Explore and Compare the constraints of socitey in madame bovary

and distance us from the plot which furthermore grew fervent. The Barricades was skilfully designed and built, coloured darkly, atmospherically setting the audience in the disposition of distress just as the characters were feeling which was well represented by the fractured climbing frame presumably built by scraps including steel and wood. Besides this there were more sets for different acts, much simpler designs making a statement about that part of the play, but the Barricades is one set that audiences will undoubtedly return to the theatre to watch repeatedly. Nevertheless Les Misérables combines a montage of characters that visually make a statement about the play with costume. Each character is individually stylised where Javert is in a dark, gloomy, navy uniform representing his commitment to law, Eponine is in scraps of pastel nearly colourless fabric, torn and a rough brown hat representing her homeless condition, this evidently makes some characters stand out. Moreover evident progression is made within costume, particularly with the character of Cosette. Where her early life costume is similar to that of Eponine’s adulthood but after her ‘adoption’ by Valjean her upper class educated, youthful lifestyle is presented through the casual and smart dresses she wears of feminine colour. Props like wooden cups, tables, chairs and a cart, for example, are applied to the set blending in and having a consistent visual impression upon the audience. On particular significant prop would be the red sheet of fabric that was transformed into various styles for different acts. Where on one hand it was the tablecloth at the bar on the other it was the red flag symbolising the blood and shed, of an era of tumult and violence. Lighting is one visual aid of Les Misérables which was indisputably, atmospherically effective in making it a successful performance to watch. Generally the performance was dimly lit to put the background plot of the French Revolution into context; therefore the dim light signified the depression that the people of the time were going through. Nevertheless particular lighting such as the very bright white light came on as death arrived amongst characters such as Valjean and Fantine symbolising holiness, also the gobos used to create windows and drain lids in the sewers were as effective in transforming the whole stage space to again create that big world in order to look realistic in addition to this the wedding between Marius and Cosette had some particular effects where shadows of couples were on the back walls to seem like there was a hall full of people dancing. A particular moment in which the lighting was used to contribute to the atmosphere was the shooting behind the Barricades where as gun shots went off different colour lights, in particular red, orange, blue, and white went off in different angles making the shooting look very realistic. As a musical Les Misérables aurally is remarkable where scores heavily influenced by opera are clearly devised to convey messages through live vocal lyrics, creating the atmosphere that compliments the period of the 19th century furthermore diegetic sound effects are used, for example the sounds of scurrying rats in the sewers this in turn enables the performance to become more pragmatic and effective when being performed to the audience. Each song in the musical had also been cleverly composed for that particular act and as the whole play is sung each lyric is carefully chosen to make what Les Misérables is today. Adding to the spatial, visual and aural elements of the production were also the special effects making the performance more successful in creating particular moments, for example the smoke of gun powder behind the Barricade, again just simply conveying the performance as sensible. Besides this Les Misérables has talented actors with fantastic singing voices to hold the performance up throughout. Haven’t had the opportunities to read the novel, characters like Jean Valjean and Javert were new to me and so there were no expectations beforehand apart from those critically acclaimed articles about the production. Overall the acting was clear and vivid, where styles such as naturalism were effectively used keeping the audience engaged.  Lucidly each actor had learnt a lot about there character earlier and so this was clearly visible in voice and movement, evidently making characters stand out from one another and relationships more definable. A particular moment which was very effective in combining the visual, aural and spatial elements further was the very end as it left the final impression upon the audience. The spirits of those who died on the barricades all join together as an ensemble with their shadows on the background creating this mysterious atmosphere with supernatural ideas furthermore the colours of the French flag are projected on the ground of the stage finishing the production flawlessly. With an audience from around the world, the 23 year-old Les Misérables received the honour of a standing up crowd applauding, laughing and shedding tears, one production which proved triumphant. Words: 996