[On Stage] 'Pantin' Jo Jeong-eun "Why I Like Les Mis?rables Most? A Question About Life"

Third Appearance as Unmarried Mother 'Pangtin'
"Raw Depiction of Humanity and Life... Great Pride"
Jangbaljang Is a Character Who Learned 'Unconditional Love'
"Likely My Last Role as Pangtin... Will Do My Best"

"The musical 'Les Mis?rables' is a work that poses the fundamental question of where to place the value of life. It is my personal favorite piece."

Actor Jo Jeong-eun, who is playing the role of the single mother 'Fantine' in Les Mis?rables, explained the value of Les Mis?rables in this way. We recently met Jo Jeong-eun at Blue Square Shinhan Card Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. She has dreamed of becoming a musical actress since attending Kaywon High School of Arts and debuted in 2001 as an ensemble member of the Seoul Arts Troupe. For 24 years, she has maintained her position as a top-tier actress.

The musical Les Mis?rables is based on the novel of the same name by the great French writer Victor Hugo. It premiered worldwide in France in 1980. It debuted in the UK West End and the US Broadway in 1985 and 1987, respectively. The West End production has been running for nearly 40 years. The Korean premiere was in 2013. Following a revival in 2015, this year marks the third run. Jo Jeong-eun has played Fantine in all three productions.

Actor Jo Jeong-eun, who is performing the role of 'Fantine' in the musical 'Les Mis?rables'
[Photo provided by Les Mis?rables Korea Co., Ltd.]

Fantine is a single mother who works at the factory run by the protagonist Jean Valjean to raise her young daughter Cosette.

Jo Jeong-eun said that Fantine symbolizes purity and innocence.

"Fantine's greatest life goal is to protect the child of the man she loves. However, if you look at the original novel, the man she calls her first love is neither admirable nor is it clear that he truly loved Fantine. Fantine seems to embody a purity of love."

Fantine's pure life ends in a tragic disaster. She is fired from the factory after her status as a single mother is discovered. To get child support money, she cuts and sells her long hair and even wanders into a brothel. Ultimately, she dies a miserable death from illness, leaving her young daughter Cosette alone.

"Fantine is pure, but the world is not. Her life is completely and utterly trampled. Hugo seems to show that this is the world, the reality and life we face. Hugo does not talk about right or wrong but brutally exposes the innate nature that all humans have and the life and reality we live in. That is one of the reasons I love this work."

Fantine entrusts her daughter to Jean Valjean in the middle of Act 1 and then dies. She does not appear again until the very last scene, where she reappears at Jean Valjean’s deathbed. Fantine appears like an angel guiding Jean Valjean’s passing, offering him a gentle smile. It seems she is thanking him for raising her well and telling him to rest peacefully because he lived a noble and meaningful life.

In reality, Jean Valjean devotedly cares for Cosette, who is not even his biological daughter. If one tries to find a reason why Jean Valjean sacrificed his life for Cosette, it might be because Fantine was fired from his factory, but that is hard to fully accept. Jo Jeong-eun also said, "I think Jean Valjean felt great guilt for having turned his back on Fantine when she was fired from the factory, but I don't think it was because of that sense of responsibility." She explained that it was because Jean Valjean learned unconditional love from Bishop Myriel. Bishop Myriel is the character who saves Jean Valjean early in the story when he is caught by the police after stealing silver candlesticks. The bishop convinces the police that the silver candlesticks were a gift from him, which becomes the decisive turning point for Jean Valjean to start a new life.

"Because Jean Valjean experienced the grace of unconditional love from the bishop, he was able to love unconditionally as well. That is why he could raise Cosette as if she were his own daughter. To Fantine, Jean Valjean played a role similar to Bishop Myriel, showing unconditional love."

Les Mis?rables is a story where both Jean Valjean and Fantine suffer under the harsh realities of revolutionary France, but through Jean Valjean’s practice of the love he learned from Bishop Myriel, not only he but also Fantine is saved through Cosette.

Jo Jeong-eun said, "Fundamentally, I think it is a work that poses a question everyone should ponder at least once," and added, "I take great pride in performing such a well-crafted piece."

Since it has returned to the stage after eight years, there is no promise of when the fourth run of Les Mis?rables will be staged. Jo Jeong-eun said, "This will be my last time playing Fantine," and added, "I will do my best with the mindset that this is the final performance."