The second half of the show at the Almeida Theater began.

The long wait is a test for any viewer.

Two and a half hours may seem long, but it seems so short, for a sandwich and a cup of coffee, and for a formal French or Italian dinner, it's so short that you can't even spare a glass of wine.

Such an unawkward length of time is a real challenge for the audience's loyalty and patience.

Before today's official premiere, the length of the play and the interval between breaks have become the focus of concern for many mainstream media, "three hours plus three hours", the entire six-hour work, even for veteran professional enthusiasts, this is an ordeal, not to mention those ordinary audiences, enough to discourage many people.

On Facebook and Twitter, some netizens jokingly joked:

"The intermission was really too long. If you're not careful, you might leave and never find your way back, or you might take a nap in a café only to wake up and miss the second half of the show. So, perhaps the Almeida Theater should consider shortening the break and moving the dinner to the theater to avoid the disaster of the second half. ”

Ridicule is everywhere.

But what about the facts?

Marc Lacante really felt the length of time, two and a half hours felt like two centuries, every minute and every second was torment, he had been waiting, waiting for the time to get back to the theater, and he couldn't wait to get into the world of the second half.

The first half of the three-hour performance was endless, and the fragments left in my mind were so wonderful and wonderful that I couldn't help myself, and I couldn't wait to sit in the Almeida Theater again for another three hours.

Leave, nap, torment?

None of this existed, and it was never something that Mark feared. The excited and excited brain can't stop, just want to finish reading this huge book and become one of the trendsetters of the times.

So, as soon as the second half reopened, he rushed into the Almeida Theatre, even if it was just sitting in a red velvet chair.

After the show started again, the exclamations never stopped, and it was completely mesmerizing, with Marius and Angela's "Red and Black", Epenny's classic "Alone", and "One-Day-More" with the main cast cast taking turns.

Those familiar episodes, those unfamiliar plots, from the third act of the second half all the way to the fourth act, truly show the picture of the entire era in front of the audience, and outline the pathos of the times and the grandeur of fate with a few strokes.

When I saw all the people united, stood up, bravely fought against the rule, and fought against injustice, that boiling blood instantly rushed to my head, and my whole soul trembled with excitement. In a trance, they also became a member of the torrent of history, raised their right hand high, and joined the tide of this rebellion.

The wave of revolution has finally arrived!

Unexpectedly, Jean-Argent discovers Cosette's secret, the secret between Cosette and Marius.

These two young people desperately fell in love with each other, met like moths to a fire, and in the tragedy of the times and the fear of society, they became each other's greatest concern and dependence. He is the biggest concern in her heart, and she is the driving force for him to keep moving forward, heart to heart, regardless of each other.

Sensing the truth, Jean-Argent was caught in the middle of a battle between heaven and man.

Because he knew that tonight's battle was imminent, Marius was still at the forefront of the battle, and in the face of a monstrous army, those who resisted could be wiped out, and Marius could be one of the countless corpses in the streets.

Jean-Agen is not a hero who saves the world, he is not a martyr who changes society, he is powerless, but at least he can protect Cosette, the last shred of hope, and the unwavering promise. He should save Marius's life.

Desperate, Ran-Jean went to the barricades and joined the battle on the front line.

Here, he met Shawey, who had been reduced to a prisoner, and he witnessed a passionate young fighter who, by chance, saved Anjola, and as a token of gratitude, he chose to let Shawei go, without any conditions and without any deal, just to simply forgive Shawei.

This move completely subverted the entire world of Shawei, and the reincarnation of fate finally formed a loop.

But more importantly, Shawe also saw fighters such as Marius and Anquilla, who stood on the front line without fear even when they were outnumbered, even if their hopes were slim, and even if their future was uncertain. The criminals who were once considered restless by Shawei are actually subverting this society for the benefit of the people, which has caused Savay to fall into a deep shock.

In the same way, Jean-Argen also found Marius.

