why does the cast of Les Miserables speak in a cockey accent?

Question

It's an awesome show and full of emmense power and awe. The set is great, and the songs are classic but please can someone tell me why on earth the accents are London Cockney!?

It's a set in France during the French Revolution so why no french accent for goodness sake?

This is Les Miserables not Oliver!

Answer 1

They are simply trying to differentiate the classes of the characters. If you notice Marius and Cosette do not speak with a cockney accent.



This is theatre after all, and if they all had a french accent it would sound contrived, this version was first performed in London then moved to Broadway.



Everything in theatre must have a reason, to have the actors talk and sing with a French accent would have no purpose. We already know the show is set in France during the revolution. We do not need to listen to English people trying to speak with a French accent just to prove a point.



But having some characters speak with a different accent does further the plot and character development, as it explains without words something about those particular characters.

Answer 2

The production you saw/heard was probably the English translation of the original French. It is commonplace for classic musicals, when they are performed in the UK, and then brought to America to use British accents. An American accent would not translate well with the libretto. And neither would a foreign accent. As for "Cockney", I believe this is reserved for the lower class, the innkeeper and his wife, Gavroche, etc. Jean Valjean, Javert, Marius, Cosette, et al, use standard British.

Answer 3

It is a representation of the classes/characterization. When you hear a strong cockney accent in a gravelly tone, would you think of a pristine, snooty hotel, or a dirty, rough,Thenardier-esque inn?



Javert's character usually has a proper British accent, to portray his strict and severe attitude. Gavroche has a Cockney accent, as he is the sort of character commonly thought of as an "Oliver". Et cetera.



(Additionally, French accents are terribly difficult to sing, and often sound canned if not done well.)

Answer 4

I thought I was the only one who thought that was strange.



I'm sort of used to it in opera. "Carmen" takes place in Spain but is

sung in French (thabks to its French composer), and "Madame

Butterfly" is set in Japan with American and Japanese characters, all of whom sing in Italian!

Answer 5

Because it sucks