Éponine – a sad story that never changes

CharlotteasEponine

I will be singing Éponine Thénardier’s songs from “Les Misérables” a musical adapted from the book by Victor Hugo on 5th and 6th October 2013 in the Stockport Plaza and Buxton Opera House with the Tideswell Male Voice Choir.

I wanted to dig a little deeper into the character and try to understand the situation that she found herself in.  Here is what I have found out so far about Éponine and Marius’ story:

Éponine’s parents, the Thénardiers ran their own business as innkeepers whilst she was a young child, during this period they were successful she was pampered and spoilt.  They took in Cosette at the age of three when her mother, Fantine, unmarried and abandoned by her lover is left to fight for their survival.  At first Cosette and Éponine play as friends but over time the Thénardiers start to mistreat Cosette and make her wear rags and work in the Inn until her freedom is purchased by Jean Valjean. Eight years later, the Thénardiers Inn goes bankrupt and the family find themselves broke so they move to live in Paris.

Whilst in Paris, Éponine became a wretched adolescence, prematurely ageing due to living in poverty.  She falls helplessly in love with her neighbour, Marius.

Paris1840Small
A Warming House in Paris in the 1840s.

Marius was raised by his rich grandfather, a fierce supporter of the Monarchy.  His grandfather was a mean old man, in his 90’s, who told Marius’ father, a Colonel in Napoleon’s army, that Marius would be disinherited if he attempted to make contact with his son.  Marius is told to write to his father once each month but his grandfather never gives the replies to his grandson.  When Marius turns 18 his grandfather instructs him to visit his father but he arrives seconds after his death.  Marius discovers a note from his father instructing his son to help Thénardier if possible because the Colonel believed he saved his life at Waterloo.

Marius is told by a church warden that his father regularly hid in church during Mass to catch a glimpse of him and the truth about his grandfather.  Marius starts to look up information about his father, he learns he is highly decorated and begins to hero worship his dead father.  He argues with his grandfather and moves out refusing help, his grandfather sends him money but Marius mails it back, his aunt living with the grandfather keeps the money.  Marius begins his studies as a lawyer but descends into poverty; despite this he finishes his studies.

During this time Marius often goes to the Luxembourg Gardens where he regularly sees Cosette, who moved to Paris following her rescue from the Thénardiers, he slowly falls in love with her.

Paris_Porte_Saint-Denis_c1840_small
Porte Saint-Denis, Paris c1840

Éponine first meets Marius at his apartment in the tenement they both live in. She attempts to give him a begging letter off her father who now goes by the name Jondrette.  To impress him she demonstrates that she can read and then writes a sentence, ‘the police are here’, to show her literacy.  She opens up to Marius about her hard life; he feels pity and gives her five francs.  Éponine leaves to present her next begging letter to a local philanthropist and his daughter; they turn out to be Jean Valjean and Cosette.  When they visit the Thénardiers, Marius sees them and begs Éponine to give him their address.

Eponine tells Marius where to find Cosette and he visits her home.  After six weeks of secret meetings they fall in love but Jean Valjean shatters their bliss when he announces he and Cosette are leaving for England.  Marius goes to Cosette’s house but she has fled with Valjean, advised by a voice (Eponine) that his friends are waiting for him, he goes to the barricade hoping to die.

RevolutionSmall
Lamartine, before the Hôtel de Ville, Paris, rejects the Red Flag,” February 25, 1848″. By Henri Felix Emmanuel Philippoteaux (1815–1884).

Disguising herself as a young boy, Eponine goes to the barricade and during the ensuing battle she saves Marius’ life by placing her hand and body in front of the musket of a soldier who was about to shoot him.  Marius is distracted by the fighting all around him and threatens to blow up the barricade to scare away the advancing troops.  He hears Eponine call to him; she is fatally shot aged just 17.  With her last breath she confesses her love for him giving him a letter.  The letter reveals the whereabouts of Cosette.

After reading this tragic account of unrequited love and the terrible change in circumstances suffered by Eponine and others in this sad tale. I want to try to understand a little more about the time in which the character would have lived.  If you have any extra information or posts about France in the 1830’s and 1840’s that you could direct me to reading I would really appreciate it.

Here is a recording of my performance from Gawsworth Hall on 11th August.

