Sunday, October 13

At Mass this morning, it occurred to me--not for the first time--that part of the appeal of Les Mis for me is JVJ's search for redemption, and the sacrifices he makes in order to atone for his time as a blind, hating beast.  His pain when the scales fall from his eyes, and his agony when he stares into the "void, and the whirlpool of (his) sin" is raw and powerful.  The whole story comes from that moment: his choice to reach for the light instead of falling into the darkness again..  I've been tiptoeing around the "God" piece--people get really weirded out--but that was part of the homily today....reaching out and humbly welcoming everyone into simple grace...people exactly like Jean Valjean.  I'm pretty sure that if I had run into Jean Valjean on the street in 1815, I would have run the other way--So, what does this mean for directing this piece and this story?  I need to leave a space for people to reflect on that idea--reaching for grace, making sacrifices.  I need to make it immediate and palpable and show how it resolves itself in the end.  ...because doesn't it come back to one line?  "To love another person is to see the face of God"?