The whole Almeida Theater was pitch black, the fingers could not be seen, the silence and silence were slowly spreading, the faint sound of breathing and low chatter was dull, and there was a faint depression in the heat, as if waiting for an eruption at some moment, like a volcano.

With a crisp sound of "pop", a row of lights at the back of the stage lit up, faint and hazy, projecting an off-white curtain, lying in the center of the stage, directly in front of the side near the audience, empty, nothing, no objects, no actors, not even lights, only through the blurred halo, capturing the outline of the stage.

The agitation seemed to surge, but it was only for a moment before it calmed down, and before the audience could realize it, they couldn't help but hold their breath because there was movement on the stage.

At the end of the back of the stage, a figure appeared, going straight from the left diagonal line, slowly, heavily, and resolutely, the faint light projected the figure on the beige curtain, no face could be seen, only a silhouette of the figure could be outlined, but with the footsteps, taller and taller, higher and more majestic, as if standing up to the sky, can support the weight of the whole world.

In the case of no lines and no face, the majesty of this figure and the determination of the footsteps, but in a few strokes outline the majestic momentum and magnificent battle, just a figure, only a few steps, but hammered heavily on the heart of every audience, belonging to the thickness of the original story of "Les Miserables", which laid the tone of the entire repertoire.

The figure was moving forward, and in his ears, there was a humming, "Hum ...... Huh-huh...... Hum...... Hum Hum ...... "The ethereal and light humming, without lyrics, only tunes, is calling for excitement and excitement in the blood, and the echo effect inside the theater creates the effect of the Holy Spirit singing a hymn, which reverberates in the eardrums.

Arthur Hall couldn't help but adjust his sitting posture slightly, at this time, they sat in their own private box, the condescending view was extremely clear, the whole stage was in full view, even on the second floor, he could still feel the majesty of the projection, the slightest momentum spread in the step.

"This song ......," Arthur listened to the tune.

The song is so familiar that it is the ending song of the Queen's Theatre version of "Les Miserables": "Do You Hear People Sing (Do-You-Hear-Peolple-Sing)".

From the call to the uprising of the people of Paris, the martyrs who sacrificed their lives sang loudly, calling on every people who had suffered and suffered, to stand up, to fight against the power, and to fight for their own dawn with their own hands. At the end of the story, with such an impassioned melody, inspiring, it really reaches the high/climax.

Now, the Lan Li version of "Les Miserables" uses this melody in the opening. It's just a fragmented tune humming, but under the projection of the curtain, the image of the bard is sketched, wandering from street to alley, witnessing the suffering and suffering of society, feeling and feeling something, so he compiles it into a song.

There are still no superfluous objects and actors on the stage, but with a figure and a tune, Victor Hugo's Paris and even France are presented as the tip of the iceberg, and every audience member - to be precise, everyone who has read the original book or understood the repertoire can sketch that vivid and vivid scene in their minds.

This is the disadvantage of the theater, the lack of image associations, but at this moment it has become the advantage of the theater, unleashing the imagination of the audience. At the same time, under the guidance of the actors, the picture is depicted.

Arthur straightened his back and leaned forward. He knew that the voice belonged to Lan Li, and as soon as he appeared, Lan Li showed his theatrical performance skills to the fullest, and at this time they didn't even see Lan Li's face, nor did they hear any lines.

"Hum hum, hum hum ......" the bard's hum floated melodiously, then infused with lyrics, evolving into a ballad tune that came to his lips, "Do you hear people singing, the valley of the night, the song echoes......"

Instead of singing impassionedly, but whistling and singing softly with grass in their mouths, the vague lyrics can only capture fragmented fragments, but they pull the audience's attention, little by little, into the plot, into the world hidden behind the curtain.

"This song belongs to those who strive to climb to the light, to the people who are suffering on the earth, the flame of hope will never be extinguished, even the darkest night will eventually go away, and the sun will rise!"

Gradually, the singing calmed down and the footsteps stopped. Standing behind the curtain, the tall figure reached the extreme at this moment, with his feet on the earth, the sky above his head, his resolute shoulders carrying the darkness and chaos of the whole world, and finally, the sound disappeared completely, the movements were completely calmed, and the whole theater fell into silence.

Quiet, slowly spreading again.

