Ep 31 - Les Misérables: The Triumph of Mercy Over Vocal Trauma

Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree

Can the message of a work triumph over poor artistic execution and a lack of understanding of genre? Jim Bennett and Joseph Addington join us to discuss this less-than-successful film version of the classic musical, which is itself an adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic work. Jim tells us about the pull this musical has on the Utah theater community and Joseph shares his love of the novel's classic spiritual journey. In the end, we find a few things to love about the film version in spite of its much criticized live singing style. Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/lesmis Video editing by Liz Busby; Audio mastering by Carl Cranney Associate Links: Links to products may be associate links, which means a small part of your purchase goes to Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree. We appreciate your support.

00:00:00 Intro 00:01:59 Best Books 00:10:34 Main Discussion 00:11:15 Les Mis in Utah Theater 00:13:49 The Book was Better 00:20:30 Failure as a Movie Musical 00:33:04 A Digression About Schmigadoon 00:36:30 Solutions to Poverty in Les Mis 00:44:33 Justice and Mercy 00:50:14 The Thenadiers and the Villain Problem 00:53:49 Our Ratings 01:05:19 Wrap Up & Summer Break