Les Miserables (Highlights from the 1987 Original Broadway Cast) While not overly generous at 55 minutes, the highlights album of the 1987 original Broadway cast recording of Les Miserables is intelligently selected and likely to prove satisfying to most fans. It includes the best-loved numbers of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Sch nberg’s score, beautiful ballads (”Bring Him Home,” “I Dreamed a Dream”) and rousing anthems (”One Day More,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?”) alike, but eliminates some choral numbers (”Lovely Ladies”), redundancies (”Red and Black”), and connective tissue that propels the plot along (”Valjean Arrested,” “Come to Me (Fantine’s Death)”). Sure, a more perfect selection could have lasted longer than half of the two-disc set’s 104 minutes by adding “At the End of the Day” and “In My Life,” among others, but it’s still a good representation on a convenient single disc. Of course, those who always want to re-create the theatrical experience will never be satisfied with a highlights album.

Re-creating their roles from the London production, Colm Wilkinson plays the heroic Valjean and Frances Ruffelle is the despondent Eponine. Randy Graff (Fantine), Terrence Mann (Javert), David Bryant (Marius), Judy Kuhn (Cosette), Michael Maguire (Enjolras), and Leo Burmester and Jennifer Butt (the Th nardiers) fill out the cast. –David Horiuchi
Customer Review: It’s worth your time to listen to the full score
I have the black box full set and I love it, but I have a friend who just can’t sit and listen to three CD’s worth of music and was having a hard time getting into Les Miserables. SO I thought that this CD would give him the basics and maybe want to listen to the whole thing. I listened to it and thought that it sounded poorly made. It’s almost like the music and the singers are not in sync in some of the songs. The voices and the music don’t sound nearly as crisp in this version as it does in the full version. I wish I could get my money back for it and make my own mixed CD!!

Customer Review: Excellent Single-Disc!
Great CD! I love the music! This is a disc of “highlights” from Les Mis. It contains all of the big songs from the musical. The most popular ones. If you are only quasi-familiar with the musical, this is the CD I’d recommend. All the essential songs on one disc. (Including the rousing “Do You Hear the People Sing?”, the beautiful “Little Fall of Rain”, and my favorite, “One Day More”, which is, like, the greatest medley song ever.)

I, unfortunately, have never seen the musical, but I love the music. The liner notes provide a synopsis of the story that helps put the songs in context (very useful for a novice).

The full 2-disc cast recording is also available (if you’re a more serious fan), but for almost DOUBLE the price. For the casual fan, or the fan on a tight budget, this is the way to go. This is also ideal if you want to listen to Les Mis on your CD player from beginning to end without having to switch discs.

This CD features the cast from the original Broadway production (1987). A couple performers are the same as in the original London cast (1985), including Valjean (Colm Wilkinson). The London show was the original English-language production, adapted from an earlier French show. Also available is the Tenth Anniversary Concert recording, which includes a “dream cast” of performers from the London, Broadway and other productions.

If you’re looking for a more complete album (and are not finicky about accents), I’d recommend the Original London Cast Recording. It is the original original of the musical as it is currently known, it’s the full 2 discs, AND it’s a bargain (priced in the same range as this highlights CD). The Tenth Anniversary Concert Recording is excellent, too, and comparably priced (for the full 2 discs). But it’s a concert and has applause and stuff at the end of each number.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
This highlights CD is GREAT for the casual fan or someone who wants just a single disc. Anyone looking for ALL the songs from the musical would do better to pick up the London Cast or the Tenth Anniversary Concert, which are both 2-discs and reasonably priced. But any way you go, I highly recommend Les Mis rables!

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