THE satirical revue Forbidden Broadway reworked the Les Misérables song One More Day as Ten More Years, with four actors ageing visibly as they tottered round on a mini-revolve. And indeed John Napier’s sets for Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s boiled-down version of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece are still turning, 17 years since this RSC musical opened.

'Les Miserables' touring cast hits all the right notes

by DAMIEN JAQUES
the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Three hours is too long, and exactly what are the noble rebels on the barricade fighting for? The French history that frames the piece is maddeningly fuzzy.

The cultural differences that separate the '80s from the first decade of the 21st century make us more aware of the musical's frequent references to God.

A 'Les Mis' that defines the Broadway extravaganza
by HEDY WEISS for the Chicago Sun-Times

And though the show's source material is French (taken from the classic 19th century Victor Hugo novel, with a score by the Gallic team of composer Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyricist-writer Alain Boublil), it was always a very British creation.

A West End institution: The show must go on
by LOUISE JURY for the Independent
published: September 25, 2006

When it opened in 1985, 'Les Misérables' was greeted by the sort of negative reviews that usually prove fatal. But it is about to become the world's longest-running musical.

Les Misérables, Broadhurst Theatre, New York
by BRENDAN LEMON for the Financial Times
published: November 9, 2006

I wouldn’t break off a friendship with someone who disliked Les Miz. But I would wonder whether that person had an aversion to musical spectacle in general. For of all the shows that bloated the boards in the 1980s, Les Miz is the least expendable: you can walk out whistling the tunes and not hate yourself in the morning.

The men who make les miracles
by JASPER REES for the Daily Telegraph
published: December 18, 2006

At one time, with Les Mis up and running in 47 cities, there was only one hour in any given 24-hour period when Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's triumphant show was not playing somewhere in the world.

...

They have just spent six months helping Cameron Mackintosh re-mount a scaled-down Les Mis in a Broadway theatre just vacated by The History Boys, only three years after its 13-year run came to an end. Boublil was shocked to receive the summons.