Everyone knows that "Non-Stop" from "Hamilton" is a tribute to "One Day More" from "Les Miserables." But I want to argue that "Les Miserables"--a show I generally dislike--handles its "curtain number" more gracefully than "Hamilton."
Because it's a work of fiction, "Les Miserables" can make a certain audacious promise. "You think Act One was crazy? You haven't seen crazy yet." And the promise is fulfilled.
Javert, the hero's antagonist, makes clear that there will be many violent deaths. "We'll be ready for these school boys. They will wet themselves with blood!" (Javert isn't wrong. But--in a bit of dramatic irony--it's true that Javert will *also* wet himself with blood. We can imagine that he might bash his head on a river rock when he jumps into the Seine.)
A second war is implied. This is the war between Cosette and Eponine. It's a war between a head voice and a chest voice. (I assume Judy Kuhn was selected specifically because she sounds so different from Frances Ruffelle.) Once again, we'll get a "winner"--Judy Kuhn--and, once again, the "victory" will be weirdly complicated. (By dying, Eponine wins in her *own* way. She becomes a martyr. "Lincoln, who got mixed reviews....because of you, Booth, now gets only raves!")
In an effort to outshine Rodgers and Hammerstein, "One Day More" includes yet another subplot--the story of the Thenardiers. As Valjean's nemeses, the Thenardiers provide a competing perspective on war. Perhaps a conflict is not always a test of ideals. Perhaps it's really just an opportunity for new wealth acquisition. "Here a little dip...Here a little touch....Most of them are goners, so they won't miss much!"
These are thrilling, high-stakes stories. And "Hamilton"--because it must rely on a real-world record--can't really match "Les Miserables." Yes, Alexander dies in Act Two. But the other death (the death of Philip) isn't terribly dramatic; we don't even really meet Philip in Act One. And there isn't noteworthy "juice" in the Angelica/Eliza love battle. Angelica isn't a real rival to Eliza. Angelica doesn't even live on Eliza's continent!
Sometimes, I need a few years to appreciate a musical. "Les Miserables"--for all its flaws--has a terrific choral number that can be recycled endlessly at the Tony Awards. Hats off to "One Day More."
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