Les Misérables is a novel by Victor Hugo set in Paris, France. It has been filmed many times and also created as a musical by Boubil and Schoenberg.

The basic plot: Jean Valjean steals a loaf of bread, is released from jail 19 years later, breaks his parole, and is hounded for years by a sociopath named Javert. Along the way, he picks up a daughter and assists in the uprising of 1832, which fails miserably. Then he dies.

The romantic-type characters in this story are Marius Pontmercy, Cosette, and Eponine. Marius and Cosette are the only ones who live through the entire story. They are just too annoying to die.

Les Miserables Soundtrack (currently noding still)

Disc One

1. Work Song
2. Valjean Arrested
3. What Have I Done?
4. At The End Of The Day
5. I Dreamed A Dream
6. Lovely Ladies
7. Who Am I?
8. Come To Me
9. Confrontation
10. Castle On A Cloud
11. Master Of The House
12. Thenardier Waltz
13. Stars
14. Look Down
15. Little People
16. Red & Black
17. Do You Hear The People Sing?

Disc Two

1. Love Montage: I Saw Him Once/In My Life/A Heart Full Of Love
2. Plumet Attack
3. One Day More
4. On My Own
5. The Attack
6. A Little Fall Of Rain
7. Drink With Me
8. Bring Him Home
9. Dog Eats Dog
10. Javert's Suicide
11. Turning
12. Empty Chairs At Empty Tables
13. Beggar At The Feast
14. Finale

I'm currently working on the fly floor for an amateur Les Miserables production. From a technical point of view there are a number of interesting features enforced by the owners of the copyright for the show.

Firstly at the start of the first bridge scene (the one with Look Down in), the bridge flies in, in full view of the audience, to land on a particular beat in the crescendo. This is challenging when doing the flying by hand.

Secondly the barricades must revolve. This is often done with a revolve stage, but can be done (as we are doing it) using stage crew inside the barricade pushing in (and the cast members on it) around on wheels.

Other than that it's a great show to fly for and most of us crew join in the choruses.

---

spoiler: I've got to elaborate on Xarisa's plot line. Jean Valjean skips parole for stealing a loaf of bread and is treated as an outcast (his prison number is tattooed to his chest) and hounded by the policeman Javert. He meets the Cosette's dying mother whom he'd earlier wronged and promises to look after Cosette who is being ill-treated by the inn keeper and his wife. He helps in the ill-fated up rising, living long enough to save Javert's life, but dying shortly afterwards in the sewers.

{SPOILERS}

I don't know what show viterbiSearcher was working on, but Valjean certainly does NOT die in the sewers. He collapses in the sewers long enough for Mr. Thenadier to steal Marius' ring, and then he gets back up and finishes carrying Marius away from the battle.

He dies later of some unmentioned old-age related sickeness shortly after the wedding of Marius and Cosette.