Do you hear the people sing… in English? (today's MARQUEE)Translating – and re-translating -- Les Misérables with panache and nuance
Shalom, Broadway lovers!In today’s FREE edition of MARQUEE: The Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast: an essay about the genius translations of Les Misérables into English — and back into French; a preview of a Piano Talk about Spamalot; and a Last Blast about Company. This week, Premium subscribers also get a video interview with Dear Evan Hansen creator Justin Paul; a Broadway Blast about Damn Yankees; the rest of the Piano Talk about Spamalot, a Broadway Blast about Next to Normal; and a survey about future Sondheim revivals.
How good are Herbert Kretzmer’s English translations of the original French lyrics of Les Misérables? Pretty good. In fact, they were so awe-inspiring that some of the songs were translated back into French to be more similar to the English versions! Here are examples of Kretzmer’s translations – adaptations, really – from two famous Les Misérables songs, along with my analysis. I include a third (“Do You Hear the People Sing?”) in this video on the topic. The French version of “Castle in a Cloud” emphasizes Cosette’s fantasy of being rescued by a prince. It has a playful rhyme scheme, outwardly AABB, but with the last three words of the last verse being a scrambled version of those from the first line (while retaining the meaning):
Kretzmer, though, seems to have realized that children in misery are more likely to dream of a mother than a prince, so he wrote:
with its ABBA rhyme scheme and a fantasy of a life without endless chores. He goes on, of course to write of “a lady all in white” who cares for Cosette. It’s just a more charming song than the French original. The team putting together the updated French version realized that, so they rewrote the song as “Une poupée dans la vitrine,” meaning a doll in the window.
The song has become sweet, albeit pitiful, and more reflective of what a suffering child might dream of. Now, the first part of “I Dreamed a Dream.” Alain Boublil’s original starts with a deep downer, declaring in the second line that life has killed Fantine’s dreams using one of the strongest metaphors possible. It’s a sentiment that only comes at the end of Kretzmer’s version, and much more gently. Here’s the French original:
Whereas Kretzmer starts on a hopeful note, as is appropriate for a song about shattered dreams:
After Les Miz racked up success after success around the world, the show’s re-translation into French kept Kretzmer’s images of life passing like a dream, and the images of hope and optimism:
PIANO TALK: Here’s a preview of this week’s Piano Talk, in which music educator Mateo Chavez Lewis talks about how minor chords actually sound happy in the song “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Spamalot. He explains what chord progressions, cadences, and extensions are, and how they explain the contours of this excellent, beloved song. Once again, Mateo demonstrates his flair on making music theory concepts clear through the use of Broadway music. 
Note: links to register for ALL classes are always available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.• Sunday, April 14 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass session 2 (registration closed) • Sunday, April 21 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass session 3 (registration closed) • Sunday, April 28 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass session 4 (registration closed) • Sunday, May 5 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass session 5 (registration closed) • Sunday, May 12 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass session 6 (registration closed) • Sunday, May 19 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass session 7 (registration closed) • Sunday, May 26 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass session 8 (registration closed) NOTE: As always, ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not have to sign up or pay for anything. Just show up!
LAST BLAST: In Steven Sondheim’s Company, there’s a key lyrical evolution in the signature song “Being Alive.” At the start, Bobby sings about “someone” in a tentative, even confrontational way (“someone to sit in your chair, to ruin your sleep”). But then the song turns to the word “somebody” in its expression of hope, even prayer (“Somebody crowd me with love…”) This transition connects with an important line of dialogue earlier in the show, in which Amy critiques Bobby: “You have to want to marry somebody! Not just some body.” The “Being Alive” song is about marrying what Amy calls “some body” in its first part, but concludes with a crescendo about marring Somebody. This nuanced linguistic shift not only marks a pivotal moment in Bobby's journey towards understanding the essence of companionship but also encapsulates the musical's overarching exploration of the human longing for connection and the transformative power of love. Broadway Maven David Benkof helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube channel, and MARQUEE: the Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com. Invite your friends and earn rewardsIf you enjoy MARQUEE: The Broadway Maven's Weekly Blast, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe.
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Do you hear the people sing… in English? (today's MARQUEE)
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