In the rain the pavement shines like silver.

"People, even more than things, need to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed."

More than any other musical, there is one that captivates me intensely. Even though I have heard the soundtrack hundreds of times, and I've seen different variations of the production throughout the years, it still manages to have the same effect on me. Les Miserables fills my heart with joy and then shatters it harshly. It is the one show that will give you front row access to me silently sobbing for a multitude of reasons. It's the musical I grew up with. It's the musical I knew all about by the time I was seven years old. It's the musical in which I desire to play the part of Eponine. Even though I put my theater days behind me during my sophomore year of high school, I would still jump at the opportunity to embody that role. 

While Les Mis holds positive and negative history for me, I'm connected to it because of the intricate web it weaves. It literally breaks and heals me all in one. It allows me to remember why I'm not afraid to simply feel - without an analytical approach - what I feel at a certain time. I don't understand everything in life, and it's okay to lack the answers on occasion. What matters is that emotions are adequately registered and truthfully accepted. When fear is abandoned and fought with resistance it's truly remarkable what can be revealed in the most surprising places. 

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