Young Carlsbad High actors to sing of justice, hope
TIM MAYER (Staff Writer)
Revolutionary France and one of the most famous stories in literature will soon burst into song from the stage of the Carlsbad Cultural Arts Center.
Carlsbad High School will present a musical adaptation of "Les Miserables" beginning Friday, a production 23-year veteran theater teacher and director Monica Hall described as the most challenging project ever taken on by the school's theater program.
"I think people are going to be blown away that high school kids can do this," Hall said, as the 60 cast members, 30 stagehands and crew members and 20-piece orchestra scrambled Monday to launch their first full dress rehearsal.
The musical by Alain Boubil and Claude-Michel Schonberg is based on the novel by Victor Hugo and follows the story of Jean Valjean.
Valjean serves 19 years at hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread. After his release he breaks parole, assumes a new identity, builds a successful life, and adopts and protects the illegitimate daughter of one of his factory workers ---- all the time pursued relentlessly by Police Inspector Javert.
"We are going to have people crying through this," Hall predicted. "This whole play is about self-sacrifice for others."
Although about 45 minutes shorter than the three-hour Broadway version, the play is still more than two hours long with 30 musical numbers. Every word of dialogue is sung to the closing line of the play: "To love another person is to see the face of God."
But the actors and crew who have worked three months to learn their songs, their characters, the music, and build the complex stage settings seemed little awed by the challenge on Monday.
"It is going to make me a much better actor," said bushy-faced, red-bearded Matt Tucker, 18, who plays Jean Valjean.
"He's one of the hardest characters to play and I'm honored because he's one of the most well-known characters ever," Tucker said.
Emily O'Brien, 17, plays Cosette, Valjean's adopted daughter, and said acting is something she has done as far back as she can remember.
"It's my way of escaping," she said. "It's a way of experiencing what it would be like to somebody else. It takes a lot to be an actor, to learn the way someone talks and walks and reacts. It means everything to me."
Lauren Campbell, 17, said she's fallen in love with the play and her character, Eponine. Her riches-to-rags story takes her from a comfortable, moneyed life to poverty in the streets.
"Acting is my life," she said. "I've been doing it ever since I was 6 years old (and) this play is so amazing. It's just a wonderful cast, crew and director (and) if I could have played only one role in my life, it would be Eponine."
Jake Murray, 18, towering in the full uniform of police constable, has taken on three characters: a sailor, a revolutionary student and the constable.
Acting since age 8 when he started at the Santa Monica Playhouse, Murray said he loves performing.
"I get to be someone other than myself (and) this is a great play," he said. "It talks about the revolution and the changing of the times. It's sad, but it's reality."
Hall said all of her students take their work very seriously and over the years a half dozen have gone on to become professional actors and a dozen have become professional theater crew members.
Many of those Monday are also hoping to make acting their careers.
One is John Cardenas, 16, who said his role as the relentless, unforgiving Javert is a nice change for him, one he hopes will help him on the way to Broadway.
"I've never played a bad character before," he said. "I've always been the protagonist. I feel it will be good to put on my resume."
Another is Tucker, who said he realized his goal was the stage when he appeared in "Mame" two years ago.
"I don't know what set it off," he said. "I just realized it was the thing for me. That's when I realized I want to do this the rest of my life."
http://www.sandiegoplaybill.com/reviews/reviews_lesmiserables_chs.html