After months of preparation and hard work, the Oak Hills Drama Club recently had its production, Les Misérables (or Les Mis for short), from April 3rd through April 5th. Les Misérables is a musical based on the popular novel by Victor Hugo. The story is set in 19th-century France and follows a cast of characters as they face misfortune. The show was roughly 2 ½ hours with a 15-minute intermission halfway through.
The cast for this production is made up of many talented individuals who have worked hard to give their best performance. The lead roles of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Eponine, Marius, and Cosette were played by Jaxson Dorsel, Natalie Gilb, Eve Troutwine, Logan Nerlinger, and Abby Butts, respectively. Each of the main cast members (and everyone in the ensemble) showed so much enthusiasm for their roles and performances.
The cast was not entirely composed of students, however. Kyle Funk and Colin Brandt are Oak Hills staff members who joined the cast for this production. Brandt has been a part of past Les Mis productions, but this is Funk’s first time on stage. Similarly, there were some younger additions to the cast: Anastasia Walls (2nd grade) played young Cosette, and Charlotte Thompson (Kindergarten) played young Eponine. Though they may not be current OHHS students, it’s clear that they brought something unique to this production.
There is more to the production than meets the eye. Besides the cast’s countless hours of rehearsal on stage, the build crew and tech crew have put a lot of time into making the set come to life and helping the performance run smoothly. Many large set pieces, like the barricade or the horse cart, were so well put together. For those who didn’t attend the show, the barricade stretched the length of the stage and was filled with objects that gave the illusion that the scene was filled with action on the other side of the stage. The crew’s contribution to the show did not go unnoticed.
Les Mis is a musical where there is no spoken dialogue; the entire play is sung through. Thus, the cast had to be singing, and the musicians in the pit had to be playing the entire time. The music of Les Mis was so seamlessly created that it can be easy for people to overlook the work of the musicians who aren’t seen. It’s safe to say, though, that the work of those in the pit elevated the production even more. The songs “Red and Black (The ABC Cafe)” and “I Dreamed a Dream” really stood out. “Do You Hear the People Sing?” was also a standout.
Kudos to everyone who put in the time producing a spectacular musical for Oak Hills. These productions aren’t made overnight, and everyone, from the directors to the ensemble, put a great amount of effort and care that shows tenfold on the stage.
