tony: Michael Maguire took the 1987 award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for creating the role in New York, after David Burt originated it in London in 1985. In the 2012 film, Enjolras is played by Aaron Tveit, who won the part after sending an audition tape singing Empty Chairs at Empty Tables and In My Life.
On stage and screen alike, Enjolras leads the students in Red and Black and Do You Hear the People Sing?, and his fate is the same: when the army storms the barricade, every student except Marius is killed.
Enjolras: role facts
- Originated on Broadway by
- Michael Maguire (1987)
- Notable performers
- Maguire won the 1987 Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical; the 2006 and 2014 Broadway revivals cast Aaron Lazar and Kyle Scatliffe.
- Voice type and range
- High baritone or tenor, A2 to G#4
- Songs Enjolras sings
- Look Down (with Gavroche, Marius and townspeople)
- The ABC Cafe/Red and Black (with Marius, Grantaire and students)
- Do You Hear the People Sing? (with Marius and students)
- Building the Barricade (with Javert, Marius, Eponine and students)
- At the Barricade (with Marius, Gavroche and students)
- Night of Anguish (with students)
- Dawn of Anguish (solo)
- The Final Battle (with Army Officer and students)
Who is Enjolras?
Enjolras leads a group of idealistic young students determined to spark revolution and fight for a better France. He is defined by conviction and charisma, the kind of leader whose belief in the cause pulls others toward the barricades even when the odds are grim.
His relationship with fellow revolutionary Marius, who is torn between the cause and his love for Cosette, gives Enjolras's storyline an added layer of tension, as loyalty to the movement is tested against personal longing.
Enjolras's role in Les Misérables
As a supporting role, Enjolras is not the show's central figure, but he anchors its political and moral urgency. The part demands a strong, clarion vocal quality and real stage command, since Enjolras is often singing to rally a crowd rather than confiding privately, which calls for a bigger, more declarative performance style.
His arc culminates at the barricades, making the role one of the show's most stirring and emotionally demanding for a performer to sustain night after night.
Why Enjolras resonates
Audiences are moved by Enjolras because he embodies youthful idealism and sacrifice. He represents the hope that drives the show's revolutionary storyline, and that unwavering conviction has made him one of the score's most beloved supporting figures.
Enjolras: frequently asked questions
What show is Enjolras from?
Enjolras is a character from Les Misérables, the Broadway musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, which opened in 1987.
Is Enjolras a lead or supporting role?
Enjolras is a supporting role who leads the student revolutionaries at the center of the show's uprising.
Who wrote the music for Les Misérables?
Claude-Michel Schönberg composed the music for Les Misérables.
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