Basically just the pop music version of Les Mis.
1789: Les Amants de la Bastille is a French stage musical by, among other writers, Dove Attia and Albert Cohen (co-producers of Mozart L'Opera Rock). The musical debuted in 2012 at the Palais des Sports in Paris and was a commercial success, with several of its songs being released as singles, and a cast album which was successful in the French music charts. It follows Ronan Mazurier, a young peasant who, after swearing to avenge the death of his father, leaves his home to go to Paris and join the republican revolutionaries there. While in Paris, Ronan meets Olympe du Puget - governess of the royal children - and the two, despite being from different sides of the conflict, fall in love. They are what gives the musical its title - Ronan and Olympe are the amants de la Bastille (lovers of the Bastille). It is notable for its contemporary soundtrack and choreography, and won Best Musical at the Crystal Globes in 2013.
This show provides examples of:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Ramard or Artois for Olympe, depending on the production.
- Adaptational Villainy:
- In the Takarazuka and Toho productions, the Comte d'Artois goes from a conservative and pragmatic aristocrat trying to protect the monarchy's reputation (even if that involves killing Ronan) to actively planning to unseat his brother from the throne while also using aphrodisiacs to "have some company" with various women.
- Likewise for Lazare, who goes from a well-intentioned Inspector Javert to being a sadist who gives Ronan A Taste of the Lash in the Bastille and who has to be restrained by Necker from firing on the people.
- Angry Mob Song: "Nous ne sommes", which is pretty ironic considering Lazare controls most of the song and ultimately its conclusion.
- Adaptational Heroism: Marie Antoinette is much more positively portrayed in the Takarazuka and Toho productions, possibly due to the influence of another piece of media set in the French Revolution that is very popular in Japan, and is a
Cash-Cow Franchise for the Takarazuka Revue. The fact that the Takarazuka version decided to emphasize the Good Wife, Wise Mother approach more probably also plays a role in Antoinette's more favourable portrayal.- Downplayed example with Ramard, who goes from actively creeping on Olympe to (covertly) trying to save her from Artois.
- Arc Words: Fixe.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Played with. Both the major antagonists, Lazare and Artois, are aristocrats, and Louis and Antoinette can be more or less sympathetic (if still out of touch) depending on the production, but other aristocrats like Mirabeau and Olympe are portrayed sympathetically.
- The Artful Dodger: Charlotte.
- Artistic License: Robespierre and Danton didn't really get along as well as the musical plays it.
- Back for the Finale: Everyone comes together at the end to sing 'Pour la peine'. (Except Artois in the Takarazuka version.)
- Badass and Child Duo: Danton and Charlotte, respectively.
- Bittersweet Ending: Ronan is dead, Olympe and Solene are grieving, but hey, the revolution was a success!
- Camp Gay: Artois in the Toho version, while played by an actor with masculine features, behaves this way and has accordingly feminine stage makeup.
- Contrived Coincidence: A ton of these. Not only is it pure coincidence that Ronan and Olympe met, since he was literally just sitting around ruminating in a random part of Paris when she showed up with the Queen of France in tow, but it's also quite a large coincidence that Ronan (who is just an average peasant) goes to Paris to join the revolutionaries- with no specific revolutionaries in mind- and ends up with four of the most influential names of the whole French Revolution (Danton, Robespierre, Desmoulins and Marat).
- Death Glare: Ronan and Lazare, on a few occasions.
- Ensemble Dark Horse: Lazare. The Real Life revolutionaries such as Danton and Robespierre also deserve a mention here.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: 1789: les Amants de la Bastille is (primarily) set in 1789, and the main characters are - you guessed it - lovers. Who just so happen to spend a lot of time in/near the Bastille.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: When Marie Antoinette has her wig snatched off to reveal short, choppy hair to symbolise the downfall of her reputation.
- Farm Boy: Ronan STARTS OFF as one, at least.
- Foreshadowing: About halfway through Act I, Ronan says to Olympe, "I'm a political prisoner, ready to die for Liberty!"... and then in Act II he gets shot during an invasion of the Bastille.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: Quite literally. Ronan and Olympe had only seen each other four times previously before he says this:Ronan: Soon you'll be my wife and we'll go back to my place, on my family's land.
- Grief Song: "Fixe".
