An introduction to anti-theatricality using the West End production of Les Misérables as a framework to discuss what makes musical theatre unpalatable to modern audiences. Theatre has been seen as a threat to social order in Europe since Ancient Greek writers were producing work for the stage, and it has often been religious, political, or economic concerns that have fuelled discourse against the theatre. Although the theatre is no longer condemned as resolutely as it has been in the past (although governmental oversights of the importance of arts and culture suggest this prejudice against the theatre has not quite gone away), musical theatre in particular is subject to stigma that is in direct contrast to its popularity as a form. This presentation will introduce the ideas behind anti-theatricality, the key books or movements that led to censorship in theatre and inspired centuries of anti-theatrical prejudice that still persist today, and discuss what it is about musical theatre in particular that people – both theatre critics and the average theatre-goer – hate so much. I will use Les Misérables as one of the most well-known examples of a modern megamusical to dig into these issues. We’ll look at what a megamusical is, how the form’s detachment from reality both undermine and bolster the poignancy a story like Les Miserables can have, what reality is in the musical world and how it is at odds with the real world, and at what level of reality an audience can become uncomfortable with musical theatre. We’ll also look at how musical theatre’s tendency to encourage intense emotion both in storytelling and in its audiences have played a part in anti-theatrical prejudice from Plato’s era to the present day. Works used for this presentation will include Jonas Barish’s The Antitheatrical Prejudice, Plato’s Republic X, historical antitheatrical texts, social sciences research, and references to other well-known musical theatre productions and films.