Just in case you couldn’t make it to Les Misérables, or haven’t heard the hallway buzz, here’s the scoop on this year’s musical.

Les Misérables, originally a novel written by Victor Hugo, tells the story of Jean Valjean, an ex-convict living in 19^th century France. Both the novel and the adapted stage musical feature strong political undertones, historical events, and examine morality, justice and love. In this way, this year’s musical marks a deviation from Pine Crest’s past musicals, in that Les Misérables strikes a more serious chord in terms of plot and subject matter.

Patrick Boyle, a Pine Crest Junior who plays Inspector Javert, says that the intensity only added to musical. It’s safe to say that he was definitely right – Les Mis was a hit! Although Boyle had appeared previously in Spring Scenes, the senior production of Twelfth Night, and had been cast as a lead role in this year’s fall play, Les Misérables was his first on-stage musical performance.

Although Boyle admits, “Les Mis is big for my first musical,” based on enthused responses from the Pine Crest Founders Council, faculty, and theatergoers at large, he and his fellow cast members had little to worry about. Speaking of the challenges he faced in portraying Javert, Boyle humorously adds, “I had to have mutton chops,” gesturing to the partial beard he’d grown for the part.

Sophomore Lizzie Frankenthal states that since, “the whole musical is sung,” it was challenging for a lot of the actors and actresses to keep their energy and their voices.

However, the cast kept the energy going with ease. The game of cat and mouse played out perfectly between Javert and Jean Val Jean (Patrick Boyle and Cristian Abello respectively). And, if you didn’t get to see it in person, Nicole Steinberg’s vocals were incredible, and her portrayal of Cosette was delicate and refined. In addition, outstanding performances and vocals by sophomores Louis Browne, who played Marius, and Marissa Hecker, who played Fontine, wowed audiences. We can’t wait to follow the growth of these up and coming underclassmen in future Pine Crest theater productions. And, adding the perfect tidbit of comic relief, Lauren Cagnetta, who played Gavroche, was an inspiration to “little people” everywhere with her impressive stage presence.

Learning the musical numbers “was pretty difficult, but rewarding,” says junior, Daniel Samuel, a musician playing in the pit orchestra for the musical.

Junior Emily Kidd adds, “It’s not a production you can do half-heartedly.” She goes on to detail the sometimes chaotic process behind putting on a musical, and says that what the audience saw on opening night was really, “just the tip of the iceberg… The pit [orchestra] lead by Dr. Nicholson, the stage crew, faculty, and directors Mr. Testa and Mrs. Ortega worked so hard… to take this show to a new level.”

As the director of the musical, Marisa Ortega has dedicated countless hours over the past months to foster the production. The resulting hype over the musical and its outstanding reception are well deserved.

In agreement with fellow cast members, Patrick Boyle says that the musical “came together for a very interesting and moving story.”

Type One would like to congratulate the cast, crew, pit orchestra, and directors of Les Mis, for an excellent performance.