Why do we write "Les Miz" and not "Les Mis"?

[DrTheatre]

Posted: 7/28/08 at 11:40pm

I noticed that there is no Z anywhere in the spelling of Les Miserables, so why is it often shorten with one?

Updated On: 7/29/08 at 11:40 PM

[Tag]

Posted: 7/28/08 at 11:42pm

Well to start it is Les Miserables.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/28/08 at 11:43pm

Because we're Americans and we feel like we can take a certain ownership of it by Americanizing it with the "z."

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/28/08 at 11:46pm

Yeah, it's Les Miz. And the reason it's "Miz" is that Cameron Macintosh was a marketing genius who planted print advertisements for the show as "Les Miz" everywhere, all the time.

Lez Mis was the show that started all the merchandising. (Or maybe it's "merchantizing." )

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/28/08 at 11:52pm

Richard Jay Alexander specified in THE BARRICADE that he used the "z" for all the American productions and an "s" for all the others.

FWIW.

[Tag]

Posted: 7/28/08 at 11:57pm

Maybe so that Americans would pronounce it properly?

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 7/28/08 at 11:59pm

Then they would have done Le Miz. I STILL hear people say it wrong when they read the poster I have.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 12:00am

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 12:00 AM

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 12:06am

The janitor at the end THE DROWSY CHAPERONE said, "Less Miss."

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 12:09am

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 12:09 AM

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 12:20am

Fromey, we should change our screen names to brdgenius1 and brdgenius2!

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 12:23am

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 12:23 AM

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 12:28am

Thanks. Now it's going through my head! (But I think it's a scream, so it's okay!)

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 12:37am

who really cares?

[[tos]fan999]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 2:02am

Richard Jay Alexander specified in THE BARRICADE that he used the "z" for all the American productions and an "s" for all the others.

But doesn't the London marquee use a "z"?
I'm too lazy to go back to the Marquee thread to check. But I know the Les Miserables one from London is in there. Somewhere...

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 4:17am

I took this a couple of years ago, no idea if they've changed it since then...
Queen's Theatre, London

[[tos]fan999]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 5:30am

Okay, nevermind me. It was the Broadway revival that said "Les Miz"

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 9:56am

So did the tour when it came back to San Francisco in summer 2005. I assume that wasn't the only city on tour that did that...

[Weez]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 9:59am

Speak for yourself. I much prefer to type out 'Les Miserables' in full, because it REALLY doesn't take that long. ^_^

On the occasions I have abbreviated it, I've gone with 'Les Mis'. Isn't the website www.lesmis.com?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 10:05am

Yes, but they also registered lesmiz.com.

[Weez]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 10:17am

Oh how odd! Also www.lesmiserables.com. Cameron really does believe in base-covering, doesn't he?

[brochatkid]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 10:35am

Z is really great for marketing, especially in the U.S. That's why all the prescription drug names start with Z (e.g., Zyprexa, Zithromax, etc.).

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 10:40am

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=863853#1332918

[p.s.]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 11:00am

I used to refer to New York's Les Miserables as Les Miz (with a zee) and London's as Les Mis (with an ess). The side view of the marquee at Queen's Theatre reads (vertically, large letters) LES MIZ (with a zed).

There should be no further argument. The short name of Les Miserables is Les Miz.



p.s. To answer the original question:

The reason we write 'Les Miz' and not 'Les Mis' is because we say 'Les Miz' and not 'Les Mis'.

[Once it's been established that the 's' in the first word is silent, we must write a 'z' in the second word, because otherwise you might try to pronounce it 'Lay Mee'.]

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 11:39am

Thank you, p.s.

I have always written LES MIZ- ever since I was child. It's odd when I see it as LES MIS.