This has to be the worst musical ever made...except for every other musical ever made. I don't know what more you could want that this doesn't deliver. Seriously, this has to be among the most chilling, breathtaking, utterly grand musicals ever made by man. It has certainly set the standard for best quality in any musical I know of. But more than this; as strange as it sounds, it shows me that I should be thankful every day that life isn't always fair, because if it were, we'd all be in big trouble.
Two big subjects that are thrown around in the musical are mercy and justice. These values are constantly at war inside the protagonist, Jean Valjean. He had certainly tasted the bitter extent of unforgiving justice that was levied against him for his crime, but he was also the recipient of a great act of mercy, which, had it been denied to him, would have resulted in his incarceration. Again, when the police inspector, Javert, who has embodied the law, is at the mercy of Valjean, it would have been just for Valjean to take Javert's life, but instead he releases his nemesis without condition. Javert is so torn apart by this act that he cannot bear to live with himself.
We're people. We're messed up. That's how it is. But we can choose how we deal with that brokenness. We have to know when to give people what they deserve, and also when to give them what they don't. You likely wouldn't want to be part of a world of justice without mercy, but probably also would be true for a world of mercy without justice.
Soooo....i'm confused....the second half of your blog sounds like you liked it but you said it's the worst musical ever made?
ReplyDeleteThis is by far in my top 5 of the best musicals ever.