It's summer at Quincy Community Theatre and summer
means a blockbuster musical! The worldwide phenomenon Les Misérables is
coming to Quincy, and rehearsals are already underway.
With over one hundred amazing auditions spanning
four days (including a day especially for the youngsters), QCT has announced
its très bien cast of Les Misérables. Based on Victor
Hugo's classic novel, this musical is arguably QCT's grandest undertaking --
quite fitting for the theatre's 400th performance!
After spending nineteen years in prison, the
convict Jean Valjean (played by guest actor Joe Tokarz) gains his freedom. When
he misses his parole date to start a new life, he must run from the very man
who arrested him, Inspector Javert (Jason Keller). During his life on the lam,
he comes to the rescue of an orphaned girl, whose mother Fantine (Catherine
Smith) was a worker in his factory. They escape to Paris, where the little
Cosette grows into a young woman (Caitlin Manwaring). There, they must live in
hiding from the Thénardiers (Chris Scholz and Debra Brown) and the Inspector.
Meanwhile, the students of Paris are at unrest due to political turmoil. Lead
by the rebel Enjolras (Drew Quintero), the students band together to fight for
their rights. Among them is Marius Pontmercy (Patrick Regner), the grandson of
a wealthy royalist and the unrequited love interest of Éponine Thénardier
(Libby Ruth). As tensions rise and rebellion draws nearer, they must all put
themselves to the test in this epic story of humanity and survival.
So what's been going on since casting? The actors
and the production team have been busy at work, constructing the most effective
and powerful story they can tell. Putting on a production like Les
Misérables is no easy feat, especially with the generation gap between
2014 America and France in the 1800s. During the first rehearsals of the past
week, the cast and production team have been delving deep into the hearts and
minds of these characters. Instead of treating them as parts in a script, the
actors are challenged to find the humanity in their characters. What inspires
the beggars to keep fighting for their freedoms? What drives Javert to pursue
the escaped convict after all these years? What makes these characters tick?
Breathing life into these real people is a crucial aspect of bringing the story
to life, a story teeming with issues and messages still prevalent in
society today.
Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing a little
insight into the making of this production, including history and exclusive
behind-the-scenes info.
The full cast list can be viewed at http://www.1qct.org/?portfolio=3723.
Many of those people can be seen below! Recognize anyone?
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