In the midst of the grief and depression between the imminent war, Marius fondly recalls Cosette, full of nostalgia and love, which cuts Jean-Argent's heart like a knife. He hoped to save Marius, to save this group of young people, and to change the whole society, but his thin shoulders were not enough to support the weight of the times.

Thus, Jean-Argent remembered Bishop Mirière again, and he chose to pray, praying to God with devotion and devotion to God.

It's not just about saving Marius, it's about going through vicissitudes, going through tribulations, going through pain, and finally having an epiphany in her life, crying out and repentance from the heart, epiphany and redemption from the soul, love and trust, forgiveness and sacrifice, embracing every suffering in life with a warm heart of great love, calling for God's salvation and forgiveness.

From trepidation to firm faith, from being alone to throwing himself into the torrent, from being full of resentment to facing it calmly, standing in front of Savoy, standing in front of Cosette, standing in front of Marius, Jean-Argent finally completed a complete transformation.

When the eyes fell on Marius, they were full of tenderness and care, although this was only their first official meeting, but for Jean-Argent, Marius represented every young and fresh life, but also every vigorous and energetic hope, which belonged to the vitality of the whole society.

Jean-Argent reverently hoped that this glimmer of life would survive.

"Bring-Him-Home", this is the voice of Jean-Jean, the confession of Jean-Him, and the feeling of Jean-Him-Home. This track is not familiar to the general audience, at least not as well-known as several other famous songs, but for professional audiences, the difficulty is even higher than the classic bridges of Fantine and Epenny, which can be called the genius stroke of this work.

Not only because this is the metamorphosis and sublimation of Jean-Argent, which really elevates the core idea of the play to a higher level, but also because the difficulty of the song itself is eye-catching.

The Queen's Theatre version, the song is a tough test for every version of Jean-Argent, and the Almeida Theatre version, people have been curious whether the song will be removed or adapted after the entire repertoire has been changed.

However, when the first note sounded, the audience couldn't help but hold their breath, they knew that the real difficult moment had come, the real test time had come!

Involuntarily, Mark sat upright, leaning forward slightly, staring intently at the stage, as if as long as he got a little closer, he could more vividly capture the delicate changes in that side of the world, and the whole heart slowly rose, and the anticipation and excitement slowly spread.

Enjoy, that's the real pleasure! Enjoy every minute and every second of being in the theater.

The melody was flowing slowly, but Jean-Argent, who was standing on the right side of the stage, did not hurry to speak immediately, and his footsteps slowly passed behind Marius, and his gaze slowly changed under the light:

From strange to apprehensive, from jerky to curious, from attention to care, from love and pity, from sadness to perseverance.

The changes in the halo of sight rippled little by little under the hesitant and hesitant footsteps, like a father guarding the child's side, carrying the weight of the whole world, blocking the storm, but leaving only a warm smile, accompanying the child's journey of growth.

There is no need for words, no action, all the stories flow out slowly, the surrounding lights slowly dim, like a big umbrella, folded up, and the other young fighters around them gradually hide in the darkness, all of them, the lights turn into a spotlight, shrouded in the bodies of Jean-Agen and Marius, building a cream-colored world.

It's so beautiful that it brings tears to your eyes.

Jean-Argent stepped along, and finally stopped in front of the right side of the stage, like a beacon, guiding Marius in the direction of progress, and like a navigator, clearing the fog, blocking the wind and rain, and opening a way to survival.

Slowly, Jean-Argent raised his head and looked into the endless distance, the rays of light projected, like the halo of God hanging over his cheeks, outlining the vicissitudes and exhaustion of that face, the ravines left by the wind and frost carrying the suffering and hardship, and then, reverently and affectionately, called.

"God is above, listen to my prayers, and you are always there for me when I need them. ”

When the first lyrics were blurted out, the powerful force silenced the entire Teatro d'Almeida, every note, every phrase seemed to tell the story, and the gaze remained motionless on Jean-Argent in front of him, as if he was not singing or acting, but trembling and resonating from the depths of his soul.

Even the trembling of a transliteration is so sincere. In this moment, what they appreciate is not the performance, but the reality.