I've been a fan of musical theatre for quite some time. I blame my Mum personally. She's a keen amateur dramatist, and on many occasions as a child I was taken to watch her performing in shows. That led to a fondness for Gilbert and Sullivan which is by no means shared by some of my more musical friends! As a family we also used to travel to London quite a bit, and would often visit the theatres to see shows on the big stage. Possibly Disney had an influence as well; all of their classic animated films are, after all, musicals, and have some fantastic songs in them. A few years ago now my girlfriend and I went to see the London-based stage production of Les Misérables. It was a fantastic experience, and when I discovered that a film version was being made I was incredibly excited. The cast list was brilliant, the director had a great track record, and the trailers looked as if the atmosphere had been captured perfectly. But did it actually live up to my expectations? ...