Above the projection, the figure could be seen gasping, the heaving chest and shoulder line revealing the heaviness, when the silence reached the extreme, even the sound of breathing and heartbeat completely disappeared, and without warning, the projection suddenly opened its arms, and the milky yellow light was bright in an instant, as if fragments of heavenly light were sprinkled down.

But the moment he exhaled and breathed, the light disappeared again, returning to the faint halo he had before. Then, the figure began to tumble and jump, volleying sideways movements, and began to circle around the stage, one after another, setting off a wave of qi, rushing into the darkness, with a loud "bang", the thunder of guns and cannons instantly catharsis down like a torrential rain, and the plot immediately became smooth and compact.

The figure reappeared, with a bread stick in his hand, and at the other end of the stage was a dying old woman and seven young and thin children, their figures were bustling under the curtain, and behind them was the chasing bakery, who threw the bread in his hand towards the other end of the stage, but it was raised high and fell heavily, without success.

Then he was overtaken by the shopkeeper, and with a blow of a club, the man was completely curled up on the ground, holding his head firmly, bearing the impact of the storm.

Everything, like a shadow puppet show, is projected on the curtain, but it does not affect the storyline in the slightest.

Then, behind the curtain, law enforcement officers appeared with batons in their hands, joined the beatings, and finally dragged the dying and unconscious man off the stage. Just when everyone thought that the opening was over, as soon as the lights were dimmed and the lights were bright, twenty or thirty actors appeared in front of the curtain, and the stage was immediately filled.

Some are sitting on the side of the road begging in rags, some are lying on the side of the road with wine bottles, some are selling their handicrafts, and some are rummaging through the garbage with baskets...... The sound of chattering swarmed out, French mixed with English, and vulgar and vulgar terms surged in my ears.

The law enforcement officers dragged the man, like a march, to the left side of the stage, marching towards the right side of the stage with high steps, showing their "trophies". The people around them were insensitive and unresponsive, and after a short pause in their gaze, they continued to bust themselves with their own affairs, as if they were not surprised at all.

All eyes fell on the man.

He was the figure behind the curtain just now, but at this time, his face was not clear, his messy hair was hanging down, his shabby clothes were falling apart under the pull of the sheriff, and the light and shadow of light and dark fell on his face, outlining a vague glimpse, but still unable to depict the complete features.

In the chaos and noise, the bard-like humming was faintly heard again, "Humm, hum...... hum" This time, it was not the man, but from an unknown place, maybe an anonymous person hidden in a corner, maybe it was a cry from the depths of people's hearts, but in the midst of that moving and melodious humming, the man was dragged into the darkness by the law enforcement officers and disappeared completely.

"Les Miserables" has officially begun!

In the Queen's Theatre version of the story, the plot of Jean-Argent is simplified and condensed and presented in the form of singing verses, while in the film version, it is simply omitted, and Jean-Argent is in prison as soon as he appears.

Today's version of the Théâtre d'Almeida has also been simplified and refined, but the narrative focuses on the social context of Paris at the time, with the theft of bread by Jean-Argent, the tragic situation after his arrest, and the indifference of the onlookers.

In the original book, there is a chapter in which the current state of society as a whole is presented through the eyes of Bishop Mirière, and now the Teatro Almeida presents it in a unique way. The performance sequence, which is less than five minutes long, is magnificent and majestic, creating an unimaginable visual and auditory shock in the limited stage space.

Aristair-Smith raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes showing an expression of interest.

This kind of expression, with a little innovation, is presented in the form of shadow play, but it is more of a return to the tradition of the stage, and the performance tension of the actors tells the story. But that alone wasn't enough to interest Aristair, and the point was that John Cod's ingenious conception, through the actors' brilliant interpretation, really pushed the dramatic tension of the story to the highest point.

Lance Hall, a young and energetic actor, captured the heart of London's West End with just one appearance.

Such an opening can be called a small surprise, without too many surprises, but it brings a little surprise within a reasonable range, and more importantly, the small pattern of the opening chapter gives a glimpse of the ambition of the whole play, which really makes people happy.

Everyone is curious about how the Almeida Theater should be presented with Jewel in front of them. Whether it's the Queen's Theatre version or the original book, Les Misérables has limited room to play when it comes to familiar situations, but after seeing it for yourself, this version still captures the audience's curiosity in a unique and profound way.

Even an old fox like Aristair really focused his attention: surprise, is there anything else?