Les Misérables Celebrates 37 Years Since First Opening on Broadway

Admittedly, I am not the biggest fans of musicals. In fact, I usually find them a little bit annoying, and too often fluffy and cartoonish. Disney-like, if you will.

However, there are exceptions. I very much enjoyed Notre Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), for example. Same with Phantom of the Opera. Beauty and the Beast is another wonderful musical. Evita as well. But my favorite has long been, and remains, Les Misérables.

It is one of the few musicals that I actually will listen to at least somewhat regularly (perhaps two to three times per year, I am guessing) in the car while driving, or separate from that. And the play hits harder at different points in my life. It hit me a certain way upon the first viewing, but there were other parts that really got me later on, depending on the different eras of my life. When a book or a play or a music albums (and this is all three) can do that, it feels like it is truly and unconditionally great. It speaks of the human condition, of society and the longing for justice and fairness, and individual striving, as well as longing and, of course, love. Just beautiful.

The first time that I saw it was way back in 1992, for a high school trip. People who took French got to go on the trip to see the play, as well as to pay a visit to the New York Met Museum. It was a ton of fun, but the play itself proved actually quite engaging and even moving. It hit me pretty good, and I wanted to see it again. I did some years later, with my girlfriend. Many years later, I saw another version of it at the Paper Mill Playhouse with another girlfriend of mine at the time. I took my son to a movie theater to see a screening of the new London play which was set to tour the United States, before the coronavirus pandemic put an end to that. However, I did manage to take my son and current girlfriend to see Les Misérables in Philadelphia, back in 2022, I believe.

Yesterday marked the 37th anniversary of the first time that Les Misérables opened on Broadway. Apparently, I am not alone in loving it, as it is supposed to be the world's most popular musical.

Saw this on Facebook earlier, and thought it would be good to honor the play here. Here was the original post about it on Facebook (see the link):

Les Miserables - Musical    ·  1 day

Still the world's most popular musical. 

Throwing it back 37 YEARS ago today, when #LesMiz had its very first performance on #Broadway.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=800320805463367&set=a.632961158866000