Francesca Hodges
A tale of tragedy, woes, and the French Revolution. Les Miserables is a classic musical that is loved by many as it portrays the classic theme of rebelling against a higher regime. Theater at the Mount’s production of Les Mis is now showing throughout March and into April.
One would be shocked to hear that a high school would take on the daunting task of recreating the well-known and challenging production. However, the work by the students, actors, and director pleasantly surprises. It is a hard task for the actors to channel the emotions of the characters, as lead, senior Jordan Fan, explains. His character Javert is a stickler with underlying conflicted feelings due to a harsh childhood.
“I have loved Les Mis since I was really little and I know all the songs, but the acting was new to me,” Fan said. “In my opinion the best way to prepare is to watch other people. Philip Quast is my favorite Javert as he captures the feelings of the role really well and his voice is amazing.”
Fan, a choir veteran but a first-time actor received lots of advice from the new drama director, Ms. Stacey Walker.
“I think the biggest tip was to act even when I wasn’t singing, because I would just fall out of character. It’s important to remain engaged and react to what’s going on around me as Javert,” Fan said.
Even with the difficulties of the role, Fan was able to overcome them to transform himself into the perfect Javert, with hours of rehearsal along with the rest of the cast. The success of the production is all due to the hard work put in by every student.
“What sets this musical apart is how it has constant singing from the cast and constant music from the orchestra. It’s so tough on the cast and everyone involved in the musical,” Fan said, “but it’s all worth it at the end of the day because of how good it turned out.”
Javert is known for being an honest man, so audiences can take his word for it and witness the great work put on by the students in Theater at the Mount’s spring production Les Mis. Vive la révolution!