 

92 thoughts on “Éponine – a sad story that never changes”

  1. I Charlotte, this is some place where you could have somme information to smell th feeling of Victor Hugo créations.
    Good travel in the history……

    https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255/

    http://archive.org/stream/historytenyears07blangoog#page/n8/mode/2up

    https://www.google.fr/search?q=images+1830&client=firefox-a&hs=RHx&rls=org.mozilla:fr:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=pBFCUu-MLaiX0AWSrYGgDQ&ved=0CDEQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=663&dpr=1

    Reply

    1. Merci Pascal, I’ve been told Victor Hugo also wrote The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (Notre-Dame de Paris). I believe there is an Opera based on the story I must look into it. Thank you for the links 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    2. Hi Michael, I’m glad you loved the clip, I’ve never played Eponine before although I was little Cosette once in my High School production. The Tideswell Choir Director Dennis likes to give young performers, and there were six of us in the show, these fabulous opportunities to sing to big audiences.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

      1. Thank you, Charlotte! Nerve wracking yes, but I know the feedback we receive makes us better — but I suspect you have nothing to worry about!! Again, beautiful job. Good luck to you on the 5th!!

    1. Hello Julianna, glad you enjoyed it, I’ve got a bit of work to do on it before the 5th October. I wish you were close enough to come and watch it too, it’s a good show Dennis puts together.

      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. I was into the music, my brother Matthew was in the audience and he’d come up from London to watch the show. It’s his favourite musical and this is his favourite song, so he doesn’t mind telling me if he doesn’t think it’s 100% 🙂 lol.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thanks Kristi, best of luck with your newly published book. In some ways it’s worse posting a video than it is actually singing live and then waiting for the feedback so I know how you feel 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thank you Tony, there are lots of tragic ladies in Opera it’s good to cut my teeth on roles like this that make me really think about how to present the song.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thanks Mike, I discovered Gavroche the young boy who lives on the street and challenges the soldiers is Eponine’s younger brother who was left to bring himself up on the street because his parents didn’t love him. So sad.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  17. It’s a great song, and I am sure you will do it justice. Once a few years ago, I waded through the entire 1,300 pages of Victor Hugo’s avuncular prose. It was well worth the
    trip though you will enjoy many tangential journeys about politics of the day or the gutter cant of the French underclass.

    I think that Eponine has been shaped by the deceit of her parents, and in Marius she sees someone as inflexible for honor as her parents were for ill. Her desire for him is an attempt to cleanse herself from shame – but inside she knows she will never be worthy.

    It was a time of great class separation – the poor were little valued then, much less than even today. In a way, only by a Christ like action ( her taking the bullet for Marius ) can her sin be absolved — and Marius then see her truly. – bw

    Reply

    1. Thanks Bill, I think I’m fated to read more about French history. I read Tartuffe in A level drama set in 1660’s France a theatrical comedy about Le Bourgeois, religion and monarchy and had to do lots of background research to really understand the characters. I loved your interpretation above and appreciate it.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  18. Yes, and love, as it does in this story, often ends in tragedy. Of course ‘happy love’ doesn’t really get much of a look in except perhaps in Rodgers and Hammerstein. I could be wrong.

    Reply

  19. Amazing performance as always Charlotte! Doing what you do takes a lot of courage (well, for me it would at least. I scare easily when it comes to crowds). I also like the illustrations you found to support their story! 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thanks Ryan, I love the butterfly feelings it makes me feel alive 😉 . I’m a visual learner so I like to have pictures and visual cues or I get a bit bored.

      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply

  23. As ever Charlotte, you don’t disappoint! Even though I’ve seen this performance live I still love listening and watching it all over again. Can’t wait to see you perform again next weekend.

    Reply

    1. Hi Gill, It is fabulous to hear what you think considering you came to watch the concert at Gawsworth Hall. I’m glad you can still enjoy the performance on video. Looking forward to seeing you in October.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

      3. I sang the therapy duet from Tick tick boom with Oscar, one of my best friends at High School for our exam, I love that song.

        I’m not a big fan of Rent :/ but I can appreciate the plot and some of the music is beautiful I especially like Seasons of Love.

        Best wishes
        Charlotte

    1. Hello Philip, I’m pleased to hear that you like the emotion I put in my performances. That’s the key thing that I’m working on this year, so keep watching 🙂 I enjoyed part 2 of your short story too.

