Les Miserables

A Broadway musical based on the novel by Victor Hugo of the same name. Typically assumed to take place during the French Revolution, it in fact is set during the early 1800s, particularly during an uprising against Napoleon III in the 1830s. The plot follows Jean Valjean, a convict who broke parole, rose to become a factory owner and mayor, and adopted the child of a former factory worker-turned prostitue. Throughout the story, Valjean is pursued incessantly by Javert, a policeman who believes that, by God's will, he will recapture Valjean. Other subplots present themselves along the story, including a love triangle between Valjean's adopted daughter (Cosette), a reluctant revolutionary (Marius Pontmercy), and a streetgirl (Eponine Thenardier), and the wheelings and dealing of Eponine's swindling parents. A fantastic novel and a beautiful musical.