Les Misérables and Miss Saigon
Comparing Techniques in Boublil and Schonberg's Famous Musicals
Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg have together penned two of the world's most successful and critically acclaimed Broadway musicals. Debates have raged among musical theatre fans for years over which show is superior; however, what is often missed is that Les Misérables and Miss Saigon have striking thematic similarities.
Similaities Between Les Misérables and Miss Saigon
Some of the similarities are fairly obvious. Both shows are derivative—Les Misérables is adapted from Victor Hugo's novel of the same name; Miss Saigon is a loose retelling of the Italian opera Madama Butterfly. Both are long, two-act, through-sung musicals with large casts and epic storylines. Many of the characters and motifs are comparable—the virtuous, tragic mother-prostitute (Fantine/Kim), the innocent child (Cosette/Tam), the love triangle resolved through death (Eponine, Marius, Cosette/Kim, Chris, Ellen), and the death of the hero after achieving redemption through suffering (Valjean/Kim).
However, perhaps the greatest thematic similarity lies in the shows' treatment of the historical events they portray. In a theatrically canny decision, Boublil and Schonberg chose to explore the wider political themes of their shows through minor characters, while keeping the scope of the protagonists' roles intimate and personal.
Thenardier and the Engineer
This is perhaps illustrated most explicitly in the characters of Thenardier and the Engineer. Both are at first glance comedic characters, who are effectively employed to relieve the bleakness of the shows' subject matter. In fact, the sad finales of both shows are preceded by a breath of fresh air in the comic 'Beggars at the Feast' (Les Miserables) and 'The American Dream' (Miss Saigon)—flashy, showpiece numbers that alleviate the gloom and tension of the second acts.
Yet at the same time, Thenardier and the Engineer may be read as the shows' most tragic characters. They are Everymen of the periods they represent; the natural consequences of the societies in which they live, as the lyrics of 'Dog Eat Dog' and 'The American Dream' make clear. Their sleazy, money-grubbing, bawdy personalities exemplify what must be remedied, avoided and atoned for. As a result the characters carry a large thematic burden within the shows; they provide a reflection of, and commentary on, wider societal evils than the main characters' stories can depict.
Enjolras and John
The counterpoint to Thenardier and the Engineer are Enjolras and John, who provide the rallying-cries of the musicals—Les Misérables' 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' and Miss Saigon's 'Bui-Doi'. Both songs are scored and sung like anthems, consciously encapsulating the shows' issues in sound bites. Yet 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' is not sung by Marius, and 'Bui-Doi' is not sung by Chris. The purpose of the protagonists is to provide an unconscious microcosm of the issues, not to reflect on them overtly. It falls once again to relatively minor characters to carry the national weight of the shows' themes, providing pathos on a grander scale.
Perhaps this theatrical technique—which is logistically as well as emotionally satisfying, as it allows for the organic inclusion of a larger cast—is the formula for success which has rendered Les Miserables and Miss Saigon such potent examples of the musical genre.