- Heartwarming Orphan: Charlotte. Although it's not specifically stated that she's an orphan, it's not unreasonable to think so, since (like Gavroche in Les Misérables) she's the Artful Dodger archetype, plus she's not Danton's daughter - the real Danton had three sons, none of whom were alive at the time of the musical's events.
- He Knows Too Much: What kickstarts the plot, when Ronan's sent to the Bastille after seeing Fersen and Marie Antoinette meeting in Palais Royal.
- Historical Beauty Upgrade: Everyone in the musical who's based on a real historical figure fits this trope, apart from perhaps Marie Antoinette, who has always been considered (and thus portrayed as) beautiful.
- Slightly averted with Robespierre, as this is one of the few adaptations to portray him closer to his actual age (he would have been roughly 31 for the events of the musical and was generally described by non-biased sources as quite a looker before years of stress took their toll.
- Historical Domain Character: The main examples of this trope include Danton, Robespierre, Desmoulins, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. Some examples of less important characters taken from Real Life are Necker, the Duchess of Polignac, Count von Fersen, the Count of Artois and Louis Joseph of France.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: All the revolutionaries who were real historical figures fit this trope, especially Danton.
- Hot-Blooded: One of Ronan's defining traits, kicking off the musical.
- Hypno Pendulum: Artois in the Toho version uses this to hypnotize Olympe twice: unsuccessfully when he was confronting her over Ronan's escape, and successfully during "Je suis un dieu." Amusingly, the Weak-Willed Ramard keeps getting in the way and passing out.
- Iconic Outfit: Robespierre wears his famous waistcoat.
- Icon of Rebellion: All the unnamed revolutionaries wear a piece of green fabric because, according to Desmoulins, green is 'the colour of hope'.
- La Résistance: The revolutionaries, obviously.
- Last-Name Basis: Again, the revolutionaries. Except Ronan, because he's The Hero, and technically there are also two other Mazuriers: Solène and her father.
- Laughably Evil: Ramard.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: In the Takarazuka Revue version, Artois (who got an adaptational villain update) isn't present during "Pour la Peine" - having the Big Bad sing about love and peace and forgiveness would be too jarring. In context of the show, this is because his actress (Miya Rurika) is backstage in her glammed-up finale costume.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Lazare and Ronan. Invoked in the Takarazuka production which gives Ronan a bright red coat for the finale while Lazare keeps his blue color scheme from the French.
- Running Gag: Takarazuka Artois asks "What is this?" every time a gun is pulled out in his presence.
- Silk Hiding Steel: Olympe. Seems like a prim and proper lady, but is perfectly capable of breaking a prisoner out of the Bastille while running from the Secret Police.
- Exaggerated in the Takarazuka and Toho productions, where she pulls a gun on the Comte d'Artois when he tries to pull an I Have You Now, My Pretty on her.
- Shown Their Work: For a musical that generally plays fast and loose with history, the King's Lieutenant in the Bastille really WAS named "Du Puget", and he did escape the Storming of the Bastille, being the only member of the senior staff to do so, though Olympe herself is a fictional character.
- Street Walker: Solène's job after Ronan leaves her to pursue his vengeance on the Monarchy.
- Terrible Trio: Ramard and his two cronies. Plus, they're all 'terrible' spies.
- Theatrics of Pain: In the Takarazuka Revue production, Ronan gets A Taste of the Lash courtesy of the Comte de Peyrol in the Bastille, followed by a good ol' fashioned No-Holds-Barred Beatdown from Peyrol's soldiers while being chained to a wall. Akatsuki Chisei's cries of pain in the shinjin kouennote are quite convincing. Ryuu Masaki as principal Ronan? Given the Unresolved Sexual Tension between Ronan and Peyrol, it sounds like Too Kinky to Torture.
- The Hero Dies: Ronan gets shot during the storming of the Bastille.
- Villainous Face Hold: In the Takarazuka version, Artois grabs Olympe's chin and forces her to look up at him while he's confronting her over Ronan.
- Villain Song: 'Nous ne sommes' is the more well-known one, but "Je suis un dieu" is much more of a stereotypical villain song what with all the fire, sexual referencing and Biblical imagery. Wait, that sounds like another musical set in Paris...
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Louis XVI in Act II.
