The Tony-Award-Winning Creators of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon
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Report on the January-February 2017 University of Virginia Events around Les Misérables Organized by Professor Emeritus Marva Barnett Thanks to the generous grant from the Arts Endowment, supported by the Provost’s Office Course Enhancement Grant connected to my University Seminar, Les Misérables Today, the University of Virginia hosted several unique events, including the world’s first exhibit devoted to caricatures and cartoons about Victor Hugo’s epic novel and the second UVA artistic residency with the award-winning creators of the world’s longest-running musical—artists who have participated in no other artistic residencies. These events will live on through the internet, including the online presence of the Les Misérables Just for Laughs scholarly catalogue and the video of the February 23 conversation with Boublil and Schönberg. Les Misérables Just for Laughs / Les Misérables Pour Rire Exhibit in the Rotunda Upper West Oval Room, Jan. 21-Feb. 28 Before it was made into over fifty films and an award-winning musical, Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables was a rampant best seller when it appeared in 1862. The popular cartoonists who had caricatured Hugo for thirty years leapt at the chance to satirize his epic novel. With my assistance and that of Emily Umansky (CLAS/Batten ’17), French Hugo specialist Gérard Pouchain mounted the first-ever exhibit of original publications of Les Misérables caricatures— ranging from parodies to comic sketches of the author with his characters. On January 23, at 4:00 p.m. he gave his illustrated French presentation, “La caricature au service de la gloire, ou Victor Hugo raconté par le portrait-charge,” in the Rotunda Dome Room to approximately 25 UVA faculty and students, as well as Charlottesville community members associated with the Alliance Française. M. Pouchain chose to spend many hours in the exhibit hall, talking with visitors and signing exhibition catalogues. Three-quarters of my 18 USEM students attended the optional exhibit visit with M. Pouchain outside of class (a previous speaking commitment meant that he could not meet with them during class). For an hour he talked with these first-year students about how caricaturists had captured not only Hugo’s career but also his most famous novel. Photo by Coe Sweet 1 The exhibit catalogue—written by Gérard Pouchain, translated by UVA Professor Emeritus Robert F. Cook, and edited by me—is a scholarly document that constitutes the first thorough analysis of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables in caricature and parody. As such, it has been posted on the premier research site for Hugo studies, the Groupe Hugo site at the Université Paris 7. Gérard Pouchain, formerly professeur agrégé at the Lycée Buffon, is currently a research associate at the Centre d’Études et de Recherche Éditer/Interpréter (CÉRÉdI), Université de Rouen. Author of a detailed biography of Hugo’s long-time lover, Juliette Drouet, M. Pouchain has curated—and edited catalogues for—numerous exhibitions of caricatures of Victor Hugo in Europe, the United States, China, and Cuba. In 2008, the French government recognized his contributions to literary and historical studies by naming him Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur. Data from the Rotunda show that a total of 20,391 people visited the Rotunda. Of course, not all of them spent time at the exhibit, but the Rotunda Manager feels certain that a good number did visit. Guest book signatures reveal visitors from a variety of countries, including Taiwan, France and Guadeloupe. News stories and postings about the Les Misérables Just for Laughs events, before and after, include these: • Story announcing the events • Story of the exhibit and French presentation by Emily Umansky, including link to on-line catalogue Goals achieved: • For University Seminar students, an expanded understanding of both Victor Hugo’s life and fame and the impact of his Les Misérables on his contemporaries, ideas which now underpin their work on how the novel resonates in the U.S. today • For the several USEM students studying French—as well as for francophone students and visitors who attended the exhibit—a chance to talk directly with an engaging, approachable French scholar about history and art • For Alliance Française community members, a renewed connection with, and appreciation for, what UVA offers 2 Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s artistic residency, February 22-24, 2017 The Tony-Award-winning creators of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, were against artists in residence at UVA February 22-24, 2017. They came primarily to talk with students about composing, book and lyrics writing and their experiences with their musicals on stage and screen. They met with 