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Alen BublilComposer
Date of Birth: 05.03.1941
Country: ![]() |
Content:
- Biography of Alain Boublil
- The French Revolution
- Les Misérables
- Collaboration with ABBA and the London Stage
- Miss Saigon and Martin Guerre
- Current Projects
Biography of Alain Boublil
Alain Boublil, a French poet and librettist, was born on March 5, 1941, and spent his childhood in Tunisia. He later moved to France and received an economics education in Paris. In 1967, he met Claude-Michel Schönberg, which would define the course of his career.

The French Revolution
In 1973, Boublil and Schönberg wrote the rock opera "La Révolution Française," becoming pioneers of this genre in France. Despite the conservative audience, the double album recording of "La Révolution Française" went gold twice and sold 350,000 copies. The theatrical production also gained popularity, but it was only performed once outside of France.
Les Misérables
After this successful experience, Boublil began searching for a new musical theme that would interest the discerning French audience. Victor Hugo's name immediately resonated with France, and the title "Les Misérables" evoked romantic images of young revolutionaries on barricades. Adapting such a monumental novel into a three-hour performance seemed impossible. Nevertheless, in 1978, Boublil and Schönberg embarked on the realization of this ambitious idea, and two years later, in 1980, "Les Misérables" debuted on the Parisian stage. The musical adaptation of this significant and well-known work was a challenging and responsible task, requiring the authors to have a keen sense of style and utmost respect for the source material. Boublil later said, "If we thought Hugo wouldn't approve of us, we would have abandoned the project." Although the librettist believed that the musical retained very little from the original novel (except for Gavroche's song and some key phrases that were faithfully transferred into the libretto), it must be acknowledged that no other adaptation of "Les Misérables" can boast the same reverential treatment of the original story and its spirit as Boublil and Schönberg's musical. The public highly appreciated the work of their fellow countrymen. The concept album, for which Boublil was one of the producers, went double gold, and the show was seen by nearly half a million spectators. However, "Les Misérables" remained predominantly a French phenomenon.
Collaboration with ABBA and the London Stage
In 1983, Boublil was invited to London for the production of the show "Abbacadabra," a musical fairytale based on the songs of the legendary Swedish group ABBA. The script for this spectacle was written by a poet in collaboration with another Frenchman, Daniel Boublil (no relation). Boublil had previously collaborated with ABBA in 1974 when he wrote the French lyrics for their famous hit "Waterloo." In London, Boublil met producer Cameron Mackintosh, which proved to be another fateful encounter in his life. In 1984, with Mackintosh's involvement, work began on adapting "Les Misérables" for the United Kingdom. The musical underwent significant changes but achieved worldwide fame in its current form.
Miss Saigon and Martin Guerre
In 1989, Boublil and Schönberg released the musical "Miss Saigon." The show, a modern reinterpretation of Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly," was initially staged in London and then went on to conquer theatrical stages in other countries. This time, the authors tailored the show for the West End. Boublil wrote the libretto in French, knowing that it would be translated. Later, he actively participated in working on the English lyrics together with librettist Richard Maltby Jr.
Following "Miss Saigon," Boublil and Schönberg took a long break, reaping the rewards of their work and preparing for their next project. In 1996, their new work, "Martin Guerre," premiered in London with financial support from Mackintosh. This time, they used the well-known medieval French legend of a soldier returning to his village after years of travel as the basis for the plot. As always, Boublil wrote the libretto in his native language, and the English version was created by Edward Hardy and Stephen Clark.
This work differed from their previous works in that it was more "intimate" and could not aspire to the commercial success of their previous hits. To save their creation, the authors reworked the musical, and in 1998, the British premiere of the revised version took place. "Martin Guerre" eventually crossed the Atlantic, but it never made it to Broadway. Another period of lull followed.
Current Projects
Nevertheless, Boublil and Schönberg continue to collaborate and communicate, even when they are not working together. As Schönberg notes, the main reason for the breakdown of male friendships is when wives fail to connect, but Boublil and his wife were lucky (Boublil is the proud father of four children). However, what currently unites the poet and composer is not only their friendship but also their new work, which they promise to present to the public in the near future. All information about it is kept under tight wraps.
Alain Boublil owns Alain Boublil Music Ltd., a company that is involved in almost everything related to Boublil and Schönberg's creative endeavors.