Kitty February 22nd, 2024
After looking at the West End's longest runners to create our 2024 list, it got us wondering about how these shows went down in their times.
We're myth-busting the legends of the West End in a new series. First up, did the critics really 'hate' Les Miserables on its 1985 premiere?
After looking at the West End's longest runners to create our 2024 list, it got us wondering about how these shows went down in their times.
A little bit of context
Preceding Les Miserables' 1985 premiere, the Royal Shakespeare Company had dipped its toes into the book-to-musical pool before, with 1980's The Life and Adventures of Nicolas Nickleby. An adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1839 novel, this behemoth clocked in at over 8 hours and was presented in two parts.
Directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird it was an audience hit, and mostly a hit with the critics too. Mel Gussow of The New York Times liked it; "Nicholas Nickleby remains true to Dickens - many of the lines are taken directly from the novel, dialogue as well as narration and to first principles of theater" and The Times was fairly moved, with Bernard Levin expressing "...we come out not merely delighted but strengthened, not just entertained but uplifted, not only affected but changed." Playwright and critic Thomas Hischak even declared it the"centerpiece of the season...a theatrical experience of a lifetime".
So it's in this context that the critics headed to Les Miserables. With much of the same creative team and of course, the historical setting, it's no surprise comparisons were made from the beginning.
"Was the Royal Shakespeare Company about to astonish the world with another ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or, more exotically still, an amalgam of "Nickleby" and "Cats"? That was the question the trend-spotters were asking of the pop opera "Les Miserables" before its English-language premiere at the Barbican a few days ago." The New York Times, October 27th, 1985.
While 'Nickleby was surely a masterpiece of theatre, it also still had that epic run time and a huge cast. With the RSC reportedly needing 22 million a year (that's 7,594,51 in today's money) to keep going, they definitely wanted a more permanent hit.
"Two things at least are certain about Les Miserables. The first is that the critics have expressed alarm, disgust and displeasure that the RSC should lend itself (cynically, they would say) to a trite money making venture. The second is that the production is sold out, and the auspices for a commercial transfer to all parts of the globe are correspondingly excellent. In these circumstances low expectations are the best ones to hold." Charles Spencer, Spectator, October 19th, 1985.
Thankfully, with audience word-of-mouth ignoring much of the critical ire, and the clever marketing machinations of Cameron Mackintosh, Les Miserables proved 'em wrong and gave the RSC those much-needed funds. However, let's take ourselves back to the morning after opening night, 1985 to see what the rest of them said.
The Daily Mail's Jack Tinker "like attempting to pour the entire Channel through a china teapot...Despite the grandeur of the music, the courage of the intentions, Les Misrables has, sadly, been reduced to The Glums."
The New York Post's Clive Barnes "instantly disposable trash."
The Observer's Michael Ratcliffe "It is less depressing that the RSC is presenting this witless and synthetic entertainment in the hope of making some money (why not?) than that they appear to believe it is...an exciting development of their best work. It is a parody of it."
Time Out's Susie Makenzie "You are not asked to like Les Miserables. You are asked to admire it. And our admiration is solicited not on the grounds of something truthful and profound, not on the grounds of something intelligent and stimulating but on the grounds of melodrama, contrivance and artifice...What we have here is splendid theatrical effect. The shell of theatre if you like. Not the bones of drama."
The Sunday Telegraph's Francis King "What...we have here is a lurid Victorian melodrama, produced with Victorian lavishness."
City Limits's Lyn Gardner (A) "load of sentimental old tosh...if I was the RSC I'd forget about a West End transfer and settle for a made-for-TV American mini-series".
Well, it is safe to say this is one theatrical legend that holds true. While not every critic was as unforgiving as the auspicious gathering above, Les Miserables was not a critical hit and yet it not only survived this ravaging but thrived. Now safely topping the list as the public's favourite musical, its two-fingered salute to the critics is all the sweeter as it enters its spectacular 38th year!