9 separate groups of students and associated faculty, answering questions and coaching singers and participated in 3 public events, with a total attendance of at least 1,014 (details in Appendix A). The positive impact on undergraduate students is clear from project assistant Emily Umansky’s summary: For students who have devoted countless hours to studying music and drama, listened to the Les Misérables and Miss Saigon soundtracks again and again, poured over the words in Victor Hugo's novel, or just have a love for the arts, meeting Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil was an invaluable experience. Over lunch on Wednesday, a small group of students were able to have a casual conversation with the artists about music, their recent work on the new Miss Saigon, and contemporary issues in society. Marva's class of first-year students in the midst of reading Les Misérables engaged in a deep conversation with Boublil and Schönberg about the timeless themes of the novel, the development of complicated, human characters, and the phenomenon of the contemporary resonance of Hugo's story. Hearing about how these artists captured the spirit of the novel and transformed it into music was inspiring, and the students will likely keep Schönberg and Boublil's reflections in mind throughout the rest of the Photo by Coe Sweet semester. The University Singers and students in the Musical Theatre Performance class were thrilled to work with Boublil and Schönberg. From the moment they walked in, the students were eager to perform for them. During rehearsal with the students, Schönberg jumped in and brought great energy to their performance through his musical direction. He worked with the groups as a whole, but also called forward individuals to workshop with them and give personal advice. The students learned about the music in ways they only could have from its creators. Boublil and Schönberg were able to give the students insight into their creative process, and evoke the emotions at the heart of the music that would enrich Photo by Coe Sweet students’ performances. It was a 3 once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the students to sing this music with its creators in the room. Likewise, students in the other Drama classes that Schönberg and Boublil visited got to learn about the creation of theater from masters. The artists offered their creative genius and expertise and treated these rehearsals and classes with professional seriousness. This is their life's work, and it was evident how much they cared about helping the students improve. Students who engaged with Boublil and Schönberg throughout the residency were inspired by their attention to contemporary societal and political issues. Les Misérables and Miss Saigon evoke empathy for those who suffer, and the moral messages in these works are not confined to the theater. By talking with these artists, students were reminded how much we can learn from art about other peoples and cultures, the troubles faced by humanity, and how we should live our lives. Sample comments from Drama graduate/MFA acting and directing students and from undergraduate students appear in Appendix B University Seminar students’ mini-essays about what they gained from talking with Schönberg and Boublil are excerpted in Appendix C. A VPA-organized dinner that evening gave VIPs and faculty members the opportunity to talk directly with our guests, and with Australian musical-theater composer and lyricist Paul Hodge, who accompanied his mentor Alain Boublil at all events. Guests included: Jody Kielbasa, Christine Hollins, Francesca Fiorani, Matthew McLendon, Joanne Robinson, Gretchen Tibbits, Christine Tibbits, Laurie Turner, Cary Turner, Mary Kate Bray, Melissa Young, Michael Slon, Holly Slon, Bob Chapel, Maria Chapel, Marva Barnett and Jon Guillot. News stories and postings about Schönberg and Boublil’s artistic residency include these: Post-event: • CREATORS OF ‘LES MISÉRABLES’ INSPIRE AS ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE, UVAToday story by Lorenzo Perez • An Evening with Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, story by Marva Barnett, including a link to the video of the February 23 public conversation • BWW Exclusive Interview: Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg Discuss the Politics of Theatre and More!, by Andrew Burrill (UVA Drama ’16) • Immigrants as Artists—What I Learned from the “Les Mis” Creators, Huffington Post op- ed inspired by the residency • University Singers Facebook page, including dozens of photos • 'Les Misérables' musical artists share experiences, The Cavalier Daily, by Anna Morgan • To come: John Kelly’s Arts Magazine story Pre-event: • AWARD-WINNING ‘LES MISÉRABLES’ CREATORS TO BE ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE AT UVA, UVA Today story by Caroline Newman • Creators Behind “Les Misérables” Musical Coming to UVA, WUVA story by Aurora Calderone