:: Pedantic Platitudes ::

:: Saturday, November 08, 2003 ::

Today at lunch they served these really cool croissant sandwiches with ham, egg, and cheese inside. It was quite delicious. Add that to the chicken fingers and fries, and you've got an unhealthy yet satisfying meal.

Following lunch, I went downtown to see Les Miserables, described as "The World's Most Popular Musical" and "The Musical of the Century." Les Miserables has been around since the 80's, and it has been performed to millions of people. It actually only closed on Broadway earlier this year. This touring company is an exact copy of the original still playing at the West End in London; it opened here in Boston this past Wednesday and will stay until December 7.

I think the show might have gotten too much hype... or maybe it's because I'm a bigger fan of comedy than drama (having seen The Producers and Hairspray)... but I didn't get into this musical as much as all the other ones. The production was still amazing... I guess I just didn't get into it as much as other people in the audience, who were driven to tears by the emotions evoked by the musical.

The musical really is wonderful. The centerpiece on the stage is this huge turntable, which turns at certain times to help facilitate scene changes and to give multiple views of the same scene to the audience. It was an incredible sight because eventually you could see the front, the sides, and the back of the 3-D sets when they were on the turntable. Other impressive set pieces included these two massive structures of rubble, which would change to become a bridge or a huge barricade. There was also a nifty fiber-optic backdrop that created a sky of stars, as well as heavy usage of scrims to project expository information and to make the ensemble appear dramatically in certain moments. They used a ton of smoke and fog, too. The costumes were incredibly elaborate, and the entire package really took the audience back to France in the 1800s.

The music was very impressive, too. There was very little dialogue because most of the lines were sung as part of the songs. In essence, it was three hours of continuous songs and musical numbers. Yes, the show was nearly three hours long, supposedly trimmed from an original three and a half hours. However, the performance was engaging, so it didn't seem like a full three hours.

This truly was an epic musical. I appreciated its inspirational message about fighting for your ideals and revolution against what's unfair... about still believing and holding hope for a brighter future despite current adversity. It was emotional, too, because of the suffering and death portrayed in the show. But the ending was cathartic, and people left feeling hopeful and inspired for the future.

Continuing my day of entertainment, I went just down the street after Les Miserables to meet up with my friends, who had planned weeks ago to see The Matrix Revolutions at the theater downtown. Besides grumbling about the exorbitant $10 evening price, I was sorely disappointed by the movie. It was ridiculous and made no sense whatsoever. I didn't really understand the first two movies, so I was hoping this third movie would tie it all together and make it all make sense. But no. This was just as bad (and worse) than the other two. Most of the people in our group (and we had a lot of people) were confused and puzzled after the movie also. What does it say when a whole group of Harvard students doesn't understand a popular movie after they see it? A mainstream film really should work harder to help the audience understand exactly what is going on. I think The Matrix, as a trilogy, didn't do a good job of making things clear for a majority of people to understand. There's a difference between making people think and confusing the hell out of a lot of people in a movie.

Well, I finally headed home after the movie. I was hungry, so I went out for some pizza. I then did a lot of writing.

Actually, Les Miserables is starting to grow on me the more I think about it and the more I listen to its songs. I think it's one of those shows that you grow to love, that you get a little more out of after each viewing. The drama and the inspirational message is starting to get to me. Here are some lyrics from the rally song that is reprised in the finale:

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!!



There was also this quote from Victor Hugo in the show program that I found very beautiful:

"Will the future ever arrive? ... Should we continue to look upwards? Is the light we can see in the sky one of those which will presently be extinguished? The ideal is terrifying to behold, lost as it is in the depths, small, isolated, a pin-point, brilliant but threatened on all sides by the dark forces that surround it; nevertheless, no more in danger than a star in the jaws of the clouds."

Quote of the Day: "That love poem was horrible; I've read overdue library book notices that are better than that."

:: SL 7:24 PM [+] ::
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