Family's self-isolation parody of 'Les Miserables' song 'One More Day' goes viral amid coronavirus lockdown
With the world stuck at home due to coronavirus lockdown, a UK family decided to recreate 'One More Day' song from 'Les Miserables' to beat the self-isolation boredom to keep their spirits up. The Marsh family, from Faversham in Kent, came up with hilarious lyrics themed on the pandemic lockdown, and their video has garnered over 300,000 shares and close to 60,000 comments when this report was published
The video was posted by the father of four, Ben Marsh, on Facebook on Tuesday.
'Les Miserables' is one of the most epic historical musicals in recent times, set against the backdrop of the Paris Uprising in 1832. Based on the French novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, the 1980 musical adaptation was a massive success, and later spawned a successful movie version in 2012, featuring an ensemble cast of A-list stars such as Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter.
Known as a resounding belter, 'One More Day' is a triumphant call-to-arms, in which all the main characters are seen optimistically singing together in the final song of Act 1. The song is certainly ripe for caricature in this quarantine period, featuring lyrics such as "One more day all on my own / Will we ever meet again?"
And now, the six-member Marsh household in Kent, which consists of parents Ben and Danielle and their four kids — two boys and two girls, have turned the song on its head with a creative reimagining of the lyrics for our virus-plagued times, including some hilarious social commentary, domestic quibbles and woes related to the ongoing global pandemic.
"Shopping for online delivery / I tried again to find there's nothing till September time" lamented the mother. "I had no football match today / How can I play when we are parted?" complains the son. The kids then harmonize the wry line - "Our grandparents are miles away / They can't work Skype, we're broken-hearted."
The father also gets in on the action with his brilliant use of a bottle to cover up his swear words, and the oldest boy's fast-growing hair was called into question. The kids complain about being bored, using up their phone data and having to share a bathroom... it's bound to make you grin. It's no surprise that this video has been going viral considering it's a nigh-perfect parody, with its witty lyrics and tasteful use of harmonies.
The Internet can't get enough of this chuckle-worthy video either. There were plenty of "Brilliant job" and "This made my day" comments. "You have made our week. Whenever my family is down we look at this. Thank you!" said another grateful family.
The Marsh household got admirers from all corners of the globe, including France and New Zealand. Anne Hathaway, the Oscar-winning star of 'Les Miserables', was a big fan herself. She retweeted the video and commented "Bravo!!!!!" The TV presenter Louise Minchin said, "I am going to watch this on repeat all day," while the British MP Tracy Brabin even likened them to the singing family from 'The Sound of Music'.
"Give the Marsh family their own show. The Covid Von Trapps. Creativity at its best,” she declared. If you haven't seen it already, make sure you check out the amazing video by clicking here.
Another parody that went viral amid the pandemic lockdown was 'Coronavirus Rhapsody' based on Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.