Act One
Les Miserables opens in France in the year 1815 in Bagne prison in Toulon, where the prisoners work at hard labour ("Work Song"). After 19 years of in prison, (the first five for stealing bread for his starving sister and her family, and the rest for trying to escape), Jean Valjean -"prisoner 24601"-is finally released on parole by the policeman Javert. By law, Valjean must display a yellow ticket-of-leave, which condemns him as an outcast ("On Parole"). He then meets the Bishop of Digne, who offers him food and shelter. Valjean steals some silver from the bishop and the police catch him shortly afterwards. The bishop, however, lies to save Valjean and helps him to begin a new life ("Valjean Arrested, Valjean Forgiven"). Humbled by the bishop's mercy and kindness, Valjean decides to follow the bishop's advice and breaks his parole. ("Valjean's Soliloquy" / "What Have I Done?").
After eight years, Valjean, having assumed a new identity as Monsieur Madeleine, is a wealthy factory owner and mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. One of his workers, Fantine, has a fight when the other workers discover she is sending money to her secret illegitimate child. The girl is living with an innkeeper and his wife ("At the End of the Day"). The Mayor intervenes and breaks up the conflict, but asks his factory foreman to resolve it. The other women demand Fantine's dismissal, and because she had previously rejected his romantic advances, the foreman agrees and throws Fantine out.
Fantine sings all about her broken dreams and about the father of her daughter who abandoned her ("I Dreamed A Dream"). Desperate for money, she sells her locket and her hair, before eventually out of neccessity becoming a prostitute ("Lovely Ladies"). When she one day fights back against an abusive customer, Javert, now stationed in Montreuil-sur-Mer, arrests her ("Fantine's Arrest"). "Madeleine" soon arrives on the scene, and realising his part in the ruination of Fantine, orders Javert to let her go and takes her to hospital.
Soon afterwards, the Mayor rescues Fauchelevant, who is pinned by a runaway cart ("The Runaway Cart"), which remindes Javert of Jean Valjean (who had abnormal strength), whom he has sought for years for breaking parole. However, Javert assures the mayor that Valjean has been arrested recently and will be in court later in the day. Unwilling to see an innocent man go to prison in his place, Valjean confesses his identity to the court-that he is the prisoner 24601-revealing the convict's brand on his chest as proof ("Who Am I?-The Trial").
Before returning to prison, Jean Valjean visits the dying Fantine and promises to find and look after her daughter Cosette. ("Come to Me" / "Fantine's Death"). When Javert arrives to arrest him, Valjean asks three more days to find Cosette, but Javert refuses to believe his honest intentions ("The Confrontation"). which forces Valjean to eventually knock Javert out and make his escape.
The next scene occurs in an inn at Montfermeil run by the Thenardiers where Cosette has been residing. The Thénardiers have been abusing the little girl, while indulging their own daughter, Eponine. Cosette dreams of a better life ("Castle on a Cloud") before Madame Thénardier sends her to fetch some water in the dark. As the inn fills for the evening, the Thénardiers cheat their customers in various ways ("Master of the House"). Valjean finds Cosette fetching the water ("The Bargain") and pays the Thénardiers 1,500 Francs to let him take her away with him ("The Waltz of Treachery").
Nine years later, and Paris is in upheaval because General Lamarque, the only man in the government who shows any mercy to the poor, is ill and may soon die. The young street urchin Gavroche mingles with the beggers and prostitutes on the street, while students Marius Pontmercy and Enjolras discuss the general's almost imminent demise ("Look Down").
A street gang led by the Thénardiers prepares to ambush Jean Valjean, whom Thénardier recognizes as the man who took Cosette ("The Robbery"). Éponine sees Marius, whom she secretly loves, and warns him to stay away, but Marius accidentally bumps into Cosette and immediately falls in love with her. Javert thwarts the Thénardiers' attempt to rob Valjean and Cosette, not recognising Valjean until after he escapes ("Javert's Intervention"). Javert gazes at the night sky, comparing his hunt of Valjean and justice to the order of the stars ("Stars"). Meanwhile, Marius, although he does not yet know Cosette's name, persuades a reluctant Éponine to help him find her ("Éponine's Errand").
The scene shifts to a political meeting in a small café where Enjolras leads a group of equally idealistic students to prepare for a revolution which they believe will materialise after General Lamarque's death, ("The ABC Café-Red and Black"). Marius arrives to the meeting late and when Gavroche brings the news of the General's death, the students march onto the streets ("Do You Hear the People Sing?").
Cosette is completely infatuated with Marius, and although Valjean realises that she has grown up, he refuses to tell her about either his past or her mother. ("Rue Plumet-In My Life"). In spite of her own feelings, Éponine leads Marius to Cosette ("A Heart Full of Love"), and then goes onto prevent her father's gang from robbing Valjean's house ("The Attack on Rue Plumet"). Valjean, convinced that Javert was lurking outside his house, tells Cosette that they must get ready to flee the country.
