THUNDER BAY – A group of talented young actors are rising to the challenge of bringing all the emotions of a classic tale of persecution and redemption to life on stage.
“I think it’s the range of emotions that challenges already talented people,” said Marcia Arpin, creative director at All the Daze Productions. “So where they had talent already, this really took them out of their comfort zone, pushed them to take extra risks, and have authentic emotions, so going from the saddest of sad, to joyful events, and even anger explored in different ways.”
All the Daze Productions is presenting the school edition of Les Misérables, the classic musical by Alain Boubill and Claude-Michel Sconberg based on Victor Hugo’s 19th century novel.
The story follows Jean Valjean, who is released after years of unjust imprisonment. His time behind bars follows him and he is greeted with mistrust and mistreatment, which leads him to break his parole in the hope of starting a new life. It is only during the Paris Student Uprising of 1832 does Valjean and Javert, the man who has been pursing him, are able to confront the past and seek redemption.
“For me, it was probably my best high school memory,” Arpin said. “It was the biggest thing then. I had to teach it a little bit to this generation that how they feel about Hamilton now is how I felt about Les Mis. We have the talent to do it. So it was ready, set, go.”
With a cast of more than 40 actors, singers, and dancers, Les Misérables is no small production. There are more than 200 costumes and props and the cast, made up of actors between the ages of seven-years-old and 18-years-old, have been rehearsing since September.
“For them it’s their last potential play before they are off to their next chapter of life, which is typically university, so this is probably their biggest graduation gift we could give them and we’ve just kept going bigger and bigger ever since,” Arpin said.
For 18-year-old Zachary Marchuk, who is playing Jean Valjean, Les Misérables is his favourite musical and so much of the production resonates with him, from the music to the story.
“I really enjoy it,” he said. “I’ve loved these songs for years so it’s nice to be able to sing them.”
Marchuk described Valjean as very angry because of his unjust treatment and rejection, which is something he wants to portray on stage.
“I don’t want to be too angry for that first prologue section of the play, but I want there to a difference between that and the later part to show his character has grown and no longer angry at the world,” he said.
For 16-year-old Will Lockyer, who is playing Marius, this is the first time he has worked on a production this large.
“When I heard about Les Mis, I never really understood the story and I wasn’t very excited to do it, but when I read the story, I realized how deep of a musical it is and the storyline with it, I just couldn’t say no,” he said.
“It’s just a great time. The cast is very fun. It’s a great group of kids. Marcia, the director, she has a wild imagination.”
Les Misérables opens on Nov. 29 at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, with shows on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Tickets are $10 each and be purchased by calling 684-4444 or online at tickets.tbca.com.
