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‘Les Mis’ on stage at St. Agnes Feb. 27, March 1, 6-7
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| Walker Smith as Jean Valjean and Rheme Sloan as Javert are among the students featured in the St. Agnes Academy spring musical production of “Les Miserables.” Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 and March 6 and 7, with a 2 p.m. show March 1. For ticket information, contact skajs@tmhs.org. |
There are musicals and then there is “Les Miserables.”
“This is a dark show. Dark in setting, in costume, and in content. It is disturbing. It is enlightening. It is timeless. It is cruel. And it is beautiful,” said Arthur Buckley, who is directing the production at St. Agnes Academy.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Feb 27 and March 6-7, with a matinee at 2 p.m. March 1, at St. Agnes, 9000 Bellaire Blvd.
Buckley, who is the performing arts department chairman, called the show a huge undertaking, with 30 different scenes, a dozen different locations, costumes from the French Revolution, young children in the cast and a barricade scene wherein a lot of the characters die.
“Beyond all this, ‘Les Mis’ is an opera, impossible to achieve without a lead tenor with an enormous range, the endurance of a professional, and an on-stage personality somewhere between Abraham Lincoln and Jesus,” he said in a response by e-mail. The baritone/villain, meanwhile, has to sing as brilliantly as he has to be threatening and dislikable.
That said, the musical is on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. Set in early 19th-century France, “Les Mis” follows the intertwining stories of a cast of characters as they struggle for redemption and revolution.
Lead cast members include Walker Smith as Jean Valjean, Rheme Sloan as Javert, Elizabeth Kajs as Fantine, and Jacqueline Perrin as Cosette. Supporting actors include Ian Bouillion, Amy Aquino, Meeka Opong, Jared Castillo, Matt Hawes, and Gabe Valezquez.
A chorus of 32 students will join with the cast singing powerful and unforgettable songs such as "I Dreamed a Dream," and "On My Own.”
The production is competiting in the annual Tommy Tune Awards, a Theatre Under the Stars program.
Staging challenges solved
Staging the show had its challenges said Felicia R. Miller, director of theatre arts at St. Agnes. Among them: how to safely have a six-foot actor fall off a seven-foot platform and how to handle the battle scenes.
Fortunately, Brian Byrnes was available to help choreograph both. He’s a fight coordinator and stage combat expert from the University of Houston's School of Theatre and Dance and the Alley Theatre.
Students helped make the distressed clothing used in costuming some of the cast. Students have been working on the music since December, she said, “which was vital to the success of our show since this is an "opera" with no dialogue (just singing).”
The biggest challenge was working the enormous set pieces that move around and change in almost every scene, she said. Set designer Carl Russell created the pieces out of Styrofoam over a scaffolding base, therefore, they are built to be light enough to move around quickly.
“Most importantly, the kids are at an age where they understand the determination to make a difference in the world,” she said in an e-mail response to questions. “The student revolutionaries they are depicting had ambition and drive and it shows through the lyrics and emotional music. This show has been a great challenge and will have a lifelong effect on the students involved, both on stage and off.”
“Les Mis’ tickets cost $10 and are available at the school cafeteria during lunch and at the door before performances. For information, contact Susan Kajs at skajs@tmhs.org.
“This is a dark show. Dark in setting, in costume, and in content. It is disturbing. It is enlightening. It is timeless. It is cruel. And it is beautiful,” said Arthur Buckley, who is directing the production at St. Agnes Academy.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Feb 27 and March 6-7, with a matinee at 2 p.m. March 1, at St. Agnes, 9000 Bellaire Blvd.
Buckley, who is the performing arts department chairman, called the show a huge undertaking, with 30 different scenes, a dozen different locations, costumes from the French Revolution, young children in the cast and a barricade scene wherein a lot of the characters die.
“Beyond all this, ‘Les Mis’ is an opera, impossible to achieve without a lead tenor with an enormous range, the endurance of a professional, and an on-stage personality somewhere between Abraham Lincoln and Jesus,” he said in a response by e-mail. The baritone/villain, meanwhile, has to sing as brilliantly as he has to be threatening and dislikable.
That said, the musical is on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. Set in early 19th-century France, “Les Mis” follows the intertwining stories of a cast of characters as they struggle for redemption and revolution.
Lead cast members include Walker Smith as Jean Valjean, Rheme Sloan as Javert, Elizabeth Kajs as Fantine, and Jacqueline Perrin as Cosette. Supporting actors include Ian Bouillion, Amy Aquino, Meeka Opong, Jared Castillo, Matt Hawes, and Gabe Valezquez.
A chorus of 32 students will join with the cast singing powerful and unforgettable songs such as "I Dreamed a Dream," and "On My Own.”
The production is competiting in the annual Tommy Tune Awards, a Theatre Under the Stars program.
Staging challenges solved
Staging the show had its challenges said Felicia R. Miller, director of theatre arts at St. Agnes. Among them: how to safely have a six-foot actor fall off a seven-foot platform and how to handle the battle scenes.
Fortunately, Brian Byrnes was available to help choreograph both. He’s a fight coordinator and stage combat expert from the University of Houston's School of Theatre and Dance and the Alley Theatre.
Students helped make the distressed clothing used in costuming some of the cast. Students have been working on the music since December, she said, “which was vital to the success of our show since this is an "opera" with no dialogue (just singing).”
The biggest challenge was working the enormous set pieces that move around and change in almost every scene, she said. Set designer Carl Russell created the pieces out of Styrofoam over a scaffolding base, therefore, they are built to be light enough to move around quickly.
“Most importantly, the kids are at an age where they understand the determination to make a difference in the world,” she said in an e-mail response to questions. “The student revolutionaries they are depicting had ambition and drive and it shows through the lyrics and emotional music. This show has been a great challenge and will have a lifelong effect on the students involved, both on stage and off.”
“Les Mis’ tickets cost $10 and are available at the school cafeteria during lunch and at the door before performances. For information, contact Susan Kajs at skajs@tmhs.org.
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