Les Miserables (School Edition)

First  released  in 1985 Les Miserables celebrates its 40th Anniversary  and Company of Four have certainly produced an amazing show to celebrate its success.  Based on the Victor Hugo novel  this schools edition is a slightly shorter version of  the West End production,  but still includes all the best loved songs which have wowed audiences over the years. Set in France in the 19th century it has an emotional story line with a myriad of powerful songs to test the proficiency of any good performer.  

Harrison Green played Jean Valjean  and Samuel Earthroll was Javert. Both these young men were excellent in their portrayal  bringing  powerful emotions  into their scenes.  Their musical numbers were amazing; outstanding performances from them both, with Harrison’s amazing vocal range shown to it’s full potential and Sam’s rich tones.  Imogen Ost in contrast, gave us a delightful performance of ‘Castle on a Cloud’ as the Young Cosette.  Mia Brewer as the older Cosette also had a fabulous voice, one minute strong and then with gentleness, hitting all her top notes superbly. Mia together with Kit Widdup as Marius gave quality performances in their duet, their partnership working very well together.  A fabulous performance, quietly understated to begin with was from Isabella Parker as Eponine. Her rendition of ‘On My Own’   tugged every heart string in the audience.  Martha Hockley as Fantine was equally impressive with her solo of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’.  These were all very memorable songs but I must add that all these principals also had outstanding acting skills conjuring deep emotions from all of us who were watching.

Mention must also go to Rudy Hendin and Annabel Mott as Thenardier and Madam Thenardier in their comedy roles and their rendition of ‘Master of the House’. Great performances also from James De Mierre as Enjolras, the cheeky  and  amusing Alexandre Longbottom as Gavroche and Ethan Cory as The Bishop and Foreman.  

There was an ensemble of 22,  many of whom we had seen performing in previous productions in the area. They were all very believable characters,  each and every one of them giving a quality performance. They confidentially hit  their songs powerfully with energy right from the start and  throughout, delivering  excellent harmonies with ease. The whole of this talented cast had obviously been totally dedicated and worked very hard to make this such an outstanding production.  All thanks and credit  must go to Charlotte Lamb for her unrelenting enthusiasm. From where we were sitting we could see her conducting and encouraging all these young singers and her efforts were well rewarded.

The set worked well and was simplistic in that trucks were wheeled on and off with ease yet still creating the perfect atmosphere against either a lit or star cloth background.  Very effective with seamless scene changes in the main being managed by the cast themselves although excellent work by the backstage crew with the larger trucks, especially the enormous barricade.  Lighting and sound enhanced the production and all the costumes  looked perfect for the time period.

This was a huge collaboration between all of the production team mentioned above producing this outstanding performance which was a privilege to witness and fully deserved its standing ovation at the conclusion from all of the audience in the packed theatre.

Thank you for your kind hospitality and good to meet up with you all after the show.

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