ENTHRALLING French musical Les Misérables is coming to King’s Ely just in time for Christmas.
The eagerly-anticipated production is being staged in the school’s Hayward Theatre from Thursday, December 8th to Saturday, December 10th.
More than 50 King’s Ely Senior students are taking part in the production, as well as four King’s Ely Junior pupils who are playing the parts of Young Eponine and Young Cosette. Auditions took place in September and the cast will have squeezed in over 100 hours of rehearsals in just 10 weeks by the time they take to the stage.
Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, Les Misérables tells the story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Ex-convict Jean Valjean is hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.
Featuring the songs I Dreamed A Dream, Bring Him Home, One Day More and On My Own, the King’s Ely musical is being directed by the school’s Director of Drama and Theatre, Nick Huntington, and musically directed by Director of Music, Jonathan Kingston.
Les Misérables was the student’s choice of musical and planning started a whole year ago when the title was confirmed in November 2015 and the licence was sought. Concrete plans to stage the show started hot on the heels of last year’s successful show, Into The Woods, which attracted more than 1,000 people.
Mr Huntington commented: “Every year we aim to push the boundaries and expectations with our school drama productions. I’m very proud of the commitment and achievement of every cast member – there will no doubt be some truly exceptional performances to look forward to. It’s such a moving production and it has such a profound effect on an audience, and hopefully our version won’t be any different.”
The whole production is run by the students, including the stage management, lighting and sound. King’s Ely Senior Sixth Form student Eve Noble is designing the barricade for the production for her Extended Project Qualification and is busy building it in the evenings with fellow pupils.
The show is at 7pm each evening, plus there is a 2pm matinee performance on the Saturday.
Tickets, which are selling fast, are £10 for adults, £7 for concessions and £4 for King’s Ely pupils. All are welcome. Call the King’s Ely Box Office on (01353) 653931 or email boxoffice@kingsely.org.