Tony Award®-winners Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, creators of the musicals Les Misérables and Miss Saigon (among others), are artists-in-residence at UVa, September 30-October 2, 2014, at Marva’s invitation. In introducing her guests, Marva explained how the visit came to be:
When Claude-Michel Schönberg invited me to his London home in June 2014 to talk about Victor Hugo and Les Misérables for my book project, we shared at length our ideas. Sitting in his garden, we discussed the novel’s characters, Schönberg’s thoughts on his music, and how he and Alain Boublil translated the novel into the musical. Schönberg gave me many new insights on Les Misérables.
And then he showed me around his studio and played a bit of the demo tape that he and Boublil had used to find their first producer for Les Misérables. It’s powerful stuff: Schönberg playing the piano and singing the all the original French songs! As we shared our experiences with Les Mis, I mentioned how much I loved teaching Hugo’s novel in conjunction with the musical—and that I would be teaching the course again in the fall.
“Would you like me to come?” Schönberg asked.
I said the only possible thing: “Yes, that would be amazing!”
“Invite me,” he responded.
I was again delighted when he invited his collaborator of over 40 years—librettist, lyricist, and author Alain Boublil.
The result: these brilliant artists came to the University of Virginia primarily to talk with students about composing, writing a musical book and lyrics, and bringing Les Misérables to stage and screen.
The evening of September 30, on stage in Culbreth Theatre, Boublil and Schönberg were amusing and heart-warming as they talked with me about their careers writing sung-through musicals. Over 400 attended, including nearly 100 University Singers, who, directed by Michael Slon, opened the program with songs from Les Misérables and Miss Saigon.
Read audience members’ comments about the conversation.
They wanted to be busy, and they were! Their first morning, they did a Q&A with the nearly forty students in my Drama course Les Misérables: From Page to Stage to Screen. Over lunch and in the afternoon, they talked with many other students and faculty. All in all, the artists met with seven separate groups of students and associated faculty.
Claude-Michel Schönberg consulted with the director and cast of Live Arts Theatre’s December production of Les Misérables. He also coached the University Singers on Les Mis songs during their rehearsal class.
Bethany Kattwinkel blogs about her Fall 2014 semester with Les Misérables »
Overview of the event:
Marva talks with CBS Channel 19’s Bob Beard about the upcoming visit:
WUVA invites Marva to talk about Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, and Les Misérables »