Les Misérables on tour: The Mayflower Theatre – Review

My husband LOVES the musical Les Misérables and back in September 2018 I finally gave in and went to see the musical in the West End.

It was one of the best theatre experiences I have ever had, so when we found out it was heading to our local theatre, The Mayflower in Southampton, we booked tickets straight away.

As we approached the theatre, we were excited to see that it was lit up in the colours of le Tricolore, which really set the scene for what was to come.

My husband managed to secure tickets in the very front row, closer than I have ever sat to the action before and it was an amazing experience from beginning to end.

The scenery was dark and foreboding scenery, inspired by the abstract paintings of Victor Hugo and the attention to detail was incredible.

If you are not familiar with the story of Les Misérables, translated as The Miserable, it is the story of Jean Valjean who goes to prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his dying family. He is released on parol 20 years later, but struggles to be accepted back into society and gets arrested again, this time for stealing silver from a kind bishop who takes him in for the night. Taking pity on him, the bishop says he gave the goods to Jean Valjean and he is set free, thus swearing to himself that he will turn his life around and become a decent person.

The story then finds him a few years later as a transformed man and mayor of a town and a factory owner, however, his former prison guard Javert is still hunting him down for breaking his parole.

The story is a powerful mix of light and shade, with the brilliantly comical Thénardiers, adding some light relief to an otherwise heart wrenching story.

The music, the singing, the choreography, all of it was absolutely fantastic and having watched the TV series Les Misérables earlier this year, understanding all aspects of the story really helped me to understand what was going on.

I was asked if I found the story depressing and whilst there are aspects that really tug on the heartstrings, in the end it is a story of human struggle and the ability of love to pull you through.

Have you seen Les Misérables?