This panel-plus-discussion will focus on feminist spectators’ responses to and analyses of Les Misérables, the musical. The panelists are Princeton University undergraduates, both current students and a recent graduate, and the discussion will be facilitated by Professor Stacy Wolf, author of Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical. Each panelist will present a five-minute mini-lecture on one aspect of the musical, followed by a discussion among the panlelists. We’ll reserve the last 10 minutes of the hour for questions from the audience. In “Casting the Women of Les Misérables: Patterns and Problems,” Paige Allen will explore how productions have historically cast the women of Les Misérables, paying particular attention to race and body type. Do patterns in casting affect the way we see the characters and/or the performers who portray them? Who are we allowed to see play certain roles? In “A Father and Mother: Gender and Jean Valjean’s Heroism” Elliot Lee will explore Jean Valjean’s role as a hero and how he exemplifies more traditionally feminine traits than masculine ones. As a character driven by empathy and nurturing parental instincts, how does Valjean subvert gender expectations but not seem weaker or less heroic for it, especially as a foil to the more traditionally masculine Javert? In “Cosette’s Music,” Leila Abou-Jaoude will analyze how Cosette’s music contributes to and complicates her characterization. Could a performer, paying close attention to how Cosette’s music functions melodically and harmonically, imbue the character with more autonomy? ​​In “Female Archetypes and the Challenge of Empowerment,” Molly Bremer will explore the cultural context of Les Misérables in relation to the show’s traditional feminine archetypes, particularly Cosette as ingénue. And yet, although the female characters may be limited in some ways, their musical and performance opportunities present an alternative kind of empowerment for actresses, potentially one that extends even outside of the show itself. What do we make of this contradiction?