I've never seen the actual play. I would love too. The song that the lady sings when Jean Valjean is getting ready to die brings me to tears everytime I see it.
Ever since I listened to an unabridged recording of the book Les Miserables it has become one of my favorites. I think it is an awesome picture of the contrast between grace and law. I praise God that we are under Grace. ;^)
You really need to see it on stage if you can. I've seen the 10th anniversary thing and that's pretty cool. But it is such an incredible stage experience.
And yes, it is a wonderful story of grace.
(I got Mrs. Stormhands the London Cast recording CD for her birthday)
Thenardier represents what happens to a person who is amoral and doesn't believe in God...
Valjean, on the other hand, goes through a redemption/saving experience... and that fact changes everything he does and says...
The climax of Les Miz is when Valjean frees Javert from a certain death sentence. Javert, at the time, truly believed that Valjean would kill him.
In the confrontation Javert tells Valjean... "once a thief, always a thief". Valjean answers... "you are wrong and always have been wrong..." Then Valjean lets him go.
Javert realizes he was wrong and his new knowledge causes him to break all the rules when he in turn lets Valjean go a day later.
Then, you have a study of a person who doesn't know what to do with that "wrongness". His life, his raison d'etre, his purpose and his calling disintegrate at his feet. He kills himself because if he was wrong about Valjean, how many others have he been wrong about.
The book is truly remarkable...