St Paul’s Collegiate students will be brandishing muskets, flying banners and manning the barricades in the school production of the classic Les Miserables which is due to open this coming Tuesday.
Based around the time of the 1832 Student Insurrection in France, Les Miserables is an historical fiction incorporating factual and historical events.
It is based on the play by Victor Hugo, with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil. The opera follows the struggles and adventures of lead character Valjean, played by St Paul’s Sam Armstrong.
It is directed by Nick Clothier and Francis Cowan with musical direction by Francis Cowan, and work on the production began late last year, with rehearsals starting in March.
Mr Clothier said the opera had a cast of 48. “There’s lots of bustle and the kids have to know what to do.”
Mr Cowan said music for the production was quite complex and an ensemble of professional musicians drawn from the Waikato Symphony and Opus Chamber Orchestras augmented by school players would provide the musical accompaniment.
Year 13 baritone Jonathan Eyers, will sing the part of Marius. Jonathan, and Rosie Searle, who plays the part of Cosette, are both members of the national secondary school choir.
Other lead characters include Ross Noble as Javert, Josie Reilly as Fantine, David Rooney as Thenardier, Harriet-Anne Embling as Madame Thenardier and Holly Ho as Eponine.
Costuming is thanks to Auckland Musical Theatre and Hamilton Operatic and the seven-metre revolving stage has been brought up in containers from Oamaru. “The stage has been a massive undertaking. It was built specially for the Oamaru Operatic Society’s production and took four days to put together,” Mr Clothier said.
Les Miserables is St Paul’s annual theatrical show and follows the 1950s musical Damned Yankees last year and Sweeney Todd in 2010.
The St Paul’s Collegiate production of Les Miserables can be experienced in the Southwell School Centre for Performing Arts, opening at 7.30pm on June 26. The season ends on June 29. Tickets are available from the St Paul’s School office 07 957 8899 or email production@stpauls.school.nz.
