By Jack Meyers '27
The award-winning theater program at SJR is soon taking on a new challenge. This year, the program will take on the challenge of performing Les Miserables, a classic musical which will put everyone to the test.
Les Miserables, a French musical based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel, is the story of Jean Valjean, (Liam Fahey '24, Elijah Jackson '26), a man sentenced to years of imprisonment and labor for stealing bread. The show is a journey through his life, and his relationship with Javert, (Jack Laux '24, Joseph Lizzi '26), the police officer who originally arrested Valjean fifteen years prior. The show follows Valjean and how he escapes from imprisonment, assuming a new identity as Monsieur Le Maire.
Not only is the show full of complex themes, but it is completely sung-through, which is why it will be a challenge to produce here at St. Joes. The show is also technically demanding, requiring many props, costumes, and set pieces.
The last time Les Miserables was performed on the Inserra Theater stage at SJR was in 2011. The production won a Metropolitan High School Theater award for Best Supporting Actor. This year, the theater program hopes to add another Les Mis trophy to it's collection.
Joseph Lizzi, a sophomore here at St. Joes is a large part of our performing arts program. He was previously seen on the SJR stage as “Juror 8” in the student-directed play, Twelve Angry Men.
“It's an absolutely huge show. There's a million roles.” Says Lizzi when asked about what makes Les Miserables different from other shows performed here. “You're going to see a lot of people who don't usually have big speaking or singing parts have these very large parts. They're going to be a big part of the production”
Joe also adds that: “Les Mis means a lot to me because it means that the production team has faith in us to do such a large-scale production, and then pull it off. It also means that we have to work harder than we ever have before.”
The callbacks and auditions for the show have been completed, and the rehearsal process begins on Sunday, November 12th. The shows will be on the weekends of January 26th-28th and February 2nd-4th.