If the title of the show and the title of the novel are "Les Miserables", how is Eponine the "least important"? Valjean may be the axis, but the story itself is supposed to represent a cross-section of a post-Revolution French society. Very much in the same way Ragtime uses Coalhouse Walker.
I don't really see a difference between Fantine and Eponine; to me they're brilliant female roles. They both sing a big belter, they both die tragically and both have 'death songs' that are sung with a male character that made a difference in their lives. And they're both supporting roles. To my mind Fantine is the most challenging of all the female roles in Les Mis: the actress is required to make a huge impact in 20 minutes on stage, required to show the journey of the character in such a small amount of time... Eponine moans her way through the show about 'oh he doesn't love me' bla bla bla, at least that's the way it was directed in the film.
joined:5/17/03
Posted: 1/23/13 at 03:30pm