“Mr Edwards said no cuts. Students who wanted to be in the production would get a part no matter what.”
Rehearsals for Les Misérables began two weeks ago, with a cast of 56 students. The cast list, released a little more than a week ago, may prove to be confusing for some, naming two different individuals for a single character. “For the first time we’re actually doubling a couple of the parts. There are so many people trying out, wanting to be a part of the production, and doubling gives as many students who want to be involved as possible a chance to be part of the production,” says Mr Franklin, one of the producers.
Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables is a well-worn book; the world’s longest running musical; and, of course, an Oscar winning 2012 musical film. “There is a very powerful message being conveyed in Les Mis. One of the things that’s resonating with us, the production team, is a very powerful message about hope, redemption, grace and the idea that it is sometimes easier to forgive than to be forgiven,” says Mr Franklin.
The production will premiere October 29 this fall, and there are a thousand reasons to watch it, but here’s one more: you get to see Victor Hugo’s artwork.
“A lot of people don’t know that besides being an author, Victor Hugo was actually an artist as well. He actually painted a number of really interesting landscapes and images of France, of Paris and we’re actually going to use part of his work as inspiration. You will actually see some of the actual artwork painted by Victor Hugo appear in our production. I think that’s pretty cool.”
The full cast list for Les Miserables can be viewed here