The day before the Paris Uprising of 1832, Valjean prepares to go into exile; Cosette and Marius part in despair; Éponine mourns the loss of Marius; Enjolras encourages all of Paris to join in the revolution; Marius decides to join the other students as they prepare for the upcoming conflict; Javert briefs all the soldiers under his command and reveals his plans to spy on the students; and the Thénardiers look forward to robbing the corpses of those killed during the forthcoming battle ("One Day More").
Act Two
As the students begin to build a barricade ("At the Barricade - Upon These Stones"), Javert, disguised as one of the rebels, volunteers to go and "spy" on the government troops. Marius notices that Éponine has disguised herself as a boy and has joined the revolutionaries. He sends her with to deliver a letter to Cosette, which will also carry Éponine to safety. Valjean intercepts the letter, promising Éponine he will tell Cosette about the letter. After Éponine leaves, Valjean reads the letter, learning about Marius and Cosette's relationship. While walking the streets of Paris, Éponine, despite what he had said to her, decides to rejoin Marius and the revolutionaries at the barricade ("On My Own").
At the Barricade the students are defiant despite an army warning them to surrender or die. Javert returns and tells the students that the government will attack ("Javert's Arrival"), but Gavroche exposes him as a spy ("Little People"). Éponine is shot as she attempts to return to the barricades and dies in Marius's arms ("A Little Fall of Rain"). Valjean arrives at the barricades in search of Marius as the battle first erupts, and he saves Enjolras by shooting a sniper ("The First Attack"). As a reward, he asks to be the one to kill Javert, but instead he releases him and even gives him his address. The students settle down for a night ("Drink with Me"), while Valjean prays to God for Marius to be saved from the onslaught ("Bring Him Home").
As dawn approaches, Enjolras realises that the people have abandoned them. He sends away all the women and fathers of children, but resolves to fight on ("Dawn of Anguish"). With ammunition running low during the second attack, Gavroche scurries in front of the barricade to collect more cartridges. As he runs back behind the barricade, he is shot three times and dies ("The Second Attack / Death of Gavroche"). Enjolras and the students realise that they will more than likely die. The army gives a final warning for surrender, but the rebels refuse, and as they continue to fight, all are killed except Marius and Valjean ("The Final Battle").
Carrying the wounded Marius on his back, Valjean escapes through the sewers. Meanwhile, Thénardier is also in the sewers, stealing as many valuables from bodies as he can, laughing that he is performing a "service to the town" ("Dog Eats Dog"). Thénardier takes a ring off Marius's hand as Valjean is resting, and then escapes when he notices Valjean getting up. When Valjean reaches the sewer's exit, he runs into Javert, who has been waiting for him. Valjean begs Javert to give him just one more hour to bring Marius to a doctor, and Javert reluctantly agrees. After Valjean leaves, Javert finds that because Valjean saved his life, he can't bring himself to turn him in. Torn between his own morality and his duty to the law, Javert commits suicide by throwing himself into the River Seine ("Soliloquy - Javert's Suicide)".
Back on the streets, women are mourning the deaths of the young students ("Turning"). Marius also mourns for his friends ("Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"). As he wonders who saved him from the barricades, Cosette comforts him, declaring that she will never leave him ("Every Day") and they reaffirm their love. Valjean then confesses to Marius that he is an escaped convict and tells him that he must go away because his presence endangers Cosette ("Valjean's Confession"). Valjean makes Marius promise never to tell Cosette, and Marius makes only a half-hearted attempt to hold him back and make him stay.
Marius and Cosette then marry ("Wedding Chorale"). The Thénardiers crash the wedding reception in disguise as "The Baron and Baroness du Thénard". They tell Marius that Valjean is a murderer, saying that they saw him carrying a corpse in the sewers after the barricades fell. When Thénardier shows him the ring that he took from the corpse, Marius realises that it he that was the "corpse" and that Valjean saved his life. Marius punches Thénardier, the newlyweds leave, and the Thénardiers enjoy the party and celebrate their survival ("Beggars at the Feast").
Meanwhile, Valjean prepares for his own death, having nothing left for which to live. Just as the ghost of Fantine arrives to take him to heaven, Cosette and Marius rush in and find him, in time to bid farewell and for Marius to thank him for saving his life ("Epilogue - Valjean's Death"). Valjean gives Cosette his confession to read out, and the souls of Fantine and Éponine guide him to Paradise, where everyone who died at the barricades ask once again: "Do You Hear the People Sing?" ("Finale").
Theatre tickets to all performances of Les Miserables at the Queens Theatre in London are available to book securely through this website.
popular stage show and goes from strength to strength at the Queens Theatre in London where it continues to delight west end audiences after over a quarter of a century on the London stage.
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