Is the touring Les Mis at a faster tempo?

May 17, 2023 10:55 PM

I just saw Les Mis for the first time in a few decades, and it really seemed like the songs were sung faster, with time cut between songs so that the whole musical moved faster.

Musical nerds of Mefi, do you know if that's the case or do I just not remember the tempo of the original that well? I saw it first in London in 1990 so it's been a while! But I've listened to recordings as well since then and it just didn't seem to be as fast in my memory.

posted by emjaybee to Media & Arts (2 answers total)

Hello, I'm not sure about the touring production, but I believe it was retooled in London when it moved theatres to make everything move faster – in tempo and in story; they cut some of the verses in Gavroche's song for example. There was a notable difference between the first time I saw it (touring, 1993) and the last time. This Guardian review suggests it's been redone based on a touring production
posted by finisterre at 2:02 AM on May 18 [1 favorite]

I saw it on tour recently, first time seeing the show but I know the 1987 soundtrack well. It definitely felt rushed, and I noticed the cuts in "Little People" (one of my favorites in the original, but this time it was like three lines!) I was disappointed, tbh; this is a show where you need to let the darkness breathe.
posted by basalganglia at 3:18 AM on May 18 [1 favorite]