Character guide
Thénardier
from Les Misérables
Thénardier is the conniving innkeeper of 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
Thénardier on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 2012 film
The 2012 film leaves out Thénardier's big solo in the sewers, Dog Eats Dog, one of only two songs from the stage show cut from the movie. Sacha Baron Cohen plays Thénardier opposite Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thénardier.
On stage the role was created by Alun Armstrong in London in 1985 and by Leo Burmester on Broadway in 1987, with comic showcases such as Master of the House and Beggars at the Feast. As on stage, the Thénardiers crash Marius and Cosette's wedding to blackmail Marius, only for Marius to realize that Valjean was the man who saved him at the barricade.
Who is Thénardier?
Thénardier runs a corrupt inn with his wife, cheating customers and mistreating young Cosette before he is left behind by the story's central march toward revolution and redemption. He resurfaces throughout the musical, always angling for money and always landing on his feet no matter how low his schemes sink.
His greed and opportunism stand in sharp contrast to the moral seriousness of characters like Valjean and Fantine, and that contrast is exactly the point: Thénardier is comic relief built out of pure self interest.
Playing Thénardier on stage
As a supporting role, Thénardier is not one of the show's tragic leads, but he is one of its most colorful and memorable parts. The role calls for a performer who can handle broad physical comedy and biting wit while still landing sharp character songs, since Thénardier's numbers are some of the score's most theatrical and darkly funny moments.
Because the character reappears across so much of the story's long timeline, the part also rewards an actor who can shift energy quickly, moving from sleazy comedy to genuine menace and back again.
Why Thénardier resonates
Audiences love Thénardier because he offers welcome comic release inside a famously heavy, emotional story. His shameless self interest makes him oddly likable, a rogue who survives on wit and nerve while the world around him is being remade.
Thénardier: frequently asked questions
What show is Thénardier from?
Thénardier is a character from Les Misérables, the Broadway musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, which opened in 1987.
Is Thénardier a lead or supporting role?
Thénardier is a supporting role, providing comic relief and recurring conflict throughout the story.
Who wrote the music for Les Misérables?
Claude-Michel Schönberg composed the music for Les Misérables.
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