The Les Misérables film is almost upon us, but the last bit of waiting can almost kill you. These musical cast recordings will be just the thing to get you through the next few torturous days (or weeks, depending where you live – not that we’re counting).
We might be self-confessed Les Misérables addicts (how many times is it appropriate to watch the 25th Anniversary Concert, anyway?), but that doesn’t mean we have to be snobs about other musicals. Unfortunately not all of these have had the film treatment that Les Mis is receiving, so you’ll have to settle for the soundtracks. But man are these beautiful soundtracks.
‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’
Suggested recording: 1998 Original Broadway Cast
The Scarlet Pimpernel has music by Frank Wildhorn and book and lyrics by Nan Knighton. It is set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, taking place in both England and France, and is half relationship drama and half spy political thriller. The musical began as a concept album and went through a substantial revision when it debuted on Broadway. Unfortunately, there are no plans for a film adaptation as yet, but we can hope.
The soundtrack to The Scarlet Pimpernel is decidedly similar to the style of Les Mis. There are gorgeous solo songs for both the male (“Where’s the Girl?”) and female (“When I Look at You”) leads, big ensemble numbers like “Madame Guillotine” and comedic relief in “The Creation of Man.” You’ll have to make do with the soundtrack, but if you read through a plot synopsis it’ll make sense, and then you can just sit back, relax and enjoy.
‘Miss Saigon’
Suggested recording: 1989 Original Cast
Miss Saigon is a musical composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics also by Boublil and by Richard Maltby, Jr. If that sounds familiar, it is because Schönberg and Boublil are also the dynamic duo behind Les Misérables. Miss Saigon is based on the opera Madame Butterfly, updated to be set during the Vietnam War. It tells the story of a tragic romance between an American G.I and a Vietnamese woman.
The orchestration and the sung-through lyrical style of Miss Saigon are understandably reminiscent of Les Misérables, given the same musical team. Noticeable differences occur in the parts of the score which specifically reflect the setting of the Vietnamese bar where Kim (the Vietnamese woman) works. The pop and piano-bar musical elements give the score a more upbeat feel in parts, but don’t worry – there’s still plenty of depressing ballads to go around.
‘Jekyll & Hyde’
Suggested recording: 1997 Broadway Cast
Jekyll & Hyde is a musical composed by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Leslie Bricusse, and with an original stage concept by Steve Cuden and Wildhorn. It is based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, and tells the well-known story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. While the musical has been through many revivals (though we still prefer the original Broadway cast), no film adaptation has been made.
With the same composer as The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll & Hyde is certainly in a similar style. You can hear the similarities especially in both ballads such as “Someone Like You” and in up-tempo numbers including “Good ‘N’ Evil.” Similarly to The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll & Hyde sounds the way Les Misérables would if you took out all those big rousing chorus numbers, and replaced them all with tear-jerker ballads. In the best possible sense.
‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’
Suggested recording: 2005 Broadway Revival Cast
Sweeney Todd has music and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is set in 19th century England, when barber Sweeney Todd returns to England after 15 years of wrongful punishment to find his wife dead and his daughter the captive of the Judge who sent him away. The musical takes a delightful turn when Todd begins murdering his customers, allowing his landlady to turn them into pies. Yes, really.
Sweeney Todd is a darkly comic musical, and it has the least obviously identifiable Les Mis elements of all the soundtracks on this list. Still we find the solo numbers, such as “Joanna,” as well as all of Mrs. Lovett’s songs, very similar to the style and tone of Les Mis. In 2007 the musical was adapted as a film which was directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, we would still recommend listening to this cast recording over the film soundtrack.
‘Jesus Christ Superstar’
Suggested recording: 1996 London Revival Cast
Jesus Christ Superstar is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Tim Rice. It tells the story of the last week of Jesus’ life, and the complicated relationship between Jesus and Judas. The musical has had two film adaptations, in 1973 and 2000, with a third planned for 2014. A concert version of the show was recorded in 2012 and was released on DVD on November 19. As huge fans of the staged Les Mis concert(s), we can’t recommend this enough.
First listen will show that Jesus Christ Superstar is more on the ‘rock’ side of ‘rock opera,’ and is certainly a more upbeat response to Les Misérables. However, the style of singing, and the melodies and harmonies used are reminiscent of the mixed styles in Les Mis. And if you’ve had enough of “On My Own” and “I Dreamed a Dream,” try out “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” – it will be in your head for days until you almost can’t remember who Eponine and Fantine are.