      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply

      1. Hi Charlotte,

        Physically showing the inner love/emotional impact the music is having on you – in combination with your voice – is what creates the performance. The audience need to see, hear and feel the piece. I think you’re doing a great job!
        Glad you enjoyed the story. However, I don’t have enough time to do this everyday. Part three of the story is planned; I just need to fill in the gaps with dialogue.
        Phil

      1. Thank you for reading my blog, yeah health and beauty tips will be a nice blog as well. Its nice to know what others have tried to use.

  28. This was wonderful Charlotte! Really lovely. 🙂 I especially like the fact that you have researched Eponine and her story so extensively, it shows in your performance. Brava! 🙂

    As a side note, what are your impressions of the movie version (if you’ve seen it)? 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Cecilia, Thank you for a great comment, if you know all the background information you can really evoke the inside quirks of a character.

      I have seen the film, I prefer the live version on stage as the atmosphere is incomparable! But the acting in the movie was brilliant I thought all the actors did a great job.

      By the way I loved your Angel without Wings track it reminded me of Evanescence songs, out of interest do you cut the vocal arrangement alone or with the band all together in the same studio. Classical meets metal I like it 😉

      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply

      1. That’s very true. 🙂

        I haven’t seen the stage version yet, though I have heard recordings and seen clips on youtube. Would love to see it live one day though. 🙂
        I loved the movie and thought, like you, that the acting was brilliant. Cried for almost the entire last part of the movie. 🙂 But what impressed me the most was that all the actors actually sang for real when they were filming… the vocals weren’t added in afterwards, like they usually are in a film adaptation of a musical. I thought that was rather impressive. 🙂

        Aww! Thank you! I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
        We record each instrument alone, first drums, then bass, guitars, keyboards and orchestrations (which is plugins at this stage, sadly… but one day there WILL be a full symphony orchestra) and lastly the vocals. 🙂 For this round of re-recording of the old songs we recorded 7 songs in two days and when we recorded the album we did 9 songs in two days. It was completely exhausting and my voice was not entirely happy with me afterwards. But it was worth it. 🙂

        Best wishes,
        Cecilia

      2. The Stage version is a must watch, especially if Alfie Boe is playing Jean Valjean, I loved every minute. It’s impressive they sang whilst filming they would need good vocal stamina if there were lots of takes 😉 .

        Thanks for sharing your recording process. I can’t wait to hear you with a full symphony orchestra one day.
        Best wishes
        Charlotte

    1. Nice saying, I’m sure I’ll reuse that thank you 😉
      Chris is magnificent on the piano, he helps me out a couple of times and really colours the piece with me.
      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply

  32. Charlotte, that was really lovely! You really captured Eponine’s wistfulness and heartbreak. Your voice is strong and beautiful. Brava!

    Reply

  33. Charlotte,

    I am truly honoured to have been patronised by your support… Great discovery for me you are; I loved your performance… for me, the most moving part after you sung was observing you remaining in character… beautiful…

    The sweetest of lucid dreams to you and I trust that these dreams of mine will richly inspire you… Here are two dreams featuring opera singers…

    http://dreampoetica.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/audience-with-magnetic-old-king/

    http://dreampoetica.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/now-thats-a-hollywood-wife/

    Sweet dreams and magical music-making to you!

    Arvin
    =^..^=

    Reply

    1. Thank you Arvin, and thanks for the links I’ll take a look later. I have an adjudicator in a music festival called David Kirby-Ashmore to thank for the tip to stay in character and don’t let the audience drop their emotional connection too soon, he said I’d have got a perfect score if I hadn’t have ruined it at the end.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

      1. It is quite beautiful actually because long after the last note we are kept aloft as you remained perfectly poised focussed in character… it was magical…

  35. Thank you for the background. Best of luck. I think it is so cool because of this blogging stuff, I can be thousands of miles away and I can follow the career of an up and coming star such as yourself. Hope some day you perform in the States.

    Reply

    1. I really enjoy blogging too, I’ve seen so much more of the world in people’s pictures and picked up good tips from cooking to writing and everything in between.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed it Daisy, I liked your saying about sharing little snippets some you will like, some you won’t, and if you don’t, never mind just move on to the next one 😉 . I hope everyone can find something they like to listen to and some of the tracks grow on you. My family even find themselves humming the songs now 😉 .
      All the best
      Charlotte

      Reply
  37. Pingback: Tips on how to excuse parenthood « Kenny Smith | A few words …

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