Les Misérables

The story of Les Misérables

Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, Les Misérables follows Jean Valjean, a former convict trying to build an honest life while being pursued by the relentless police inspector Javert. Around him swirls a portrait of early nineteenth century France, from the poverty of Fantine and her daughter Cosette to a group of young idealists preparing for the Paris uprising of 1832.

The setting, rooted in the 1830s, gives the show its backdrop of barricades, revolution, and social upheaval, but at its heart it is an intimate story about mercy, redemption, and the choices people make when the world offers them very little.

The music and the makers

Composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, working with lyricists and the original French creative team, built a score that is sung-through, meaning almost the entire show is delivered in music rather than spoken dialogue. That approach gives Les Misérables an operatic sweep, with recurring musical themes that return and transform as characters' fortunes change.

The result is a score of soaring ballads and stirring ensemble anthems that has become instantly recognizable even to people who have never seen the show, a testament to how thoroughly its music has entered popular culture.

Les Misérables on Broadway

Les Misérables opened on Broadway in 1987 and quickly became a defining title of the era, part of a wave of large scale, emotionally driven musicals that dominated the late twentieth century stage. Its blend of grand spectacle and deeply human storytelling helped it run for years and return in multiple revivals.

Audiences keep coming back because the show manages to feel both epic and personal at once. It rewards longtime fans who know every lyric while still landing powerfully for first time viewers, which is part of why it remains a staple of the Broadway landscape decades after its debut.

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